Question about goal weights

You pick a number that sounds nice, when you are there you reevaluate

Or you do it properly and work it out with bf% and what should be nice for you... But making one up works just as well

I don't think its about having a magic number as much as having a tangible goal to work towards. Especially those of us on a long road, its a good thing to have a general idea where we want to end up, though likely the exact number of that goal will change as we progress. For me personally, things have changed a lot. I started out around 260, and I knew I wasn't healthy, so I set a goal of 200, and then had myself checked out by my doc, then the goal became 150. I'm still working towards it, and the goal is slowly starting to change again, as I've decided weight isn't as important as having some sort of muscle and functional athletic performance.

Those of us who've always been overweight will always go through loads of trial and error til we're pleased with how we are. That being said, I don't think a number on the scale will ever be the end all be all for happiness. If you're relying on the scale to be happy, it probably isn't the healthiest mindset to have. Just find some exercise you have fun with and enjoy the time it takes to get to your goal.

I use a method we use in my office. I took a SWAG at it.

Scientific
Wild
Assed
Guess.

I got there, re-evaluated and have lowered it again. You set an initial target. If you are happy there, stay there. If you want to keep going, once you get there lower it again.

Either that or a magic 8 ball or Ouija board. Maybe a dart board. Did you know that according to MFP's exercise database, you burn 3 calories a minute playing darts? Who knew?

Personally, I started putting on weight when I gave up smoking 20+ years ago so my goal weight is the weight I was then plus up to 10 lbs given that I am 20+ years older now and it works out at about 15 lbs more than I was when I left school (I more or less maintained weight until I stopped smoking). But as has been said above, when I get closer to it I will reappraise and decide what is realistic to attain and maintain.

trial and error. especially if you have been fat so long that you really dont know what your weight should be as an adult! i was 246 in september when i started. my original goal was 200. got there, still too big, then dropped to 180, then to 175, then to 165... well, now im 167, and ive dropped it to 155... but i think im going to shoot for 145. its hard because im tall, im 5 foot 10, so... when you look at ideal weights for my height, there is a large area to aim for! its trial and error, just set your goal, and change it if you need to!

I went for the middle of a healthy bmi. I have been this weight before and felt great. You can always change it as you get closer.

I decided I wanted to lose 198 pounds this year. That's the difference between what I was in January and what I weighed when I was 18. It's also my height in centimeters, and it's the point at which I'm not obese on the BMI scale any more. How many more reasons to lose 198 pounds can I come up with?

I honestly don't have a real goal weight number. I have a goal for how I want my body composition to be, how I want to look in and out of clothes, and I have goals for how strong I'd like to be. The goal number on my ticker is a weight that I was at when I was healthy and athletic. It's not my lowest weight, but a weight I felt was appropriate for me at that point in time. I don't know if that weight is right for me now, but it's really just there as a sort of placeholder.

My first goal is to reach a healthy BMI which I think holds true for a lot of people on my friend list. After that I want to approach the middle of the range evaluating along the way how I look and feel.

My overall goal is at the top of the healthy weight for my height. I'm starting to think I might go a few llbs below this so I've some to play with but I'll re-evaluate when I get there

My goal weight is purely arbitrary because MFP asked for a number. I'm looking at body fat % as my indicator. I've finally gotten into a healthy range for the first time ever, and am looking to get into the atheltic range (around 18% would be ideal for me).

I changed my mind several times and just stopped where I felt comfortable. I had an idea of where I wanted to end based on how much I weighed in high school and early 20's but those numbers didn't look the same on me anymore because my body is different. So even though I had a number in mind I figured if I didn't reach it or exceed it I would not much care if I felt good there. I don't want to obsess about where I am now because I want to gain muscle and if that means I gain a few lbs then that's alright. U will just know when u reach your goal and don't sell yourself short thinking u don't remember being a certain weight doesn't mean u can't be if u want

i remember weighting now what i did 12yrs ago before i got cuddly and remember wanting to be between 8 and 10st got to 9st 4 once and everybody though i looked to thin, so thinking 10st should be ok am currently 12st and as was 18st nearly when i started think i should be 'ower though lots of people are commenting on me beening to thin now, my bmi healthy range is 8st to 11st depending on which one you follow so think ill try for 10st, if i become to obessed maybe im ok as i am, maybe when i get yo 10st, i think 8st is possible might try for it but think that is highly unlikely, so see how it and you go

I want to be the size and weight that I was when I got married - 65kg and size 10/12 UK...

My goal is a weight that i was happy at when i was younger. Now, i'm not naiive and I know that at age 52, after a hysterectomy at age 37 (so was plunged into menopause way too early) that my body is not the same. so - I am using that number as a general guide, want to get down to a healthy BMI and SIZE, and then I will reevaluate. It may be a few more pounds one way or the other.