Picking a goal weight??

You'll know you're there when you look in the mirror and go "damn I look good!"

I'm trying to lose weight I gained with some medical problems. Once I get there I will reevaluate. Basically if I lose about 40 more pounds my doctors will be happy. Will I be thin? No.
I think it's okay to not know what weight you're aiming for and to find out when you get there. That requires sense I lacked. I have a general idea of what I should ideally weigh, depending on how much muscle I have. That was calculated for me by a pro body builder who had a gym, long ago. She measured by bones with a caliper, and my height, and gave me the range from a chart. Before that I had a crazy notion that I should weight 110 pounds. I have no idea where I got that from. I guess my point is that a professional opinion from someone who would know, is also very useful. It depends.

This sounds crazy- but how did you go about picking a goal weight? An arbitrary number? Pick a number out of the air? Is there some sort of scientific method to it? Figure BMI? (Which I don't think is the best indicator)

Reason I ask- I originally picked 150 as my goal weight. --- yes, a number I just pulled out of nowhere. Thought it was a good number- just over 50 lbs from where I started. I thought wow, if I can lose 50 lbs, that would be great. Well, I'm getting close to that number I picked, and rethinking it. I weighed in at 157 today. waiting til tomorrow to see if it was a fluke number lol- but I'm Thinking I should go lower, but I don't want to just pick a number from thin air again, I want something that I can reach and maintain, and look great at. So.... How do I know when I'm there?

I started in the 170s and my original goal was 135lbs, which was the weight I was on my wedding days almost 11 years ago, pre-three kids lol. Then, when I transitioned into maintenance, I lost 10 more pounds. Now I'm transitioning to a whole foods, plant based diet and I've just gone back into weight loss 'mode' to lose a few more pounds, because I'm going by Dr. Fuhrman's calculation. My new goal is 119lbs, which puts me at the lower end of a healthy bmi-19.2

I just picked the weight I remember being happiest at, you know yourself better than anyone, when where you happy with your weight ?

I picked the high end of normal on the BMI scale since that's all doctors go by.

I picked my goal weight based off my what my lowest weight had been (135 lbs). I didn't actually think I would get there but I said "Okay 135! I'll give it a go at least, but I'll be fine with 145 cause that will still be 20 lbs". (Started around 165-175). Like you, I got to those goals and thought "hey wait, I CAN do this!". So I got to 145 and decided to try to push for that 135 again. But once I got to 135 I decided that I didn't have to settle and I wanted a new "best shape of my life". I decided that I CAN be a size small (always told myself I just had a bigger frame, I was wrong lol).

I am currently just under 125 and feeling great about that number I am 5'6 and this is still in the healthy area for my height and age. I still have 'fat days', but I can tell through pictures that I have made a lot of progress and I am happy about what I've done so far.

So I suggest that if you feel you can go lower, then why not!? (as long as you are still shooting for a healthy weight of course).

I picked the high end of normal on the BMI scale since that's all doctors go by.

This makes no sense.

You're doing it the correct way, which is to pick a number and periodically revise it as you approach it. The criteria you use to determine whether a revision is needed is up to you, but I think body fat % and/or a tape measure make sense. BMI is not a good measure to use IMO.

Most people find themselves lowering their goal weight from what they initially chose, but don't hesitate to raise it if your criteria tell you to.

I chose the top end of my BMI range and then made itanother 5 lb less to make it secure... on the way I gave myself several 'mini'goals to feel that I was achieving something. Now I have a BMI within the normal range for my height I'll start making more 'mini' goals until I reach a weight I feel comfortable with - I want to achieve a well toned pre-baby weight minus 4 lbs to secure it. I think goal weight is personal to each of us and is what we feel comfortable with

I first chose a number in the middle of my healthy BMI range but when I reached it I still wasn't happy so decided to shoot for the lower end. I know now that I still won't look in the mirror and love my body at that weight but I wouldn't want to make myself unhealthy by going any lower so I'll just have to focus on building muscle and toning to shape my body.

My goal weight is my pre-pregnancy weight. I will still be obese when I hit that mark--I was in the middle of a lifestyle change when I got pregnant and morning sickness which only let me eat super sweet/salty stuff for 3 months threw a wrench into the whole deal.

Once I hit 204 lbs, I will reassess. I'm 5'4" but pretty muscular under all the fat, so I'll probably set both a weight and clothing size goal, and keep going until I hit the clothing size or I get pregnant again .

Calculate your body fat, look at a body fat picture chart, decide what your goal body fat would be, and then calculate what you would need to lose to get there.

This link has body fat calculators (though calipers would be more accurate if you can get that done at the gym) as well as the goal weight calculator that you do last:
http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/

and here is the BF% pic chart so that you can pick what you would like your goal BF to be:
http://www.builtlean.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/body-fat-percentage-women.jpg

I like this advice, and have used the same to cacluclate, take that reconfirm my goal weight.

I picked goal measurements, thought about a my weight last time I was near them, and then used that to guide my target weight. It ended up being pretty close to the BF% calculator number.

It is OK to change it.

To be honest, if I get to my "goal" and I am heavier, it makes no difference.

I don't have agoal weight, I have a goal body fat percentage. I am perfectly happy gaining weight so long as I drop my body fat (and in fact, intend to go on a bulk in the next few weeks to buil back some of the muscle I have lost while burning so much fat).

I picked the high end of normal on the BMI scale since that's all doctors go by.

This makes no sense.

How does it make no sense? That doctors don't go by BMI to determine your health? Or that I picked a number based on BMI?

BMI is a fairly inaccurate way to determine a healthy weight. Doctors use it as a yardstick since it is easy to determine, but I have had more than one doctor look at my BMI (saying I'm overweight) then look at me (less than 20% body fat) and realize that my BMI is meaningless and move on from there. Unless you happen to be near the middle of the bell curve, BMI is going to be inaccurate for you.