Choosing a Goal Weight

Choosing a goal weight has been a very tricky task for me, partly because my perspective has changed so much as I've lost weight.  When I was at my fattest, I would have given anything to be a size 12, and an 8 seemed like the most could ever hope for.  But being as short as I am, I learned that a size 4 is a very reasonable goal, and that if I were extremely careful about what I ate and how much I exercised, I could probably get to be a size 0 or 2 and still be healthy.  At this point, I would be quite upset if I were to go up to size 8 again. 

My goal weight of 125 pounds will put me comfortably in a size 4.  In many stores, I will be wearing the smallest size in adult women or "misses" clothing.  But I will still have a bit of a belly and a fair bit of meat on my thighs and bottom. 

I felt like I was putting too much pressure on myself when I decided to go below 125.  At 125, my blood pressure was very good, I felt good, I looked good.  However, I did not look women on TV are supposed to look, and I decided to get a little thinner.  I think I set myself up for failure by not setting a goal that allowed me enough leeway with eating and exercise.  My life is extremely full.  It is sometimes stressful.  I have many hobbies that I love.  I get sick frequently in the winter due to my children giving me cold after cold. 

I only have so much time to devote to exercising, and I do love to eat.  Therefore, I'm maknig a decision not to lose those "last 10-15 pounds" that I could lose and still have periods and still have healthy bones. 

I also think a lot about intuitive eating.  One older book that describes this process is called Diets Still Don't Work by Bob Schwartz.  He describes how to really pay attention to what you want to eat and how full you are, and by doing this, you can acheive a good weight for you without counting calories. 

This worked very well for me 2 years ago, and it's working for me now.  I still think it's good to know how many calories are in certain foods and beverages, especially those that can cause you to lose touch with your sense of fullness (things that are high in sugar).  Most margaritas contain as much calories as I might need to eat in my evening meal!  But they won't necessarily make me feel full.  And I can easily ignore my sense of fulness while eating a 500-calorie slice of cheesecake. 

However, eating slowly, savoring each bite of food, paying attention to when my stomach says, "enough!" is very helpful.  When I practice that, I start to feel full very quickly, and I feel full for many hours each day.  When I'm ignoring my stomach, I hardly ever feel full, even after eating a large meal.  Some people reach their goal weight without worrying about the scale, simply by practicing this conscious/intuitive eating.  I think that the scale is important for me in making sure that I'm not tricking myself into thinking I'm not overeating when I actually am.