MFP's most common user pitfall to avoid

Thanks this is a good post !

unless you're 18.5 years old, you have no place trying to strive for being like you "were like in high school", IMO :noway:

I am back to my high school weight and have been here for over 2 years now. Up and down within 10 pounds but at the high end is what I weighed in grade 12, and I turn 32 in march, graduated 14 years ago.

I think the point wasn't that someone CAN get to that weight, the point (and I'm making an educated guess here, correct me if I'm wrong) is that, for most people, that weight is probably not going to be the correct weight for them. Maybe you are the exception that proves the rule, or maybe you had more fat in high school but now have less fat but more lean tissue. Dunno. heck, we could all get down to that weight if we wanted and had the right set of conditions, the idea is to be the right weight for you now, not what your "happy weight" was as some far off distant past. In other words, base your goals off realistic, proven concepts, not unsubstantiated ideas and memories.

And that his body, while weighing about the same as it did when he was a teenager, is no longer the body of a teenager but a 32 year old. I am 40 and a mother of two and while i could (and most likely will) get back to my highschool weight, i will still be a 40 year old, not a 17 year old. I think we can strive for a youthful body and appearance while also respecting our body as it ages and changes

Alright, so how do you determine a weightloss goal from all this info?

I'm 5'6 and do strength training and running 4-6 days a week. I'm currently at 139. My historic lo was 115 on a medication (and that was two, three years ago). I feel comfortable somewhere between 118-124 because I like to feel lighter on my feet.

So I probably should do a lower weightloss amount per week (.5 pounds instead of 1). How do I know I got my number right/I am not aiming for the impossible?

Thanks for the info! It is just the kick that I needed. Oh, and I book marked your page for further reading!

I am 54 and this is my LAST time to lose weight! I lost 53 pounds before I gained back 18. So now down to the last "30", again! I will be 54 in April and I did strength training to reshape my body last time and got rid of my pear shape and slimmed down my butt, hips and thighs so well that I could fit into ANY size 8 pants and that was at 153 pounds, and my large thighs will never be slim, but I was still able to reshape them so that they didnt rub when I walked! Halleluleah! I am 5'6". I fully realize that the damage has been done to my body already by me, of course, so my goal was to always just look better in clothes. Some people told me I was too skinny, but they were usually heavy women. I just made it under the BMI for healthy, so I figured if I chose 135 (I was there at 40 years old nd not exercising) to 140 while I continue to exercise that would be a reasonable weight for me as it is in the middle of the BMI chart and I am medium boned. From the very start, I wanted to pick a "diet" (Dr. Oz) and an exercise program (walking the dog, riding bikes with my husband, doing strength training videos at home, and using a mini trampoline on rainy days) that I could live with forever into my "old age". I didn't want to do some crazy fat burning, sweat dripping routine that I know personally I wouldn't keep doing as the years go by. I didn't want my weight loss to be fueled by that and then have harsh reality slap me in the face with just walking the dog and gaining weight because I have lost my exercise intensity.

So thank you for the excellent post! It is funny, I am eating about half of my exercie calories or so and doing well! I know I wanted to lose 1.5 pounds a week so I adjusted my diet here, but I know my reality before was only 1.1 pounds/week over time. Anyway, my overall goal is to be healthy and strong until the end and to look better fully clothed! And I lost 1.6 this past week! = D

Your post was very helpful, so I took a leap of faith and changed my goal to 1 lb per week because I haven't lost in a couple of weeks. Hope it works! I didn't change my ending goal but I think you are absolutely right. I'm pretty sure I'll know it when I get there!

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I know that my body and my abilities have changed dramatically with age.......I set my goal just to get to a healthy BMI. That is my goal.....first to be simply overweight instead of morbidly obese....and finally to actually be at a healthy weight. I am looking at a minimum of 3-4 years to complete this journey, not planning on overnight "miracles" this is a lifestyle change for me to give me a better chance at life. Thank you for this post and the encouragement you give for making a healthy change.