Goal weight confusion?

I think it's something an individual needs to think through, and that what works is an issue of personality and psychology.

One generic approach is to have a maintenance range of a few pounds, one that encompasses your normal water weight variations, then to take action if weight goes over the upper boundary (or perhaps stays over that boundary for X days in a row), or below the lower boundary. Some people have seasonal weight ranges, or a "scream weight" they won't exceed.

Trying to have a single goal weight and stay there always is a recipe for madness, if you ask me. That's just not how bodies behave. A range or a maximum seems much more workable.

Personally, I'm not very emotionally attached to a weight *number* at all (probably go a little too far in the "don't care enough" direction). I have ways I like my body to be (how the sides of my waist feel, for one example: I like them to feel firm when flexed, not have any roll-type action happening). Also, I hate to shop, so I don't want to have to buy new pants. For me, that's usually going to tend to be a weight somewhere in the 120s (at 5'5"), though I've tolerated higher in maintenance (jeans still fit).

Even when I first lost weight (2015-16), my final decision benchmarks were about body shape/feel, not a specific scale number. I didn't particularly celebrate when I got there, just started trying to dial in maintenance calories at that point. It's still a work in progress, probably always will be. (I spent the last year or so slowly losing around 10 or so pounds I'd regained - intentionally that slowly. Sitting around 125 now, hanging out there for now.)

CeeBeeSlim wrote: »

I set my goal weight of 117 and reached it. I’ve bounced up to 120 and back down - realizing that I was eating within my calories, but snacking on processed crap. Last Sat, I committed to stop and to start snacking on healthier things - hummus, nuts, etc. In the last week I went from 119.4 to 116.6.

I hesitate to celebrate because I know I may be up tomorrow - or down - but it made be think and ask myself - what I really meant by goal weight. For me, I never want the scale to be show more than 117lbs MAX - even after “slip-up” days, water retention from workouts, digestive contents - whatever the reason.

Does that mean I should make my goal weight 114-115 - to allow for those days of possible water retention, digestive contents, for any reason.

Do you celebrate your goal weight as soon as you see it? Do you wait after seeing days or weeks of consistent weigh-ins at that weight? A moving average? A range?

It’s a realistic range for me - 56, 5’3, and small framed. Lost the 30lbs last year slowly.

Maintenance is a range. Slip up or not, you are always going to have varying degrees of waste in your system and water will always be in flux...your body is comprised of roughly 55%-70% water...logically, you must realize that's going to fluctuate all on it's own regardless of what you do. You might need to step back and look at the big picture...it seems like you're drowning in day to day minutia.

CeeBeeSlim wrote: »

@wunderkindking @AnnPT77 @sijomial @cwolfman13 Thanks for the varying ways to tell me to “get a grip”. 🤣🤣. Truth be told, the number on the scale has always been an issue although I get it all intellectually. So I’m stressing this more than I should - esp since my original goal weight was 135.

@springlering62 Your approach makes a lot of sense. You’d think at 56, I’d be a bit more relaxed about this.

@kiwilimeade - ditto. I got a bit cocky after mid-November when I first hit 117 and the holiday treats and lack of diligence took a toll. I have learned my lesson!

Thanks, Everyone.

Don't worry: I think it's pretty normal to be a little more anxious about it at first. As you give yourself a little grace and time, you'll figure out an approach that works well for you, to stay in a reasonable range, I'd predict. Hang in there!