How did YOU determine your Goal Weight

KariOrtiz2014

BMI chart. But 140 is an ideal number for me!

victoria_1024

I picked a weight where I remember feeling healthy and happy when I weighed it before. Is it my ideal weight? Not necessarily. But anything over 60 pounds sounded way too overwhelming. Once I hit that goal, if I could lose an additional 10-15 pounds that would be awesome. But right now I am focusing on that 60 pound goal! Over halfway, woohoo!

newyorkmo

Initially I picked a number toward the upper range of what I thought from previous times I felt rok with. That seemed most attainable. Once I got there and found the loss to that point relatively easy, i moved it down by 5 pounds, and then by 5 more, and finally 5 more. Ultimately, I was looking for a "window" of give or take 5 pounds to stay within. If I start creeping up, I hope to catch it early and be able to deal with it before it feels "too much" or "too hard" (5 pounds so much easier to deal with than the 33 I just lost!). It may be that this final weight is a bit too low to reasonably sustain in the long run...if so I'll adjust upward slightly.

DaltonMom01

I set little goals. So each milestone is a step toward the larger picture. It gives me something to celebrate along the way. I hadn't logged into Fitness Pal for awhile, so I actually weighed more than my last check in. So goal #1 - lose 6# so I can register a weight loss on MFP. Got that done. Next, lose 5# so I'm back to where I was a year ago. Almost there. The next goal is to be able to tighten my belt a notch. Silly, but effective. For me. Overall I want to lose another 28 pounds for a healthier happier me.

krawhitham

I have been 130 lbs before in my adult life, and I was healthy and happy at that weight.

My first goal weight was to not be obese anymore, and I achieved that goal in my first 3 months on MFP.

My second goal is to get to 145 lbs. This is where my body kinda gets stuck sometimes, even though I'm a shorty and can easily weight less than that.

Then my next goal will be 130 lbs, and I'll reassess whether or not I want to go below 130 at that time.

My ultimate goal weight is 122-125 lbs. This is based on the fact that I am only 5'3.5" and Body Mass Index says I should be between 115 lbs - 140 lbs. I've also seen a website that says 100 lbs for the first 5' and then 5 lbs for every inch after that. That would make my ideal weight 118. I think that's too low for my body type (I have a lot of muscle)

I have no idea if I'll ever see 122, and it really doesn't matter. What does matter is that I keep losing weight and become in the "normal" range and am able to do all of the things physically (like running) that I want to be able to do - and no health problems!!

shaynepoole

I went with 1/2 my starting weight --it seemed as unattainable as any other number at the beginning...
(guess who hit the "holy eff!" stage when I got there)

the Normal BMI number would have put me at 20lbs lower and that was the high end of the range -- but I look and feel great here, so I am aiming to stay here right now even if I am still considered "overweight" by BMI standards

bwats33

I'm 6 ft tall and started out at 210 and arbitrarily decided 190 would be a much healthier weight. When I hit that goal, I evaluated myself in the mirror, and dropped my goal to 185. When I hit 185 and dropped my goal another 10 lbs. Once I hit 175, I may even drop it again. Goals are moving targets and it's important they're obtainable to keep up motivation! It's all about results in the mirror over weight anyway.

Sometimes I can barely believe I've lost almost 30 lbs since the beginning of the year, and keep thinking I've made a math error.

PrairieRunner2015

It's just about where I was when I graduated High School. I most certainly plan on fine tuning my goal as it gets nearer to achieve the look I want.

JDT2017

I went to a dietician years ago. Based on my height and weight I was given my goal. However I never made it. This time around I am going by my own instict. I think the first goal was pretty unrealistic. I'm trying to drop 60 pounds now instead of 85. I think 60 is doable for me given a one year time frame.

eslcity

Well... when i first started this diet it was all about reaching a level on my BMI chart that said you are not overweight anymore..

However, now that i've started working out... it isn't about the BMI chart anymore it is about the Fat Index chart... i'm at 21% fat... I would like to see if i can reach 15%.... I am not looking to be super skinny...i want to feel good about myself... inwhich I do

-ms

bennettinfinity

I picked my heaviest 'in shape' weight from my younger days (210#), but added a BF component of 15%-18%. So if that means I have to go below 210 in order to lose enough BF to get there or pack on LM and stay at 210, I'll be happy either way.

heathyreverson

I choose mine from past experience...lol:flowerforyou:

NicoleHJones

I picked a weight that I remember looking and feeling my best at.

kurviekutie

The bottom weight for my height is supposed to be 93 pounds. That is a disgustingly low weight for me. At 120 I look like I just got released from a concentration camp. SO!!! I add ten pounds for each baby I have had to the high end of my "healthy weight" of 120ish. 120+40=160.

Kevalicious99

I pretty much never weighed myself in my life until 8 months ago, it was just never important. But my goal was based originally on the middle of the BMI scale and then later at a certain body fat %. The first goal is done .. the last one, not quite there but will be soon.

1948sixty

Why not simply start with losing 10 percent....that will give you an idea on how you feel and go from there.

elusive_design

I had my BFI tested, which at the time was 34%. Being as I was 330 at the time....

330 x .34 =112.2
330- 112.2 = 217.8

I want to reach 17% before I set a new goal so..
From 217 figure out what 17% BFI will be, which in my case should be around 240. The problem lies in that body recomp can change your BFI quite randomly depending on your routine so when I hit 240 I'll figure it out from there.

simbersea

I picked my drivers license weight as my goal weight I havent really seen that number in 10 years!

captainamerica52

you will know it when you see it

redfiona99

Roughly the weight of my favourite rugby player, because it means it's doable (he's taller than I am), and doable while being active and eating (because professional rugby players can't starve themselves). Silly but it's working.

blackcloud13

Looked up tennis players and footballers that were my roughly my height

thecastlefords

The absolute best way to determine what your goal weight should be is a DEXA body scan. As people have pointed out, BMI is highly flawed and although it might give you a good starting point, it's not much more useful than knowing that you have to lose "some weight" (which you already know). There is nothing wrong with the "low end" of BMI ranges; where some people say "if I weighed that, I'd look like a skeleton) - and some people would; the problem with it is that it's encompassing all sorts of body builds and muscle composition and so on. So really, pretty useless.

A DEXA scan is a safe, non-invasive body scan which measures the weight (and density) of your bones; the weight of your internal organs, muscle, and fat. We know with a very good degree of accuracy what appropriate fat percentages are; so your organs + muscle + bones + miscellaneous + healthy percentage of fat = your ideal weight; to state the obvious (follow through); your current weight, minus all of that, is what you have to lose.

DEXAs are also very motivating because you see the healthy "you" underneath. For many people, an important step in the self-esteem and self-confidence journey is learning to be comfortable in their own skin, regardless of their size; in fact, that is perhaps THE most important step for everyone - to realise that your worth is not tied to your weight! However, once you've reached that step, there is another step to go: the weight you feel "comfortable" at may not be the weight that is healthiest for you. There are a lot of very real, very valid psychological and emotional ties which may keep us tied to a certain weight; but for the sake of our health and well-being, we need to (at the appropriate time) identify those and move on from them.

While it may be, for you, a very important and valid step to realise "Not only am I never going to weight what I did when I was 16, I don't *want* to!" - we have to identify the *why* of that: is it because we feel it's unattainable, or would our weight at 16 actually be unhealthy for us?

For instance, I thought for a long time that my high-school weight was where I needed to be: not out of any twisted desire for over-thin-ness, but because I was actually quite fit in high school and had a good figure (I mean, I had a chest and a bum, (normal sized), so I knew that my weight in high school wasn't lower *because* I "had no figure back then". I hadn't grown in height since then, either, so I figured it was reasonable.

It wasn't until I got one of my later DEXA scans where my physiologist and I were able to put together that I'd actually gained muscle since high school (which I really hadn't expected, as I was quite active in HS). Consequently, my ideal weight is about 15-20 kg higher than it was in HS (that's 33 - 44 lb for the Americans ) Nevertheless, this ideal weight doesn't leave me with the common-definition of "curvy" (aka, kind of chubby our rounded); there's no extra weight to be concerned with (particularly abdominal fat).

A really interesting exercise for me was getting my mum to come and have a DEXA scan as well; we're the same height (actually, she's a little taller, about an inch), and have similar builds (and let's just say what we all know; the talk about "big bones" is, generally speaking, big BS!) - anyway: so when we compared our scans, her body fat was good (11%, which is fine for an athletic woman), but she actually has 15 kg less muscle than I have (also, it showed a warning-level of bone density loss, which is another excellent reason to get the scans and stay on top of them). So, even with her extra inch in height, if I were her weight, plus my extra muscle weight, give or take a couple kg, I'd be in the right place. Anyway, it was just fun to see the scans side by side - motivating, too!

Bottom line: body fat % (as measured by a water-volume test; electric impedance measures like Tanita scales are good, but not as accurate), or a DEXA scan are the only really accurate way to go, and DEXA scans, as I said, have the advantage of being really motivating. A bit confronting, maybe, to see yourself and all your fat out there (you get a glorious colour picture!) - but then you see the "you" underneath it all, and it's pretty cool. If you know you're within 5-10 kg or 10-15 pounds of your ideal, you don't "need" it (although I'd still recommend it because it's ultra cool; also, it's excellent because you can measure your muscle growth!); but then, if you're that close to your goal weight, you're probably not lurking on this thread!

However, if you're not in a position to readily get a DEXA scan, as one of the other posters said - just take it a bit at a time. Set yourself a goal which is very unlikely to be "too much" - say, start with the first 5 kg or 10 pounds; make that "goal number 1", get there, and then set the next goal. Journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, anyway!

konerusp

150 puts me in a healthy BMI,I really liked the way I looked at 145,I dont like to be too skinny,I like to be a little built and toned.So,somewhere around that,I should be happy.Im not too stuck on the number,im more on being healthy and feeling confident in my own skin.

jalence

My goal is to get back to my prepregnancy weight. It's only been 18 years...

odddrums

I originally thought below 180 was my goal weight, but then I got there a year ago and still felt chubby and weak, so I gained some strength and maintained around 190, now I'm trying to drop in a more sustainable manner. We'll see how things go this time around.

But yeah, I just figured around 180 was good, but at this point I don't have a goal weight, just whatever I get to and look good naked, feel strong, and can do all the things I'd like to do.

ghouliejulie85

I think for me, it's more of a "let's see how my body looks" type of thing and of course not being under weight.

Technolero

At 162 I seem to loose that little roll in my tummy. That's when it gets flat and people notice. I shoot for at least that.

stephe1987

Mine is 5 lbs more than when I graduated from high school, but I might change it later. It will depend on how I look as I lose more weight.

ninerbuff

Find out your lean body weight.

Then figure out what body fat % you want to be at.

Then apply to the formula:

LEAN BODY WEIGHT/ (1- BF%)

So say one is 150lb lean body weight and wants to be 15% in body fat.

150/ .85 = 176lbs

So 176lbs would be the target for this individual.

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

pita7317

My favorite weight was 135 in my 30's. I am 5'7.
But now, at age 55, I am working towards 140 as my goal.
Or close to it...we will see.