How to Choose Your Goal Weight?

This question sounds simple at first, but the reality is far more nuanced. Your optimal weight isn't necessarily the number you've pictured. Plus the scale alone can't tell the full story of your metabolic health.

That said, motivation needs something to measure. A goal gives you a finish line to cross. Goal weight should be the point where your body feels healthy, your labs improve, and life becomes easier without you feeling miserable getting there.

So how do you pick the right target? Here are some different methods people use:

The BMI Approach

Some people use Body Mass Index (BMI) as their guide, though it's worth knowing its limitations. BMI is just a simple calculation when your weight divided by your height squared. It can't distinguish between muscle and fat, which means a muscular person might get labeled as obese while someone with high body fat but low weight appears healthy. Originally designed in the 1800s to study populations, not individuals, it's an imperfect tool. But it's familiar and some people still reference it. Insurance companies still rely on it to make decisions.

The Range-Based Strategy

Instead of fixating on one exact number, many people choose a range. This removes the pressure of perfection and gives you flexibility as your body composition shifts.

The major GLP-1 studies from companies like Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk show average weight loss of about up to 26 percent of starting weight. Some people use these numbers as guideposts. They'll take their highest weight and calculate what 20 to 22 percent loss would look like.

You might aim for somewhere between the top and middle of a healthy range for your height, then see how it feels to maintain. Often, your best weight lives in that zone, not in the lowest possible number.

The Historical Reference Point

Many people look back to the weight where they once felt comfortable - maybe a time when clothes fit right, energy was steady, and life felt lighter. It's familiar, achievable and feels realistic.

Once you reach it, you might feel great and decide that's enough. Or you might notice you still have more room to improve and choose to keep going. Either way, it's your call. The goal isn't to chase the smallest number or punish yourself into submission. It's to find a sustainable place - a weight you can live in, move with ease, and maintain without the constant fight.

Prioritize Health Goals

Dr. Spencer Nadolsky, board-certified obesity medicine physician, offers this insight: "It's okay to make a goal weight, however, I always say people will get to some sort of weight that is going to be their best weight. This means the lowest healthiest weight where they feel the least miserable. I tell them not to pick any specific number and let's just see where they go. You can absolutely be in an overweight BMI technically and be at goal."

A Few Examples From Real Life

Let me show you what goal weight actually looks like for different people, because there's no one-size-fits-all answer.

✓ Sarah starts at 220 pounds with type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. She loses 44 pounds - 20 percent of her starting weight, bringing her to 176 pounds with a BMI of 29, still technically "overweight." But her A1C has dropped from 8.2 to 5.6, she's off her blood pressure medication, and she can walk three miles without stopping. Is she at goal? Clinically, absolutely. She's achieved the weight loss needed to dramatically improve her health conditions.

✓ Marcus starts at 280 pounds thinking he wants to reach 180 - a nice round 100 pounds lost. He loses 70 pounds and gets a DEXA scan. His visceral fat is in the safe range, his body fat percentage is healthy, and he feels great at 210 pounds with a BMI of 27. He decides to maintain there because the data shows he's metabolically healthy, and pushing for those additional 30 pounds would require a level of restriction that doesn't feel sustainable for his lifestyle.

✓ Jennifer takes a completely different approach. She doesn't set a weight goal at all. Instead, she focuses on what she wants to do: hike without knee pain, play with her grandkids without getting winded and get her cholesterol under control. As she loses weight, these things happen. She eventually stabilizes at a weight that lets her do everything she wants to do. She never did pick a number, she just let her body find its place.

I Believe In Power Of Small Wins

When I started Mounjaro, I made the classic mistake - I set one huge goal. I told myself I'd lose 100 pounds. But at some point I stalled. Even though my labs had improved and I felt stronger than ever, I couldn't help feeling like I'd failed because I hadn't reached that number.

Later I learned to set sequential, achievable goals - rolling milestones that build momentum and confidence. I also started with some personal targets that don't depend on the scale: hitting protein, regular cardio movement. Then I layer in weight milestones. Each time I hit one, I pause for a full check-in - how I feel, what my labs show, and what my body comp says.

Finding Your Best Weight

Your best weight is the weight where you feel good, where your health markers are optimized, where your visceral fat is in a safe range, and where you can actually live your life without feeling deprived and miserable. It's the weight you can maintain when life gets stressful, when you go on vacation, when you're celebrating with people you love.

I suggest consider giving yourself permission to be flexible. Set initial targets if that helps motivate you, but hold them loosely. Pay attention to your body composition, not just your scale weight. And don't forget to celebrate the non-scale victories - the energy, the mobility and the health improvements.