How do you determine your weight goal?

Amy911Gray

I chose the middle of BMI. For me at 5'5", that was 130. I'm at 140, I'm a size 6 now, and so if I reach that 130 goal great. If not, not so sad. I thought that I would be able to tie my shoes, sit with my legs indian-style in a chair, walk without pain, climb stairs, swim in a pool, and maybe run again if I was at 130. Funny thing is, I can do all of that NOW.

Thing is, I was never ever a size 6. Even in high school. I remember wearing a size 7 when wearing an all-in-one girdle (we had to have those for twirling under the sequin costumes). I did lose to about a 6 for a month so I could fit a formal dress Mom borrowed (she promised me a wonderful dinner with all the trimmings if I could save her $500 for a dress). Dinner was wonderful!!!

If you are unsure, try maintenance for a while. If you decide to lose more, then do it. Ask your doctor what he/she thinks the next time you have to go. With all of the conflicting information out there in print and on the internet, it's good to ask the one person that has your health to consider. Remember to ask only the questions you want answers to...don't do like so many people have done and ask open-ended questions. You may not like the answers (lol).

Pimpmonkey

I know where I don't want to be and just guaged it from there. According to the "charts" I am supposed to be 135-165. At 174lbs I looked like a crack or heroin addict. I actually took my clothes off once and was told to put them back on. I know, I will never go that low again. I figure any where between 200-220lbs is good for me as long as it's healthy as well. (i'm 5'9")

Pimpmonkey

I call my weight goal my "arbitrary weight goal". Officially, it is 164. 163 is the highest number for the "large frame" category for women who are 5'7". 164 is a nice round 140 pound weight loss. 141 would upset the OCD in me. I've only weighed in the lower 160s once at my adult height and I was 17/18 years old. At the time, even though I remember looking in the mirror, hunting for fat and for places I needed to improve, I had a really hard time finding figure flaws. HOWEVER, it was impossible for me to imagine that I could weight 160+ pounds without being disgusting, so I continued to assume I was horribly overweight, in spite of what i saw in the mirror.

With benefit of hindsight, I now realize I may have honestly been in the ball park of the ideal weight for me at that time.

So, I picked an arbitrary goal of 164.

What I hope to do is to have some body composition tests done at a nearby university when I get down close to 170 and just see what it says. I suspect it will honestly be difficult to figure out if I'm close to a good weight because I'll have floppy skin that will add both bulk and extra weight. I'd like to be around 20% BF.

If I can't do the testing, I'll just lose until I'm happy and find clothes I like, invest in a wardrobe of spanx to firm things up, and make it up as I go. Hey, maybe I'm even closer to my goal than I think I am!!

Shannon

Ooooh, where did you find a chart with "large frame"?

iuew

i used BMI and the met life tables.

http://www.halls.md/ideal-weight/met.htm

neither is perfect, especially if you're a bodybuilder or are very tall. i'm medium build and 5'11", so it worked well for me.

jg627

I used a dartboard to come up with a goal weight of 200 lbs even. I'm 11 lbs away.

rkr22401

I don't put much stock in BMI charts. At my height the normal BMI range is 115-150 lbs (male). At 150 lbs I would be too skinny. At 115 lbs, Sally Struthers would be pleading for you to send my 37 cents per day to buy a sandwich.

Better to determine your goal weight using your goal BF%. Divide your current lean body mass by 1 - goal BF% to determine your body weight at your desired BF%.

flatblade

I know where I don't want to be and just guaged it from there. According to the "charts" I am supposed to be 135-165. At 174lbs I looked like a crack or heroin addict. I actually took my clothes off once and was told to put them back on. I know, I will never go that low again. I figure any where between 200-220lbs is good for me as long as it's healthy as well. (i'm 5'9")

I always thought I was at least 5'10" maybe 5'11" and now I find I am only 5'9.25". I have checked the ideals on BMI charts and the number is lower than I've been in my adult life. I have set a goal of 60 lb. weight loss, which still leaves me in the obese category. I want to see what the results are in my blood levels--BP, cholesterol, blood sugar, and triglycerides--and then decide if I need to go further. I am quite confident my levels will be substantially improved, and if they are, then I'll worry about how I look. I am expecting to reach my goal and then going for a new goal, about 40 more pounds (100 total).

peacemongernc

I call my weight goal my "arbitrary weight goal". Officially, it is 164. 163 is the highest number for the "large frame" category for women who are 5'7". 164 is a nice round 140 pound weight loss. 141 would upset the OCD in me. I've only weighed in the lower 160s once at my adult height and I was 17/18 years old. At the time, even though I remember looking in the mirror, hunting for fat and for places I needed to improve, I had a really hard time finding figure flaws. HOWEVER, it was impossible for me to imagine that I could weight 160+ pounds without being disgusting, so I continued to assume I was horribly overweight, in spite of what i saw in the mirror.

With benefit of hindsight, I now realize I may have honestly been in the ball park of the ideal weight for me at that time.

So, I picked an arbitrary goal of 164.

What I hope to do is to have some body composition tests done at a nearby university when I get down close to 170 and just see what it says. I suspect it will honestly be difficult to figure out if I'm close to a good weight because I'll have floppy skin that will add both bulk and extra weight. I'd like to be around 20% BF.

If I can't do the testing, I'll just lose until I'm happy and find clothes I like, invest in a wardrobe of spanx to firm things up, and make it up as I go. Hey, maybe I'm even closer to my goal than I think I am!!

Shannon

Ooooh, where did you find a chart with "large frame"?

If you Google "height weight large frame chart" lots of websites with charts will come up. I found this one and it looks pretty standard: http://www.changingshape.com/calculators/ideal-body-weight/

usmcmp

Lean body mass/(1-desired body fat %) = Goal weight

*desired body fat percentage should be in decimal form.

For me: 134/(1-.18)=163

scrappy25

Shooting for no love handles or poochy tum! Just a few more pounds but mostly happy with where I am, in no hurry to lose more although I'll take it if it comes.

californiagirl2012

That is an interesting question because your goal can change. It depend on if you are happy with where you are or not.

When I started out I thought I wanted to be a size 8 because that was the smallest I'd ever been in my life. I lost weight on my own the first year, then I found something called the Venus Index which helped me redefine my goals and I have exceed my wildest imagination at age 50. I also found a couple of books, Naturally Thin by Bethany Frankel and the Anything Goes Diet by John Barban who also wrote the Venus Index (and the Adonis Index for men). My story and audio interviews are on the Venus Index blog as Roberta because I placed in a couple of their contests.

Anyway, I am now size 2-3 at age 51 and the fittest I've ever been in my life.

Don't limit yourself.

madelonism

I started out saying I wanted to be 145. but It all depends on how it looks because i happen to love the way plus size models look like Candice Huffine (shes beautiful). so maybe I will be happy at 160 or 170.

DeMarraDontStop

My goal is to lose 50 pounds in 1 year and to wear a size 10. I am now a size 10 but still a few pounds from 50 pound loss! I'm going to still reach that goal!

lilawolf

I use body fat percent and a chart for that. I know what I am at, so I subtract what I want (22% which is the middle of the "fit' category) from what I am (29.3), and multiply that with my body weight. This gives me the number of lbs I would like to lose (12). I would then weigh 153lbs. This doesn't quite work since most people lose muscled as well as fat. The way I am losing weight, I should lose very little, and however much I do, I will try to gain back after I finish cutting.

I also want to get back into my size 10 jeans that I know I looked fab in. When I wore those, I had a flat tummy and also looked good in a bikini. That was the best looking weight for me which I think was 150-160, but I'm not sure.

The body fat thing is important, because there are a lot of people dieting in an unhealthy way without enough calories. They are losing quickly, but a lot of what they are losing is muscle. They won't feel or look as good when they are done. They also will have slowed their metabolism down, leading to yoyo dieting when they start eating normally...

Rae6503

I go by what I see in the mirror. Currently I'm pretty happy with it and I'm busy so I've decided to stop losing for now.

PenYu76

The BMI is crap! My opinion, of course...
I'm shooting for my healthy, happy weight, the weight I was at when I got pregnant with my son. At one point I was thinner, and working out too much, and eating crazy crap and taking a bunch of supplements and I was not a happy or fun person. I don't want to get that thin again. And even then, at my thinnest, my BMI said I was overweight. So I go by how I feel. I feel so much better now, but I have a long way to go (40 lbs) still. I'm going to get there! Using this app on my phone, it is the first time that losing weight has been almost easy. I wasn't eating enough before. Now I get to eat and lose weight. I recommend this to everyone who will listen!

marlonkysha

i think your fine, we get cought up to much by BMI and all that stuff, if you feel great and you have lost weight and overall your much healthier than that is for you to determine, bc if we all went by our BMI then more than likely noone would be overweight. Keep up the good work....

geekyjock76

Lean body mass/(1-desired body fat %) = Goal weight

*desired body fat percentage should be in decimal form.

For me: 134/(1-.18)=163

As a personal trainer, I base a person's reasonable weight goals on their present lean body mass. Now and then I have people asking for goal weights that are nearly identical to their present lean body mass which clearly is not obtainable.

Aside from that, I always set short term body composition goals for them to reach. Once they look in the mirror and love what they see and how their clothes fit, they can decide when it's time to begin maintenance.

gobraves47

I picked a goal that was just inside the healthy BMI range for my height. I'm open to adjusting it a little as I get closer to it. I haven't been that weight since I was 14, 3 inches shorter, and pretty athletic. Hopefully I'll end up close to my goal.

usmcmp

Lean body mass/(1-desired body fat %) = Goal weight

*desired body fat percentage should be in decimal form.

For me: 134/(1-.18)=163

As a personal trainer, I base a person's reasonable weight goals on their present lean body mass. Now and then I have people asking for goal weights that are nearly identical to their present lean body mass which clearly is not obtainable.

Aside from that, I always set short term body composition goals for them to reach. Once they look in the mirror and love what they see and how their clothes fit, they can decide when it's time to begin maintenance.

This formula definitely doesn't take recomp into account. For the example I used for myself I wouldn't care if I reached that specific weight as long as my lean mass increased and body fat decreased.