Have you changed your goal weight while using WLIs?

[Woo383040]

How did you decide your goal weight? And did it change as you went along? I started with a BMI of 32.2. Dropped half a stone before starting Mounjaro to BMI of 31.1. Based on my dieting history before WLI I was optimistically hoping for a BMI of 25- 26. Once I achieved that much to my surprise, I then lowered it to be just inside the healthy range of under 25. Now I’m there I keep seeing other peoples achievements and although I’ve been been maintaining for awhile, I’m thinking could I drop to 23? I’ve got plenty of scope to increase my MJ dose. Has anyone else done this or am I a bit odd?

I started with the idea that I would like to be within 5lb either way of the middle of the healthy weight for height category and still feel like that's a good goal for me.

My initial good was to get from BMI 44.8 to "just" overweight BMI <30 which would be a 100lb loss and seemed absolutely unachievable.

Was so happy when I got there, but I was also happy with the new way I was eating etc so just continued on same low dose until I lost another 34lbs to get to normal BMI <25.

I am happy where I am around BMI 24.6 as I have some loose skin which will be a few lbs - now the challenge is to work out how to stay here!

When I first started I didn’t set myself a goal, I just wanted to be in the healthy range. I continued to lose a little more, but like @WeAllHaveWingsI stopped at about 23 BMI. I have friends who have gone below that at my age (53) and begin to look unhealthy, of course that’s not everyone, and I’m not judging, but I would rather look healthy.
I’ve tried to stay within a few pounds either side. However, I stopped the WLI’s and began to put weight on again after around 6 weeks, so I’m back on at a low dose. I suspect this is how I will need to manage it for life. I have ADHD -and one of my issues has been disordered eating.

I also started at 32, I thought bmi 23. I ended up at 20; simply as that’s where I felt my body looked the best, and physically I felt the best, health wise.

and when I got to the point I felt the best and I looked the best with no further improvent needed I stopped. I didn’t compare myself to others

although if I’m honest I would not have aimed for a bmi of 25 or 26 as it’s overwieght

much depends on how you will maintain, if yours staying on a low maintenance dose go to where you feel and look the best. If you’re not, then the Lower your body weight the less food you need to maintain it. And so it’s an important consideration to take into account.

I have some way to go yet, but when I started i was thinking about 55kg, but Im going in fairly blind, I dont know what weight i was when i looked good. Im revising that now thinking closer to 60kg as im in my mid 40s and don't want to age myself too much. Im already delighted with myself, having gone from 81.5kg to 69.7kg in 12 weeks, and feeling like I look the shizz! Im hoping ill know it when I get there

That would be unusual to look unhealthy below bmi 23, underweight is below 18.5, so a long way to get to underweight. If they look unhealthy it’s not going to be due to body weight, but diet and lack of exercise. If you’re really their friend you’d chat gently to them and be concerned. Otherwise you’re risking being a little catty.

on saying that, when you first hit goal you can have some loose skin, but this shrinks back and tightens with time as you increase your cals to maintenance.

so unhealthy is less to do with bmi as a single yardstick, but about diet, fitness and also how you dress.

Yes, many times. I started off at a bmi or 32ish and aimed for bmi25. And I’ve maintained now at 21ish for 8 months.

Wildgoat I agree that 25-26 isn’t in the healthy range but after a lifetime of dieting and ultimately failing, getting into the healthy range just seemed like an unachievable goal, which is why I set my sights on less. I truly did not expect MJ to be so effective for me. I wonder if ultimately I would like a little more wiggle room within the BMI as my weight fluctuates by about a kilo, and every time it goes up, still within the healthy range but scraping the top, it’s causing me a lot of anxiety.

I started off at BMI 50 so really any target in the healthy BMI range seemed extremely far away and a bit theoretical. Instead I had a series of intermediate targets that were achievable that I worked through.

Now I’m BMI 25, and it’s not theoretical any more, I really don’t know what my specific target would be other than solidly in the healthy BMI range. Anywhere around BMI 23 would be where I want to maintain, which is about 63kg for me.

Yes, Jan 2025 I was 17 stone. My goal was 11 stone. I got to 11 stone and thought I want to go lower. I am presently 9 stone 12!

I think goal is 9 stone 7.

I never set myself an ultimate goal as I knew from decades of yo-yo dieting that the minute I started to plateau or even gain I would become disheartened and quit.

So I worked out some mini- goals which I hope will be more achievable. My first goal was to lose 10% of my starting weight (I started mid Jan) and I hit that last week. 100kg to 90kg ✔️

My next goal is a further 6kg - 84kg will take me to class 1 obesity rather than class 4.

9kg after that and I will have lost 25% of my start weight at 75kg.

3.5kg off at that stage will see me classed as overweight.

Another 5kg will see a loss of 30% of my start weight.

A further 3.5kg and I will be at healthy BMI.

After that, who knows? It still seems so far away at the moment! But breaking it down into bite size chunks is helping me mentally. Right now I only need to lose another 5kg to hit my next goal and that's way more do-able than another 35kg to be at a healthy BMI.

I've probably been overthinking it.....😳

I’m thinking of one friend in particular who has told me she makes herself look heavier when reordering her jabs as she’s not ‘happy’ with herself. I have gently suggested that she stops, and thank you for your tips on friendship but I have lots of friends. I suspect she is about 18 BMI currently, and appears quite unwell at times.
my intention wasn’t to sound catty, more that I am have seen a pattern of friends who have lost more and more and then begin to look unhealthy, as they have continued to lose more and more, beyond the healthy stage. I probably didn’t explain that well.

I haven't set a goal as I have never in my life been a healthy weight and so a) I don't know what is a good weight for me and b) I can't imagine there ever being a time where I don't need to lose weight. I'm planning to just see where the journey takes me - at some point either I'll get to a point where I think enough is enough, or the weight loss will slow/stop and I'll have to decide whether to drop my calories further or call it a day. I'd definitely want to have a healthy BMI but beyond that I have no concept of how I will look or feel at different weights or what might be sustainable for me.

That is unhealthy but to be fair here it is a significant drop from 23 where your post did say below this made your friends look unhealthy.

Im working with mini goals too:

G1: 75kg by valentines (5 weeks from sw) - 1 stone lost. Done
G2: 70.75kg by paddy's day (half way to 60kg. 5 weeks from g1). Done
G3: 69.9kg by April. Done

Next mini-goals:
G4: 67.8: into healthy BMI range by mayday
G5: 65kg by June bank Holiday

That's as far as I've mapped out, we'll see how it goes.

I know I would look unhealthy below 23, because I like the athletic look rather than skinny.
So my goal is currently 79kg - BMI 27.3 and I'm more focused on achieving a healthy waist-hip ratio

I’m aiming for halfway which is 21.something, currently 22.5 ish and I absolutely do not look unhealthy, can very clearly see I am carrying extra pounds in places, still in a lot of my size 12 clothes. Waist is 29inches so not even technically a size 10 waist yet.

Started with a BMI of 36, thought getting to 25 was pushing it and I would be amazed if I could get there.. currently bmi 21.7 and maintaining now.
Kept saying to myself the next stone bracket, then once I got there I would think ok, maybe the next stone bracket..
18 and half stone down to just over 10 and half.

I have adjusted downwards, but happy in BMI 24-26 range due to my age and unsustainable calorie requirement to maintain very much lower as I’m very short. Science seems to back mid range BMIs being healthier as we age. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002916523050244

My BMI is 23 although I am very muscular so I look leaner. I got to 22 but I realised I was too lean for it to be sustainable. I’ve done a lot of weight lifting.

I don’t think it’s a good idea to have a fixed goal in terms of weight or BMI as it’s so hard to imagine what you will look like and how much muscle you’ll maintain. I estimate I’m around 18% bodyfat - I have a six pack and ripped shoulders. Others at a BMI of 23 will not look like that with a BMI of 23. If I got to a BMI of 20 I wouldn’t be healthy.

I didn’t start with any kind of goal other than to reduce my blood pressure and feel more energetic. Started at 16st (BMI 35) and now 9st (BMI 20) and happy where I am. Maintaining give or take 2lbs when I’m due on. Initially when I dropped below 10st my face looked awful and drawn but it’s all sort of redistributed and settled now and I’m looking a lot less haggard, more fresh faced.
My blood pressure is within a healthy range now and I’m feeling full of energy because I fuel myself really well with good nutritious whole foods.
I don’t want to lose any more but it’s only when I got to where I am now that I thought that. I still have a wobble on my thighs, a little bit of back fat and a slight jiggle on my stomach but don’t have large areas of excess weight in one single area anywhere anymore - my visceral fat is now 3 down from 17 and my metabolic age is now 36 down from 47.

Yes, I changed mine so many times I lost count. My starting BMI was 42 (18st 11), so I had mini targets of getting below 200 lb, then 13st, then down to a goal of 12st (BMI 27 - yes, still overweight but way smaller than starting). Then I decided to go for 11st (the top end of healthy BMI), then I pushed for 10st and was going to maintain around here (BMI around 23). Then I reverse dieted on maintenance and now I'm maintaining at low-mid 9 stones (BMI 21). This is where I do really want to stay now as any lower and those maintenance calories are rather low. I started size 22 and now I'm a size 8-10.

Yes I was bmi 32.8 13st 1lbs 5ft 3 size 14-16, prediabetic, high BP, high cholesterol, primarily doing it for health. First goal was a size 12, got that then wanted to get to 10st, got that then wanted to get to bmi 25 got that and started tapering doses down from 15mg.
Then came the looks, in my head I've always been an apple shape with ibs and a bloated belly, also due to my ethnicity a bmi 23 is considered normal plus my health issues and high risk genetics so then got to bmi 23, then 9st. Gave myself a 2 month diet break and ate at maintenance, my bum started filling out again. Then wanted to lose a little more because trying to cut down that waist and give myself a weight buffer.
Now I'm 8st 11lbs bmi 22. Eating at maintenance cals again as its tiring being slim with having little cals daily for a 1k deficit and working full time, sometimes 6 days a week on 12hr days including a commute. I'll see how I feel after a break.

Yes, I noticed the more weight I lost the less inflammation I had. Knees and hips not throbbing. So took it to BMI 22. Never felt and looked better, no pain.

Just remember BMI is a very broad POPULATION measurement and it's also been calculated on specific populations.
It's not particularly suitable for individual decision making although that's how we do use it.

Basically my point is that none of us should get too hung up on precisely what number is overweight, underweight. It's best used as a rough guideline before taking your personal body shape, age etc into account.