why are goals so low

idk if its just me but i read these forums and it makes me sad sometimes to see such low goals . im 5' 5 and i weight 177.5 my goal as of now is 160 but i will adjust to 150 when i reach first goal. but i see woman my height shooting for 115/ 120 i feel that is so low . maybe it depends on your body type. im very pear shaped ,so i hold weight pretty well. when i gained i didnt even notice till about 15 to 20 pound later and neither did anyone else i told everyone how much i weighed they were shocked and guessed 15/20 less than i was.
but i think if i weighed any less that 140 i would look to thin . idk i have a better vision of my body now that i am alittle older even at this weight i dont hate my body i am alittle self conscious. also seeing people on here trying to loose 5 pounds when they are already thin to me it seams like so much body criticism, but i could be that im being judgmental myself.

what do you all think
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Replies

  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
    It really depends on frame size and personal preference. I am 5'9" and 160lbs and at a healthy weight (BMI) and body fat percentage. However I'd like to be leaner (for atheistic reasons) and lighter (to help with mountain biking). At my goal I will still be at a healthy weight and body fat percentage.
  • Aniluz7
    Aniluz7 Posts: 12 Member
    I guess it depends on the individual. I know before I had my daughter I was 105 pounds (I am 5' 7 so that was very thin. I am now at 171 and my goal is 130. After I had my daughter I went down to 145 and I loved the way I looked but still had a good 10-15 I could lose and still be healthy. Honestly, I am not so concerned if I don't hit 130 because my ultimate goal is to be fit. But, everyone is different. You adjust as you get closer to your goal, maybe they find that they are happier at a heavier weight but don't know until they see changes in their body.


    best of luck!
  • lorib642
    lorib642 Posts: 1,942 Member
    I am 5'5" too. My goal right now is in the 140s to have a healthy BMI. I think I probably will readjust it when I get there. I am not sure what my final goal will be. I don't know that 120 is so low. I weighed that in college and i wasn't overly thin.

    That is nice if you are concerned about others. I am mostly concerned with my own goals. This is a BMI range for 5"5" females 114 to 144 lbs.
  • kangaroux92
    kangaroux92 Posts: 188 Member
    "busyrae" i appreciate the reply and looking at your profile, i ask if i may, why do you feel you need to loose 7 more pounds? you look beautiful and blow my body away. aesthetically theres nothing to loose in my opinion. and as for athletic reasons if you are competitive in nature i understand that aspect athletes i know are all about getting to the next level . but for the average person 5 pounds or 7 is nearly invisible
    .
  • kangaroux92
    kangaroux92 Posts: 188 Member
    maybe my image is distorted because i have been chubby my whole life and throughout my teens and early adulthood have not weighed less than 148 so the idea of being 120 or even 130 seems almost impossible to me at least
  • Aniluz7
    Aniluz7 Posts: 12 Member
    Rouxkayla, maybe that's exactly what it is. Since you have never been there, you can't imagine it.

    When I tell people I have another 41 pounds to go they are like "you are crazy. you can't lose that much", but I know I can because I have weighed less in the past.

    As you go along in your journey, your goals may change and that's ok.

  • kangaroux92
    kangaroux92 Posts: 188 Member
    very true i wanted to loose weight when i was at 150 but i was in my teens and as i got alittle older i gained and it didn't even faze me much, i realized wanted to loose weight more for health reasons and i don't want to buy new clothes. so now i would be very happy to be 150 again i wish i appreciated and saw my body when i was at that weight.
  • AskTracyAnnK28
    AskTracyAnnK28 Posts: 2,817 Member
    Rouxkayla, maybe that's exactly what it is. Since you have never been there, you can't imagine it.

    When I tell people I have another 41 pounds to go they are like "you are crazy. you can't lose that much", but I know I can because I have weighed less in the past.

    As you go along in your journey, your goals may change and that's ok.

    Me too. When I tell people that I'm 30 solid pounds overweight they look at me like I'm crazy.

  • sarahjane135
    sarahjane135 Posts: 40 Member
    I'm not trying to be rude here but it seems you are overly worried about the weight loss goals of strangers. Everyone has a different idea of healthy and where their body looks best. Also 15-20 lbs is different for some. I gained about 23 lbs and it took me from a size 2/4 to a 8/10 but that's just me.
  • Amyafm
    Amyafm Posts: 18 Member
    I'm 5'8 and when I was younger I was always between 155 - 165 without doing much to try. Even when I exercise and count calories, and am at the lower weights, I never look really skinny. Have had a big chest since I was 14-15 and a bubble butt since I was a kid (used to get called bubble butt even! haha). Anyway, when I lost weight in 2013, my lowest I think was 156 and a size 10 pant. I thought I needed to be 130, but really in reality for ME i think 155 - 160 is a good, realistic weight.
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
    Different people have different frame sizes and different goals. Don't worry about other people's goals. It's a personal choice. Don't compare to others. Do what you want and let others do what they want. It certainly may be a comfort level. I have always been small. It's just the way it is.
  • Amyafm
    Amyafm Posts: 18 Member
    I also learned over the years not to let the scale dictate too much. Measuring is important also, how you feel, and generally how you feel overall...
  • kangaroux92
    kangaroux92 Posts: 188 Member
    hey as i said im not trying to judge anyone just curious as to people reasoning for there weight goals. im focused on my weight, i just made an observation over the months ive been on this site so i though id get some opinions on it.
  • KylaDenay
    KylaDenay Posts: 1,585 Member
    I am 5'3 and my goal is 150 lbs.

    It is that persons shape and preference. Some are extreme goals, but to each their own.
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
    rouxkayla wrote: »
    "busyrae" i appreciate the reply and looking at your profile, i ask if i may, why do you feel you need to loose 7 more pounds? you look beautiful and blow my body away. aesthetically theres nothing to loose in my opinion. and as for athletic reasons if you are competitive in nature i understand that aspect athletes i know are all about getting to the next level . but for the average person 5 pounds or 7 is nearly invisible
    .

    Thank you. Like I said it's just personal preference. I'm going for a leaner than average almost "fitness model" look. It's just what I prefer. Hopefully I'll be losing mostly fat and little muscle, which should produce a visible difference even at 7 to 10 pounds.
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
    I usually feel the opposite, and read people's goals and think they're really high. But I'm 5'6 and my highest weight (besides pregnancy) was 135. So my perspective of "normal" may just be different than someone who is 5'6 and has a goal weight of, say, 160 lbs.
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
    edited October 2014
    rouxkayla wrote: »
    hey as i said im not trying to judge anyone just curious as to people reasoning for there weight goals. im focused on my weight, i just made an observation over the months ive been on this site so i though id get some opinions on it.

    I'm not saying that you are judging. I'm just trying to answer your question in the most productive way that I know how. There is variation in people. You just need to know that. If you compare yourself to others, you will always be confused by this.

    I don't really know what else to say.

    I am a life long dancer. I have always been petite and small. I have a small bone structure. A smaller bone structure (especially on a short person) means there is less space, so smaller organs, less space for all body mass. I have always been small. Even after giving birth to my second baby I weighed 110 to 115, and lost the very small amount of weight gain quickly from resuming my normal activity level and breastfeeding. I eat plentifully, but within my TDEE. I lift weights. Not sure what else to say. I hope this helps.

  • maidentl
    maidentl Posts: 3,203 Member
    I usually feel the opposite, and read people's goals and think they're really high. But I'm 5'6 and my highest weight (besides pregnancy) was 135. So my perspective of "normal" may just be different than someone who is 5'6 and has a goal weight of, say, 160 lbs.

    I've noticed the same. I'll feel a little puzzled when someone says they'd be too thin at a "normal" weight but I realize it's not my body, not my business. So I just shrug it off and move along.

  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    maidentl wrote: »
    I usually feel the opposite, and read people's goals and think they're really high. But I'm 5'6 and my highest weight (besides pregnancy) was 135. So my perspective of "normal" may just be different than someone who is 5'6 and has a goal weight of, say, 160 lbs.

    I've noticed the same. I'll feel a little puzzled when someone says they'd be too thin at a "normal" weight but I realize it's not my body, not my business. So I just shrug it off and move along.

    I think it is because what people consider "normal" these days is actually overweight, or close to it. When the majority of people you see on a daily basis could use to drop a few, it starts to skew one's perception of normal.

  • judiness101
    judiness101 Posts: 119 Member
    That's a good question actually, I think you nailed it when you mentioned you were pear shape. I'm also the same and at almost 5'9 I look almost sickly at 145 and ex colleague of mine is a model and the same height and she looks fantastic at 115 and not sick at all. She has less hip and a smaller frame.

    In my case I want to look and feel at my best, even though after a certain weight, most of my extra weight is in my legs and breast, I prefer to be leaner because it's less heavy on my feet and I feel more proportioned.
  • 13bbird13
    13bbird13 Posts: 425 Member
    For me personally, I chose a goal weight of 135 that I thought would be achievable and that I would be satisfied with; I didn't want to sabotage myself by shooting any lower than that. I considered trying for what I weighed in high school, which is 20 pounds lighter than that, but in middle age I don't see that as being logical. I don't really need to shop in the Junior Miss department.
  • ASH2038602
    ASH2038602 Posts: 215 Member
    I am also pear shaped, and 5'6. I was 130lbs before getting pregnant, 160 after and ballooned up to 245 over the years. I am now at 191 with the goal to get to 160 and re evaluate. I looked better at 160 than I did 130, so I am pretty confidant that I am not interested in being that small again. Its different for everybody though. What I see as too thin, someone else sees as just right. When I hit 160, there are going to be people that will still think I am fat.
  • julesxo
    julesxo Posts: 422 Member
    I think 5'5 at 115/120 lbs does not seem unreasonable.
  • Autk79
    Autk79 Posts: 286 Member
    Im 5'4.5 and I weigh 152, my goal weight is 130. Three years ago I got down to 126 and people said I looked sick and too skinny. When I graduated high school many years ago I weighed 103 and had DD boobs. My body was so off balance. My healthy weight says I could get down to 115, I think but I would never ever again want to be that weight, but everyone Is diff. Everyone has diff body types and everyone judges their body different than someone else. I would just focus on your goal. Like someone said you might get to your goal and think oh I could lose 10/20 more.
    Im pretty sure 1 out of 10 woman are never happy with their body lol
  • j_arens
    j_arens Posts: 16
    Hornsby wrote: »
    maidentl wrote: »
    I usually feel the opposite, and read people's goals and think they're really high. But I'm 5'6 and my highest weight (besides pregnancy) was 135. So my perspective of "normal" may just be different than someone who is 5'6 and has a goal weight of, say, 160 lbs.

    I've noticed the same. I'll feel a little puzzled when someone says they'd be too thin at a "normal" weight but I realize it's not my body, not my business. So I just shrug it off and move along.

    I think it is because what people consider "normal" these days is actually overweight, or close to it. When the majority of people you see on a daily basis could use to drop a few, it starts to skew one's perception of normal.

    It's so true. I'm 5'.6.5 and 120 pounds. I wrote a success post and was bombarded with people telling me I'm "too thin," when in fact I think I'm just in the normal range. Because society is so overweight, I think people's perceptions are really just off.

  • Arekha
    Arekha Posts: 45 Member
    It really depends, doesn't it? I gained 25 lbs over 2 pregnancies and it took me up 3-4 sizes! :'(
  • sarahjane135
    sarahjane135 Posts: 40 Member
    Hornsby wrote: »
    maidentl wrote: »
    I usually feel the opposite, and read people's goals and think they're really high. But I'm 5'6 and my highest weight (besides pregnancy) was 135. So my perspective of "normal" may just be different than someone who is 5'6 and has a goal weight of, say, 160 lbs.

    I've noticed the same. I'll feel a little puzzled when someone says they'd be too thin at a "normal" weight but I realize it's not my body, not my business. So I just shrug it off and move along.

    I think it is because what people consider "normal" these days is actually overweight, or close to it. When the majority of people you see on a daily basis could use to drop a few, it starts to skew one's perception of normal.
    Exactly this^^
  • U2R2
    U2R2 Posts: 260 Member
    I started at 250, set my initial goal at 199 with full knowledge that my next goal will be 150. I already have people warning against losing "too much weight" when they learn of the 50lb loss goal. ;)

    My long term plan is to reach 150 which puts me squarely into the fit zone by most charts. At that point I plan to assess how I feel compared to heavier weights and shift my exercise regime to put more emphasis toward muscle definition and set my ultimate weight goal.

    I'm sure I will face much derision as I "dwindle" down to 150lbs but very much want to experience such a level of fitness and body fat percentage so as to be better able to understand what my ideal weight may be.

    ENJOY :D
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    I've noticed both. My goal is higher than I'd like because I'm already struggling to get down to 130 (I'm 5'5", but I have a medium/large frame) because I'm always so hungry, so I can't imagine maintaining lower than that. I see some women my size wanting to get down under 125 and can't even imagine it, but to each their own I guess... but we don't all have the same frame either.

    But yeah sometimes I see someone posting that they want to lose 10 or 20 pounds and look at their picture and just shake my head.
  • newdaydawning79
    newdaydawning79 Posts: 1,503 Member
    I'm 5'9" with a goal weight of 170. It may end up being higher depending on where my BF% is at that time (if I can get a real measurement without it costing me an arm and a leg). I have very dense bones and a large bone structure (according to every doctor I've seen since my teen years). I would look downright silly at the mid-range of the BMI for my height. Since I think BMI is BS anyway I couldn't care less though. I can't even remember when I weighed 170 last. I was probably like 16.