How do you decide your personal target weight?

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batty5
batty5 Posts: 193
in Motivation and Support
Just wondering how members set their target weights? The practice nurse at my doctors here in UK said they have been told not to use the BMI method but the frame size method. Does anyone have a chart about this? I have basic information but would like to see the range & what is considered normal weight on this system. Thanks

Replies

  • AngelSharum
    AngelSharum Posts: 74 Member
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    This might help: http://www.medindia.net/patients/calculators/framesize1.asp

    I'm going to do mine and see what it says. I picked my goal weight because it was a weight I was at before that I felt healthy and looked good at.
  • Zuznana
    Zuznana Posts: 284 Member
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    I don't know, but it was same with me. I got measured and sized (if that is even the right word) and then was told that my ideal weight would be my goal weight here. And I was told the same about BMI. It's a good guideline, but the range is quite wide to take that as a what's your final ideal weight. ...that is what I think. I don't remember the reason I was told, lol
  • mzenzer
    mzenzer Posts: 503 Member
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    Well I know about what a good weight is for me because I've been there, but another method is to figure out what your absolute lean weight is, meaning with 0% body fat, then factor in a healthy body fat % for a woman, and there is your weight. It doesn't mean that is the weight you HAVE to get to to be healthy or to just feel good, it's just a general target area.

    I agree don't use the BMI, various things like muscle tone can make it off. For example, there are 4 categories in the BMI. My BMI has me at overweight, which is the last category before obese, when in reality I really only need to lose about 10 more pounds and I'll be just under 200lbs with about 10% body fat. BMI is not a good tool really unless you happen to match perfectly the standards used to design the system.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    from my understanding:
    for an averaged frame woman the ideal weight is 100 lbs at 5 feet tall and add 5 pounds per inch. so at 5'5" that would be 125 lbs.

    for an averaged frame man the ideal weight is 106 lbs at 5 feet tall and add 6 pounds per inch. so at 5'5" that would be 136 lbs.
  • AngelSharum
    AngelSharum Posts: 74 Member
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    My wrist circumference is 5 7/8 and it told me I'm large framed cause I'm only 5ft tall. Never would have thought 5 7/8 made anything large, but who knows...lol. Maybe some smaller short people will chime in and we can see how accurate it is.
  • MisdemeanorM
    MisdemeanorM Posts: 3,493 Member
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    I picked the weight my body sits rather comfortably at while being a size I'm OK with, then picked 10 lbs lower for my goal. It's the weight I was in college and shortly after when I was pretty active and i sort of stayed that weight no matter what give or take 3 or 4 lbs so I figured it was a good weight my body was comfortable with. Would i PREFER to be a size 3 or 4 and 125 not 150? Yeah, but I realistically 145 is a stretch and I'd be relatively happy at 150.
  • pen282
    pen282 Posts: 168 Member
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    hey

    thats realy useful - thanks for the link :smile:
    i know bmi is a good indication, but... this seems more realistic somehow..
  • mymelody_78
    mymelody_78 Posts: 657 Member
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    Thanks for sharing!
  • MisdemeanorM
    MisdemeanorM Posts: 3,493 Member
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    My wrist circumference is 5 7/8 and it told me I'm large framed cause I'm only 5ft tall. Never would have thought 5 7/8 made anything large, but who knows...lol. Maybe some smaller short people will chime in and we can see how accurate it is.

    I'm almost 5' 9" and my wrist is 6" on the dot (and have had that quoted to me before as small frame but that particular website says large... but then when I go through their whole questionare it changes its mind and says small frame :smile: )
  • CakeFit21
    CakeFit21 Posts: 2,521 Member
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    Here's the chart that I used to pick my goal weight. I just picked the number that was right in the middle of the healthy weight range for my height and body frame. Then readjusted as I got closer. Hope this helps ;-)

    http://www.healthchecksystems.com/heightweightchart.htm

    If you google, "calculate body frame size" there are a few methods you can use. The wrist measurement one is probably easiest but the elbow/ caliper one is supposed to be the most accurate. I did both of them and got the exact same result.
  • TrainerRobin
    TrainerRobin Posts: 509 Member
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    from my understanding:
    for an averaged frame woman the ideal weight is 100 lbs at 5 feet tall and add 5 pounds per inch. so at 5'5" that would be 125 lbs.

    for an averaged frame man the ideal weight is 106 lbs at 5 feet tall and add 6 pounds per inch. so at 5'5" that would be 136 lbs.

    I'm a personal trainer and to avoid complicating things, I too use this as a general "target." When folks get closer to their goals and are ready to fine tune things, I get more precise, but for a general neighborhood to aim for, this guy's suggestion is good.

    That said, I use a system whereby I weigh my clients in and then do their body fat electronically with a professional tool I've got and then record their weight in pounds, and then break it down into their weight in fat and weight in lean. That way we don't just care about what they weigh, but which KIND of pounds that they're losing. I don't want my folks losing lean, so that helps. If you have a way of getting that measurement (your bathroom scale, your local trainer at the gym), consider doing that keeping your own three-column weigh in log to ensure you're burning the fat and not dieting your precious lean weight off.

    Hope that helps! :)

    Good luck!!
  • Yarnpiggie
    Yarnpiggie Posts: 181
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    Former Diet Dude made us all pick a weight and then tried to tell us if we were right or wrong. I am sure that for many he was able to convince them successfully. I was not quite so easy. I have NO interest in being skinny. If it happens, great, but I am happy with my life and will be just as happy when I get to the goal weight I picked. I picked a weight I haven't been since I was in high school, when I was athletic and all that.

    So here's how he made us pick...
    Step 1: "If you could press the easy button and be any weight you want to be, what would it be?"
    Step 2: "If you could be 10 pounds less than that without any addtional work, would you want to be?"
    Step 3: "Repeat step 2 until you can say no."
    Step 4: "Let me tell you what I think you should be."

    As I told him, "I could do this until I was less than 100 pounds and looking like Skeletor!" We had a bit of an argument because he wanted me to say I wanted to be at least 30 pounds less than I said I wanted to weigh. That would put me in the range that all the charts say I should be at, but, again, I have no interest in that. I just want to be "normal."

    (umm... okay you guys don't know me so as far as you know, normal is a relative term, and possible for me...lol)
  • AngelSharum
    AngelSharum Posts: 74 Member
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    from my understanding:
    for an averaged frame woman the ideal weight is 100 lbs at 5 feet tall and add 5 pounds per inch. so at 5'5" that would be 125 lbs.

    for an averaged frame man the ideal weight is 106 lbs at 5 feet tall and add 6 pounds per inch. so at 5'5" that would be 136 lbs.

    I'm a personal trainer and to avoid complicating things, I too use this as a general "target." When folks get closer to their goals and are ready to fine tune things, I get more precise, but for a general neighborhood to aim for, this guy's suggestion is good.

    That said, I use a system whereby I weigh my clients in and then do their body fat electronically with a professional tool I've got and then record their weight in pounds, and then break it down into their weight in fat and weight in lean. That way we don't just care about what they weigh, but which KIND of pounds that they're losing. I don't want my folks losing lean, so that helps. If you have a way of getting that measurement (your bathroom scale, your local trainer at the gym), consider doing that keeping your own three-column weigh in log to ensure you're burning the fat and not dieting your precious lean weight off.

    Hope that helps! :)

    Good luck!!

    My problem with the 5ft 100 lb rule is that I know I would be way too skinny at 100 pounds even though I am 5ft tall. I looked really skinny, bones protruding and all at 110. I think I really must be large boned. :happy:
  • TrainerRobin
    TrainerRobin Posts: 509 Member
    Options
    from my understanding:
    for an averaged frame woman the ideal weight is 100 lbs at 5 feet tall and add 5 pounds per inch. so at 5'5" that would be 125 lbs.

    for an averaged frame man the ideal weight is 106 lbs at 5 feet tall and add 6 pounds per inch. so at 5'5" that would be 136 lbs.

    I'm a personal trainer and to avoid complicating things, I too use this as a general "target." When folks get closer to their goals and are ready to fine tune things, I get more precise, but for a general neighborhood to aim for, this guy's suggestion is good.

    That said, I use a system whereby I weigh my clients in and then do their body fat electronically with a professional tool I've got and then record their weight in pounds, and then break it down into their weight in fat and weight in lean. That way we don't just care about what they weigh, but which KIND of pounds that they're losing. I don't want my folks losing lean, so that helps. If you have a way of getting that measurement (your bathroom scale, your local trainer at the gym), consider doing that keeping your own three-column weigh in log to ensure you're burning the fat and not dieting your precious lean weight off.

    Hope that helps! :)

    Good luck!!

    My problem with the 5ft 100 lb rule is that I know I would be way too skinny at 100 pounds even though I am 5ft tall. I looked really skinny, bones protruding and all at 110. I think I really must be large boned. :happy:

    That's probably a good thing Angel -- any time I can get folks to be comfortable weighing more than this kind of general number by putting on additional muscle (which is so much harder for us women than folks think it is, especially as we age!), I'm happy. If you are at a decent body fat percentage, then a higher weight is a perfectly good thing! :) And if your bones are protruding at 100 pounds, then definitely, add some healthy weight! :) I'm not at all a fan of skinny. I am a fan of healthy and fit. Sounds like you're realistically on the right track! :)
  • AngelSharum
    AngelSharum Posts: 74 Member
    Options
    from my understanding:
    for an averaged frame woman the ideal weight is 100 lbs at 5 feet tall and add 5 pounds per inch. so at 5'5" that would be 125 lbs.

    for an averaged frame man the ideal weight is 106 lbs at 5 feet tall and add 6 pounds per inch. so at 5'5" that would be 136 lbs.

    I'm a personal trainer and to avoid complicating things, I too use this as a general "target." When folks get closer to their goals and are ready to fine tune things, I get more precise, but for a general neighborhood to aim for, this guy's suggestion is good.

    That said, I use a system whereby I weigh my clients in and then do their body fat electronically with a professional tool I've got and then record their weight in pounds, and then break it down into their weight in fat and weight in lean. That way we don't just care about what they weigh, but which KIND of pounds that they're losing. I don't want my folks losing lean, so that helps. If you have a way of getting that measurement (your bathroom scale, your local trainer at the gym), consider doing that keeping your own three-column weigh in log to ensure you're burning the fat and not dieting your precious lean weight off.

    Hope that helps! :)

    Good luck!!

    My problem with the 5ft 100 lb rule is that I know I would be way too skinny at 100 pounds even though I am 5ft tall. I looked really skinny, bones protruding and all at 110. I think I really must be large boned. :happy:

    That's probably a good thing Angel -- any time I can get folks to be comfortable weighing more than this kind of general number by putting on additional muscle (which is so much harder for us women than folks think it is, especially as we age!), I'm happy. If you are at a decent body fat percentage, then a higher weight is a perfectly good thing! :) And if your bones are protruding at 100 pounds, then definitely, add some healthy weight! :) I'm not at all a fan of skinny. I am a fan of healthy and fit. Sounds like you're realistically on the right track! :)

    Thanks! I'm trying. Right now, I'll just be glad to get back in the 140's where I start to look better! I love weight training but haven't been able to do much lately because of my heart. When I was able to do it, I gained muscle definition pretty quickly. I'm thick/dense, which I think helps with muscle gain.
  • batty5
    batty5 Posts: 193
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    Thanks for the input so far. Any ideas why body fat scales just freak out & give an error message if I get on them? Bought new ones especially & they work on everyone else except me! Could it be static? I always seem to have a lot & often get shocks from supermarket trolleys, guess I am the bionic woman well disguised LOL! (I do really have 4 big screws in my spine).Are there any charts giving rough ideas? I have checked out that site & has confirmed me as large frame but little else of value.
  • AngelSharum
    AngelSharum Posts: 74 Member
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    If you scroll down on that same page you'll see a link that says Height and Weight by Body Frame. Go there and put in your information. I had to look up how to convert what it told me but then found that I'm in the right ballpark for my goal weight. It said 123.5 according to my frame size and I'm shooting for 125.
  • AmandaR910
    AmandaR910 Posts: 991
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    In high school I was 155lbs at my lowest. I wasn't super fit though. I set my goal this time at 5lbs less than that (150lbs) and hope to get in better shape at the same weight. I plan to reevaluate my goal the closer I get. I'd love 140lbs but I know I wont be able to maintain that. I'm 5'10".
  • ep_euphoria
    ep_euphoria Posts: 40
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    I'm 5 foot 1 and my wrist is 14cm ish - 5.5 inches? I don't know how the whole inches thing works...
    This put me at a medium frame, which I'm surprised by, I've always liked to think of myself as small framed :P
    I weigh 100 lbs at the moment, am still losing on a healthy diet and my muscles are on the way up. My legs, arms and back are all quite muscular and I've got a visible 'V' thing going on round my abs area.
    It put my ideal weight at around 50kg (110lbs), which is about the same that BMI puts it.

    Interesting link, thanks for sharing.
  • JillTwiss
    JillTwiss Posts: 139 Member
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    Here's the chart that I used to pick my goal weight. I just picked the number that was right in the middle of the healthy weight range for my height and body frame. Then readjusted as I got closer. Hope this helps ;-)

    http://www.healthchecksystems.com/heightweightchart.htm

    If you google, "calculate body frame size" there are a few methods you can use. The wrist measurement one is probably easiest but the elbow/ caliper one is supposed to be the most accurate. I did both of them and got the exact same result.
    According to another website (using wrist measurement), I have a large frame. According to the website above, my ideal weight is 137-155. I had already chosen 145 because by BMI, I would be just under overweight at 150.

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