What should my goal be?

lilawolf

I would appreciate some help picking a healthy goal weight. Currently I am 5' 9.5" and 172lbs. In my research, most websites say that I should be in the 145-150 range, but I am not sure that that is adequate for my body type.

5 years ago, I was 17, I was in great shape (fitness wise) and a little too slender. I was 5'8ish and 120lbs with no pinchable fat anywhere and a very small chest. I was still a size 8! I dont think my skeleton would fit in anything smaller than a size 6. I have a very curvy bones structure with broad hips and shoulders, a bit of a bubble butt, and a waist that can be thin. I am also pretty strong and have muscles that bulk up relatively easily (though not to a yucky extent). At least a few young men would be proud of my biceps. Muscle is heavy! On the other hand, my belly hangs out over my size 13 jeans, my thighs look massive, and Im able to grab some back fat though its not visible through my shirt yet. So no excuses here.

Then, I was working as a tour guide with long hikes, bike rides, and swims and eating clean, unprocessed foods including fresh, river salmon 3-4 times a week. After that, I went through school (engineering degree!), and spent most of my time sitting in class or sitting and studying. Now I have a desk job. I have also been on birth control for 5 years now which may be contributing to weight gain.

I do not want to be model skinny! I just want to look nice and healthy. Anyway, if you are a female who is 5' 9ish, what is the smallest size you think you could fit into? Are you dainty or broad? What is your goal? What weight do you look good at? Anybody else with good ideas are more than welcome to respond. Is 145-150 a reasonable goal?

Thanks in advance!

lilawolf

Please help!

DanaDark

Find your body fat %.

Determine your desired body fat % goal.

Determine your current number of fat pounds (based on current BF%).

Determine your desired number of fat pounds (based on goal BF%).

Subtract the goal fat in pounds from the current fat in pounds.

Now take this number and subtract it from your current weight.

That should be your goal weight.

bradphil87

Your goal should be 2 things: the weight you feel make you look good. And the weight you are healthy at (no medical problems from being overweight, and no higher risk factors for these.) if you are healthy and love the way you look then that is your goal. people are so quick to think a number will give them what they want to see or feel. I thought that too, I've reached "goal" twice on this journey only to find that is really wasn't goal because the 2 things weren't met. Best of luck to you! I know you can do it! And don't even worry about seeking a goal weight if your not sure

ahmommy

I'm 5'10" and currently 145, so I definitely think 145-150 is a reasonable goal. I'm looking to lose a few more, but I'm also going to start the 30 day shred as soon as it comes in the mail, and if I maintain but lose inches I'll be perfectly happy. I need to turn flab in to muscle.

I have a very small frame, so I think I look better on the lighter side. I wear size 8 in jeans and I don't know that I'll ever get back into size 6.

In college I was the same height but 130 lbs. I wore size 6 jeans. I don't think I was too skinny in looking at me, but I don't think I was healthy. I walked everywhere (def not a bad thing) and didn't eat enough (here's where I went wrong).

psuLemon

There are two major factors when you determining your goal weight, lean body mass (determined with your current weight and body fat) and your goal body fat. From here you can derive your ideal weight. The first thing you do is figure out your current body fat percentage (body calipers are the best option if a dexa scan or water emersion is not available) and your current weight. This will allow you to understand how much lean body mass ( everything that isnt fat to include; tissue, muscle, bone) your actually have. Once you figure out your lbm, then you can choose a goal body fat percentage. Depending on how cut or fit you want to look will affect this decision. For me i want abs, so for a man, i need to aim for 6-8%.

With this said, you now have the ability to determine your goal weight. Example, i am 200 lbs @ 12% body fat. My goal is 6% body fat. Below is the calculations to back into your goal weight.

First you need your lbm;

LBM = weight - (weight *body fat %)
LBM = 200 - (200 *.12) =176

Goal weight = lbm ÷ (1- goal body fat)
GW = 176 ÷ (1 - .06) = 187

itsuki

I'm 5'10", currently 175, started at 195.

Similar boat to you - I was 105 when I was younger, that was waaaaay too skinny. (Like you, I have broad shoulders and wide hips... big skeleton). I remembering being happy at 125, but I had little to no muscle. So I'm aiming for 145 right now, but as I get closer I might recalculate.

ahmommy

There are two major factors when you determining your goal weight, lean body mass (determined with your current weight and body fat) and your goal body fat. From here you can derive your ideal weight. The first thing you do is figure out your current body fat percentage (body calipers are the best option if a dexa scan or water emersion is not available) and your current weight. This will allow you to understand how much lean body mass ( everything that isnt fat to include; tissue, muscle, bone) your actually have. Once you figure out your lbm, then you can choose a goal body fat percentage. Depending on how cut or fit you want to look will affect this decision. For me i want abs, so for a man, i need to aim for 6-8%.

With this said, you now have the ability to determine your goal weight. Example, i am 200 lbs @ 12% body fat. My goal is 6% body fat. Below is the calculations to back into your goal weight.

First you need your lbm;

LBM = weight - (weight *body fat %)
LBM = 200 - (200 *.12) =176

Goal weight = lbm ÷ (1- goal body fat)
GW = 176 ÷ (1 - .06) = 187

I'm curious - does this calculation assume that you already have the muscle mass you want to have?

Anna800

I was going to say 150 would be good for you, but I think it would help if you posted a picture of yourself, maybe with your body type you look fine at your current weight.

gummybears3

Yay you answered my question! Ill answer here

Ok So you say at 120 you wore an eight, that should tell you something. You have a large frame. 120 is VERY skinny. I could not weigh 120 at 5'9.5 I would die. In highschool I had a very skinny phase I went through (fast metabolism, never ate properly) and I weighed 120 and I was a size 0! My prom dress was a size 0 and it was not a good look. Right now I'm 145 as you saw from my post and I wear a size 4. I'm a size 6 in some brands. I believe at my weight and height a size 4 is as small as you can be. I have a decent amount of muscle (from running all the time) and lifting occassionally so im about as thin as you can be at 145 and im still not smaller than a 4/6. Even at 135 (my goal) I would be a 4 I would just be more toned.I think tall girls are meant to be bigger sizes even when we're skinny. it's just impossible and unhealthy to be a size 2 at 5'9.5 except for 1% of the girls out there with genetics that make them that way or those with eating disorders. With a large frame you can weigh 145-160 and be skinny, but i think maybe 145 would be too thin since youre built with wider dimensions you could end up looking like a skeleton :noway: try for 160, get there then decide if you want to lose more. I bet 155 would be the perfect weight for you, you'd be thin but not too thin! Good luck!!