Goal Weight Question
Options
spunkyabroad
Posts: 137 Member
How did you decide on a goal weight? I initially made my goal my weight when I first met my husband. Even then I was not super thin, but I dated and wasn't self conscious getting naked with strangers. I wore a size 10 and posed for pics at the beach in a bikini without qualms.
Now I'm ten lbs lighter than that weight, just fit into a size 10 again, but feel like I look much fatter than I did way back when. Is this normal? Now my goal is probably another 20 to 30 lbs.
I can't workout (recovering from a severely broken shoulder) other than walking. I know I need to build muscle and I eat enough protein so that I shouldn't be losing muscle mass. I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing until I can start doing body weight exercises, but my surgeon says that could be 8 months to never without surgery.
Anyway, anyone else in the same boat? Not look how they thought they would at goal weight? How did you pick your goal weight?
Now I'm ten lbs lighter than that weight, just fit into a size 10 again, but feel like I look much fatter than I did way back when. Is this normal? Now my goal is probably another 20 to 30 lbs.
I can't workout (recovering from a severely broken shoulder) other than walking. I know I need to build muscle and I eat enough protein so that I shouldn't be losing muscle mass. I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing until I can start doing body weight exercises, but my surgeon says that could be 8 months to never without surgery.
Anyway, anyone else in the same boat? Not look how they thought they would at goal weight? How did you pick your goal weight?
0
Replies
-
I'm shooting for midrange of the BMI chart. Haven't been at goal, ever, so don't know how I will look or feel there, but am excited to get there! One thing about this woe is you don't have to exercise to see weight loss. The energy I get makes me want to move more, and that's a welcome side effect that came after a few weeks on LCHF. Best to you!0
-
I'm shooting for midrange of the BMI chart. Haven't been at goal, ever, so don't know how I will look or feel there, but am excited to get there! One thing about this woe is you don't have to exercise to see weight loss. The energy I get makes me want to move more, and that's a welcome side effect that came after a few weeks on LCHF. Best to you!
I've actually been eating LCHF since May of last year. I've had one medical mishap after another, so I've lost 72 lbs without exercise. You're totally right that it's doable without, I just think I might need to build some muscle to actually be happy with what I see in the mirror. Totally vanity.
The bmi chart is so confusing to me. I'm only 151 cm and the range is like 30 lbs for "healthy." So I'd be healthy at 96 lbs and healthy at 125 lbs!
Thanks for the response and I'm glad LCHF is working for you. I'm a lifer.
0 -
Many studies seem to show health improvements with a 10% weight loss, so that was my initial goal. Once I hit that, I changed it to "normal" BMI. I just hit that recently, so now I'm done with weight goals. I just want to keep eating this way and keep exercising. I have no fear of getting too skinny. 0
-
Many studies seem to show health improvements with a 10% weight loss, so that was my initial goal. Once I hit that, I changed it to "normal" BMI. I just hit that recently, so now I'm done with weight goals. I just want to keep eating this way and keep exercising. I have no fear of getting too skinny.
First of all congrats! You probably have the right idea to be done with weight goals and just focus on good eating and exercise. Thanks for the response!
0 -
Thanks! I was thinking that the next goal should be high school weight. That seems to be a realistic goal for many people because it represents a natural weight for you -- ideally one at which you were healthy and active.0
-
Thanks! I was thinking that the next goal should be high school weight. That seems to be a realistic goal for many people because it represents a natural weight for you -- ideally one at which you were healthy and active.
Hmmm. High school weight. Interesting concept. I'll have to give this some thought. It would definitely put me at the bottom edge of "healthy" based on bmi, but I know those charts are for populations, not individuals. You've given me food for thought.
0 -
You are awesome for having done so well despite all your medical mishaps! Amazing!
Yes, though, building some muscle will definitely help with liking what you see in a bikini better. Not sure what, if anything you can do without injuring yourself, but if you are at all able to do squats that would work many muscle groups and tighten much up. Even without weights. But, of course, do NOT do them without checking with your Dr, and seeing if there are modifications you need to/ can make to make them safe for you.
Regardless, be SO very proud of yourself. I have no idea what my goal is really... Maybe midpoint of healthy BMI, maybe higher as I lift weights. Who knows...maybe just whenever I think I look good in a bathing suit LOL
0 -
Squats are great! I couldn't help noticing some of the improved butts in the main forum.
Even walking will help, especially if you can find some hills to hike. I hate weightlifting, but just jogging has improved both my leg muscle tone as well as respiratory efficiency.
Somebody mentioned a study that I'm not sure I believe, but here it is anyway: improving leg strength leads to more improvement in arm strength than focusing just on the arms. The idea is that stimulating muscle growth via hormones affects the entire body, and since you have more muscles in the legs, you should focus on leg work to stimulate hormone secretion. (Hope that made sense!)0 -
My "best self" as an adult, weight wise, was around 165. Yes, I know that's still 30ish pounds over the highest recommended weight for someone with my height and bone structure, but I loved my body at 165, even though I was still snugly wearing a size 14 pants.
Since I started this journey at 236, though, I set my initial goal at 199--the first thing I want is to never again see a 3-digit number starting with anything other than 1! After that, I think 180-185 will be a reasonable short-term goal on my way to 165. In high school I was around 145-150, which is still over the maximum recommended "healthy weight" for someone my height (5'1").0 -
Sheesh, nothing like beating around the bush. To answer your initial question, I set my goal weight based on when I last felt good about my body. 0
-
I hadn't been below 300 pounds for more than decade and was at the time above 350, so when I picked my goal weight (220 pounds as a 6'4" male) it was one that I knew was obtainable if I could start losing. But I've always said "I'll see when I get there how I feel and what I look like". I'm still at 250, so I've still got some to go, but I'm pretty certain now that I'll adjust and end up actually aiming for 205-210, unless I build a TON of muscle while losing that last 30 pounds
I don't trust, or care about BMI at all. It has absolutely no relevance in my aims.0 -
I set my goal weight based on my perfect weight and then a heavy dose of reality. @Mami1976D, it sounds as though you and I have some similar stats. I've only been back to tackling low carb for 2 weeks, as of Monday. But I started off at 235ish (I've lost a few pounds and was 230.2 when I weighed in Monday...woot!)
When I did Atkins the first time, I got down to 167...and it was nice...but I still wanted to lose a bit more and get closer to 145-150, like I was in my late teens/early 20's...it's so funny, I look back at pictures of myself from then and think "dang, I was hot...why did I always think I was fat?" At this point, my first goal is to get under 200...but after that, I think160 is something that's do-able. I'd love to be 145/150 again, but I don't want to have unrealistic goals and get disappointed either.0 -
I set my goal weight based on my perfect weight and then a heavy dose of reality. @Mami1976D, it sounds as though you and I have some similar stats. I've only been back to tackling low carb for 2 weeks, as of Monday. But I started off at 235ish (I've lost a few pounds and was 230.2 when I weighed in Monday...woot!)
When I did Atkins the first time, I got down to 167...and it was nice...but I still wanted to lose a bit more and get closer to 145-150, like I was in my late teens/early 20's...it's so funny, I look back at pictures of myself from then and think "dang, I was hot...why did I always think I was fat?" At this point, my first goal is to get under 200...but after that, I think160 is something that's do-able. I'd love to be 145/150 again, but I don't want to have unrealistic goals and get disappointed either.
Yes, had I reworded my post it would have been this. ^^^ 0 -
When I did Atkins the first time, I got down to 167...and it was nice...but I still wanted to lose a bit more and get closer to 145-150, like I was in my late teens/early 20's...it's so funny, I look back at pictures of myself from then and think "dang, I was hot...why did I always think I was fat?"
Honestly, I even thought I was fat when I was 9-10 years old. Seriously!? Can you say body issues? For the record, I was NOT fat. I wasn't even overweight. But my thighs rubbed together (as do my UNDERweight 3-year-old's--it's just how they're shaped!) and I had a bit more booty than most of my peers, so I thought I was chubby.0 -
I had my wrist and elbow measuments done by a nurse who determined me to have a large frame and reccomended 52kg (115lbs) at 149cm (4'11") to be a good weight to aim for.
I was this height and 59kg at age 14 and was a little chubby but the boys seemed keen! 52kg sounds good to me.
health.bizcalcs.com said 54-61kg for me. I would be happy at that weight if I was muscular.0 -
IamUndrCnstruction wrote: »You are awesome for having done so well despite all your medical mishaps! Amazing!
Yes, though, building some muscle will definitely help with liking what you see in a bikini better. Not sure what, if anything you can do without injuring yourself, but if you are at all able to do squats that would work many muscle groups and tighten much up. Even without weights. But, of course, do NOT do them without checking with your Dr, and seeing if there are modifications you need to/ can make to make them safe for you.
Regardless, be SO very proud of yourself. I have no idea what my goal is really... Maybe midpoint of healthy BMI, maybe higher as I lift weights. Who knows...maybe just whenever I think I look good in a bathing suit LOL
Thanks so much for your kind words.
I see my fysio tomorrow so I'll ask him about squats. I can't get my arm out at 90 degrees yet, but maybe he can tell me how to modify squats to do them safely. Without falling! lol.
Here's to looking good in our bathing suits!
0 -
Squats are great! I couldn't help noticing some of the improved butts in the main forum.
Even walking will help, especially if you can find some hills to hike. I hate weightlifting, but just jogging has improved both my leg muscle tone as well as respiratory efficiency.
Somebody mentioned a study that I'm not sure I believe, but here it is anyway: improving leg strength leads to more improvement in arm strength than focusing just on the arms. The idea is that stimulating muscle growth via hormones affects the entire body, and since you have more muscles in the legs, you should focus on leg work to stimulate hormone secretion. (Hope that made sense!)
I actually read something similar in a book, of course can't remember the name now. But supposedly, your body will build muscle all over if you build muscle in the biggest muscles. So like if you squat and build muscle in your thighs and glutes, your arms will build muscle too. Sounds too good to be true, but hey, worth a shot!
0 -
My "best self" as an adult, weight wise, was around 165. Yes, I know that's still 30ish pounds over the highest recommended weight for someone with my height and bone structure, but I loved my body at 165, even though I was still snugly wearing a size 14 pants.
Since I started this journey at 236, though, I set my initial goal at 199--the first thing I want is to never again see a 3-digit number starting with anything other than 1! After that, I think 180-185 will be a reasonable short-term goal on my way to 165. In high school I was around 145-150, which is still over the maximum recommended "healthy weight" for someone my height (5'1").
Yay! Another fun sized person. I'm just under five feet and I was happy with my body when I was 140 20 years ago. Now I'm 129 and... not so much. But eating this way has made weight loss pretty painless so I'll just keep keeping on.
Best of luck with your goals!
0 -
I hadn't been below 300 pounds for more than decade and was at the time above 350, so when I picked my goal weight (220 pounds as a 6'4" male) it was one that I knew was obtainable if I could start losing. But I've always said "I'll see when I get there how I feel and what I look like". I'm still at 250, so I've still got some to go, but I'm pretty certain now that I'll adjust and end up actually aiming for 205-210, unless I build a TON of muscle while losing that last 30 pounds
I don't trust, or care about BMI at all. It has absolutely no relevance in my aims.
Sounds like a healthy attitude! I assume based on the building muscle comment that you're working out? I'm so jealous of people's gains! I want to trade my saggy behind for a firm one, lol.
You've lost over 100 lbs! That's amazing. Congrats.
0 -
I had my wrist and elbow measuments done by a nurse who determined me to have a large frame and reccomended 52kg (115lbs) at 149cm (4'11") to be a good weight to aim for.
I was this height and 59kg at age 14 and was a little chubby but the boys seemed keen! 52kg sounds good to me.
health.bizcalcs.com said 54-61kg for me. I would be happy at that weight if I was muscular.
Another fun size person! I'm 2 cm taller than you. I rarely get to say I'm taller than anyone, forgive me. Now I want to have my frame measured! I've always assumed I have a small frame since I'm so short. Hm.
Best of luck with the goals!
0
