Question about goal weights

grimendale

My goal weight is purely arbitrary because MFP asked for a number. I'm looking at body fat % as my indicator. I've finally gotten into a healthy range for the first time ever, and am looking to get into the atheltic range (around 18% would be ideal for me).

DPernet

210lb is right on the border for me being at a healthy 25.0 BMI, so I deducted 5lb from this and set my goal weight at 205lb :bigsmile:

122ish

I changed my mind several times and just stopped where I felt comfortable. I had an idea of where I wanted to end based on how much I weighed in high school and early 20's but those numbers didn't look the same on me anymore because my body is different. So even though I had a number in mind I figured if I didn't reach it or exceed it I would not much care if I felt good there. I don't want to obsess about where I am now because I want to gain muscle and if that means I gain a few lbs then that's alright. U will just know when u reach your goal and don't sell yourself short thinking u don't remember being a certain weight doesn't mean u can't be if u want

Puffingmuffin

Don't pick a weight. Just pick a size you want to fit into. I bought some abercrombie and fitch shorts in size 2, and that's my aim. BMI isn't everything, so don't pay too much attention to it.

tweetiejovi

i remember weighting now what i did 12yrs ago before i got cuddly and remember wanting to be between 8 and 10st got to 9st 4 once and everybody though i looked to thin, so thinking 10st should be ok am currently 12st and as was 18st nearly when i started think i should be 'ower though lots of people are commenting on me beening to thin now, my bmi healthy range is 8st to 11st depending on which one you follow so think ill try for 10st, if i become to obessed maybe im ok as i am, maybe when i get yo 10st, i think 8st is possible might try for it but think that is highly unlikely, so see how it and you go

xoxdollyxox

Thanks everyone for the reply's! I love this place so much everyone is so helpful.. I swear I can spend hours on here looking at the message boards..

But yeah I know this is going to be a long journey I guess I'm just worried I won't know when Ive reached where I need to be.

Even the thought of getting to a maintenance weight is kinda scarey. At least while your loosing, all the counting cals and exercise leads to the scale going down at the end of the week. Doing all that for no results just not to gain is a whole different ball game. But I guess I'll figure that out when I come to it. Mind you its a long way off but I'll get there lol

chooriyah

I want to be the size and weight that I was when I got married - 65kg and size 10/12 UK...

55in13

I'm using BMI to go for a goal weight...even if I think it's a sack of over generalized doodoo it's a good a place as any to start. c:

I am doing this also and going a little under so that the top of maintenance range (goal + 5) is still barely under. No, it isn't then end all measure of health but there is nothing about my frame that invalidates it. I Googled for other ideal weight calculators and they came up with numbers within a few pounds of that also. Also, I was not an obese lifer; I was at a reasonably healthy weight most of my life by nature and I was in roughly the same range. I was overweight for somewhere between 7 and 10 years and substantially overweight maybe 5.

MyJourney1960

My goal is a weight that i was happy at when i was younger. Now, i'm not naiive and I know that at age 52, after a hysterectomy at age 37 (so was plunged into menopause way too early) that my body is not the same. so - I am using that number as a general guide, want to get down to a healthy BMI and SIZE, and then I will reevaluate. It may be a few more pounds one way or the other.

zyxst

i chose the high end of the healthy weight for my size according to bmi.

Same here. It's not a number that will make me happy either. I'd have to rewire my brain for that.

JennMairi

I have a goal clothes size rather than a goal weight - the size I want my bridesmaid's dress to be next summer!

Kevinkpcc55

My first goal was to loose 2 stone by end of May 2013, which i achieved, I have now extended that to another 2 stone by end of december 2013, i think its going to be a little tougher, but will stick at it and see where it takes me.

momzeeee

I see so many people have a goal weight they are trying to achieve and I'm just wondering how everyone finds that magic number? How do we know what number on the scales going to make us happy?

I started my journey at 122.3kgs (269.1lbs).. I have always been overweight.. Iv'e spent the last 6-7 years around the 116-119kg (255.2- 261.8 lbs) mark and I've so far lost 21.5kgs (47.3lbs) and I still can't manage to find myself a goal weight! At least not a final weight. I'm hoping to at least get to 80kg (176 lbs) which for my 5ft5 frame is still overweight but I can't get my head around me being any smaller then that because I can't remember weighing below 85kg (obviously I did when I was younger but I'm guessing I never weighed myself much back then)

So I'm just curious as to how people found their magic number. I want to have one of those OMG I did it moments when I get down to my final goal.. but I need to find one first!!

My goal weight was the weight I was on my wedding day, 11 years ago (135lbs). I remember feeling comfortable in my skin at that time and also being able to comfortably wear a size 8 jean. That was also the lowest weight I had ever weighed as an adult and it's also right in the middle of a healthy bmi for my height.

Well, hit that number in March and started transitioning into maintenance. Started walking/strength training and focusing more on a primal leaning diet. Fast forward to today and I'm now 10lbs under my goal weight and wearing a size 4 jean/size 2 shorts (125lbs). I now feel the best I ever have and I look good, even better than what I did in my wedding pictures :bigsmile:

I think a goal number is a good start to work towards, but to be successful at this long term you always have to have a new goal to work towards. I didn't intend to lose more weight but it happened on its own, as I started focusing on new goals Now I'm training for my first 5K and my size 4 jeans are getting loose, even though the scale is staying stable. I think my body shape will continue to change for a while yet and I'm cool with that!

MJ_Watson

If you know your current body fat %, Fat2Fit has a goal weight calculator that asks you your goal bf % and tells you what weight that would be. Easy enough to guess what % you'd like by googling pictures of women's body fat percentages. I looked at a couple of charts and decided which end of the normal range I wanted to be in (right smack dab in the middle ) and plugged it in to get my goal.

The weight it gave me seems a little on the high side, but I think that's partly a body composition thing (I wear a smaller size than most girls my weight seem to, as well). And of course it's assuming you lose /no/ LBM at all during weight loss - which would be awesome but not really likely. So for now I'm using it as a soft goal, then I'll re-evaluate when I get there and see how much lower I need to go. It did help me, because my very first goal was apparently way, WAY too low, and I'm glad I found that out now before I got fixated on that number.

Here's the address:

http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/ibw/

AubieMae

I've chosen my weight goal by going in between the range for a healthy BMI with my age calculated in.

JesterMFP

First of all, I don't think there is a magical number as such. I think for most people there's a range, and you won't really know until you get there. That's especially true for people who have always been overweight, but even those that were formerly slim and know how they felt at a certain number - even then, body composition changes so you can never be sure.

I picked my goal number by a combination of different things. Firstly, I aimed for the middle-ish of my healthy BMI range. Secondly, I knew roughly how much I had to lose to lose a dress size, so I estimated how much I would need to weigh to be the size I thought I'd look best at. (That's a bit of a rough way of doing it, because you can lose sizes differently the smaller you get but it actually worked out accurately for me.) Thirdly, I estimated my body fat percentage using the online calculators at Fat2fitradio. Then, looking at online pictures of people at different body fat percentages, I decided what % I would like to be, and used this calculator to work out how much I should weigh, assuming I lost no lean mass: http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/ibw/ Again, this is all a bit woolly because those calculators are only rough estimates.

Anyway, the three methods gave me roughly the same number, and was very close to a total loss of 6 stone (don't we all love round numbers?) So I just went with that. That's the number I hit, and have been maintaining (give or take a few pounds here or there) since November. I think it's about right for me. I ended up in the clothes size that I originally planned. Ideally, I'd like to lose maybe another 5 lbs, although it's not a priority right now. At the same time, the people around me tell me that I shouldn't lose any more, so I must be pretty much at the right place.

I don't know if you know MyBodyGallery, but it can be useful to get a general idea of what women look like at different height/weights. http://www.mybodygallery.com/ You need to bear in mind though (and that website helps you to realise) that there can be a vast difference in what 2 women at the same height and weight will look like because of different body compositions, as well as how people naturally carry fat. For example, if you are more muscular, you will look smaller at a higher weight than someone who is less muscular. Also, I am (or was) and apple shape. If I was more of an hour-glass, I'd probably have been happy to be a bit heavier than I am now. As it happens, all my extra fat gets stored around my middle, so that motivates me to be a bit leaner.

Britterboo22

Mines within health BMI range.

generallyme2

I used to be one of those 'naturally thin' people. I ate well and a lot but I was also super active and sat at about 114 lbs without even trying. Then I messed with my hormones. I don't want to be quite that small again (and can't imagine I would be able to healthfully) but I tacked on 6-11 lbs to that and there's my goal weight. Not too scientific but I know what I look like at that weight and I know it's achievable and I felt good.

Achrya

Getting back to my military weight. I was at peak foxiness then.

Just gave this (http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/ibw/) a go and what do you know, my goal weight lines up perfectly with my goal body fat percentage. ...That said, I'm not surprised, lol. I was very aware of my weight and my body fat (Thanks Navy for being so hung up on that kind of thing.) three years ago so I genuinely know where I want to be and how I want to look when I get there.