How do you choose a goal weight?

Kathi7501

So here's the deal: I'm 52, 5'10" and currently weigh 220. I have lost weight before (from an all-time high of 274) and stopped when I hit 170. I was unable to maintain that and settled more into a comfortable 180-190 area. (I followed a meal-replacement plan and never went through a formal maintenance program, so it's no surprise I couldn't maintain it.) Fortunately, I'm working with both a personal trainer and a nutritionist this time around so I won't be left on the curb to fend for myself whenever I reach a good weight.

Originally I thought I'd like to get back to 190, since that's attainable and I felt good there. However, that's still not a good BMI at 27.3 - still overweight.

Ideally, I should be between 130-170 to hit a BMI between 18.5 and 24.9, but I haven't weighed 150 or less since I was 17. If I aimed for the middle - 150 - I'd need to lose 70 pounds. Is this realistic?

Fortunately, I have no personal health problems other than typical age-related aches and pains. I don't take medication for anything but there are some familial issues with various cancers and diabetes. Not quite sedentary, but not super active either, just averaging 3-5 days a week of 30 minutes of cardio and adding some body weight resistance exercises.

So what do you think? Is it just the number that's scaring me and I should go for 150? Go until my body seems to be happy and stop? Not worry about a final goal yet and just see what happens?

Thanks!

pinuplove

I reassessed my goal 3 times before I decided I was happy. Nothing says you have to live by the goal you choose now. Choose something that seems reasonable and attainable to you at this point and go from there

earlnabby

I chose my goal by taking the weight I felt I looked and felt my best at (155) and added 10 lb since I am 25 years older than I was when I was at that weight (late 20's, early 30's). When I get there, I may tweak it a bit.

Don't overthink this. Get to where you feel comfortable, maintain for a while, and re-assess after maintaining. This is a process, not a line from A to B

RelCanonical

I think make your goal 190 and then re-evaluate when you get there, for the same reasons that others stated above me! Fortunately, weight loss isn't an all or nothing, so you'll have great health benefits from getting some off, even if it's not within the ideal range.

janejellyroll

My eventual goal wound up being lower than my initial goal.

There's nothing wrong with setting your goal at 190 and then deciding that you'd like to lose more once you reach it. There's also nothing wrong with setting a goal of 150 and deciding at some point between 190 and 150 that you are pleased with your progress and don't want to lose more.

liftingbro

I wouldn't even set a goal weight. I would set a goal that isn't likely to be your final goal.

Let's say you are 5'6 and 200 lbs, for a women you probably should be around 140lbs or so.

However, you may or may not have an average frame by time you're done. If you lift and eat properly you may reach a point where you like the way you look at a higher weight due to increase muscle and bone density. Now, maybe you might also need to be lower than 135 as well if you have little muscle mass.

In this case I would suggest starting with a goal of 30-40 lbs and reset your goal when you get down that far. You'll have a better idea at that point how much more you'll need to lose.

koslowkj

I chose the middle of a healthy BMI range. That being said, it's lighter than I've been since I was 18 (I'm 27 now) and I plan on reassessing once I get to the top of a healthy BMI.

sijomial

Why not aim for the top of the BMI range, learn how to maintain there and after a period of time reassess and decide whether to stay there, drop some more or if maintenance is too hard drift up a little?

What you decide now doesn't commit you forever and regular reassessment isn't a bad idea.

IMHO - 190lbs for a woman your age and height is too high for a goal weight even though clearly significant progress over where you are now as regards health. If right now 150lbs seems unobtainable there's a wide range between those two numbers.

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quiksylver296

I'm 5'9, and I like to be about 175 pounds. That still has me in the overweight territory, but I don't care.

I agree with everyone else. Head for 190, hang out there for awhile, and if you feel like it, you can drop more later.

seltzermint555

I generally agree with others on this. I'm somewhat similar size I guess, 43 years old and 5'8" 170 lb.

My HW is 307 and start weight for MFP was 270. I was in the 250-270 range for MANY years.
I originally chose 220 as my "goal" then 180, as 180 was the weight I could remember being when I was a teen and felt/looked good.
Once I got into the 170s I felt good but reset my goal to 155.

For me that didn't work out. I got into low 160s and had some issues with energy, libido, some of my bloodwork seemed "off", etc. Back up to 170 and feeling great for years now.

I often think I will get back to 160s and feel good, who knows. I still have belly flab at every weight I have been but I truly don't think getting down to 140 would solve the problem...I know a lot of people disagree on that, but I know how my body is and I think I'm dealing with "loose skin" type of thing at this point. I consider myself in maintenance for several years now and generally just try to keep in the same range. On this day last year I was 171 and today I'm 169.4 so I feel like that's working for me!

Like others have said, what you decide on can always be altered later!

Jthanmyfitnesspal

I really sweated about this as well when I last lost a pile of weight. I've decided that there is no correct answer! I agree with @sijomial that shooting for something intermediate and achievable at first is a good strategy. Then hang out there and see how you feel.

(Maintenance is just as hard as losing and must be mastered for long-term weight control.)

jeagogo

I set my goal based on the weight I was able to best maintain in the past, which is at the high end of what is "healthy" for my height if you look at a BMI chart (155 lbs at 5'8"). However if you measure based on body composition (fat, lean tissue, bone mineral content) I'm quite healthy even at my current 160 lbs.
In the long run, you would likely be healthier maintaining a weight on the higher side (maybe even a bit higher than the "healthy" BMI range) than if you were to try to lose too much weight and regain because it was impossible to maintain.

lgfrie

My goal when I started at 320 pounds was to be 0.000000001 pound less than the BMI "Obese" cutoff, which for me is 211 pounds. So losing 109 pounds was the initial objective. However, being more than half way there and not feeling like it's been all that difficult, I'm now planning on taking it under 200. But I doubt I will ever make it to "Normal" BMI which for me would be 175 pounds. I was that weight for about ten minutes in 9th grade and was stick thin, so .... not sure I'd even want that. But there'll be plenty of time to fine-tune things later.

I like the clarity and simplicity of BMI as a set of guideposts or kind of mile markers for my weight loss journey. I know some other people don't like it as much. My GP and insurance company plaster my BMI on every damn form and report and I just want to once and for all not have it blaring "OBESE PERSON" at the top of the page. I think I'm cool with "overweight person" though.

kenyonhaff

I picked a 20 lb goal at first because that seemed as reasonable as any at the time.

I reached it - yea!

Than I realized that according to the BMI chart I was still obese.

So I picked a mid-range normal BMI goal.

I know BMI is not a perfect meter. But I figure it's a decent indicator of what is a sensible weight.

liftingbro

kenyonhaff wrote: »

I picked a 20 lb goal at first because that seemed as reasonable as any at the time.

I reached it - yea!

Than I realized that according to the BMI chart I was still obese.

So I picked a mid-range normal BMI goal.

I know BMI is not a perfect meter. But I figure it's a decent indicator of what is a sensible weight.

Best way to start out is pick more than one goal.

Generally picking a smaller first goal so you have something that can be achieved within a relatively short time (1-3 months) is best. Then pick a long term goal after that.

MySlimGoals

I chose a goal weight that was roughly in the middle of my optimum BMI but was a number I liked. No idea what I will look like when I reach that as I have never been that weight that I remember. I remember being 5kg heavier as a teenager and being unhappy with my weight. So I'll see if I like it, if not I can always reassess when I get there. I'm still a loooooong way off getting there though so don't have to worry yet.

MonaLisainCT

Somewhen near the beginning of my journey from '217 lbs to Healthy', I came across this:

Body frame size can be determined by measuring your wrist with a tape measure and comparing it to your height. Place the tape around your wrist in the same area you wear a watch -- above the ball joint of your ulna -- to determine the circumference of your wrist in inches.

Once you know your wrist size, compare it to your height to determine body frame size. For women 5 foot, 2 inches to 5 foot, 5 inches tall, a wrist size of 6 inches or less is considered small-framed, 6 to 6.25 inches is medium-framed, and 6.25 inches or greater is large-framed. For women taller than 5 foot, 5 inches, less than 6.25 inches is considered small-framed, 6.25 to 6.5 inches medium-framed, and greater than 6.5 inches large framed.

For men, a wrist size measuring 5.5 to 6.4 inches is considered small-framed, 6.5 to 7.5 is a medium frame, and greater than 7.5 inches is a large frame size.

Once you know your body frame size, you can use it to determine your ideal body weight. The HAMWI method is a simple calculation that you can use to estimate your weight and adjust based on your body frame size. The equations calculate the IBW for medium-framed people; then you add or subtract 10 percent for small or large frames.

For women, start at 100 pounds and add 5 pounds for every inch above 5 feet. For men, start with 106 pounds and add 6 pounds for every inch above 5 feet.

For example, the IBW for a 6-foot tall, medium-framed man is 106 + (12 x 6) = 178 pounds. The IBW for a small-framed man is 10 percent less than 178, or 160 pounds, and the IBW for a large-framed man is 10 percent great than 178, or 196 pounds. So, for healthy men who are 6 feet tall, the IBW range is 160 to 196 pounds, depending on their body frame sizes.

I'm 54 years old and 5'6", and my wrist measures 7 inches above the ball joint of my ulna. Since the increments between frame-sizes for women seem to be 1/4 inch, I decided to operate under the assumption that I have an XL frame-size (borderline XXL!) and so should use the HAMWI method but add 20% to calculate my 'Initial IBW' - 156 lbs.
100 lbs + (5 x 6") = 130 | 130 x .2 = 26 | 130 + 26 = 156

I'm only 9 lbs away from there now, and I'm reasonably certain that I'll take back that extra 10% (13 lbs - so 143 will be my next IBW#) when I get there, but it was a much-less-scary figure to shoot for, back when I was still 200+.

Personally, I think body-fat-percentage is a better gauge of these things (the target of which at my age would be 26.3%), but I don't have access to a skin-fold caliper.

Adc7225

I had an honest talk with my doctor . . . looking at my body and where I carry my weight and she felt that I should be around 170. No Way . . . I went from 244 to 156 and I looked ill. I felt I actually looked my best around 165 or so and now at 178 I wish for the day I can be 165 or 16_ anything. BMI is what it is . . . I don't want to be censored Given we are all different I don't believe there can be a based weight for people not taking into account a lot of things and once you do all that you will have weight area for that specific person. If you felt your best at 190, work towards that, there is more to life than what you weigh, there is a lot to be said for a quality of life and if at 190 you are living your best life then that is the correct weight for you!

apullum

The first thing I would say is that losing large amounts of weight can seem unachievable for folks who haven't done it. I lost 100 pounds and have kept it off for over 2 years now. If you'd asked me 10 years ago, I would have said I could never, ever do that. So no, it is not unrealistic to aim for a 70 pound loss that would put you within your optimal BMI range, but it can absolutely feel unrealistic at first.

Having said that, I agree that you don't have to decide on a maintenance weight yet. Maintenance is not an end; it is a lifelong process. That means you can lose some weight, maintain for a while, then decide at any time whether you want to lose more weight or not. You should ultimately stop at the weight where you and your doctor agree that you're happy and healthy.

(In the spirit of full disclosure, I did not do exactly this. I chose a target weight that was in the middle of my optimal BMI range and was 100 pounds less than my starting weight because I liked the nice round number. I started at 215 and now maintain at 110-115; on a daily basis I'm usually 112-113. But you don't need to do what I did!)

AnnPT77

On a skim-through I didn't see it mentioned (apologies if I missed it!), so I want to add this, although you may already be aware of it:

Whatever you tell MFP your goal weight is, that has zip-zero-no effect on how it calculates your weight loss calorie goal. None.

MFP asks you to put a goal weight in your profile, but it only uses that for some motivational type messages, like the "ticker" you can put on your page that says you've lost X out of Y pounds, or you have Z pounds to goal, or whatever.

You can set your goal weight at anything less than your current weight, set up the other profile data according to instructions, and your calorie goal will be the same regardless. It's not worth agonizing over. You can change it later, no penalty or even difference.

Not worth worrying over, truly. Set it to whatever seems adequate now, and re-evaluate as you get closer, when you have more information/experience/insight.

AlexandraFindsHerself1971

I really have two goal weights, myself. I'm a tall, very curvaceous and large-framed woman. I have my family's build, and even when we're 16 and playing sports all year we still have CURVES. So I sort of have to allow for that, and my goal weight is 180. Now, I know at 5'7" that still is technically overweight, and I really want to get a tummy tuck done. I carry my weight evenly over my body, but it's clear I have a lot of sagging skin on my front and I know a have a muscle separation underneath, it's two inches apart and you can feel it easily. That won't fix via weight loss. But to get that all repaired, I need to be down far enough that I don't read so much as fat as I do as thick and curved, and I need to maintain at that point for six months. I'm not worried about maintaining. With the help of this website, it's no problem. I have no idea what that maintenance point will be, sitting up here at 296. At 180, I may be able to be clearer about that, but I won't know til then whether it's around 180 or closer to the 150 that I've seen posted. (I don't plan to go below 150. I like being strong and big that way.)

Jennikitten

Set the goal to where it feels good for you then you can always look at it again when you get there and change it

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mim619

I am 5'10" also and have not been less than 158 since I was a freshman in highschool... Currently at 172-176 depending on the day and I'm the size I was 6 years ago at 158. Muscle mass is a complicating factor. I originally thought 160 would be my goal but honestly I feel pretty good where I am.

hipari

I chose the highest weight I felt like I’d be happy with: 79.9kg. The upper limit of my normal weight BMI would be something around 75kg, so still 10lbs lower, but I don’t care. I have a lot of muscle mass, a lot of curves, and I’m quite tall, so I’ll re-evaluate the situation once my weight starts with the 7.

threewins

I chose my goal weight when I was there. I didn't know how much I wanted to lose, I just kept losing until my "reference jeans" fit.

misscagal

Sorry if I missed this on the read through, but if you are settling weight based on BMI, you should also factor age in. It does matter and you don’t want to pick a BMI that’s suitable for a 22 yo versus a 52 yo.

Anya_000

Great advice from everyone.

For me, I need little goals, so I've been setting them in 5 lb increments. Then the goal is achievable, and not so far off and seemingly insurmountable. After reaching the goal, I reevaluate, and pick the next goal and so on. I'm a 59 yo woman, and there's no way I'll get back to my 122lbs, so I'm seeing how I look and feel as I reach each mini goal.

BuffaloChixSalad

That's the one thing I don't like about numbers. I go for how I feel. How my clothes fit and what the mirror reflects back at me. Muscles outweigh fat. As long as you're comfortable, nothing else matters

Kathi7501

You guys are all so awesome. I figured I'd get a good range of rational advice and no one disappointed. I'll definitely set a short goal -- I'm thinking 209 to start, since that'll be a 25-pound loss. Then maybe I'll try another 25 and see how that feels at 184. And I'm going to definitely look into the body frame calculation to get a better idea of where I land.

Thank you everyone!