How do you decide what a goal weight would be?

shannahjane4

Hi everyone!

I am 5'6. I think I have a large frame, and I don't think that 140 would look healthy on me. So my question is for anyone that has a medium to large frame, what is a good goal weight for someone that is 5'6?

Thanks!

Shanny

alib510

my friend used an app called 'my ideal weight' and at 5'6 it said she should weigh 158lbs which sounded a lot more realistic to me!

bsexton3

Best to ask your doctor. My wife is 5'7" and weights 135, and she looks good. Had been 150 and dropped it using this and training for a marathon. Still, best advice is ask your doctor.

MissMom85

I am the same height as you and also have a large frame, my Dr told me 165 was perfectly acceptable as a healthy weight for me! Good Luck!

heykatieben

I just asked a doctor today. It was pretty comforting to hear the opinion of someone with health in mind, and it was less weight than I thought I needed to lose. +1 vote for asking a doctor.

aochoa123

I looked at my BMI and went on the higher end of the scale. We will see how that looks when I get there.

wendyannie1976

well I'm 5ft 6" and almost at my goal of 130lbs, I've been every where between super underweight 102lbs up to 154lbs and 120 to 130lbs is right for me, not skinny, just solid, healthy and happy

ashnm88

I'm 5'3" with a large frame and the weight range I should be in is 131lbs to 147lbs.

But check this out: http://blonz.com/bmi.htm

Legalchica

go for it! i'm shooting for 140 also but i'm only 5 3!

LorinaLynn

Play it by ear. Set a moderate goal, and if you're still not happy, keep going.

At 5'5, I originally thought 135, then 130, then 125-ish. Actually, anywhere around 130 is perfectly fine for me. I don't want to get any smaller than this or I'd have trouble finding clothes that fit properly.

kiwicakes

As long as you are within the healthy weight range, (for someone who is 5'6" its something like anywhere between 120-150ish..you can look this up in google, I could be off) It really all depends on how you feel about yourself. I'm 5'6" currently 138 and I feel I could lose 10,15 more to look toned&fit, although I'm kinda happy with where I am right now.

LuckyLeprechaun

I picked a number that was in the middle of my "healthy" range.

But it's purely up to you, as the BMI scale can be less-than-ideal.

Juliebean_1027

I used my BMI. The trickier thing for me to figure out was my body fat percentage. If you're unsure, you could always just ask your doctor.

UponThisRock

Most people underestimate how much they need to lose. As you begin to lose, your goal weight tends to get lower, lol.

Diveryanfitness

I don't know. Everyone is different. I'm "large-framed." When I weighted 230#, I thought I'd look good at 180#. When I got to 185#, I thought 175# would be good. Now that I'm 160#, I think that at 153-ish I should be pretty close to where I want to be. However, the scale IMO is a frustrating device. Your weight will fluctuate throughout the day. Some people will retain water. If you're exercising, changes in body composition (muscle from fat) can, to a lesser extent, make it seem as though weight loss is slowing. In any event, I'd advise against weighing too frequently just because of the frustration of seeing weight go up by a pound and making it seem as if you're moving further from your goals; yet it could be from one of those factors above.

For me it's an on-going thing. I had goals to where I wanted to be, and when I got close, I re-evaluated those goals. I also got a body-fat caliper, the fit of my clothes, and used the full length mirrored sliding doors in my bathroom. To me, that is ultimately more important than what the scale says. I use the scale for a rough estimate, if that makes sense ~ but I put more stock in the mirror and fit of my clothes.

My goal now is to focus more on body-fat, and that's where the calipers come in. With them I can get a easy and inexpensive ($5-10) assessment of what my body composition is. When I started, I was around 33% body fat. A month ago I was at 23%. My goal is to get to about 15%, and to me now that I've shed my obesity, that is a more of a meaningful goal than to aim for a certain weight.

Rae6503

I'm about 25% body fat. I wanna be 18-20%. If I maintain all my lean body mass, that'd put me at 140lbs.

But I'm working on gaining muscle first.

mandimommy

I am 5'5" and started at 158. A lot of people thought I didn't need to lose weight but I know I feel best around 135. I am at 139 now and feeling great but plan to lose about 9 more. I definitely have a larger frame and carry my weight well. It's a very personal decision as to what one's target weight should be,

shannahjane4

Thank you everyone!!! Sorry for the delay in response to all your awesome advice!!! THANKS AGAIN!!!

wellbert

I measured my bf% and calculated my lean body mass + 10% body fat.

Pebble321

Pick a number, work towards it and evaluate when you get close.
I'm still above the recommended weight range for my height but I'm quite happy at this size and am planning to work on maintaining around here:
I'm 5'4" and 71kg (156), my lowest goal was 68 (about 147) but that doesn't seem necessary to me.

bmqbonnie

I'm also about 5'6 and have a largeish frame. I went with a rough estimate of 140 lbs. I've gotten down to 130 in the past but I was skinny fat and kind of looked like a sickly bobblehead as I didn't lose in a healthy manner, so I set a modest goal that would be more realistic and allow for more muscle. Now that I'm about 8 lbs out I think I will end up losing a little more.

Guesstimate and take pictures regularly to help you decide if you still need to lose more or that maybe you're getting too thin.

Rayman79

Pick a number, work towards it and evaluate when you get close.

I vote for this! I picked a round number as a figure to have in my head as a goal, but honestly I have never been that size as an adult, so I have no idea if that is where I want to maintain. It's is fine to pick a milestone to aim for as motivation, but it doesn't matter what that number is so don't stress!

perceptualobfuscator

Quite frankly, there is no easy way. What I would do is set your initial goal to the higher end of the healthy weight BMI category, and decide when you get there. Everyone is going through this differently, and I'm sure all of us know people who have a highish weight but look fantastic, simply because they work out so much that they don't have much fat and excellent muscle tone. It really depends on yourself as an individual - how much you exercise, your body fat percentage, frame size, and comfort level.

I started at 5'1 and 135, just three pounds overweight. I thought I'd be happy just to be under 130, but ended up going for 125. After meeting that, I decided to tentatively aim for 120. Right now I'm focusing more on getting in shape than weight loss, and I'm not pushing myself too hard on calories. I tell you about my experience so that you see that when you start out here, you don't always know what you want. I sure didn't. It's hard to tell what will look and feel right from a distance.

Good luck!!

ninerbuff

By seeing what body fat percentage I want to end up being and correlating that with my lean body mass.

withoutaname

I have a few goals. The first one is to get back to my "usual" weight before I gained quite a bit, then the second one is where my BMI would be considered "average" instead of "overweight", and the final one is my "ultimate" goal.

I chose 60kg to be my ultimate goal because it sounds like a number where I'll be very content with, and I know that it's still realistic for me to reach. I haven't been that weight in a very long time, probably when I was still growing, but when I look back at younger photos of me I just want to be that shape again so badly.

It just seems like a right, round, even number to be a goal weight. It's halfway in between the range for all those ideal weight calculators, so even if I lose more I wouldn't be complaining, but as long as I reach that goal I know I'll be very happy with myself.

rcharest8

Hi! I'm 5'6 with a medium frame and 150 looks good on me. I would just lose until you feel comfortable.