How To: Determine Weight Goal
psuLemon
Posts: 38,428 MFP Moderator
Everyone, there have been several post lately on how to determine your weight goal. In hopes of helping people out, below is one approach to doing that. This approach will provide you a general guideline of how to determine your goal while maintaining your lean body mass. I do realize that an acceptable amount of LBM loss is 10%, especially if you have a significant amount of weight to lose. This does not address what is required to maintain your metabolism and lbm during your weight loss journey, so that is another part of the weight loss puzzle to be discussed. Hope you find this helpful.
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 immersion 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
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 immersion 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
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Replies
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Ahh, I posted a question on another thread where you posted this, but I'll post it here too.
Does this assume that you already have the muscle mass that you want/need? I'd love to go from 25% to 20% body fat, but I don't want to lose that much weight, I want to replace the fat with muscle.0 -
Ahh, I posted a question on another thread where you posted this, but I'll post it here too.
Does this assume that you already have the muscle mass that you want/need? I'd love to go from 25% to 20% body fat, but I don't want to lose that much weight, I want to replace the fat with muscle.
Well you can't replace fat with muscle. You can either cut fat or increase muscle. This is why you hear of a cut phase and a bulk phase. If you aren't comfortable with your current LBM what you can do is determine the lean body mass that you want and then figure out your estimated goal. So if I wanted to gain 10 lbs of muscle (from 176 to 186) my goal weight would have to change from 187 to 197. And then I would have to either bulk up past 200 lbs and then go through a cut phase or complete your cut phase and then do a bulk phase. And keep in mind, that when you bulk that 90% could be muscle, so you will have to re-cut after.
Make sense?0 -
Yes, but can I build muscle and lose fat at the same time? I'm a beginner so can I get newb gains while still cutting calories? I'm about to start the 30 day shred in hopes that it will help me on the way to my goal.0
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Thank you!!! Amazing post. I'll be using this for reference.
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Yes, but can I build muscle and lose fat at the same time? I'm a beginner so can I get newb gains while still cutting calories? I'm about to start the 30 day shred in hopes that it will help me on the way to my goal.
No you can't. Cutting fat requires a calories deficit. Increasing muscle requires a calorie surplus. Also, 30DS is way too much cardio to build muscle. Cardio can work against you if you want to build muscle.0 -
Okay, thanks! I think I'll go ahead and do the shred, keep eating at a deficit, and see where that gets me weight wise. Then I'll up my calories and start lifting.0
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The only thing I will add is that if you currently have lbm of 176 and you want to lose weight and get yo 6% BF%, you will most likely also lose a minimum of 1 lb of lbm/10lbs lost (most likely more than that) So if that is the case then if you have LBM of 176 now and need to drop 20lbs your new lbm would be 174 or less, which to have the 6% BF% you would then have to weigh 185.
In this case it is only a 1 lb difference but depending on how much LBM you lose and what you current fat% is you may end up being 5-15 lbs lower than you thought you would have to be to reach that % body fat.0 -
Okay, thanks! I think I'll go ahead and do the shred, keep eating at a deficit, and see where that gets me weight wise. Then I'll up my calories and start lifting.
No, lift now, and heavy. If you are cutting and not lifting a large % of your loss will be lean mass, meaning you will have to weigh less to achieve the same body fat % you could have achieved at a higher weight had you incorporated strength training all along.0 -
Yes, but can I build muscle and lose fat at the same time? I'm a beginner so can I get newb gains while still cutting calories? I'm about to start the 30 day shred in hopes that it will help me on the way to my goal.
No you can't. Cutting fat requires a calories deficit. Increasing muscle requires a calorie surplus. Also, 30DS is way too much cardio to build muscle. Cardio can work against you if you want to build muscle.
That couldn't be any further from the truth! They've even done studies on this with cyclists (one group ate 1000 calories less, another group rode their bikes more to burn 1000 more calories). The group that ate less lost more weight, but their BF% didn't drop as much as the group that rode more. The group that rode more still lost weight, but built up a lot more muscle in the mean time.
On top of that, this can be a very dangerous thread for people to refer to. Your LBM and BF% changes at the same time as you lose weight. What you goal weight at a certain BF% may be when you're 250 lbs will be different from if you're 50 lbs lighter. Also, people NEED an ACCURATE way to measure their BF% in order to even start using such a tool, and they should have more knowledge regarding what are safe, healthy, and realistic BF% levels.
Do your research people.0 -
Thank you. It actually gave me one pound over MY choice of goal weight. Awesome!0
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Okay, thanks! I think I'll go ahead and do the shred, keep eating at a deficit, and see where that gets me weight wise. Then I'll up my calories and start lifting.
No, lift now, and heavy. If you are cutting and not lifting a large % of your loss will be lean mass, meaning you will have to weigh less to achieve the same body fat % you could have achieved at a higher weight had you incorporated strength training all along.
I've seen pictures on here of amazing results from the 30 day shred. Should I lift heavy in addition to doing these workouts? Forego the shred completely and lift instead? I have little time with two small children, so I need a lot of bang for my buck, so to speak.0 -
Okay, thanks! I think I'll go ahead and do the shred, keep eating at a deficit, and see where that gets me weight wise. Then I'll up my calories and start lifting.
No, lift now, and heavy. If you are cutting and not lifting a large % of your loss will be lean mass, meaning you will have to weigh less to achieve the same body fat % you could have achieved at a higher weight had you incorporated strength training all along.
I've seen pictures on here of amazing results from the 30 day shred. Should I lift heavy in addition to doing these workouts? Forego the shred completely and lift instead? I have little time with two small children, so I need a lot of bang for my buck, so to speak.
Lift heavy, start now. : )
http://www.jacn.org/content/18/2/115.abstractResults for the Dieters Who Did Cardio Only
The cardio only group lost most overall weight than the resistance only group, but unfortunately lost a significant amount of lean body mass. They also experienced a decrease in resting metabolic rate. So, obviously if someone is dieting hard they need to more than just cardio to maintain their lean muscle mass.
Results for the Dieters Who Did Resistance Training
This group didn’t lose any muscle mass whatsoever. In fact they lost more body fat than the cardio only group. Also, you have probably heard that “the metabolism slows down if calories are kept too low”. Well…this group actually had a higher resting metabolic rate than when they started. So resistance training is key when you are dieting.
http://fitnessblackbook.com/dieting_for_fat_loss/maintain-muscle-mass-on-800-calories-per-day/0 -
Yes, but can I build muscle and lose fat at the same time? I'm a beginner so can I get newb gains while still cutting calories? I'm about to start the 30 day shred in hopes that it will help me on the way to my goal.
No you can't. Cutting fat requires a calories deficit. Increasing muscle requires a calorie surplus. Also, 30DS is way too much cardio to build muscle. Cardio can work against you if you want to build muscle.
That couldn't be any further from the truth! They've even done studies on this with cyclists (one group ate 1000 calories less, another group rode their bikes more to burn 1000 more calories). The group that ate less lost more weight, but their BF% didn't drop as much as the group that rode more. The group that rode more still lost weight, but built up a lot more muscle in the mean time.
On top of that, this can be a very dangerous thread for people to refer to. Your LBM and BF% changes at the same time as you lose weight. What you goal weight at a certain BF% may be when you're 250 lbs will be different from if you're 50 lbs lighter. Also, people NEED an ACCURATE way to measure their BF% in order to even start using such a tool, and they should have more knowledge regarding what are safe, healthy, and realistic BF% levels.
Do your research people.
Many of us have done our research
http://www.metaboliceffect.com/topic/38-nutrition-lifestyle.aspx
"At the end of the twelve-week study, both groups lost weight but the difference in muscle vs. fat loss was striking. The aerobic group lost 37 pounds over the course of the study. The resistance-training group lost 32 pounds. A focus on weight loss would lead us to the conclusion that aerobic exercise is best. However, when looking at the type of weight lost it was shown that the aerobic group lost almost 10 pounds of muscle on average while the resistance training group lost fat exclusively and maintained their muscle mass. Most important, when the resting metabolic rate of the participants was calculated, the aerobic group was shown to be burning 210 fewer calories at rest per day!! In contrast, the resistance-training group actually increased their metabolism by 63 calories per day."0 -
Okay, thanks! I think I'll go ahead and do the shred, keep eating at a deficit, and see where that gets me weight wise. Then I'll up my calories and start lifting.
No, lift now, and heavy. If you are cutting and not lifting a large % of your loss will be lean mass, meaning you will have to weigh less to achieve the same body fat % you could have achieved at a higher weight had you incorporated strength training all along.
I've seen pictures on here of amazing results from the 30 day shred. Should I lift heavy in addition to doing these workouts? Forego the shred completely and lift instead? I have little time with two small children, so I need a lot of bang for my buck, so to speak.
Get some resistance bands. If you can't afford a program like chalean extreme or p90x, you can look up strong lift 5x5 (this one requires weights I believe) or you can go onto www.bodyrock.tv . Also, you can find resistance training on youtube and on demand.0 -
Yes, but can I build muscle and lose fat at the same time? I'm a beginner so can I get newb gains while still cutting calories? I'm about to start the 30 day shred in hopes that it will help me on the way to my goal.
No you can't. Cutting fat requires a calories deficit. Increasing muscle requires a calorie surplus. Also, 30DS is way too much cardio to build muscle. Cardio can work against you if you want to build muscle.
That couldn't be any further from the truth! They've even done studies on this with cyclists (one group ate 1000 calories less, another group rode their bikes more to burn 1000 more calories). The group that ate less lost more weight, but their BF% didn't drop as much as the group that rode more. The group that rode more still lost weight, but built up a lot more muscle in the mean time.
On top of that, this can be a very dangerous thread for people to refer to. Your LBM and BF% changes at the same time as you lose weight. What you goal weight at a certain BF% may be when you're 250 lbs will be different from if you're 50 lbs lighter. Also, people NEED an ACCURATE way to measure their BF% in order to even start using such a tool, and they should have more knowledge regarding what are safe, healthy, and realistic BF% levels.
Do your research people.
I don't see how this equation could be dangerous. Honestly I probably would have a lower body weight goal with out it. My goal weight with this is 120. I probably would have a goal weight of 10-15lbs lighter because I am so short.
About lifting. My understanding is that you are partially correct. And when I say partially correct I mean that you are mostly wrong. The reason lifting and especially lifting heavy while on a deficit is to maintain lean body mass. If you maintain lean body mass and lower your body fat it may seam like you have gained alot of muscle but in most cases you maintained what you already had by lifting heavy and cutting your body fat.
Google is you best friend but only if you get your info from reputable sources.0 -
Okay, thanks! I think I'll go ahead and do the shred, keep eating at a deficit, and see where that gets me weight wise. Then I'll up my calories and start lifting.
No, lift now, and heavy. If you are cutting and not lifting a large % of your loss will be lean mass, meaning you will have to weigh less to achieve the same body fat % you could have achieved at a higher weight had you incorporated strength training all along.
I've seen pictures on here of amazing results from the 30 day shred. Should I lift heavy in addition to doing these workouts? Forego the shred completely and lift instead? I have little time with two small children, so I need a lot of bang for my buck, so to speak.
Get some resistance bands. If you can't afford a program like chalean extreme or p90x, you can look up strong lift 5x5 (this one requires weights I believe) or you can go onto www.bodyrock.tv . Also, you can find resistance training on youtube and on demand.
Oh yeah, and it helps to have this guy on your friends list. you don't have to Google, he just gives you the reputable sources. It's like magic or something.0 -
Yes, but can I build muscle and lose fat at the same time? I'm a beginner so can I get newb gains while still cutting calories? I'm about to start the 30 day shred in hopes that it will help me on the way to my goal.
No you can't. Cutting fat requires a calories deficit. Increasing muscle requires a calorie surplus. Also, 30DS is way too much cardio to build muscle. Cardio can work against you if you want to build muscle.
That couldn't be any further from the truth! They've even done studies on this with cyclists (one group ate 1000 calories less, another group rode their bikes more to burn 1000 more calories). The group that ate less lost more weight, but their BF% didn't drop as much as the group that rode more. The group that rode more still lost weight, but built up a lot more muscle in the mean time.
On top of that, this can be a very dangerous thread for people to refer to. Your LBM and BF% changes at the same time as you lose weight. What you goal weight at a certain BF% may be when you're 250 lbs will be different from if you're 50 lbs lighter. Also, people NEED an ACCURATE way to measure their BF% in order to even start using such a tool, and they should have more knowledge regarding what are safe, healthy, and realistic BF% levels.
Do your research people.
Well its no different than weight loss. You cant look at it once and call it a day. Every 30,60,90 days or close to that you need to re-measure and evaluate your goals. I do mine every 90 days.0 -
Hey, so I weigh 130 and I'm 5'6 and am still a teen. so i was wondering if it's even possible for me to lose more weight while i'm still growing and such?0
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Hey, so I weigh 130 and I'm 5'6 and am still a teen. so i was wondering if it's even possible for me to lose more weight while i'm still growing and such?
As a growing teen you want to stay away from cutting calories. Its best to increase strength training and work on your eating habits. If you eat adequate protein and lift heavy then your body will reduce fat.0 -
Why is everyone quoting what I said earlier and then started talking about lifting weights? I said nothing about lifting weights! All I was saying that they you CAN building muscle while you were on a calorie deficit, that's all.
My more subtle point was that it is better to lose weight from a calorie deficit created through exercise alone, and not from "dieting"."0 -
Bump0
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Why is everyone quoting what I said earlier and then started talking about lifting weights? I said nothing about lifting weights! All I was saying that they you CAN building muscle while you were on a calorie deficit, that's all.
My more subtle point was that it is better to lose weight from a calorie deficit created through exercise alone, and not from "dieting"."
I would be interested in the study you were talking about. Seriously. All of the studies I have read, and my own experience, is that it is NOT possible to gain muscle while losing fat. I couple exceptions are always possible but I did not really experience them myself.
The study I posted showed a loss of lean mass while in a defecit and combined with cardio and only a maintenance of lean muscle with resistance and calorie deficit. The results match many other similar studies I have seen on the subject. I have never seen one that showed a growth in muscle though.0 -
Why is everyone quoting what I said earlier and then started talking about lifting weights? I said nothing about lifting weights! All I was saying that they you CAN building muscle while you were on a calorie deficit, that's all.
My more subtle point was that it is better to lose weight from a calorie deficit created through exercise alone, and not from "dieting"."
I would be interested in the study you were talking about. Seriously. All of the studies I have read, and my own experience, is that it is NOT possible to gain muscle while losing fat. I couple exceptions are always possible but I did not really experience them myself.
The study I posted showed a loss of lean mass while in a defecit and combined with cardio and only a maintenance of lean muscle with resistance and calorie deficit. The results match many other similar studies I have seen on the subject. I have never seen one that showed a growth in muscle though.
I have only ever seen one study that suggest that you can gain muscle on a calorie deficit (heybales posted it a few months back).0 -
Yes, but can I build muscle and lose fat at the same time? I'm a beginner so can I get newb gains while still cutting calories? I'm about to start the 30 day shred in hopes that it will help me on the way to my goal.
No you can't. Cutting fat requires a calories deficit. Increasing muscle requires a calorie surplus. Also, 30DS is way too much cardio to build muscle. Cardio can work against you if you want to build muscle.
I've heard many times that too much cardio can work against you when trying to build muscle. But how do you know how much cardio is too much? Would love input on this. Thanks!0 -
Yes, but can I build muscle and lose fat at the same time? I'm a beginner so can I get newb gains while still cutting calories? I'm about to start the 30 day shred in hopes that it will help me on the way to my goal.
No you can't. Cutting fat requires a calories deficit. Increasing muscle requires a calorie surplus. Also, 30DS is way too much cardio to build muscle. Cardio can work against you if you want to build muscle.
I've heard many times that too much cardio can work against you when trying to build muscle. But how do you know how much cardio is too much? Would love input on this. Thanks!
In this instance 30 shred is mostly cardio and muscle conditioning so it won't build muscle. As far as cardio goes, it depends on a few things. You level of training. You length of workout and calories intake. When you do cardio for long periods, you can go catabolic. In the trained indiidaul, this can be at aroung the 1:45 minute to 2 hour mark. For lesser trained people it could be at the 75 to 90 minute mark. You've exausted the body's glycogen reserves and you body pulls from fat and muscle for energy at that point. There is also some competition for the body's resources if there is a lot of cardio mixed in with your strength training.0 -
Lets bump this.0
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bump so I can keep track of it.0
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This was really helpful. Thanks Lemon! :happy:0
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This was really helpful. Thanks Lemon! :happy:
Glad i can help.0 -
What is a good body fat percentage for a woman?
I did the measurements to get a rough calculation and it came out around 16.5%, which according to charts is a good precentage, but I still have a lot of flab!
Of course I just used the tape measurement equation and I assume that is not very accurate.
Doing these calculations my goal weight came out to 119 pounds with 15% body fat, but that seems high to me. I used to be around 113-115 and would love to get back down there. I'm 5'3 and have a lot of muscle.0
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