Anyone else whose goal is still not a "healthy weight"?

Sedna_51

I am a physician and I can tell you, BMI is unreliable at best. It was originally designed in the 18th century in Europe as a demographic tool and has no medical or scientific origin. It has been used as a category in medical studies, and for most "normal" build people is a fairly good indicator of ideal weight. Unfortunately, it cannot take into account people whose build falls outside that range. I am a very stocky, broad-shouldered person myself. The best shape I was ever in (high school and college) I was about 215. I am 5'8". I had defined abs, was a runner, and played multiple sports. I will never be able to get to my 'ideal' weight of 155-175 unless I have terminal cancer and am severely malnourished. The thing to keep in mind is that if you're making healthier choices, feeling better, and losing clearly excessive weight then you are on the right track. Don't be a slave to BMI or 'ideal' weight charts.

I just want to wrap my arms around this beautiful logic and never let go. From the Merck Manual:

"In adults, BMI, defined as weight (kg) divided by the square of the height (m2), is used to screen for overweight or obesity. BMI of 25 to 29.9 kg/m2 indicates overweight; BMI of ≥ 30 kg/m2 indicates obesity (see Table 2: Obesity and the Metabolic Syndrome: Body Mass Index (BMI)Tables). However, BMI is a crude screening tool and has limitations in many subpopulations. Some experts think that BMI cutoffs should vary based on ethnicity, sex, and age...Waist circumference and the presence of metabolic syndrome appear to predict risk of metabolic and cardiovascular complications better than BMI does."

www.merckmanuals.com/professional/nutritional_disorders/obesity_and_the_metabolic_syndrome/obesity.html

I'll also note that in my (admittedly) reading of the medical literature, the weight loss targets I see are 5-10% of body weight. Not that you can't do more, but just a reminder to not let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

jonnythan

Before people go jumping for joy over the "BMI doesn't mean anything" revelation, body fat is still very important. Unless you've done a lot of resistance training over a long period of time, and it looks like pretty much no one in this thread has, then chances are that if your BMI is in the obese range then your body fat percentage is high as well.

Don't delude yourselves into thinking you're perfectly healthy with an obese, or even close to obese, BMI when your body fat is 35-45%.

stumblinthrulife

But you forget there ARE exceptions and I can offer numbers if that helps -- for example, I am just barely out of the "obese" level for BMI (My BMI IS 29.7) but my body fat is 27-28% which is considered average and healthy for a woman my age. I do want to lower it, frankly for looks. But even so, in order to get to the healthy weight as determined by BMI, it looks like I'd either have to get to a fitness level of body fat or actually lose muscle. That seems pretty counterproductive to me.

I didn't forget that at all. In fact, throughout my post you'll see use of "most people" and "the majority" as opposed to "everyone".

My point is simply that for every genuine exception you find, I pretty much guarantee I can find ten people claiming to be exceptions who really aren't.

Velum_cado

Oh, I'll still be ~obese~ at my goal weight. I just don't have any desire to be thin. Maybe there was a time that I did, many years ago, but I've come to love my body at a bigger size, and it's a look I find looks nice on other women as well.

icimani

My goal weight (long term) is smack dab in the middle of the BMI's 'overweight' category.

I think its a general consensus that BMI is meaningless.

BMI is meaningless- my doctor said this today. It is rarely used as a scale anymore.

Well then - how come the insurance companies are allowed to keep using the BMI numbers to screw us over?!
(Rhetorical question of course!)

Sedna_51

Before people go jumping for joy over the "BMI doesn't mean anything" revelation, body fat is still very important. Unless you've done a lot of resistance training over a long period of time, and it looks like pretty much no one in this thread has, then chances are that if your BMI is in the obese range then your body fat percentage is high as well.

Don't delude yourselves into thinking you're perfectly healthy with an obese, or even close to obese, BMI when your body fat is 35-45%.

Hey, you do you, buddy. Whatever works for you. What works for me is finding a compromise. If I keel over from a stroke at 50 because I'm 10 pounds into the "overweight" category, you can tell my gravestone how terribly wrong I was.

stumblinthrulife

My goal weight (long term) is smack dab in the middle of the BMI's 'overweight' category.

I think its a general consensus that BMI is meaningless.

BMI is meaningless- my doctor said this today. It is rarely used as a scale anymore.

Well then - how come the insurance companies are allowed to keep using the BMI numbers to screw us over?!
(Rhetorical question of course!)

Because for 90+% of people BMI actually is meaningful. No matter what smoke other people are blowing your *kitten*. It's also possible to calculate very easily, with no training or equipment, unlike body fat percentage.

TheRealParisLove

I'm at the ideal weight for my height. My goal is still about 11 pounds lower than I am right now. I don't expect to be able to maintain that low of a weight, but when participating in endurance events on the bike, for every extra kilogram I carry on my body equals precious minutes slower in over all time.

My advantage over the men who I ride with is my small size. The smaller, the better. The biking season ends in early October, so I'll spend less time worrying about getting down to the extreme low weights once I've completed my last ride on Sept. 29th.

shrimpydoo

I am so glad you posted this. I'm supposed to weigh about 100 lbs but my goal (right now) is 135, so I'll still be considered overweight/almost obese when I reach my initial goal. In a previous attempt to get healthy in the past, I did get very close to 100 but it was impossible to maintain, and over time I failed to remain there. My physician told me he'd rather see me with a little extra weight and active then to be very slim and inactive. I will reassess at 135 and maybe settle somewhere around 120. I want to get to a place where consumption and activity levels give me balance, a good quality of life, and the ability to have the odd glass of wine.

I think this is something we each have to determine individually and use charts & guides as information to help us make these decisions. That said, I'd really like to not be considered obese at some point after all this hard work and focus.

mcjmommy

I try to look at what is realistic for me. I don't want to set a goal to weigh what I did in college when in reality, I just don't think that will happen for me. I'd love to be thin enough to pick up anything off the rack and have it look good on me, but without plastic surgery that just isn't going to happen.
I will still be in the overweight category, but everyone who knew me before I started losing weight will still say "how much more are you planning to lose?" "Don't lose too much!"
Sometimes, I think that unless you've had a serious weight problem or a loved one who has you just can't appreciate that decision. The good news is that you don't need to justify that decision to anyone
Best of luck to you!

Isakizza

Yup, my goal right now is 150.
Everywhere I look states I'll be overweight, should be aiming for 125-130 instead. But honestly, only I'll be the true judge as to where I want to be. If I'm happy at 150 then I'll stay there.



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jonnythan

I try to look at what is realistic for me. I don't want to set a goal to weigh what I did in college when in reality, I just don't think that will happen for me. I'd love to be thin enough to pick up anything off the rack and have it look good on me, but without plastic surgery that just isn't going to happen.

This is the attitude that causes "I'll still be overweight/obese at my goal."

The reality is that there's absolutely nothing preventing you from weighing what you did in college besides your own expectations. You certainly could, but you think you're incapable and therefore you never will. So you set a goal that feels realistic to you and say "there, perfect."

mcjmommy

I try to look at what is realistic for me. I don't want to set a goal to weigh what I did in college when in reality, I just don't think that will happen for me. I'd love to be thin enough to pick up anything off the rack and have it look good on me, but without plastic surgery that just isn't going to happen.

This is the attitude that causes "I'll still be overweight/obese at my goal."

The reality is that there's absolutely nothing preventing you from weighing what you did in college besides your own expectations. You certainly could, but you think you're incapable and therefore you never will. So you set a goal that feels realistic to you and say "there, perfect."

Since college, I have had my Crohn's disease settle way down (over 10 years without a flare up), had a stroke, had 2 babies and 2 pregnancies that ended in miscarriages. Dude, there is no way that I will have that body back. I don't want it back.
I am more active now than I was then. Because I have the Crohn's under control I can eat raw fruits and vegetables which used to make me violently ill.
I am not content, but I will be when I decide I am ... not because I fit into the BMI chart.

JUDDDing

Yeah, I'll still be "overweight" when I hit my first goal weight.

311 -> 175 leaves me at a BMI of 25.65 at my height (just over 5'9").

I figure that when I get there I can decide what I want to do next.

"Ideal" is 152 lbs. Which I have never been.

I got to 165 once during basic training (in summer, in Texas). I looked freaky enough at that weight that the drill instructors assigned a guy to make sure I ate ice cream at each meal.

So I don't think I'll go for "ideal". I'm pretty sure that I'll go to 171 to get out of "Overweight" and maybe to 168 which it the top end of "recommended weight".

But these are all things that I really don;t have to worry about for a few months and should be easy decisions when the time gets here.

I_Will_End_You

My goal weight is technically slightly underweight according to the BMI chart. I want to weigh what I did when I was 18 and I know I can do it....4 more pounds and I'm there. I'm not going to strive for average, I strive for awesome.

JDHINAZ

I'm not judging anyone who wants to set their goal weight higher than the BMI charts. I will caution, however, that the side affects of carrying around extra weight can have some negative long lasting affects. And these can start when you still "look and feel good"

A reminder of some of these "ninja" side affects are:
High blood sugar
High blood pressure
High cholesterol
High triglycerides
sleep apnea
and more ... but you get my point.

So why I'm certainly not one to say what your healthy weight should be, I would encourage everyone who has decided on a higher goal weight to have their yearly physical and ensure these levels are measured and within normal range. Not everyone who is overweight will develop these symptoms, but some will. And the longer it goes, the harder it is to resolve without medication.

Additionally, you will gain weight as you age. It's just going to happen (well, I'd guesstimate 85% of the time)

I'm coming from a voice of experience on this one. I'm at pre-diabetic levels with my blood sugar, and have lost a total of 65 pounds. Since I last had my A1C measured three months ago, I've only dropped .1. My doctor was surprised at this, and said it's probably because it's been high for so long, that it's become resistant to dropping. Fortunately, for me, this just strengthened my resolve to continue to lose weight.

For the record, I'm 5'10", 48, and my current goal is 170. My ultimate goal is a tentative 150, but will end up at a place where I can comfortably keep it off at my current exercise levels. So, it will probably end up between 130 and 160. Really, I want to to be healthy and fit, inside and out.

Best of luck everyone!

Sedna_51

I'm not judging anyone who wants to set their goal weight higher than the BMI charts. I will caution, however, that the side affects of carrying around extra weight can have some negative long lasting affects. And these can start when you still "look and feel good"

A reminder of some of these "ninja" side affects are:
High blood sugar
High blood pressure
High cholesterol
High triglycerides
sleep apnea
and more ... but you get my point.

So why I'm certainly not one to say what your healthy weight should be, I would encourage everyone who has decided on a higher goal weight to have their yearly physical and ensure these levels are measured and within normal range. Not everyone who is overweight will develop these symptoms, but some will. And the longer it goes, the harder it is to resolve without medication.

Additionally, you will gain weight as you age. It's just going to happen (well, I'd guesstimate 85% of the time)

I'm coming from a voice of experience on this one. I'm at pre-diabetic levels with my blood sugar, and have lost a total of 65 pounds. Since I last had my A1C measured three months ago, I've only dropped .1. My doctor was surprised at this, and said it's probably because it's been high for so long, that it's become resistant to dropping. Fortunately, for me, this just strengthened my resolve to continue to lose weight.

For the record, I'm 5'10", 48, and my current goal is 170. My ultimate goal is a tentative 150, but will end up at a place where I can comfortably keep it off at my current exercise levels. So, it will probably end up between 130 and 160. Really, I want to to be healthy and fit, inside and out.

Best of luck everyone!

I think these are great points! Weight isn't the only measure of health, and someone who is BMI-overweight with normal labs and no other risk factors may be healthier than someone who's BMI-normal with high total cholesterol and a history or heart disease in their family. There are tons of facts that have to be considered when you decide on a goal weight, and everyone's answer is going to be different.

jonnythan

I'm not judging anyone who wants to set their goal weight higher than the BMI charts. I will caution, however, that the side affects of carrying around extra weight can have some negative long lasting affects. And these can start when you still "look and feel good"

A reminder of some of these "ninja" side affects are:
High blood sugar
High blood pressure
High cholesterol
High triglycerides
sleep apnea
and more ... but you get my point.

So why I'm certainly not one to say what your healthy weight should be, I would encourage everyone who has decided on a higher goal weight to have their yearly physical and ensure these levels are measured and within normal range. Not everyone who is overweight will develop these symptoms, but some will. And the longer it goes, the harder it is to resolve without medication.

Additionally, you will gain weight as you age. It's just going to happen (well, I'd guesstimate 85% of the time)

I'm coming from a voice of experience on this one. I'm at pre-diabetic levels with my blood sugar, and have lost a total of 65 pounds. Since I last had my A1C measured three months ago, I've only dropped .1. My doctor was surprised at this, and said it's probably because it's been high for so long, that it's become resistant to dropping. Fortunately, for me, this just strengthened my resolve to continue to lose weight.

For the record, I'm 5'10", 48, and my current goal is 170. My ultimate goal is a tentative 150, but will end up at a place where I can comfortably keep it off at my current exercise levels. So, it will probably end up between 130 and 160. Really, I want to to be healthy and fit, inside and out.

Best of luck everyone!

I think these are great points! Weight isn't the only measure of health, and someone who is BMI-overweight with normal labs and no other risk factors may be healthier than someone who's BMI-normal with high total cholesterol and a history or heart disease in their family. There are tons of facts that have to be considered when you decide on a goal weight, and everyone's answer is going to be different.

Yeah, and no one is healthier at 40% body fat than 25% body fat. Don't delude yourself.

JDHINAZ

I'm not judging anyone who wants to set their goal weight higher than the BMI charts. I will caution, however, that the side affects of carrying around extra weight can have some negative long lasting affects. And these can start when you still "look and feel good"

A reminder of some of these "ninja" side affects are:
High blood sugar
High blood pressure
High cholesterol
High triglycerides
sleep apnea
and more ... but you get my point.

So why I'm certainly not one to say what your healthy weight should be, I would encourage everyone who has decided on a higher goal weight to have their yearly physical and ensure these levels are measured and within normal range. Not everyone who is overweight will develop these symptoms, but some will. And the longer it goes, the harder it is to resolve without medication.

Additionally, you will gain weight as you age. It's just going to happen (well, I'd guesstimate 85% of the time)

I'm coming from a voice of experience on this one. I'm at pre-diabetic levels with my blood sugar, and have lost a total of 65 pounds. Since I last had my A1C measured three months ago, I've only dropped .1. My doctor was surprised at this, and said it's probably because it's been high for so long, that it's become resistant to dropping. Fortunately, for me, this just strengthened my resolve to continue to lose weight.

For the record, I'm 5'10", 48, and my current goal is 170. My ultimate goal is a tentative 150, but will end up at a place where I can comfortably keep it off at my current exercise levels. So, it will probably end up between 130 and 160. Really, I want to to be healthy and fit, inside and out.

Best of luck everyone!

I think these are great points! Weight isn't the only measure of health, and someone who is BMI-overweight with normal labs and no other risk factors may be healthier than someone who's BMI-normal with high total cholesterol and a history or heart disease in their family. There are tons of facts that have to be considered when you decide on a goal weight, and everyone's answer is going to be different.

100% agree. However, you don't KNOW if your healthy until you actually are tested and find out. And it's important to be tested every year, in my non-medical opinion. I was healthy for years (beyond being overweight) until one year my blood sugar started measuring high. Everything else was not just normal, but looked fabulous. Still does. But diabetes sucks a ton. And knowing all the other issues it brings on is scary. I'll do everything I can to avoid it.

anonniemouse

Right now my goal is set for 170 lbs, which is still considered overweight. Once I reach that, then I'll reevaluate my weight to decide what I want to do.

My main goal is to have an abdomen measurement of 30 in or less.

Achrya

I believe my goal is just on the edge of a normal bmi, but it wasn't something I choose arbitrarily. It was my smallest weight while in the military, when I was in the best shape of my life. One could argue that being in the overweight category means I'm aiming low but I would argue back that if it was good enough for the military to keep me in with no issue (And they let me in when I was ten pounds heavier, but still passed the tape test.) then it's probably good enough for day to day life.




So this is me, at 15/13 pounds over weight. (So 5-3 pounds ago.) My waist to hip ratio is considered healthy, a caliper test by my doctor (For what those are worth.) puts me at a healthy body fat, and I think I look fine. If only striving for another 10 pounds instead of another 14 makes me wrong then so be it.

stillnot2late

I believe my goal is just on the edge of a normal bmi, but it wasn't something I choose arbitrarily. It was my smallest weight while in the military, when I was in the best shape of my life. One could argue that being in the overweight category means I'm aiming low but I would argue back that if it was good enough for the military to keep me in with no issue (And they let me in when I was ten pounds heavier, but still passed the tape test.) then it's probably good enough for day to day life.




So this is me, at 15/13 pounds over weight. (So 5-3 pounds ago.) My waist to hip ratio is considered healthy, a caliper test by my doctor (For what those are worth.) puts me at a healthy body fat, and I think I look fine. If only striving for another 10 pounds instead of another 14 makes me wrong then so be it.

ANOTHER AWESOME LOOKING YOUNG LADY

Axe34

When I changed my lifestyle I was 5'8" and 206lbs. My and my doctor agreed that 175 was a good weight to aim for. I'd still have to lose another 11 pounds to get to the top end of the "healthy" range of BMI. Whatever.

I'm now down to 185 and have dropped my body fat from close to 30 per cent to 22.

Even more important, my waist is down 4 inches and my blood pressure when from high 120s/high 90s to 110/75.

I place a lot more stock in those numbers than that stupid BMI.

MatthewLewis81

At 29.7, my BMI right now is just barely short of "obese." That's with approximately 15% body fat, or around 32 lbs.

If I lost every bit of fat, my BMI would be 25.2 -- still in the "overweight" bracket.

Needless to say, I don't intend to lose ALL my fat (I'd like to keep living, after all), so it's safe to say my goal, while healthy for me, will still leave me well into the "overweight" category.

Sadly, higher life insurance rates are part of the cost of being naturally (even if healthily) big.

CrazyVulcanLover

Why wouldn't it be ideal? I have chosen my goal because I know how I look and feel at that weight--as I have been there. I am 5'10" and my goal weight is 200 pounds. I am a tall, solid girl. People underguess my weight all the time. At 200--I wear a sixe 10 and look and feel great. m currently at 280. I, honestly, don't think I look 280 and I wear a size 16/18. When I get to around 230--I honestly feel happy and confortable in all ways. At 200--I feel and look spectacular. Not everyone aspires to be a size 4 or "skinny".

My highest-ever weight is 307 (in 2008). I got down to 272 by exercising alone, and then changed my diet pretty dramatically in 2012 and lost only 10 lb.

So back in March 2013, I started MFP at 262 and now I'm at 225. It's been a steady loss. I've lost several clothing sizes and inches, and I am happy with where I am although I still want to lose AT LEAST another 20-30 lb.

HOWEVER...I don't want to get "thin" and by medical standards I still won't be a healthy weight for my height (5'8") even if I get to 180 which is definitely on the low side of where I plan to end up (I'm thinking 180-195 as my final goal in the next year or two).

Anyone else have goals like this? I see a lot of people on MFP who are in my weight range but most plan to lose another 75 to 100 lb. For the record I have no health conditions or issues (didn't even at 307) and obviously I want to keep it that way. If I ever need to lose more for health-related reasons I'd be more than willing to try, but in a purely aesthetic sense I don't really want to be much smaller than 200. I was 190 at age fourteen and I really think that was an ideal weight for me.

Why would you pick a weight about 40 pounds away and say "yes that's perfect"? How does that even make sense? How could you know how you'll look/feel then, let alone decide that it's ideal?

And how could 5'8 190 be ideal, anyway?

pwnderosa

When I signed up here my goal was 5lbs above where I should be on the BMI charts. For one thing, the amount I had to lose was daunting to me and I had happily maintained my goal weight in the past without body image or health problems. I just figured once I got there I'd reassess.

Then I actually put my goal to the top of my BMI range before I reached my goal because it seemed more possible to get there. Now I am 1lb over my BMI charts but have switched to maintenance calories. I suspect I will lose a little more very slowly because of my activity level and how much easier it was to lose the weight when I thought. But either way, I'm happy! I fit into my old clothes and I can run now. Yay!

rowanwood

I think perceptions of how a healthy weight looks have been skewed to the higher end of BMI.

When I was obese most people thought I was just overweight. People then started to tell me to stop losing weight while I was still at an unhealthy weight - both by BMI and body fat standards.

Many people seem to think that obese means bound to a mobility scooter with huge flaps of fat hanging down the sides, but it really doesn't. A decent sized pot belly can be enough to make you obese, especially in men.

The majority of people who are leaning on the old 'muscle is denser than fat' are frankly in denial in my opinion. Chances are good that if you reached obesity without significant resistance training then you are obese by not just BMI standards, but by body fat standards also.

BMI is a poor indicator when considering highly trained athletes. But at 300 pounds, be honest, you don't fall into that category.

But you forget there ARE exceptions and I can offer numbers if that helps -- for example, I am just barely out of the "obese" level for BMI (My BMI IS 29.7) but my body fat is 27-28% which is considered average and healthy for a woman my age. I do want to lower it, frankly for looks. But even so, in order to get to the healthy weight as determined by BMI, it looks like I'd either have to get to a fitness level of body fat or actually lose muscle. That seems pretty counterproductive to me.

Out of curiosity, how did you determine your body fat %? A woman with a BMI of almost 30 but ~27% body fat would have an enormous amount of muscle. For example, a 5'2 woman with a BMI of 29.7 would weigh about 163 lbs. At 27% body fat, that gives her almost 120 lbs of lean mass. On a 5'2 frame 120 lbs of lean mass on a woman is incredible. Fitness model Jamie Eason is 5'2 and has around 30 lbs less lean mass than that.

Would you like to meet my 17" rock hard calves? Jamie Eason is a small framed woman with great definition for sure. But as my grandma says, I'm built like a brick****house.

Oh, and I've have the semi -accurate scale test, calipers and measurements, and the answers range from 24-28%. I assume I'm at the high end of the tests, because I'm not delusional.

anlu37

My goals (I have many!) are more fitness based. I have weekly activity goals, flexibility goals, pace for both swimming and running goals and many others!

I would also like to be between 25-30% body fat...whatever number on the scale that happens to be, I will be happy with! Last time I was in this % range, I was not considered a "healthy weight"....in fact, BMI said I was "obese". Definitely not. I was physically fit and very active.

Everyone's heath goals and priorities are different. For me, it's not a number on a scale.

jwdieter

This is kind of a tough topic. Is motivation just cheerleading? Or is prodding with a "reality check" motivation? Women are extremely unlikely to be BMI obese and under 30% body fat. It's a high level of muscle development, and see all the "lifting makes you look like a man" feedback. That's probably not the case. If your goal is a body fat percentage, and you're seeing something funky - like not looking similar to the body fat pictures at all - perhaps an independent check is a good idea.

If the goal is lipid levels, blood pressure, being able to run 3 miles, or even just being happy with how the mirror looks - those are all great. If the goal is losing the first 20 pounds and re-assessing, fantastic. If the goal is body fat %, that's a great goal too - but there's a lot of potential for error in self-evaluation there.

RobynUnfiltered

I hear you on this one. The weight I feel good and look good at is not a number that others think is great but I will be happy there. I still plan to be healthy and exercise but once I hit my goal I will be happy, if I go lower fine but I don't think that would be realistic for me.