How do I find my Ideal Weight?

kaeganc

I've never been natually thin, so when I started thinking about what weight I want to be with my 5'8 frame some of the numbers looked awfully low. How do I know what I'm supposed to weigh? I know that for years I was 163 without exercising, and I know my current weight of 195 certainly isn't too healthy, but other then that I'm lost. What should I go for? Do I have to see a doctor to find out?

pastryari

How did you feel when you were 161 lbs? If you felt good about it, then shoot for that again. Once you get there, re-evaluate and decide whether that is what you're happy with or if you want to lose more. But I can guarantee you that once you start getting closer to goal, the scale will matter less and less. Take pictures and measure yourself. Those are the things to use to gauge progress, not the scale. There are women that don't exercise that weigh 130 lbs but then start lifting and actually gain weight but look FAR better than they did at the lesser weight.

MizTerry

I was thinking about this earlier. My scale barely moves, but I can feel it in my CLOTHES.
Fat dissipated and is being replaced by muscle so the scale will crawl.
When I got out of boot camp, I weighed 15 pounds MORE, but I was a STICK!

angie13xx

I've never been natually thin, so when I started thinking about what weight I want to be with my 5'8 frame some of the numbers looked awfully low. How do I know what I'm supposed to weigh? I know that for years I was 163 without exercising, and I know my current weight of 195 certainly isn't too healthy, but other then that I'm lost. What should I go for? Do I have to see a doctor to find out?

Those are the BMI categories:

Underweight = <18.5
Normal weight = 18.5–24.9
Overweight = 25–29.9
Obesity = BMI of 30 or greater

Your normal weight BMI is in between 18.5–24.9
Your current BMI is 29.6 which puts you at the limit of the Overweight category. If you are going to gain two more pounds you will be in the Obesity category.
My guess for your best weight is 150 pounds, that puts you around the middle of the normal weight, you will have a BMI of 22.8 and then you can giggle a bit but still be in the safe zone.
If you were gonna be 160 pounds, your BMI would be 24.3, which is far to close to the Overweight mark.
If 150 pounds sounds too low to you, try to keep under 160, say between 155-159
Good luck xx

I edited this post cus I wanted to add a bit about doctor's advice.

Consulting a doctor before you start going on any diet its a good idea- sometimes. Now I am talking from experience, so please don't take it the wrong way.

I have been to see my doctor about weight loss, first of all she said I'm in my normal weight she wouldn't recommend but if I was to insist I have to drink more water, get my 5 a day, cut on fats and exercise as much as I can. Nothing that I didn't knew already. Oh and quit smoking haha! I love how smoking is the problem of every pain and problem you have. Hey doctor, I have a pain in my butt, can you fix it? Do you smoke? Yes! Then quit smoking and the pain will disappear! Sorry but personally I don't believe in doctors anymore, they don't seem to care anymore
But again, if your doctor cares enough, you might get a blood test to see if everything its fine with you and if you can go ahead with the diet. X

AnvilHead

I've never been natually thin, so when I started thinking about what weight I want to be with my 5'8 frame some of the numbers looked awfully low. How do I know what I'm supposed to weigh? I know that for years I was 163 without exercising, and I know my current weight of 195 certainly isn't too healthy, but other then that I'm lost. What should I go for?

You might want to think about setting a goal based upon bodyfat percentage rather than a scale weight. Neither BMI nor weight take body composition into consideration. Would you rather be 150 lbs. and flabby, or 160 pounds and lean/defined? Take a look at the photos in Leigh Peele's blog about bodyfat percentages (http://www.leighpeele.com/body-fat-pictures-and-percentages) and get an idea of where you'd like to end up (remember that genetics play a part and you won't necessarily look exactly like somebody else at a given bodyfat percentage). Body fat percentage is a much more relevant indicator to what your body aesthetics will be like than choosing a number on the scale.

MizTerry

Oh and quit smoking haha! I love how smoking is the problem of every pain and problem you have. Hey doctor, I have a pain in my butt, can you fix it? Do you smoke? Yes! Then quit smoking and the pain will disappear! Sorry but personally I don't believe in doctors anymore, they don't seem to care anymore

I quit a year ago. I still get aches and pains, darn it.
I told my kids that if I'm ever given months to live, I'm firing one up. LOL

NachoEverydayChick

Use one of (or a compilation of) a few different online body fat calculators to determine what your current lean body mass is (LBM). Then, get an idea of what your ideal goal bodyfat percentage is- you can look up pictures online of different bodies at different bodyfat percentages. So, say you find out that your LBM is 123 lbs, and your ideal BF% is 20%, then you figure out what weight will get you there.

So the equation is:
Ideal Body Weight BW= [(100*LBM)/(100-BF%)]
BW = [(100*123)/(100-20)]=12300/80=154lbs

It's not perfect, because it assumes that you'll have the same LBM now, which is improbable, but it will give you a great estimation.

That said, no matter what your goal is, you should be working with a moderate deficit to lose a reasonable amount of weight each week- the plan-of-action shouldn't change no matter what your goal is at this point. You will have to reevaluate when you get closer to goal and adjust based on the results you're getting and how you feel.

lilyeve503

I know how you feel... I think I'm gonna start with goal weights. I'm at 162 now and I feel a physical wreck lol my first goal weight is 155. I know it's low being only 5 lb. but it's just to start with. Then I'll do a 145 lb. goal

angie13xx

Would you rather be 150 lbs. and flabby, or 160 pounds and lean/defined? Take a look at the photos in Leigh Peele's blog about bodyfat percentages (http://www.leighpeele.com/body-fat-pictures-and-percentages) and get an idea of where you'd like to end up (remember that genetics play a part and you won't necessarily look exactly like somebody else at a given bodyfat percentage). Body fat percentage is a much more relevant indicator to what your body aesthetics will be like than choosing a number on the scale.

First of all please dont take this the wrong way, I am not arguing with you, i just dont agree
This girl need to lose weight, just like pretty much all of us on this site.
I think most of us mistaken what a diet is, we can't think of it as a diet, it has to be a life change. Most of us sets a goal and not all meet it. Why? Bcos we hear comments like " oh you look fine, you look a bit skinny or you should stop now" And you find your self quiting in the middle thinking, oh well, i did my best! NO you did not do your best and guess what? your weight somehow come back so NO! Never stop untill you reach your goal cus you always going to struggle, actually i believe that going a bit lower that your goal will put your mind at rest! i know it is difficult and painfully slow and frustrating, but would you rather do it right or would you like to find your self doing it over and over in your life time? I wouldnt, i already been there, done it far too many times- but never done it right just bcos i listen to the wrong people. So yeah, here i am again.
As for body fat %....im 123 pounds and my body fat is 25%. They say! Having 25% fat on my body will make me look quite chubby and I'm not. Please have a look at my photos. I have fat to lose from my belly and my legs mainly. But hey i am 25% fat. Now why i do not agree with you or the website with the pictures etc is bcos i used to weigh 209 pounds 30 months ago. I lost 86 pounds, now is there a calculator to measure your extra skin? Cus i have alot of it and thats why if i have to measure my body fat comes up to 25%, but it is actually lower than that!
Again, please dont take it the wrong way, i know we all want to help each other, but lets be realistic and achieve our goals. If we get lucky enough to get too skinny, we can always build up on muscle and define our bodies Hugs to you all xx

angie13xx

I quit a year ago. I still get aches and pains, darn it.
I told my kids that if I'm ever given months to live, I'm firing one up. LOL

I know smoking its bad for you and yes, i would like to stop at one point.
But i also know there is something else worst that smoking that does aloooot more damage to us.
STRESS!!!
I believe stress is no 1 killer out there.
Again im talking from personal experience....
When i am stressed:
- i eat alooot more- causes me to put on weight
- i smoke aloot more- we all know the causes
- i cant sleep- affects my day to day life
- i worry too much
- i get angry
- i feel stuck
- i get panic attacks etc
all last 4 affects my mental health lol
So yeah cigarettes are least I worry about )

NachoEverydayChick

Would you rather be 150 lbs. and flabby, or 160 pounds and lean/defined? Take a look at the photos in Leigh Peele's blog about bodyfat percentages (http://www.leighpeele.com/body-fat-pictures-and-percentages) and get an idea of where you'd like to end up (remember that genetics play a part and you won't necessarily look exactly like somebody else at a given bodyfat percentage). Body fat percentage is a much more relevant indicator to what your body aesthetics will be like than choosing a number on the scale.

First of all please dont take this the wrong way, I am not arguing with you, i just dont agree
This girl need to lose weight, just like pretty much all of us on this site.
I think most of us mistaken what a diet is, we can't think of it as a diet, it has to be a life change. Most of us sets a goal and not all meet it. Why? Bcos we hear comments like " oh you look fine, you look a bit skinny or you should stop now" And you find your self quiting in the middle thinking, oh well, i did my best! NO you did not do your best and guess what? your weight somehow come back so NO! Never stop untill you reach your goal cus you always going to struggle, actually i believe that going a bit lower that your goal will put your mind at rest! i know it is difficult and painfully slow and frustrating, but would you rather do it right or would you like to find your self doing it over and over in your life time? I wouldnt, i already been there, done it far too many times- but never done it right just bcos i listen to the wrong people. So yeah, here i am again.
As for body fat %....im 123 pounds and my body fat is 25%. They say! Having 25% fat on my body will make me look quite chubby and I'm not. Please have a look at my photos. I have fat to lose from my belly and my legs mainly. But hey i am 25% fat. Now why i do not agree with you or the website with the pictures etc is bcos i used to weigh 209 pounds 30 months ago. I lost 86 pounds, now is there a calculator to measure your extra skin? Cus i have alot of it and thats why if i have to measure my body fat comes up to 25%, but it is actually lower than that!
Again, please dont take it the wrong way, i know we all want to help each other, but lets be realistic and achieve our goals. If we get lucky enough to get too skinny, we can always build up on muscle and define our bodies Hugs to you all xx

Setting a goal weight lower than you want to be with no consideration of body fat, and doing everything you can to achieve it, is not a good plan. It's setting you up for failure when you hit goal. A much better plan is to lose fat slowly, setting your diet according to your cody composition and body composition goals, and working from there. If you get too skinny, you can't just put on muscle and end up with the body you want- that's actually EXTREMELY difficult and requires a lot of dedication. Not to mention, it's almost impossible to do without adding fat at the same time- it's why people go through bulking and cutting cycles. Losing fat is much easier than gaining muscle. The reality of what happens is that you get skinny with an artificially suppressed metabolism, and then you gain it back quickly, and it's a higher percentage of fat than you started with. You actually get fatter than if you had never gotten skinny in the first place. It's called yo-yo dieting, and you say you've been there- don't do it again! Maintain your LBM and lose the weight slowly, and you will minimize extra skin and end up looking better than people that weigh less than you.

The circumference methods aren't great- they assume that at certain sizes you have a certain percentage of muscle- the only way to really know your BF% is to get it professionally tested using a hydrostatic test, bod pod, or DEXA scan. It sounds like you feel like you look like your body fat is higher than 25% but the tests say 25. If you've already lost muscle in the yo-yo process, it's likely that your BF% is higher than the online calculators are telling you.

I would suggest making sure you're eating a good amount of protein and starting strength training now.

theRubberBlubberWhale_Slinky

I'm 5ft2 and the most I should weigh is 136.7lbs. I'm aiming for that weight first and then I will lose another 7ish lbs to take me to 129lbs.