How to find a 'healthy' weight for ~your~ body?

skillingsrobertj
skillingsrobertj Posts: 45
in Health and Weight Loss
I've been researching this question for a bit and decided to throw it out to this forum to see how others have answered it; how did you find a 'healthy' weight for ~your~ body?

Quick backstory; I decided to lose weight recently, so I have been watching my calories and getting more exercise. I found a routine that works for me and the weight has been coming down at a reasonable pace. No questions, there.

At first, my goal was just to lose 'some' weight and be more active. As I developed a good routine and the weight started coming down, the obvious question I started to ask myself was how much weight should I lose? And that question recently turned into; what is a 'healthy' weight for me?

When you ask a doctor, they have a height / weight chart with numbers that seem ridiculously low, e.g. a 6 foot 2 inch tall male like myself should range from 152-182 pounds. Please ! Years ago when I was doing martial arts 5x a week, competing in tournaments and at my fittest, the best I ever got was 202 pounds. Then, there's the numerous formulae you see on website after website to calculate weight or % fat; e.g. Lean Body Mass, Body Mass Index, % Body Fat, etc. etc .etc.

Like many of us here I am sure, I don't want to be an elite body-builder with 3% body fat, and I don't want to be an ultra-slim marathon runner, I want to be at a 'HEALTHY' weight.

With that in mind, how did you find what your healthy weight is ?

Replies

  • drmerc
    drmerc Posts: 2,603 Member
    Look in the mirror, evaluate, adjust accordingly
  • isitsororo
    isitsororo Posts: 116
    Find your healthy weight range, then choose the weight you feel the best at within that range. Healthy meaning you are not experiencing symptoms associated with high or low weight. I'm aiming for 115 lbs at 5'9, which may be too low for some people, but definitely not for me.
  • oharabears
    oharabears Posts: 85
    I second what drmerc said, with the addition of this: go for a weight that you can maintain without killing yourself in the gym or starving yourself in the kitchen...y'know...one that allows you to have and enjoy a life! ; )
  • quirkytizzy
    quirkytizzy Posts: 4,052 Member
    I'm 5'1 (female) and the medical advice for my goal weight has always scared me a little. Some of them say I should weigh 95-105 pounds! That might work for other girls, but my bust and other measurements would never be able to comfortably carry that. So I'm setting my goal at 120. If I think I can do it, I might push off another 5 pounds, but no lower. I really second what others say - what feels comfortable for you? What do you *feel* best at?
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,432 MFP Moderator
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/684493-how-to-determine-weight-goal?hl=how+to:+determine+weight+goal

    Here is how I determine my weight goal. Ideally, you want to preserve your lean body mass. But if you can preserve your lean body mass, the thread above will help determine your goal. Other than that, it's all about reaching your goals. If you aren't happy with your body, you can either cut more fat or gain some muscle mass. you can concentrate on athletic performance or whatever. But there really is no real answer to this question.

    BTW, I am a 5'11 year old guy, at 194 @ 12% body fat. Even when i get down to 6% body fat, I will be overweight according to bmi and weight. I will never fit into the normal range of my weight unless I cut muscle. And since muscle is lean and sexy and provides me the ability to eat a lot of calories, I think I will just ignore the charts.
  • jesz124
    jesz124 Posts: 1,004 Member
    I think you just answered your own question when you were talking about your scale weight at your fittest and most active period in your life. It's all irrelevant really. You knew yourself you were fit, healthy and perfectly in shape but were still classed as overweight. I don't think you can just pick a weight out of fresh air and say that's going to be my healthy weight. It really depends on your body composition, your muscle mass, your frame. E.G I would be probably weigh about 10-15 lbs heavier than another girl my height who doesn't weight train. I was heavy generally without weight training but with it i'm even heavier lol. But what i'm trying to say is scale weight doesn't really matter a huge amount in my opinion.
  • JustANumber85
    JustANumber85 Posts: 644 Member
    I think a "healthy weight" for 5'4 is 130-140? Im not sure.
  • jesz124
    jesz124 Posts: 1,004 Member
    I think a "healthy weight" for 5'4 is 130-140? Im not sure.

    See that makes me laugh because according to that i'm overweight. I'm a uk size 10 and around 22% body fat. Just goes to show how silly it is to base 'healthy' just on weight.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Look in the mirror, evaluate, adjust accordingly

    pretty much this!

    i have been the same weight, give or take 4-5lbs for over a year, but i am still working on losing bodyfat, which is changing my shape but not my weight.
  • jesz124
    jesz124 Posts: 1,004 Member
    Look in the mirror, evaluate, adjust accordingly

    pretty much this!

    i have been the same weight, give or take 4-5lbs for over a year, but i am still working on losing bodyfat, which is changing my shape but not my weight.

    Exactly the same here. My weight hasn't moved in months but body fat is shifting so the scales can go screw themselves lol.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    I think a "healthy weight" for 5'4 is 130-140? Im not sure.

    See that makes me laugh because according to that i'm overweight. I'm a uk size 10 and around 22% body fat. Just goes to show how silly it is to base 'healthy' just on weight.

    i am 5ft5, and my starting weight on here was 140! so by that, i didnt need to lose any weight to start with! i was a uk size 12 when i was that weight, which shows how differently peoples weight sits on them!
  • skillingsrobertj
    skillingsrobertj Posts: 45
    This is great info, thanks to everyone who has contributed to the discussion, I hope others are finding it useful as well.

    Based on some of the responses above, it sounds like others are asking the same kind of questions I am and are a bit perplexed as to how to find what their healthy weight is.

    Looking healthy and being physically fit is certainly part of the answer, but I know one guy who is a bodybuilder and another guy training for a marathon that people envy due to how they look on the outside but theyre a mess internally with cholesterol levels or blood pressure issues that will likely kill them in the future.

    Their weight is perfect for the group they're working out with, but are they 'healthy' ?

    Maybe the question I am asking myself is not just what my healthy weight should be, but how can I be the healthiest I can be?

    Being a numbers guy, how do I measure that ?
  • Linli_Anne
    Linli_Anne Posts: 1,360 Member
    Some people will go one step further in determining their range by also taking into consideration their frame size.

    Basically you take either a wrist or elbow measurement and that puts you into either a S-M-L category for frame size and that details a bit more which end of the weight range you should be in for your height. I'm 5'11 but have a large frame - and that isn't something that I can change, and it is something that is going to impact my weight.

    I will likely never get down to single digit clothes- but that isn't why I'm here. I'm here to become a fitter, healthier me so that I can enjoy life for a long time.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,432 MFP Moderator
    This is great info, thanks to everyone who has contributed to the discussion, I hope others are finding it useful as well.

    Based on some of the responses above, it sounds like others are asking the same kind of questions I am and are a bit perplexed as to how to find what their healthy weight is.

    Looking healthy and being physically fit is certainly part of the answer, but I know one guy who is a bodybuilder and another guy training for a marathon that people envy due to how they look on the outside but theyre a mess internally with cholesterol levels or blood pressure issues that will likely kill them in the future.

    Their weight is perfect for the group they're working out with, but are they 'healthy' ?

    Maybe the question I am asking myself is not just what my healthy weight should be, but how can I be the healthiest I can be?

    Being a numbers guy, how do I measure that ?

    I think you answered it yourself. As I numbers guy myself, I am very much worried about the amount of lean body mass I have. Now I am not going for body builder, I am going for lean, cut and fit. I want abs, so for me, I need about 6-8% body fat. I also have about 175lbs of muscle and I don't want to lose that. So I monitor my lean body mass. Also, I monitor my cholesterol numbers to ensure I am getting proper nutrition. You can add in weight, but I only measure weight to understand the correlation between lbm and fat mass. I also measure my athletic performance. Am I improving reps, weight count, intensity, the ability to last longer during HIIT. Am I becoming more flexible and how often do I get injured. Last week was the first time in three years i got sick, i continuously increase reps, weights, flexibility and endurance. I am increasing my definition (so cutting fat) and my cholesterol is going down. To me, that is heath. But I am classified as over weight according to BMI and weight standards (which I could care less).

Categories