How do we choose a goal weight?

Failing2Thrive

I am 5'10 so when I chose my goal weight I picked a number on the high side of the height & weight charts. I think the range was 128 to 169. The number I picked out of the hat was 165. Before my weight gain (the last 2 years) I was around 164 for most of my adult life. Now I am just not sure. Does that mean my body liked being on the high range? Should I strive to go lower? Any input would help. Thank you!

mom2kpr

I set my goal the same way, which puts me at 130 (I'm shorter). I figure when I get to that, I will re-evaluate how I feel & if I am happy with the way I look. I've always looked smaller then I am, so I'm thinking 125 - 130 will be a good size for me. You can always change your goal as you go along. Good luck!

callie006

Why not focus on getting to top of the healthy range and reassess based on how you look and feel?

I picked 125 because it's the weight I was when I was most fit. I've been 117, but I was skinny fat and looked it. If I hit 130 and am happy by how I look and feel, though, I'll just maintain that.

bethannien

When I picked my goal weight, it was honestly just an arbitrary number that sounded good. Once I get within 15 pounds of it, I plan in evaluating if I need to actually lose any more or more than I originally thought.

padams2359

Just picked 155. Then through a BMI/BMR website, it turned out to be the optimum weight for my height, age and build. That was that.

froeschli

I'd suggest looking at the weight as a guideline, not a goal in itself. Body fat or pants size are probably better goals, if not quite as instantly gratifying or trackable.
I felt best at 135lbs, 10 years ago, so that is the number I put in as a goal. (I am 5'7"). But I am aware I'd be happy at 145 maybe even 150 if I feel right about it. I am not unhappy at 160 right now, especially since my body shape is changing with the exercise I am doing, but I am looking forward to hopefully drop a few more pounds and fitting into a size 8.

Azurite27

As someone that's always been overweight, I've picked my goal based on the high end of the healthy weight range for my height. I figure once I get there I can re-evaluate and set a new goal or focus on gaining tone while maintaining weight.

At 5'7 I've chosen 150 as my goal to allow for a healthy fluctuation between 150 and 155. I've never been lower than 175 since adulthood though.

PJ64

What is your goal? It's not all about weight on here this is My FITNESS Pal we always seem to get wrapped up in weight

BUT I hear ya. I picked mine because it was a weight I had been at before that I felt the best at. I didn't care what a chart said. I felt the best at that weight. So I guess just keep plugging along


but my first question is still valid, what is your goal?

mrshudson813

If you want a healthy weight range, check BMI charts and see what range is best for you. Personally, I would set my goal a little on the high side and then reevaluate it again once you get closer to your goal.

Sashoi

I'm not really fixated on a goal weight. My goal is to fit into a size 8/10 once I can fit into a 10 n if I like the way I look I will just maintain n start heavy lifting to focus on inches n not the scale.

Failing2Thrive

Thank you all! I will reevaluate as time goes on. Great stories. Thank you. :flowerforyou:

vlland

According to height and weight charts i'm in the normal range (117-143 and I weigh 138) But... I don't feel good about myself until I can fit into my clothes without muffin top again. I set my goal weight at 125 but would be happy at 130. I like to set my goal a little lower because I gain and lose a few pounds often (water weight, time of the month, day of bad eating etc...) If I can stay in a range (125-130) i'll be happy. I think the height and weight charts are only guidelines - it depends on how much muscle u have, ur age, how u feel about yourself, if ur clothes fit well, and ur body shape. I am apple shape and had stomach surgery due to a ruptured appendix so... I cant wear tight clothes on my stomach now and if I don't stick to the lower end of the weight chart I look pregnant. Once u reach ur goal weight u can reassess to work on maintaining or lose a little more (to give u some wiggle room)

JADEPH0EN1X

I'm 5'9.5" & the nurse at the doctors surgery put my ideal weight at 158 lbs !

gracielynn1011

I picked a higher number that I could remember being at. Once I reached that, I decided to go a little lower (another 5 lbs), and then switched to focus on measurements and body fat. I have lost another 5 lbs since then. I think to get to my ideal body fat, I will probably have to go another 10 lbs (hence my ticker), but if I don't that's fine too.

Littlestandrews

For my height, a healthy weight range is from 99-123. My goal weight is 117 (which may be re-evaluated once I get close). I chose mine so that when I am fully dressed and go to the doc, I'm still in a healthy weight range. I'm sick of being told to lose weight. My fear is that I will get to my goal and the doc will STILL tell me to drop weight:/

TheFitHooker

My BMI says I should weigh anywhere from 97.9 lbs to 132.3 lbs, I'm 118 right now. I'm pretty happy with my weight, wouldn't mind getting to 115/110 but I'm happy with my weight now.

I don't focus much on the BMI chart, just wanna be healthy and fit.

willdob3

IMO, "we" should not choose a goal weight. Scale weight has very little to do with how we look or feel. Scale weight is just total weight.

kimtab

Initially my goal number was just a weight I had been at before and felt good at (170) As I lost weight and gained confidence that I was going to stick with it I changed my goal to the upper end of normal BMI (150). I am 15 pounds from my original goal now and starting to see that body composition, not weight is gonna be my issue. So I guess it's an ever changing number right? Everyone's goal in the beginning is probably pretty arbitrary. Pick something that gives you a reasonable calorie deficit you can stick to and you can reevaluate as you go along.

padams2359

Men's sizes differ from women's. I wanted my waist size to be smaller than my length. Done that. As I gain muscle mass, my waist will not change. Happily, I can buy my pants in the boy's dept, much cheaper for same clothes, but shirts in the men's department. For the first time ever, I feel comfortable enough to wear fitted shirts, an my correct size is slim or athletic fit. That is a good feeling!

donjessop

I chose 225 lbs as it was the same weight as when I got married. I have never been below 200 lbs since I was 18 so I figured that once I reached 225 I would see how I felt and make any further decisions. According to BMI (an almost completely discredited number by the way) I should be 181 pounds. That won't happen.

GingerLolita

You want to be within a normal BMI range for your height, but I think it's realistic to aim towards the top for now. At 5'6", I should be no more than 154, so I set my goal to 145. I've been 125, but that was in eighth grade (and yes, I was 5'6" then), but I've been around 145 before and after that, so I feel like it's a healthy, sustainable weight for me.

LAnne16

I picked a number near what I could remember being. I had jaw surgery and lost a lot of weight. I got down to 175 and felt I looked okay. So I figured goal will be 165 and I'll evaluate from there.

padams2359

155 is in the middle of my range. 132 is the low end. The pic in my profile is recent, I am not a big guy, 29 waist. I think I would look emaceated at 132.

Iwishyouwell

I picked my goal weight based on where I was when I was slimmer before. I was on the higher end of the prescribed BMI/weight back in my early 20s. I was in good shape, wasn't obese or overweight for the first time since I was 5, but I still had too much fat on me for my liking. I could stand to lose a good 20 lbs more back then.

It also turns out that I spent a lifetime thinking I was a larger frame, when I'm actually a medium framed man. So it makes sense why I was at the high end of normal for a large frame, but still had weight left to lose.

I'm aiming for the lower end of a medium frame, and will adjust when I get within 5-10 lbs of that to see if I need to stay higher, stay at goal, or go lower. My ultimate goal is to be LEAN, not just "normal", which will leave me a pretty svelte man, like my dad was in his younger days. Whatever my weight is, I'm aiming for a low body fat level and an athletic build. I plan to look amazing naked.

ninerbuff

I am 5'10 so when I chose my goal weight I picked a number on the high side of the height & weight charts. I think the range was 128 to 169. The number I picked out of the hat was 165. Before my weight gain (the last 2 years) I was around 164 for most of my adult life. Now I am just not sure. Does that mean my body liked being on the high range? Should I strive to go lower? Any input would help. Thank you!

Find out your lean body mass (you'll need to probably get it checked by someone experienced with calipers for an approximate reading).

Now decide what body fat % you want to be. Then use the formula:

Lean body mass divided by (1 minus body fat % desired) to get a goal weight.

IE: Lean body mass 100lbs.
Desired body fat - 25%

100/ .75= 133lbs

Hope that helps.

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

Failing2Thrive

WOW! What great information. Thank you all so much!

StaySeeJ08

I just used my ideal body weight. My first goal is 150. Its higher on my ideal scalethen depending how the 150 pounds look I may keep going lower just depends really!

Siansonea

I've always been within the "normal" BMI range, so it's really just about dress size for me. I want to be back in a size 6, and for my height, that's in the 130-135 range. Once I'm at 135, my goal weight, I'm going shopping in my closet of "skinny clothes", and see how they fit. If they still don't fit properly, I'll go down to 130.

GreekGoddess7319

Setting goals shouldn't be about weight because not everyone is meant to be thin. At my largest, I was about 275lb, but I did not feel fat (with exception of the times that my family and even a friend or two made comments like, "Why are you walking like a pregnant woman."). Over the summer, I lost a lot of weight because my mother convinced me to go on a diet with her and I reached my personal goal, which was to fit back into a pair of pants I bought four years ago. As of today, I am 214lb and I feel great, but the comments have not ceased. Of course I expect people who haven't seen me in a while to say, "Have you lost weight? You look amazing!", but still my sister told me she thinks I should continue to lose weight "for health purposes". So while I have reached my personal goal, I have set another goal simply because I want the comments to stop. My three sisters are all thin (in fact, I believe one to be anorexic) and I have always been much larger than them. My driver's license has me listed as 5'11"; according to the BMI chart, the "healthy" range for someone my height is136-172. I set my goal at about 175-180, even though this is still considered "overweight" because I feel good here at 40lb more than that, but it hasn't stopped the comments, and I think that I wouldn't look like me at a "normal" weight. Who know, though. Maybe I'll continue losing and hit "average".
(Reading each post on this thread was a real eye-opener for me because so many of you claim that, at your heaviest, you weighed less than I have even weighted since 3rd grade. The first comment I remember was going to the doctor, stepping on the scale, and my mom saying, "I weighted 175lb when I got married!" And I don't mean to seem rude, but I would like you all to think about that and be thankful. I sincerely hope that one day I will be "average" and my family will hush.)

BlueBombers

I chose mine as it is what I weighed before I had my kids and I was at a healthy weight at that time.