General guide to finding a good goal
SHBoss1673
Posts: 7,161 Member
So I see so many people on here that start out and immediately choose 2 lbs a week as a goal. They set the goal, get a number, and off they go. Two or three weeks later they come back on the board and post something like "Staying under my calories, working out every day, but I gained weight"
I thought I'd provide a little insight into this phenomena, some tips on how to maybe avoid it. And a few links to other posts that they should DEFINITELY read before further posts of this nature. So if this sounds like you, read on, you may learn something (or maybe not).
First, if you haven't yet, go to the link below this paragraph and read ALL the links, as many times as you need to until you understand them. They can be slightly complex, so feel free to ask questions on them, but if you are confused, don't stop reading them until you no longer are, because the are the name of the game.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10665-newbies-please-read-me-2nd-edition
Second, understand. Just because MFP allows you to set a goal, doesn't make it right for you. Not everyone should have a goal of 2 lbs a week weight loss, and even if you set that much, unless your body is over a specific point, you won't achieve it, and you'll just end up failing. There are certain rules in human anatomy that are hard and fast, and cannot be broken, if you try to bend or side step these rules, you just end up failing, or in some extreme cases, becoming sick or worse.
Third, PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE! Stop trying to drop 30 lbs in 3 months for the love of Pete! Unless you're obese, 90% of the time it AIN'T gonna happen, see the paragraph above! Having goals is great, but having unrealistic goals is just an exercise in futility and a recipe for failure.
OK so with that all out of the way, How do you know where you should be...goal wise? Well, it's actually a pretty easy rule to follow in general.
The less you have to lose, the smaller your goal (per week) should be. If you're trying to drop 15 lbs, then don't set a 2 lb a week goal, there are lots of good reasons for this, outlined in the link I listed above.
The general guide I came up with seems to work for most. and here it is.
***NOTE***
NET means totaled after EVERYTHING is factored in. I.E. your daily calories, plus any exercise you do.
so if I say a NET deficit of 1000 that means 1000 calories less then what your maintenance PLUS exercise calories are for the day.
***END NOTE***
***NOTE 2***
some smaller women cannot list on MFP the goal they set, this is because there is a hard floor on the amount of calories MFP will allow you to have, it's 1200, if you set a goal for 700 calories deficit, and your maintenance is only 1800 calories, it won't give you all 700 rather 600 (1800 - 700 is 1100, 100 less then what MFP will allow), it's important to note this. there are reasons for this, if you want to know more google World Health Organization 1200 calories
***END NOTE 2***
Using the (admittedly flawed, but still useful) BMI tool, use the following table for your goal.
BMI of 32 and over 2 lbs a week weight loss or even higher, that means 1000 calories a day or more in some cases NET deficit
BMI of 30 to 32 - 2lbs a week weight loss or 1000 calories a day.
BMI of 28 to 30 - 1.5 to 1.75 lbs a week or about 750 to about 875 calories a day NET deficit
BMI of 26 to 28 - 1.0 to 1.5 lbs a week or about 500 to 750 calories a day NET defict
BMI of 26 or below, forget BMI and stop worrying about your weight! You're close enough now to start using Body Fat % and how you feel and look to be your guides. Body Fat % is a much better and more accurate tool for real health then BMI (for various, scientifically proven reasons).
Post script:
Weight is arbitrary, it's a pet peeve of mine, people obsessing over a pound. This is especially true when you are at or near a normal BMI. Here is my reasoning: Every single one of us has slightly different body composition. Some of us have more bone mass, some have less, some have bigger arteries, some have more muscle, some have more water storage, some have bigger organs, we are all different in thousands of ways, so trying to judge yourself by weight is rediculous.
How can we accurately judge our health? Well, first by how we feel (obviously), but also by how we look in the mirror, and by that I don't just mean our shape, how does your hair look, do you have bags under your eyes, is your skin blotchy, dry, oily, jaundice? Do you have defined shape to your muscles?
Body fat is another great way to tell, because even people with very little adipose (body)fat can still have too much intramuscular fat or visceral fat (fat surrounding organs), or cholesterol. All of these things are far worse for your health then body fat. A body fat % test will tell you truely how much fat you have, and that can tell you how healthy your muscles and organs are as well as how much you can truely afford to lose without endangering your health (yes, having too LITTLE fat is bad too!)
One last thought, this is all very subjective, everyone is different, you may need to tweak things a bit, but try the generic methods first, then after you have gotten it down pat, you can play around a little with the numbers to suit you, but remember, a little goes a long way. Try not to make big jumps, the body doesn't like drastic change.
I thought I'd provide a little insight into this phenomena, some tips on how to maybe avoid it. And a few links to other posts that they should DEFINITELY read before further posts of this nature. So if this sounds like you, read on, you may learn something (or maybe not).
First, if you haven't yet, go to the link below this paragraph and read ALL the links, as many times as you need to until you understand them. They can be slightly complex, so feel free to ask questions on them, but if you are confused, don't stop reading them until you no longer are, because the are the name of the game.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10665-newbies-please-read-me-2nd-edition
Second, understand. Just because MFP allows you to set a goal, doesn't make it right for you. Not everyone should have a goal of 2 lbs a week weight loss, and even if you set that much, unless your body is over a specific point, you won't achieve it, and you'll just end up failing. There are certain rules in human anatomy that are hard and fast, and cannot be broken, if you try to bend or side step these rules, you just end up failing, or in some extreme cases, becoming sick or worse.
Third, PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE! Stop trying to drop 30 lbs in 3 months for the love of Pete! Unless you're obese, 90% of the time it AIN'T gonna happen, see the paragraph above! Having goals is great, but having unrealistic goals is just an exercise in futility and a recipe for failure.
OK so with that all out of the way, How do you know where you should be...goal wise? Well, it's actually a pretty easy rule to follow in general.
The less you have to lose, the smaller your goal (per week) should be. If you're trying to drop 15 lbs, then don't set a 2 lb a week goal, there are lots of good reasons for this, outlined in the link I listed above.
The general guide I came up with seems to work for most. and here it is.
***NOTE***
NET means totaled after EVERYTHING is factored in. I.E. your daily calories, plus any exercise you do.
so if I say a NET deficit of 1000 that means 1000 calories less then what your maintenance PLUS exercise calories are for the day.
***END NOTE***
***NOTE 2***
some smaller women cannot list on MFP the goal they set, this is because there is a hard floor on the amount of calories MFP will allow you to have, it's 1200, if you set a goal for 700 calories deficit, and your maintenance is only 1800 calories, it won't give you all 700 rather 600 (1800 - 700 is 1100, 100 less then what MFP will allow), it's important to note this. there are reasons for this, if you want to know more google World Health Organization 1200 calories
***END NOTE 2***
Using the (admittedly flawed, but still useful) BMI tool, use the following table for your goal.
BMI of 32 and over 2 lbs a week weight loss or even higher, that means 1000 calories a day or more in some cases NET deficit
BMI of 30 to 32 - 2lbs a week weight loss or 1000 calories a day.
BMI of 28 to 30 - 1.5 to 1.75 lbs a week or about 750 to about 875 calories a day NET deficit
BMI of 26 to 28 - 1.0 to 1.5 lbs a week or about 500 to 750 calories a day NET defict
BMI of 26 or below, forget BMI and stop worrying about your weight! You're close enough now to start using Body Fat % and how you feel and look to be your guides. Body Fat % is a much better and more accurate tool for real health then BMI (for various, scientifically proven reasons).
Post script:
Weight is arbitrary, it's a pet peeve of mine, people obsessing over a pound. This is especially true when you are at or near a normal BMI. Here is my reasoning: Every single one of us has slightly different body composition. Some of us have more bone mass, some have less, some have bigger arteries, some have more muscle, some have more water storage, some have bigger organs, we are all different in thousands of ways, so trying to judge yourself by weight is rediculous.
How can we accurately judge our health? Well, first by how we feel (obviously), but also by how we look in the mirror, and by that I don't just mean our shape, how does your hair look, do you have bags under your eyes, is your skin blotchy, dry, oily, jaundice? Do you have defined shape to your muscles?
Body fat is another great way to tell, because even people with very little adipose (body)fat can still have too much intramuscular fat or visceral fat (fat surrounding organs), or cholesterol. All of these things are far worse for your health then body fat. A body fat % test will tell you truely how much fat you have, and that can tell you how healthy your muscles and organs are as well as how much you can truely afford to lose without endangering your health (yes, having too LITTLE fat is bad too!)
One last thought, this is all very subjective, everyone is different, you may need to tweak things a bit, but try the generic methods first, then after you have gotten it down pat, you can play around a little with the numbers to suit you, but remember, a little goes a long way. Try not to make big jumps, the body doesn't like drastic change.
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Replies
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awesome post......0
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interesting read
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Thank you! :flowerforyou:0
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Thank you for your post. These are all things that I know and have heard over the years, but it really helps to have things spelled out. It infuriates me to see someone who is of a healthy weight and BMI, who looks good, and who is in good physical shape obsess over "losing five pounds" to look like the aneorexic stick figures that they see in the media.
The moral of the story? If you're healthy, fit, and in good shape in general, stop obsessing. Looking like a stick is very unhealthy most of the time and many of these people go to unhealthy extremes to obtain this look.0 -
Thank you.
:flowerforyou:0 -
Thank you for the post. Do you have a suggested source for how to figure out what is a normal or healthy % body fat for different people? I have used blue cross blue shield's website with inputting some starting values I got from a doctors physical. However, I can't seem to access that anymore.0
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Thank you for the post. Do you have a suggested source for how to figure out what is a normal or healthy % body fat for different people? I have used blue cross blue shield's website with inputting some starting values I got from a doctors physical. However, I can't seem to access that anymore.
Depends on what you are looking for, it's pretty standard what healthy body Fat % is. For women who aren't pregnant, its between 15%(highly athletic) and 31% (about where body fat might start to be not a good thing, not an issue as far as your body is concerned, but not helping you either).
Most doctors say about 20% is great for adult, pre-menopausal women, and between 23 and 32% is good for older ladies (About 50 and over)
So what the younger ladies out there should shoot for if they want to look trim and healthy is somewhere in the neighborhood of 18 to 23%. Lower then 18% and it's very difficult to maintain, higher then 23 and you'll start to lose definition in your muscles (things like, cellulite forms; and belly, and arms start to "round up") You'll start seeing those hard to define muscles like abs at around 19 or 18% usually.
As to the guys out there, 6% is the low end (extreme athletes) to about 18% (same as the ladies), if you want to see good definition though,and you're 20 to 50 years old, you usually need to have under about 13%, ideally, about 9% will allow you to show off the abs and chest and arms without starting to have trouble keeping it there while having a real job.
Those low end numbers, just so you know, are VERY hard to stay at for anyone over 30. The human body just doesn't like having that little amount of fat. You have to be relatively strict with your diet, very dedicated to your routine, and know a thing or two about weight training. Also, you CAN'T (and I mean this unequivocably) UNDER-EAT that's a no-no, it will trigger fat storage at this level, and with the amount of calories you're "NEW" body burns (it's literally a well oiled machine at this point) your body will trigger the famine response rather quickly if you starve yourself. Trust me, I've been trying to move down the Body Fat % scale for 8 months now, gone from a high (just after I hit my maintenance) of about 15% Body fat, to where I am now at 10.5%, I'm just starting to see good abs now, in 3 months (I hope) I'll be at about 9%, and the abs will really show. That's just how it goes.0 -
Thanks for the encouragement. 0
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I'm not gonna let this post die a quick death, I feel it's important, especially for the newbies, so I'm self promoting (shamelessly). So there!
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Fantastic post! Thanks :happy:0
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Ugh I hate BMI with a burning passion. Problems with the reliability and accuracy of BMI to really show 'health' aside- Nice post 0
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I needed to be reminded of a few of those points. Thank you kind sir!! 0 -
I needed to be reminded of a few of those points. Thank you kind sir!!
I do what I can. :flowerforyou:0 -
This was a good reminder. Thanks,0
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Ok went and read the other posts- they were informative for sure.
One question tho- so if I'm fat ('morbidly obese' by BMI standards) and I have a 1000 net calorie deficit, why is it that I wouldn't be entering starvation mode? I'm confused. lol This is not a rare occurence. :blushing:0 -
Thanks for the advice! 0
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Ok went and read the other posts- they were informative for sure.
One question tho- so if I'm fat ('morbidly obese' by BMI standards) and I have a 1000 net calorie deficit, why is it that I wouldn't be entering starvation mode? I'm confused. lol This is not a rare occurence. :blushing:
So with all the extra fat that's around for someone who is morbidly obese, the body has very abundant alternate fuel sources that are readily accessible, the body only enters the famine response state when it recognizes a lack of easily available fuel, this generally is why doctors who are concerned for the immediate mortality of a patient, will put them on a VLCD for a few weeks (VLCD stands for Very Low Calorie Diet, and is usually between 500 and 800 calories a day), but these are closely monitored, usually only last a few weeks, and are used primarily for just getting someone out of the "danger zone".
But the concept is the same, the more available fat stores you have, the less concerned your body will be with having enough incoming calories.0 -
We love you Banks/Boss :flowerforyou:0
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Thanks, that makes sense. I think I might fall into the 'tweak as needed' catagory lol I tried the low calorie eating and it just made me gain more. Then again I have a lot of muscle mass and that's how I end up in the morbidly obese catagory.
Weight loss is so simple on the surface, but when you get down to the nuts and bolts it can feel like navigating a maze while blindfolded!
Thanks again for replying! - And for the OP 0 -
Eye opener.......and you're right. We're all DIFFERENT!!
I look at some of the threads to lose 20lbs in 2 months....
hah!!!! I'm gonna be happy if I lose 8 lbs in 3 months!!
For me, it's all about getting healthy, getting rid of the belly
fat that causes so many health issues. I'm almost 50 and
my metabolism has definitely changed from when I was
in my 20's. The pounds just don't want to come off!!!!0 -
Thanks again for a great post, Boss/Banks. Keep on teaching!
I'm trying to focus on my BF% more than what the scale actually says (although that is a very ingrained habit to break) and how I'm feeling, which is, at age 54, better than I have in a couple of decades!!!! :bigsmile:0 -
Thanks for the GREAT post!!! You are soooo Awesome!!!!
I really hate seeing women (and men) talk about how much they still have to lose when they are in the normal range. I mean, come on, when is it enough?
I remember laughing out loud when I first set my goals here. Sure, I'll set my goal weight at 130 because I'll never achieve it - why not lose 2lbs average a week? My thinking was way off....
Now I understand the whole concept.
Thanks Banks, for opening my eyes!0 -
Great post. I believe we can have moderation here and balance even when trying to lose weight. It's why I don't track myself on weekends. I don't go crazy...just don't worry about it.
Cindy0 -
I'm shamelessly plugging my post again, cuz stuff falls out just way to fast on here.0
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You'll start seeing those hard to define muscles like abs at around 19 or 18% usually.
Pfftt... I wish! I'm right around 19%, and thanks to having a baby, I still have a large hunk of fat right on top of my nice hard abs. The rest of me is good, though, so I'm not really worried about it. I would much rather have that fat and my sweet baby than nice abs any day.
Lots of good info here, Banks! Thanks!0 -
You'll start seeing those hard to define muscles like abs at around 19 or 18% usually.
Pfftt... I wish! I'm right around 19%, and thanks to having a baby, I still have a large hunk of fat right on top of my nice hard abs. The rest of me is good, though, so I'm not really worried about it. I would much rather have that fat and my sweet baby than nice abs any day.
Lots of good info here, Banks! Thanks!
ok well, that's the USUAL time you start to see them, special cases (like having a watermellon sized human pulled from your belly) not withstanding 0 -
Tag for future reading (as in again and again)...
:bigsmile:0 -
Nice post. It really helps to change your way of thinking about what your diet is. I am trying harder to look at my protien/carb/fat ratio rather than just my calorie intake and "staying in my numbers". Healthy is way better than skinny!0
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I'm glad to see a healthy way out here, too many women in particular out there stressing over 10 pounds that they really don't need to lose, etc. I set my goal weight at above the "recommended" weight for my height because I've always had a lot of muscle. When I get to my goal, then I can tweak and play with the numbers... but the main point is I want to be HEALTHY whether I look good in a bikini or not!0
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I'm glad to see a healthy way out here, too many women in particular out there stressing over 10 pounds that they really don't need to lose, etc. I set my goal weight at above the "recommended" weight for my height because I've always had a lot of muscle. When I get to my goal, then I can tweak and play with the numbers... but the main point is I want to be HEALTHY whether I look good in a bikini or not!
Not much muscle here ... I just figure I'll shoot for the high end of "healthy" and see where I end up after my workout programs, hehe.
As for a bikini ... didn't wear one when I was younger and am not about to start now :laugh:.0
This discussion has been closed.
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