Ideal weight ...

amsuraj

So I am in a journey to lose weight, but not sure about what it ought to be. I am 5’ 6” and currently weigh 183 lb. Internet says, ideal weight for my height is about 150 lbs which seems low to me. How many of you are in the “ideal” weight or trying to get there? or do you have a different opinion? Thanks in advance.

kommodevaran

"Ideal" is a construct. Aim for healthy BMI. Fine tune when you get there. You have a lot of work to do, don't let this derail you.

AnvilHead

According to BMI, a healthy weight for you would be anywhere between 115 and 154 lbs. Unless you're an outlier (i.e., carry huge amounts of muscle mass), BMI is usually a reasonable target to shoot for as a starting point. But more important than BMI is your bodyfat percentage - 145 pounds at 27% bodyfat would not be anywhere near as "ideal" as 160 pounds at 14% bodyfat, for example.

There is no one "ideal" number because everybody is built differently. "Ideal" is when you're at a healthy bodyweight, bodyfat percentage, and are happy with what you see in the mirror.

Lillymoo01

For me, there is no ideal weight, just an ideal range which fits somewhere within a healthy BMI range. Weight fluctuates too much for there be one ideal number. Also, when I think of ideal I think of perfect. I am not after perfect. I am after healthy and healthy will mean different things for different people.

livingleanlivingclean

AnvilHead wrote: »

According to BMI, a healthy weight for you would be anywhere between 115 and 154 lbs. Unless you're an outlier (i.e., carry huge amounts of muscle mass), BMI is usually a reasonable target to shoot for as a starting point. But more important than BMI is your bodyfat percentage - 145 pounds at 27% bodyfat would not be anywhere near as "ideal" as 160 pounds at 14% bodyfat, for example.

There is no one "ideal" number because everybody is built differently. "Ideal" is when you're at a healthy bodyweight, bodyfat percentage, and are happy with what you see in the mirror.

This^^.

I think bf% is more important for health than focusing on a weight.

MsHarryWinston

I’m 5’7 and my goal is 150lb. I’ve been there before, so it doesn’t feel too low for me. 135 feels crazy low to me, but I know lots of women around our height that it works for. Frame, body fat %, etc etc are all factors in how you will carry your weight. Just assess yourself as the weight comes off and be flexible I’m your goals. Maybe you’ll like 155 because of your underlying muscle mass. Or maybe you will get to 150 and decide 145 is the way to go. *shrug* it’s your body, you can do what you like. The goal you make now isn’t written in stone.

shaf238

Your ideal weight is whatever weight you feel happy and healthy.

deputy_randolph

I'm at the top end of BMI for my height. I'm at 20% bf (I'm female). I realistically can't lose much more weight without it effecting my sports performance.

"Ideal weight" is a range b/c the there is no 1 single perfect weight for all people of the same height.

Running_and_Coffee

For me, it happens to be a weight that's in the middle of my healthy BMI range, means I can wear everything I like in my wardrobe, and is maintainable without requiring an insanely low calorie intake.

makkimakki2018

Female cyclists at your height would be about 132lbs. But thats at a competitive stand point... i think 150lbs is reasonable.

erickirb

I am 5'6", my profile pic is me at about 142lbs, and I carry a decent amount of muscle. I am not quite as defined now and weigh 152, trying to cut to 145.

kommodevaran

Ideal and optimal is not the same. Ideal weight and bodyfat is some kind of perfect... ideal, whereas at a optimal weight/bodyfat you are healthy, without having to sacrifice perceived quality of life.

JennJ323

I'm 5'2" and my ideal weight would be where I'm right now - maintaining between 123-125. Even up to 130 is fine, but much more than that and I start to notice a chubbiness to me (I assume because of my height and small frame). I've been as high as 170 and as low as 118.

Machafin

AS others have said, shoot for a optimal BMI unless you are very muscular. Good luck!

fitoverfortymom

I'm a 5'6" female and a normal BMI range for me starts at around 154lbs. I'm anywhere between 151-155 at the moment. I would like to get to a maintenance range between 147-153. Any thinner than that, and I start to look bony. I would have to do a bit of recomp work to avoid that, and I just haven't gone all-in with that yet.

AnnPT77

amsuraj wrote: »

So I am in a journey to lose weight, but not sure about what it ought to be. I am 5’ 6” and currently weigh 183 lb. Internet says, ideal weight for my height is about 150 lbs which seems low to me. How many of you are in the “ideal” weight or trying to get there? or do you have a different opinion? Thanks in advance.

If that's a current photo of you in your AVI, you appear to be a guy who's got some shoulder breadth and overall solid build. That might suggest that your happy weight might be a little higher in the standard normal BMI range, compared with a man of the same height who might be more narrow in build, with more delicate-looking limbs). So, 150 could be right. While you look like you have some muscle, it's not obvious that you have so very much that you'd be likely to be one of the very few people that are better off in what's technically the overweight range (154+) . . . but there's no way to be sure from looking at just that photo.

I'm a little shorter than you, 5'5', but female. My best weight is near the lower end of the normal BMI range for my height (low 120s, so BMI 20-ish. But I'm built on the narrow side, despite broad shoulders: Quite narrow hips, generally kind of built like a 14-year-old boy (despite being a 62-year-old woman ).

And don't go believing those frame size calculators that use your wrist/elbow measurements to tell you you have a "small frame". Even at 120 pounds, my huge hands/wrists and bigger arms make those calculators say I have a "medium" or "large" frame. If I picked my weight on that basis, I'd be substantially over-fat (despite being in the normal BMI range).

The bottom line is that only you (and your doctor) really know what the right weight for you is: It depends on your overall body configuration, your body fat percent, personal/cultural preferences, and more.

But here's the thing: When you're starting weight loss, it totally doesn't matter what your goal weight is. You lose weight exactly the same way (from your 183 pound starting weight), whether you're heading for 175, 160, 150, 140 . . . . There is literally no difference in strategy or tactics.

This means you can start losing at some sensibly moderate rate (0.5-1 pounds a week might be a good goal given your body weight). As you get lighter, it will be easier to see how much more you want to lose, and you can begin slowing to 0.5 pounds/week as you get close.

Your MFP goal weight setting has no effect at all on the calorie budget MFP gives you. It asks for your goal weight just to be able to give you motivational updates about how you're progressing toward that goal. You can set it for any weight lighter than your current one, and adjust as you go along. I did.

steveko89

The four established formula for "ideal" weight can vary dramatically.

For me (6'1" male):
G.J. Hamwi Formula (1964) 183 lbs
B.J. Devine Formula (1974) 176 lbs
J.D. Robinson Formula (1983) 169 lbs
D.R. Miller Formula (1983) 164 lbs

I've been each of these weights at various points of my adult life and body composition can make them very different looking, albeit all within the context of "healthy" BMI. If I'm aiming for an "ideal" it's going to be body fat % rather than scale weight. This can be problematic itself due to the variability and uncertainty of how and how well (or not so well) that it's measured.

Ultimately, don't let "ideal" or "optimal" get in the way of "good enough" for you personally, or being in a better/healthier place than you are now.