How to find "goal weight"

snoldeee24

Not sure if this is a silly question, but how do people on their weight loss journey find what their goal weight is and/or how much they need to lose?
I'm looking to lose weight, what I would think is a large amount (50+), but I'm not even sure how much I should lose or if I should even put a number on it because of my ED history.

TIA!

Current weight 189, female, 30 5'5''

Rockmama1111

A very good question! It’s so very personal. It could be the weight you felt most comfortable at. You could create your goals in 20-pound-increments and reassess as you reach them. (This might make the goal less daunting?) Some people might pick a goal that gets them out of the “overweight” category on BMR charts.

I picked a goal that would get me back into a particular pair of jeans. I might go further, but since I’m a lot older than last time I lost weight, I want to see how wrinkly my face looks when I get there. You probably aren’t worried about that yet!

PAV8888

When I was more than overweight, with no history of ED, but no history of normal weight to aspire to either, and once I understood the actual meaning of the BMI range (which is not that "every spot in the healthy bmi range is healthy for an individual" but rather that "most individuals are likely to be at a weight good for their health at a spot that will magically be somewhere in that healthy BMI range". I decided that top of normal weight would be a good first goal to shoot for.

With a history of ED... I would at the very least bring in a doctor in the discussion. And I would be VERY cautious at to what effect a deficit could have on my neurotransmitters and hormones... and make sure that said doctor or professional was truly in agreement with what I was setting out to do (as opposed to selectively hearing what I wanted to hear).

PS: I am a random Internet stranger. Smart MFPer in your position would talk to a professional. IN PERSON. If you aren't willing to afford one... you may ALSO not be able to afford what you're about to subject yourself to either.

SuzySunshine99

I agree that it's very personal.

For me, I didn't have a huge amount to lose...I was overweight, but not obese. So, I set a goal to get myself out of the overweight category. Once I got there, I decided to keep going until I got to the middle of the "normal" BMI range for my height and I was satisfied with how I looked and felt.

Maybe with your ED history, you should set a goal that you absolutely must NOT go under but puts you in a healthy weight range. You might want to check your goal with your doctor to be sure it's healthy for you, given your history. When you reach that goal, resist the urge to keep going and just work on a maintenance plan.

JaysFan82

I spoke to my family Doctor. I originally had mine set for 250 pounds but she wants me at around 235, so 235 it is

snoldeee24

Thanks everyone for your comments! I do like the idea of fitting in certain jeans/clothes again. There's jeans I fit in even 6 months ago that are too small, so an easy goal would be to fit in them again. Maybe I should focus on that rather than the # on the scale and the appearance of the body. And yes I have an appointment with my PCP in a few weeks!

AnnPT77

Y'know what? Knowing a goal weight has nearly zero effect on how to go about losing weight. Yes, it's part of your MFP setup, but it has absolutely zero effect on the calorie goal MFP gives you. (MFP uses it for some "attagirl/attaboy" messages about progress, that's all.) If you want to lose weight, just put in some number less than you weigh now, and don't worry about it until you get close to that, then adjust it. You can change it as many times as you want.

The only effect a goal weight might have on your weight loss tactics is the very general idea that someone who's sufficiently overweight can lose at a faster rate than someone who's very near ideal weight, from the standpoint of managing the health risks of weight loss. If you stick with some rule of thumb like losing no more than 0.5-1% of current body weight per week (bias toward the lower end unless quite overweight), or eating 80%+ of your TDEE, you don't even need to give goal weight's effect on your loss rate very much thought.

Other than that, you only need to have a goal weight in order to know when to stop losing . . . and that'll be easier to figure out when it's close, vs. when it's pretty far away. As you get closer to goal weight, you'll have better information to base your final goal on, and you'll have time in between to talk with your doctor about it.

For myself (losing weight at age 59), I set initial goal weight to around 10-15 pounds above a weight I'd been happy at in my 20s (because "people always say we should weigh more when older") . . . then gradually revised downward as I got near that weight, and saw that it wasn't where I needed to be. (I did consult my doctor.)

Since you have an ED history, checking in with your doctor is probably more important than it might be for others. Most of us don't see ourselves accurately after weight loss to some extent, but I think an ED history could complicate that even further. I'd caution against consulting family or friends about goal weight, because I found that their perceptions can also be quite distorted, before or after someone close to them loses a material amount of weight. An unrelated medical professional would be better.

tomcustombuilder

Just think back to a time in your life that you thought your weight was correct and just use that has a target. Getting older you may not be able to reach that or if you do it may end up being too light. Just put any weight you want and start losing and just look in the mirror and when you’re at a weight that you like at this point in your life then that will be your goal weight in reality.

springlering62

I’d suggest flexibility.

I started at 222+. I initially thought I’d be thrilled at 180. When I got there I was still losing, so reset to 165, then 150. I was still losing at that point, so had the brilliant idea it would be great to be the same weight as my wedding day weight of 125 thirty two years earlier.

Made sense, right?

Noooooooooo!!!!!!!

At 135, my wedding dress fit loosely, and I could even fit in my petite daughter’s old prom dress. (A weak moment when nobody was looking!)

At 127, my trainer told me to knock it off or she’d drop me. She sent me a photo to underline, and I realized I looked freaking scary.

So I intentionally put ten pounds back on, and was very happy there.

Now I’m about eight above where I’d like to be, although I’m still pretty happy with how I look. It may be that, if I lose the eight again, even though I’ll still be well above my lowest of a couple years ago, I’ll be scary again, because I’ve clearly increased muscle.

You’ve got to be flexible and responsive and mindful, understand that your “now” body is not the body of your youth, or even your body of a year ago, and be prepared to change or adjust your goals.

It’s great to have a “near” goal, but break it down into chunks, and postpone worrying about “dream”
goals. You’ll reach the point your goals’ll be changing month by month, I promise, but you’ve got to reach goal’ish territory first.

ninerbuff

If you want to find your overall goal weight I use this formula with clients.

You HAVE to know your lean body mass to do this:

Lean body mass divided by (1 minus the body fat percentage you wish to be)

IE: 120 lean body mass
25% desired body fat

120 divided by (1-.25) or .75

Goal weight would be 160lbs


For myself it's 154 lean body mass and 12% body fat

154 divided by .88= 175lbs

This works with any body type.


A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

kshama2001

snoldeee24 wrote: »

Thanks everyone for your comments! I do like the idea of fitting in certain jeans/clothes again. There's jeans I fit in even 6 months ago that are too small, so an easy goal would be to fit in them again. Maybe I should focus on that rather than the # on the scale and the appearance of the body. And yes I have an appointment with my PCP in a few weeks!

Great! Do ask your primary for a referral to someone who specializes in eating disorders.

pridesabtch

ED's are slippery slope when it comes to weigh loss. The advice above is solid. Let a doc/therapist help you navigate the weight loss and listen when they say enough is enough. We don't always see ourselves as we really are, especially after weight loss. It often takes the mind a while to adjust to the new you when looking in the mirror.

I've found it also helps to have a "Why", as in, why do I want to lose weight? Maybe it's to fit in cute jeans, maybe it is to climb the steps without gasping, what ever it is make it for you not for someone else.

My main why is because I want to ride my bike up the hills like I used to. Gravity is not kind when you've got extra weight. I'm also a little vain, so I want feel as fit, sexy and attractive at 50 as I did at 40. Early 40's were good years.

Best of luck!

cwolfman13

I never had a number in mind. I was just over the line into obese so first goal was to not be obese. Once I did that, I basically took it 5 to 10 Lbs at a time and really put my focus on quality nutrition and my fitness and just being healthy. I settled in at around 180 Lbs from 220 and that's where I was comfortable, health issues were gone, and was easy to maintain without being overly obsessive about my diet and exercise...basically "normal" eating and daily light to moderate exercise.

westrich20940

IDK about how you *should* calculate or decide on a goal weight....but I'd say most people just pick something they think (based on societal pressures) they should weigh.

Example: a lot of women go "Oh, I would like to weigh 120lbs"....when for *plenty* of women, that's not a very healthy or realistic goal weight.

I'd say forget picking a goal weight all together and focus on creating a healthy/maintainable deficit and losing weight.

I think after going through that process you will learn much more about yourself/your body and how that relationship interacts and for me personally --- my 'goal' weight is the amount I weigh. I trust my hunger cues (and my knowledge about what my body needs) and I just am sort of at an 'equilibrium'. What if you chose a goal weight and in order to stay at that weight (and not gain) you have to continue to eat at a deficit or very low calorie amount? That's not really a good goal IMO.

So my weight fluctuates between ~123-133ish --- seems like the clothes I currently have accommodate that swing and I feel good. I am a bit higher now due to a slight injury and a 3 week 'respiratory' infection, and the Holidays --- all leading to me being pretty inactive for a couple months. Once I get back into my activity (which I miss) it'll go back down naturally and I won't change anything about what I'm eating or not eating.

sbelletti

My stats are similar to yours so maybe you will find this useful.

I'm also female, 5'5" and older than you (almost 47). I have a small frame (tiny wrists, ankles, etc). I'm currently maintaining between 125-129 and wear a size 6 comfortably. I feel good at this weight and I like how my clothes fit, so that may give you a starting place.

That being said, the "Normal" range for us is 114–144 lb, and anything below 125 starts to look (and feel) pretty bad on me.

My suggestion... Break your goal up into small goals and reevaluate at each step. If you're at 189 now, I would suggest a goal of 150 to start. Then ask... How do I look? How do I feel? Do I have energy? How well am I sleeping?

I also suggest having a goal item of clothing. I had a few favorite things that I kept for years after gaining weight. Once I could wear them again, I knew I was at my goal and ready to maintain.

Good luck!

crb426

I looked at the BMI chart for my height, found the smack-dab middle number for a healthy weight, and am aiming for that. But as others have/will tell you, this is not the most perfect number because of a lot of factors, but it's a start.

As I get closer to that number I'll evaluate the following: How do I feel? How do I look? How good are my workouts?

It's not always about a number on the scale, but in the beginning it could be a start.

neanderthin

ninerbuff wrote: »

If you want to find your overall goal weight I use this formula with clients.

You HAVE to know your lean body mass to do this:

Lean body mass divided by (1 minus the body fat percentage you wish to be)

IE: 120 lean body mass
25% desired body fat

120 divided by (1-.25) or .75

Goal weight would be 160lbs


For myself it's 154 lean body mass and 12% body fat

154 divided by .88= 175lbs

This works with any body type.


A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Yep. Cheers.

RenaPink11

I'm 5'5", I'll be 45 tomorrow, and I also have an ED. I just picked a number that I thought sounded good. LOL It was 180. I'm 2 lbs away from that goal. I will be changing it bc I still have some more that I would be comfortable losing.

I also meet w my Dr once a month and we discuss the ED, progress, challenges, re-evaluating goals, etc. I'm basing my goal off of how I feel and look at that particular weight. I go to a Healthy Eating and Living Program (HELP) center and meet with a physician, nutritionist, and exercise and fitness specialist. My health ins covers this (thankfully) as nutritional counseling and it has helped me tremendously! I was never diagnosed with the ED (although now that I know (know? confirmed?) so much makes sense!) until I started through this program. I feel I finally have the tools to do this the right way and learning about my ED and how to manage it.