How did you pick your ending goal weight and how bad will meds hold you back?

Shrinkydink1977
Shrinkydink1977 Posts: 197 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
I'm 39, 5 ft 8.5 or so (so I round up to 5 ft 9 on most to give my pudgeness some extra calories and because I'm a very broad shouldered, big busted woman and way closer to 5 ft 9 than 5 ft 8). I went onto bmi calculator and they said my ideal weight should be between 125 and 169. I've ultimately decided (and we will see when I get anywhere NEAR close) on 160. Frankly I haven't been close to 200 since 2003 before I went on seroquel and gained 100 pounds over 6 years. I'm now on Geodon instead which supposedly is more weight neutral. My doctor told me with my psych meds I'll never lose the weight to just have some form of bariatric surgery so maybe this is all a pipe dream anyway but I'm down 22 pounds from high weight. (15 pounds in the past 5-6 weeks) So, I'll keep trying for now and rethink when I turn 40. I've given myself a goal of 245 by next December. 50 pounds in a year is doable if I don't give up, right? High weight 315. Current weight 292.9.

Replies

  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    edited December 2016
    I didn't really pick a number...I had an idea of what I wanted to look like composition wise...mostly I wanted to be fit and healthy (and take care of some medical issues) and look like a fit guy...

    Shooting for a healthy BMI is a good start...but keep in mind that BMI is a range to accommodate various builds...it's not so you can just pick and choose and call it "healthy"...someone who is not naturally petite is going to at minimum look pretty unhealthy at the low end of BMI for example...and they'd probably be unhealthy as well.

    IDK...I think people get way too wrapped up in some number that is often about as arbitrary as throwing a dart at the BMI chart and they neglect to look at other measures of their health and wellness and just overly obsess about some number and define their success or failure based on that rather arbitrary measure.
  • tlflag1620
    tlflag1620 Posts: 1,358 Member
    edited December 2016
    That^^^

    There is really no need to settle on some arbitrary number. When I started I simply wanted to get out of the "overweight" category. Even now at maintenance, my goal is a range, not a set number.

    Setting smaller goals for yourself (like the 50 lbs in a year that you have in mind) makes perfect sense, and is less overwhelming. As you lose weight your goal will evolve. I think a slow, steady, 1 lb per week goal is very smart. Don't forget to update your weight on MFP as you lose, and consider taking periodic diet "breaks" (a week or two of eating at maintenance) if you find yourself burning out. Good luck!
  • Spliner1969
    Spliner1969 Posts: 3,233 Member
    I wouldn't let any doctor tell you what you can and can't do. My doctors told me I'd never run again, and this last summer I ran 2 miles at my max distance. I expect to hit 3.1 for a 5k next summer. You can lose the weight, you've already started. And 50 lbs is very do-able in a year. I lost 115 in a year, but that was pretty extreme, my guess is you'll hit your goal and then some.
  • Shrinkydink1977
    Shrinkydink1977 Posts: 197 Member
    Thanks. I hope so. It really set me on edge telling me I can't do something. I'm not setting a goal weight as once I get to that number I'm done, race over... but as something to shoot for.. I need something to sight. I'm a bit obsessive with lists and numbers. MFP has been playing into that well with the calories and macros. I am logging every day .. the good and the bad. Somedays I don't eat all my calories.. life gets in the way.. somedays I go over.. but it's all just a goal to aim for each day.

    My sister is 5 ft 7 and about 135 and is rail thin. I know I don't want to be that.. and she's got a different build than me. I'd like to be able to plug my weight into a calculator and not be told I'm overweight but "healthy" or "normal" It's probably the only shot I've got at being "normal" HAHA. I take after my dad's side of the family. Healthy german fraulein stereotype. Tear apart things with your bare hands. My sister is the petite italian side. My dad is 6 ft 4 400 pounds. My mom (until her mid thirties) was 118 and 5 ft 6. I think subconsciously I'm also hoping that under the fat is a petite build person and I just didn't know it.

    Thank you for your input. @Spliner1969 good luck on your 5k next summer!
  • HippySkoppy
    HippySkoppy Posts: 725 Member
    @Shrinkydink1977

    You have gotten great feedback on the BMI front as well as others achieving the 'impossible' I'd like to add my voice to the chorus. At 48 I was at my heaviest weighing 278 lbs fast forward to now at 54 with very different cirucumstances healthwise and I'm still maintaining my loss of 168 lbs despite multiple meds. that are notorious for weight gain including steroids.

    Don't let anyone tell you that you can't lose weight for any reason ie: medication, age, ability to exercise etc. CI-CO trumps all of that. Yes, you may find that your calories out are a little different than expected but in the end you can adjust for that. Also too having been on and off anti-depressants (currently on ones for pain you may find the Macros set by MFP need a bit of tweaking to help with satiety levels ie: I make sure to hit the protein and fat macros and let the carbs be a bit lower.

    The one thing I would advise is get into strength training as soon as you can it really does make such a positive difference to your health and to body composition.

    All the best.
  • Shrinkydink1977
    Shrinkydink1977 Posts: 197 Member
    @HippySkoppy Thanks. Now that work will be slowing down at my second job and I can start gyming again. I haven't been in a few months. I mostly do weights and bike. Eventually I'll have to branch out but for now my comfort zone when I go is weight machines and recumbent bike. I'm fortunate that so far the weight is coming off for now. I hope it continues. I eat on the low end right now .. about 1350 is my goal. MFP says 1600 I think if I follow their macros. I'll play with it when things settle in. My Dr suggested 1200 if I was going to lose anything at all but I think that is too low for me at this point in the game. I need to ease into it.
  • schwest76
    schwest76 Posts: 77 Member
    I absolutely think 50 pounds in a year is doable! I have PCOS, slow thyroid and was on a ton of hormones this year and I still managed to lose 45. Don't listen to the doctor on this one!
  • Spliner1969
    Spliner1969 Posts: 3,233 Member
    I started at 305, my first goal weight was 250, then I dialed it down to 225, then my final goal of 190. I even managed to surpass that and hit 180 and have stayed there for the last six months in recomp. Whatever goal you set is fine, and you can always change it later and you probably will. Your ultimate goal should be the weigh that you feel comfortable with, not some arbitrary number some calculator gives you. ;)
  • NamVetJim
    NamVetJim Posts: 51 Member
    I chose the weight recommended for my height.
    Meds don't hold me back but my health ailments limit what I may do physically.
  • Cylphin60
    Cylphin60 Posts: 863 Member
    I chose the weight that I was best at 35 years ago. I didn't really have much else to go by, but the number is adjustable. I've tweaked and adjusted both goals and macros repeatedly over the past few months.

    For what it's worth, hard won knowledge aside, doctors are human and some will play it safe. And some (I don't want to offend anyone here, just relaying what happened) some will make calls that are just wrong. That's happened to me twice, to my detriment.

    Work on your goals here, take care of the meds front as best you can and take things a week, or a day at a time. You'll do just fine.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,732 Member
    I didn't pick a goal weight.

    My goal was to stick with the diet for 16 weeks ... stick to it like glue. Never ever go over my calorie limit in that time.

    I did, and lost 15 kg. :)

    Took a 1-month break, and then did it again for another 16 weeks. I lost 11 kg that time.

    For the past year I've been sticking to the diet for 2 or 3 weeks at a time periodically just to keep things in check.
  • crackpotbaby
    crackpotbaby Posts: 1,297 Member
    edited December 2016
    Psych meds (combos of lithium, seroquel, risperidone, abilify, olanzapine, palperidone etc etc) caused rapid and profound weight gain for me that was very hard to shift.

    I'm now on lithium monotherapy and finally managing to lose weight. Obviously reducing some meds is not feasible for everyone.

    I picked my initial goal weight as it was my median adult weight before medication.

    Add me if you like. I totally relate to the impact of psych meds.

  • Verity1111
    Verity1111 Posts: 3,309 Member
    edited December 2016
    Your doctor sounds like a jerk. I have had psych meds and I lost weight quickly on them. I also am on depo which supposedly makes people gain weight and I have lost 24lbs in 9 weeks. Ignore the dr on this note because he or she is not a registered dietitian. It is about calories in calories out. Focus on your goal and how badly you want it. I chose my goal weight by looking at people my height at different weights lol no joke and I wasnt overweight my entire life so I looked back and how I felt at different sizes... along with the photos I saw and chose a goal. http://www.mybodygallery.com/ < That website shows people of different shapes at different weights and heights. *shrug* it might not be the way for everyone, but it gave me a basic idea of where I might want to be and how different the same weight can look on different people, depending on their body fat %.
  • Arizona_C
    Arizona_C Posts: 1,476 Member
    Congratualtions of the weight loos!

    I think finding a goal weight it is an individual question about what feels right to you; getting into a normal range of bmi and fat% is a good beginning. From there on, you can decide how to adjust it.
  • crzycatlady1
    crzycatlady1 Posts: 1,930 Member
    edited December 2016
    Spliner1969 wrote: »
    I wouldn't let any doctor tell you what you can and can't do. My doctors told me I'd never run again, and this last summer I ran 2 miles at my max distance. I expect to hit 3.1 for a 5k next summer. You can lose the weight, you've already started. And 50 lbs is very do-able in a year. I lost 115 in a year, but that was pretty extreme, my guess is you'll hit your goal and then some.

    So much this! My old doctor told me I was genetically destined to be a type 2 diabetic (we had just found out my glucose number was in the prediabetes range), because of my family tree. He said I could try losing weight and see if it helped, but then he told me it most likely wouldn't matter and actually gave me all the paperwork/pamphlets on how to live as a type 2. I could have listened to him and not even tried, but I didn't and instead lost 50lbs. Through that process I stabilized my glucose number into the normal range, where it's now been for almost 4 years. In the meantime 2 more of my family members have been diagnosed with type 2, one who's overweight and the other is obese.

    You won't know if you can do something, until you at least try!

    As for goal weight-after I hit my original one (middle of healthy bmi), I decided to keep losing and got down to the low end of the healthy bmi range. Didn't like how thin my upper body looked at that place and purposely gained a few pounds back. I'm 5ft, 6in and have found my ideal maintenance range to be 128lbs-133lbs (higher end in winter, lower end in summer).
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