Finding true "ideal weight" professionally

pghdev

Quick back story, at age 25, 5'9" athlete, I was 187 lbs, about 11% body fat. At age 43 and up to 230, put the weight loss into high gear and I'm down to 190, (still muscular, but likely not as I used to be), so I'm trying to get the right number for what my weight should be now.

What's the best way (I assume I should be going to a professional that can give me this number) that can tell me what my weight goal should be so I don't pick a random number and never be able to get there because it isn't my "true body type" weight or not realize that its too high and I should be striving for less.

Thanks!

Kalikel

Yes, you should ask a doctor.

Online fitness gurus know what they know about fitness. Your doctor knows health and medicine and, more importantly, you.

You've also reached the age where not having a yearly physical is stupid. So, if you aren't doing it, now is the time to start.

pghdev

I have regular yearly checkups, and my doctor will be quite happy with the weight loss when I see them next week, what I'm wondering is will they be able to give me this "weight target"? (I've never had a caliper/tape or any other type of weight evaluation done). Health isn't the question here, I'm in a mode where I want to lose every bit of fat I can, and need to know how many pounds of fat I actually have left to lose so I can use this as my baseline maintenance weight going forward.

jemhh

I don't think a trip to the doctor is necessary. Look up the healthy weight range for your height. Aim for the top number. Once you are there, reassess whether or not you want to go lower or if you want to focus on getting your body fat to a specific %.

Kalikel

I have regular yearly checkups, and my doctor will be quite happy with the weight loss when I see them next week, what I'm wondering is will they be able to give me this "weight target"? (I've never had a caliper/tape or any other type of weight evaluation done). Health isn't the question here, I'm in a mode where I want to lose every bit of fat I can, and need to know how many pounds of fat I actually have left to lose so I can use this as my baseline maintenance weight going forward.

Good for you.

I'm sure the doctor will give you excellent advice. It's not always as precise or as fun as the fitness gurus will give, but it'll be right and it'll be based on you. Doctors are much more picky about healthy eating though, lol. They do not suggest that 1/5 of your diet be junk food, sadly. I wish. They know most people don't eat all healthy, all the time, but they have to give the best medical advice they can.

FDA Adjusts Recommendations Based On Behavior: http://www.theonion.com/articles/fda-recommends-at-least-3-servings-of-foods-with-w,36699/

I never asked for a magic number. I pulled one out of my hat so I could set things up. None of the doctors have ever given me a number. Not even the cardiologist. I just figure we will all know when I get there.

skittle316

From what i've noticed(not for people who want to be muscular)

Find out your lean body mass( you body mass in muscle, bones,etc with less than 2% fat)
i.e My lean body mass is 125lbs at 5'11(probably around 130 as i have some muscle)

Find out your body fat %
http://fitness.bizcalcs.com/Calculator.asp?Calc=Body-Fat-Navy
i.e at 185lbs I am 33% and have 60lbs of fat on my body

185lbs total weight -125lbs of lean mass= 60lbs of fat - 11lbs of essential body fat( this is fat you need)
= 49lbs of fat that I CAN loose, i don't have to loose all of it but it's the maximum.
Look for a body fat chart, what body fat % do you want?


i.e I want to be 20% body fat, that is a 13% loss in body in body fat. To find out body fat%
Take your weight and divide by 100. That result equals 1% of your body. Now multiply that by the per cent you want to drop. That result is how many pounds you need to lose in order to drop that body fat %
185 x 100 = 1.85 x 13 = 24.05lbs

For me to be 20% body fat I would need to weigh 185-24.05 = 160lbs
I want to be 150lbs, so 30lbs or 16% body fat is more of an ideal. I'm not 100%,so when i get to 160lbs I will see how accurate this is in 2 months :laugh:

pghdev

I never asked for a magic number. I pulled one out of my hat so I could set things up. None of the doctors have ever given me a number. Not even the cardiologist. I just figure we will all know when I get there.

Agreed. I'd love to work with a professional that can give me the a better estimate, but without that, I'll probably have to keep using the "poke/pinch" method, where I flex my muscles, poke, and keep burning weight until the poke hits solid muscle instead of softness. Right now, I still have the "soft result" in the gut area and a little in the chest, but i have no idea how many lbs of soft that actually is.

azymth99

I think an "ideal weight" is largely based on opinion. And Doctors can be just as biased as non-Doctors. My former Dr. said I should weigh 166 lbs at 6'2". She is my former Dr. because she was also a vegan and thought everyone should be vegan and said that having large muscles was not healthy. To give some quick backstory- I used to be 260 lbs and trained to be a professional wrestler. I haven't weighed 166 since Jr. High. I wrestled 180 my Freshman year of High School- so I've never been a small guy.

However, I had back surgery in 2010 and I have constant pain. I walk with a cane and I'm only 41. After the surgery I went back up to 260, but it was not muscle by any stretch of the imagination. My new Dr. suggested that dropping a few pounds would help take some of the pressure off my spine and hips (which is where my pain is). She said that given my "build" 200 lbs would be an ideal weight given my height and frame. I think its a realistic goal and I wouldn't have to lose large amounts of muscle to get there.

Point is, your ideal weight is the one that you're healthy and happy with. I would look like a stick figure at 166 and have a giant head. And the guns may have a little rust on them, but there's no way I'm trading them in for .22's. I say screw the number. Get fit and healthy, look the way you want to look and the weight you are when you get there is your ideal weight.

meshashesha2012

you could do a body pod/dexiscan test to get an idea of your current LBM and go from there. that's what i did. i have a weight range and an idea of how much body fat i'd be comfortable with maintaining.