Ideal weight for a 5' 8" male

edkaye1

Hi guys,

I'm a 34-year-old male whose weight-loss journey started at 227 lbs, with a 40" waist (hips unknown). I'm now down to 150.4 lbs, with a 31" waist and 37" hips.

When I started out, I arbitrarily set my goal as the mid-point BMI of 22.0 (stupid Wii Fit). However, the more I read, the more evidence that I hear against BMI, so now I'm not sure where to stop and maintain.

Here are my current stats:

BMI: 22.9
Waist-to-height ratio: 0.46
Waist-to-hip ratio: 0.84

Other than BMI I've read that good range for a medium-frame 5' 8" male is:

132–164 lbs – mid 148 lbs (http://bit.ly/1glk2tK)
145–157 lbs – mid 149.5 lbs (http://bit.ly/NSCCmg)
151 lbs (http://bit.ly/1iua0h8)
139–169 lbs – mid 154 lbs (http://bit.ly/1iubLL3)
154–158 lbs – mid 156 lbs(http://bit.ly/1g1PNHD)

Halls MD has some interesting info on the gap between BMI for men and women (http://bit.ly/NSCKlL).

They think that a more realistic ideal BMI for men is 23.55 and women is 22.45. This would translate to 154.5 lbs for me. In addition, they also recommend the Devine formula for men, which sets the ideal at 151 lbs, and tell me the the peoples' choice weight for my height is 151 lbs.

So, do you think I should just stop there? Having been obese for most of my life and having been bullied for it since I was a kid, by kids at school, and even teachers, siblings, and parents, I'll always see that fat kid in the mirror. So I'm tempted just to keep going and going and going, but know that's a bad idea.

Of course, I've come across a few dieting sites that have told me I'll look much more attractive and feel healthier with a BMI of 18.5 and a waist-to-height ratio of 0.4. Of course, they want to sell me crap, so I don't quite trust them.

Also, I know that the best way to do this is by body fat percentage, but I don't have the money to get that done properly.

pcpop7

Hey I'm kind of in the same place as you, lost most of my weight now and I'm struggling to know where to go. I set a figure of 140 and I'm 5'9" - the past few months I'm realizing that now I am circling around the 150lbs mark that maybe I don't actually need to go lower and in fact maybe I want to start bulking up a bit instead, I am sure following a bulk I would want to lose some again anyway just to reveal the bulk.

I am very much getting a bit sick of the scales for sure and I am tempted to move myself into maintenance for the next few months until I *kitten* exactly what my next step should be.

Keen to see the advice you get here from everyone. But the way I see it is I need to step away from the deficit mindset for a few months and see how I feel.

Good luck.

edkaye1

Well, at 150 lbs, your BMI would be 22.1, which is pretty much medically ideal. Going to 140 would put you down at 20.7, which is drifting towards underweight according to BMI, and is definitely underweight by more traditional weight ranges.

Iwishyouwell

Nobody can tell you what your individual "ideal weight" is.

First off it's a range, not a singular number.

Secondly none of us have any idea what your goals are. Are you trying to be very lean? Do you want a little softness?

What does your body currently look like? Do you still have a high body fat percentage? That's something you might be able to tell by looking in the mirror, or asking somebody you trust to be honest to look at your body.

Are you comfortable posting pics?

There are just too many variables and not enough info given.

tigersword

Go by body fat, not weight. When I hit my final goal, I'll be at 9% body fat, but I'll still be considered 20 pounds overweight based on BMI.

moya_rargh

I'm 5'8" and currently 162, aiming for 170.

1PatientBear

BMI is crap and worthless.

It depends what you're doing and what your goals are. I'm 5'8" and when I first started getting back in shape, I was training for triathlons. I was doing a ton of cardio and got down to about 163. My wife at the time (now ex) was extremely supportive but started saying she thought I was getting a little too skinny and looked a little gaunt. She was right.

Fast forward a couple of years. I am no longer strictly cardio and lift heavy at Crossfit on a regular basis. My goal now is 173-177 (anywhere in that range is fine with me). I don't like having just one number as my goal because weight fluctuates so much. I feel better around 175 and I carry that amount of weight fine. Right now, I am at about 178-180 so I need to get down a couple of pounds but I'm basically where I want to be.

If you want to be really skinny, then a goal in the 150's might be appropriate for you. But for ME and my build, that would have been WAY too thin. My next goal is more focused on body fat % (I'm aiming for 15% or less) and once I really start focusing on that, I won't pay near as much attention to the scale.

pcpop7

Well, at 150 lbs, your BMI would be 22.1, which is pretty much medically ideal. Going to 140 would put you down at 20.7, which is drifting towards underweight according to BMI, and is definitely underweight by more traditional weight ranges.

Yes I think you are correct. I sort of just set it because it seemed a nice easy round number, I think I was trying to say how you feel about yourself and where you want to be should be modified on a regular basis and you should change your goals.

If you are happy with the way you are just now then it might be a good time to re-*kitten* your goals rather than fighting for a goal you just set based on a set of numbers.

Good luck - I think all the advice your getting about body fat is probably very good advice and probably how I am going to look at it in a few months too.

edkaye1

Thanks, guys. All good points. I guess I would say I was just trying to look "normal," maybe a little more on the lean side, if I was being honest, but not athletically lean. I'm not sure.

Body fat is a hard one, because I can afford to have it measured in a fancy machine and have read that cheap calipers are no good.

I can try and post some photos later. My girlfriend seems to think I look good, but I can't tell if she's being honest or just being nice. I'm pretty paranoid about my weight, so think I'm fat, no matter what people tell me.

edkaye1

OK, I've added some glamour shots to my profile. I'm pretty hairy, so don't worry, there's not a bear lose in my bathroom.

pcpop7

Bumping for comments on your photos. Some folk are great at estimating body fat based on pics. Hopefully somebody can give you some sound advice.

BusyRaeNOTBusty

I think you look pretty good where you are at. Maybe somewhere between 15-20% body fat.

http://www.builtlean.com/2012/09/24/body-fat-percentage-men-women/


I'd advise you to eat at maintenance and maybe start some weight training if you aren't already. At this point I think that's the best way you can improve from here.

trojan_bb

Ideal weight is meaningless without considering lean mass.

A 5'8" male could have a healthy ideal weight anywhere between 150 and 240 lbs and be under 12% bodyfat at any weight in that range. It's all up to how you want to look and how you feel at that weight.

jwdieter

It's not really about weight at this point. You've succeeded in weight loss to normal levels - congratulations. Hell of a job. Now you want to look good.

Reduce back/shoulder hair and start (if you haven't) a strength training program.

Filling out shoulders and chest will make your proportions look better. Don't have to be huge (and that's many years of effort even if you wanted that), but a little more muscle will help you out tremendously.

Greenrun99

As mentioned above, I would start looking at BF% instead of BMI and weight..

Jruzer

Thanks for posting this. This is relevant to me too as I'm in almost the exact same position. I'm 5'7"and set my goal weight to be 155, a few pounds under the BMI cutoff. I have a hard time getting there and staying there, though. And like 1PatientBear my wife also correctly told me that I looked pretty gaunt when I was at that weight.

A number of you have raised good points in this discussion and I'm going to do some thinking about my goals. Topics like this are why I roll my eyes when yet another "mean people" thread rolls around.

Cheers! :drinker:

fittestpal

172 8‰ bf

neandermagnon

you don't look fat or like you need to lose any more fat. Depending on what you're aiming for, you might like the results better if you start working on building muscle rather than losing more weight. If you do that, and after doing that feel that you want to lose more fat, then you can always lose more fat. Men can cut their body fat down to single figure body fat percentages if they want (but men with higher body fat percentages look good too), but generally this is done by alternating cutting cycles (where you lose fat) with bulking cycles (where you gain muscle). How low you take your body fat percentage depends on what your goal is. But gaining more muscle is always good for health and looking more fit.


also, the mirror counts for more than the scale. Health and looking good comes with being fit and strong, not from any particular number on the scale or any particular BMI. Healthy weight depends on frame size and how much lean body mass you have, not just how much body fat you have. Healthy depends on a whole range of different factors, body fat percentage is just one of many.

edkaye1

Thanks guys. Strength training would be good. I just got laid off from my job, so a gym is out of the question at the moment. My exercise is mostly cycling, running, and walking. I guess I could start doing sit-ups and press-ups at home, or something.

As for the back and shoulder hair, I'm comfortable with it. I used to get it waxed and have even shaved it in the past, but it is such a big task and it grows back within a week. Keeping it off is next to impossible. Besides, my girlfriend actually likes it. Go figure!

For now I may start to maintain and then look at bulking up in the longer term. It's going to be hard to work a few hundred calories back into my diet, so I think I'll have to do it gradually. I already eat like four times as much as my girlfriend. Hah! Though, she's one of those people that thinks that if you want to lose weight you just need to not eat. She probably only eats 800 calories a day, even though I keep telling her that is dangerous. Oh well!