Setting a goal weight

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  • JennieMaeK
    JennieMaeK Posts: 474 Member
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    KristiMillner08 wrote: »
    I don't have a goal weight per say. I am doing 10% loss at a time until I hit a weight that I feel is right for ME. My goal weight that i put into MFP is the weight I will be at when I lose 10%. When I lose that 10% I will adjust my goal weight again. My health coach says its actually the best way to lose weight. Since I have A LOT to lose, it keeps me feeling good that I am hitting my goals.

    I have a goal weight in mind, but I also set 10% losses at a time as mini goals. I had almost 95 lbs to lose and it seemed daunting.

    I'm a little over 5.5 and have set my goal weight to 145. It's achievable and maintainable, for me. There are times when I want to go 138.6 (which would put me at 100 lbs lost), but I worry that below 140 might be more difficult to maintain. I might reevaluate when I get to 145.
  • Adc7225
    Adc7225 Posts: 1,318 Member
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    I set a goal weight that my doctor and I came to agree on - no where near what I used to weigh. I started at 244, first goal with Dr. approval was 170, then I went to 150, then figured why no shoot for 144. I felt and believed I looked my best around 160. I do workout and attribute that to some of the reasons I am the size I am. I used to weigh 130, and wore a size 10, I now weigh 155-158 and wear a 2/4. At 146 I looked ill, that was not a look for me and even at the weight I am now I think I look older than what I am.

    I would suggest, maybe doing measurements or even picking a size range you want to be. The scale can be a tricky guide for some of us and if you are not sure how much you want to weigh regardless of how you look, you might do better using something else as a guide.
  • chiptease
    chiptease Posts: 70 Member
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    5'6" and started at 180. My first goal was to get down to 150. I told myself that 150 is the perfect number. Then I got to 150 and realized I still had body fat % to lose. I'm at 145 now. My new goal is 135. I think it's important to set small goals, reach them, and adjust accordingly. What's also important to remember is that once you reach your "goal" don't stop! Keep active and keep your portions/diet in check. You won't want to find yourself at your starting weight all over again.
  • ElizabethOakes2
    ElizabethOakes2 Posts: 1,038 Member
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    You might try using this calculator to figure out your body frame size
    https://www.healthstatus.com/perl/calculator.cgi

    And then use the calculators on the site to figure out your ideal body weight. Remember that everyone has different body types so what fits someone else might not fit you. At 5'3, I'll be in 'normal BMI range' at 140, but my 'ideal weight' for my frame type and age is 130.
  • emmadonaldson95
    emmadonaldson95 Posts: 179 Member
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    rph2t wrote: »
    I am 5'8" and about 205 at the moment. I looked at some online resources, and they said my goal weight should be around 155. My issue with that is I have never weighed that little, not since probably junior high. I am a fairly muscular build, and fairly tall for a woman. I'm just worried about being unhealthy, I suppose. The least I've ever weighed as an adult has been 170, and I felt fairly svelte then, but maybe I've just never been a healthy weight?

    I was just hoping to get some advice. How did you choose your goal weight? Do you reevaluate as you go, or do you have a number you are working toward? Did your goal weight seem too low when you started out? I am not just starting out, but I'm really digging in lately, and I wanted to have a challenging goal to work towards.

    I'm 5'7" and currently at about 125lb. I don't anyone would say I looked unhealtht so I don't think tou need to worry too much there.
    My goal was actualy 125lb which is less than I've weighed since I was 16 at a guess. But i took a look at a few friends who are a similar height and also looked at old photos of myself.
    Perhaps start by picking a goal weight you've been before that you'd be happy at and see how you feel as you get closer and whether you thinj losing more is achievable and sensible.
  • emmadonaldson95
    emmadonaldson95 Posts: 179 Member
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    Also I would definitely use a BMI calculator and try to pick something around the middle of the healthy range for your height, age etc. The NHS one is pretty good. That was another factor for me i chose the slightlt lower end of my healthy weight range.
  • MissusMoon
    MissusMoon Posts: 1,900 Member
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    My preliminary goal weight is set at 180 and I'm your height. It's not my final goal. It's when things will go a bit slower and I'll shift gears into some of my more ambitious physical goals. I plan on dropping my goal 5-10lbs from there until I'm where I want to be, size and health wise.
  • markswife1992
    markswife1992 Posts: 262 Member
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    emmadonaldson95 wrote: »

    I'm 5'7" and currently at about 125lb. I don't anyone would say I looked unhealtht so I don't think tou need to worry too much there.
    .

    i am 5' 7" and my goal weight is also 125.
    :smile:
  • TxTiffani
    TxTiffani Posts: 798 Member
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    I read once that for health our waist should be no more than half our height. That might be a good non-scale related goal:) Going by the scale is a little harder because muscle mass makes different weights look very different:) Maybe a pant size you'd like to be rather than weight?
  • TxTiffani
    TxTiffani Posts: 798 Member
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    Oh, btw, I just picked a weight in the middle of bmi and that a couple different charts said was optimal for my height which is super short;) 5'1:) I have been overweight for my whole adult life really so my number is much lower than I've been but I'm going to shoot for it and if I'm happy before I get to it or get there and don't like it then I'll settle for a bit higher number:) 24 lbs to go!
  • emmadonaldson95
    emmadonaldson95 Posts: 179 Member
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    markswife1992 wrote: »
    i am 5' 7" and my goal weight is also 125.
    :smile:

    I'm so pleased to have got here! I only started at 140lb so it isnt a huge change but half my clothes dont fit round the waist anymore. You'll love it
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
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    Everyone is different, you don't have to set your goal as low as that. But at least aim to be in the healthy/normal bracket of the BMI chart.

    If you feel huge loss /goal is daunting right now, set a higher goal weight to aim for then reassess when you get there based on how you feel.
  • ilex70
    ilex70 Posts: 727 Member
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    mathiseasy wrote: »
    I chose my goal weight based on a weight I was happy at in the past. I'm 5'6" and with quite a bit of muscle I was happy at 160. I have my goal set to 140 here because I think I would like to lower my bf% past what it was in the past but I have no idea what that would look like. I will absolutely reevaluate if I get to 160 and am happy with my body!

    Twinkies. Also 5'6, was good at 160 before, but trying for 140 now because I'm targeting a lower body fat %.
  • frankiesgirlie
    frankiesgirlie Posts: 668 Member
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    I'm 5' 9", female and almost 55, and my goal weight is 140. I started on MFP with just 12 lbs to lose to reach it. I've weighed a lot less in my 20s ,and as a teenager,and my highest weight ever was briefly in the 160s and I felt overweight.
    But I have a small frame. Skinny wrists. Long skinny hands and feet.
    I chose my goal because it's the weight I felt best at and it was doable in my 40s. It's harder in my 50s to get down to that weight, but I'm still trying.
    Bottom line is, the charts are just general guidelines. You have to feel comfortable in your own skin.
    I think for most people aiming for the middle range of the chart makes sense and you can adjust up or down as you feel when you get there.
    Good luck with your goals and be true to yourself!
  • richardgavel
    richardgavel Posts: 1,001 Member
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    Another thing to consider is that a goal for cutting may not be a final weight. I want to get down to around 160, but then gain back more in the form of muscle.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,847 Member
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    I picked a weight that I'd been in (much younger) adulthood, that I remembered as having been at the higher end of looking/feeling good, planning to re-evaluate when I got close. I'd been overweight to obese for decades, so I knew I couldn't set a firm goal.

    As I got closer, I realized I needed to lose a bit more, but how much became very subjective . . . and by then I had intentionally slowed my loss rate down to around 0.5lb/wk, so I had plenty of time to evaluate how I felt. Finally, I literally just woke up one morning, looked at myself, thought about how I felt, and decided I was there. Ended up about 10 pounds below my original provisional goal.

    (SW 183, original GW 130, now working on maintaining at 120 plus or minus 3.
  • pebble4321
    pebble4321 Posts: 1,132 Member
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    I don't have a goal... not a scale goal anyway.
    I do want to weigh less, I know my current weight isn't healthy and I'm (mostly) moving in that direction which I'm happy with.
    But I don't see the point in picking a number and then agonising if I don't meet it. I see so many "can't lose the last 5 or 10 pounds" posts, and I just don't understand this. Why does it matter to see a specific number on the scale?

    My big picture goal is to get into good exercise and eating habits that I can keep up for the rest of my life.
    And I have some other more concrete and short term goals like participating in challenges (love the Hogwarts challenge here on MFP) and entering races (I'm toying with completing a series of runs all around my state this year). And moderating the amount of junk that I eat, so I'm getting good nutrition from most of my food.
  • frankiesgirlie
    frankiesgirlie Posts: 668 Member
    edited May 2016
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    [quote="pebble4321;36597772"

    But I don't see the point in picking a number and then agonising if I don't meet it. I see so many "can't lose the last 5 or 10 pounds" posts, and I just don't understand this. Why does it matter to see a specific number on the scale?
    [/quote]




    Because you're assuming everyone on MFP is losing weight for health reasons. Some have a goal weight or "look" they are going for that is purely aesthetic.
    If you're Almost at your goal but still see a muffin top or thighs bigger than you'd like, then why wouldn't you go all the way to get to your goals?
    I am trying to lose fat and/or the last 10 lbs by eating at a small deficit and working out.
    If I wake up one day and look the way I want to look, I won't care what the scale reads.
    The scale is just another barometer of progress, like measurements, clothing size, lifting heavier or running further than you did last month.


  • maidengirl_
    maidengirl_ Posts: 283 Member
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    Use a BMI calculator to determine your healthy weight range. Then aim to lose 4% of your starting weight until you get to a weight that is healthy and that you are comfortable with. Healthy looks different in each person.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    My original goal was a similar thought process to yours - my previous favourite weight.
    But after I maintained there a while I realised it was too high so nibbled away and extra 11lbs in a series of steps of dieting and then maintaining for a while taking off a few pounds at a time.

    Ended up at 164-168lbs. I'm a 5'9 man so think your 170lbs as a 5'8 female won't end up being your final goal.

    What you decide now isn't set in stone and can make the process less daunting to have pauses or intermediate goals.

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