Starting out...

AJF230

I just signed up for this, mostly for the ability to communicate with others and learn new things. Since last year, when I was 37, I've been focused on making what I like to think of as "long term" positive health changes as I approach age 40. I cut out pork and red meat last year, in early July I've gone ovo/lacto vegetarian (that's probably not really a factor here). I've cut out a lot of alcohol. As in, going from a serving per day on average to around 1 per week. And I watch my sugar intake like a hawk. I have a standing desk at work and even a treadmill desk there and at home too.

We went on vacation to the beach in late June into July, 2 weeks, and I came back home 2 pounds lighter (lots of walking and I moderated my food), and I wanted to use that to kickstart myself toward finally getting my bodyweight to a healthy amount (a really heathy amount, not a BMI-25 "barely there" amount).

I had terrible nutrition and activity as a teenager, and went off to college at 218 lbs. My family never thought it was an issue. I lost a good 10 lbs the first year. Imagine that, walking places and eating better. I graduated college at 208 lbs, 15+ years ago. And last month I was 205. So I've been maintaining all these years, with some excursions either down to 200 or up to 210. But I'm 6'3" tall, and all the data I have says I'm still overweight. The scale, the body-fat electronic gauge, the mirror... I have a medium frame, and I should be "167-182." Some of it is muscle, I guess -- my youngest kids are almost 3 and I can easily lift them both at once and do arm curls with their weight. But for years I fatlogic'd myself, thinking "its muscle" or "I'm healthy (my bloodwork is fantastic)" but I've kind of hit a point that I want to get myself down to something reasonable and maintain THAT. I mean, if I can maintain myself, why not maintain something lower ?!

I look at other people my age (38 ) and they seem to be getting fatter, despite talking about exercising and fitness. Or they don’t seem to even notice. Its like it creeps up on them and one day they're literally obese and don’t even know how it happened. Its scary.

The last few weeks I've really had success moving the bubble, Im in the 199-200 lb range as of this week. It aint easy but its happening. My question, really, is....how do I go about setting a goal? Should I go get one of those water tank analyses that actually will tell me body fat % first? Just use a mirror test? Just pick a number, like "185" and go for it and see what happens?

dubird

I personally don't worry about BMI. There's not a good accurate way to measure it, and people who weight train are often considered in an unhealthy BMI because of the number on the scale, but are perfectly healthy. Worry about what is a healthy weight for your height and body type. Talk to your doctor about it if you're unsure; they're more likely to be able to give you a better goal range for yourself. But if your research shows that 167-182 is a good norm for your body type, start with that. Setting your goal to 185 seems like a good place to start. Once you get close to it, figure out where your range is you want to be in. Staying at one specific weight isn't really feasible as our bodys fluctuate daily. Setting a 5-10lb range is much easier on you and your perception of how you're doing. Keeping track of how you look in the mirror is a good check on what you're doing, but don't depend entirely on that. Though, the 'heartache' of discovering you don't fit your clothes and now have to shop for a smaller size is pretty amazing. XD

If you're having trouble staying motivated, start small. Set a smaller goal, and when you reach that, set a new one. For some people, meeting several smaller goals instead of one big one is much more motivating. It was for me, I was able to see more progress that way, which was helpful!

Also, one thing to keep in mind is that the more weight you lose, the less calories you'll need, so you'll have to recalculate every 10lbs or so. Otherwise, you'll reach maintenance without realizing it, and that's really frustrating when you still have weight to lose!

SueInAz

Rather than a weight goal why not an inches one? Pick a pants size you'd like to be and start off by measuring your waist (also hips, biceps, chest, thighs, etc.) and then track your measurements on a monthly or bi-weekly basis. If you don't already, I'd highly suggest hitting the gym for strength training. Work on building muscle which will help you lose fat in the long term by raising your metabolism. The reason why I suggested a goal other than weight is that if you're strength training the pounds don't come off as quickly but you'll get smaller and firmer which is much nicer than simply losing pounds.