This is 263?

I also am lucky and look like I weigh less then I do.. I am 5'11 and weigh 233, you'd never know it.
I have lost weight in the past and this time it's about feeling better about myself.
Going to a workout without feeling like I am going to die.

I would get rid of the goal weight and just keep going until you feel like things are where they should be!

You look a helluva lot better at 263 than I do at 259. I'm always amazed at the different ways people carry their weight.

When I began, I didn't know what weight I was aiming for, because I had spent literally years avoiding a scale. I knew I wanted to hit size 6-8, but wasn't sure what that would weigh, on me. So I picked a weight in the middle of the "healthy" BMI range for my height, and aimed at that for my goal. Turns out 155 is pretty good for me. I may try for a little more, but now I'm just interested in settng goals that have to do with fitness, rather than the scale. Running longer, lifting more, etc. Stuff like that is more meaningful now to me than what the scale has to say.

I'm 183 and look about the same as you! Being short is horrible.

I stick to a goal Pant Size mostly because I have the same issue I'm 5' 6 3/4" and at 230 I'm not an obvious 230. My goal pant size is an easy 10. Meaning I want to be able to pull any 10 off any rack and have no problems pulling them up, zipping, and buttoning. My goal weight "should be 140-154" but In reality for the way I want to live my life and the way I carry my weight I want to hvoer somewhere around 160-170. I say choose an attainable Non-Scale Victory and focus there, maybe a pant size, or actual measurements, or even shoes. ( I have this pair of heels I haven't been able to wear for awhile but I LOVE them and I plan to bring them back out of their box and rock em until the heel falls off :bigsmile: )

My sister is like that. She's 5'8" and carries her weight very well.

5'7" and I also have a tendency to look like I weigh less then I do right now my goal is set for 160 which i have weighed in the past I know that i will look thinner then that when I get down there. Most people if I told them what my goal number is would think that is too high, but I don't care what anyone else thinks, it isn't about them or what is right of them, its whats good for me and what I will be happy at.

You carry your weight well. Maybe you should focus on body fat % or different way of measuring instead of the scale numbers. I've never been normal weight at any height so I have a hard time estimating where my goal weight should be. I'm 5'10 and my previous goal was 145. When I was 280, my body fat % was 50%....yeah, 50% fat. That meant that every single thing on my body or in my body that wasn't fat weighed 140lbs. I realized then that 140 was not a very realistic goal for myself.

I would get rid of the goal weight and just keep going until you feel like things are where they should be!

This. And girl, you carry your weight so well!

Have you considered getting a body fat test? I did hydrostatic body fat testing and they were able to really break down my body composition so I understood it and could make peace with the numbers on the scale. I bet you have a lot more lean mass than most women your height which is why you definitely don't look like what the scale says. They also broke down exactly how much FAT I should lose and came up with a weight that is still technically in the overweight range for my height but will be appropriate and healthy for my body comp. I'm going back in June (did the first in January) to see how I've done.

You could get your body fat tested and then make a goal based on that. If you've got quite a bit of lean muscle right now, it'll give you a better goal.

For example, I'm 5'2" and I weigh 140 (which makes me overweight by BMI) and am currently fitting into a size 6. I am at 25% body fat and by most calculations, I should probably be no less than 125 if I want to keep the lean mass I have and not be "underfat".

The lower end of BMI for someone who is 5'2" is low 100's like 105. It's simply not realistic.

I would get rid of the goal weight and just keep going until you feel like things are where they should be!

THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :-)

Im 5'9 too and started at around 220 lbs and when I first started I didn't really know what to put as a goal either because I was shocked to even find out thats how much I weighed. Since were tall we carry our weight differently. Since then Ive lost about 30 lbs and Im at 186, I just make small goals of 5 lbs and readjust my long term goal depending on how I feel at the time.Right now mine is 170 because then in BMI standards ill be a "normal" weight.

If you want a realistic goal, see if there is somewhere in town you can get a Bod Pod done. Often a university will have one. I can get mine done for $30. I plan on doing my first one in a few weeks.

At any rate, a Bod Pod measurement will get you your lean muscle mass, then you can pick you body fat percentage and calculate your goal weight based on what your body looks like right now under the fat.