goal weight? how do you know....

lin7604

i posted this back a week or so ago and didn't get responses so i am asking it again to see if anyone can help me figure this out. I had a goal, hit it in dec and then gained 5 lbs on vacation... it's been 35 week snow and i can't get it off. So i am wondering, how do you know when you have reached your goal weight or just in a plateau? i am not sure what my final goal weigh should be, if i should keep trying to go lower or if i am at it....

healthygreek

I hit my goal last week (130) but then decided I would lose 5 more cause I wasn't quite satisfied and I was on the high side of my bmi and the range for a 5'1" woman is between about 105-130.
I think it's pretty much up to you what weight you feel happy with as long as its not underweight.

lin7604

but that is just it, i don't know where i feel happy being? I am 5.2 ft and i wanted 120-125 and then when i got there i though, oh no i need to be back to 120. then it was like well 115-120 so i can have that 5 lb bounce around weight... but once i hit 116.4 i felt awesome and loved being closer to that 115 mark but i just can't seem to get back there or stay there... so i don't know if it' s not ment to be or just that i have hit a stall?

cmriverside

There is a balance we all strike between the degree of difficulty and the importance of some randomly chosen number.

ImmaZombie

I just want to be a healthy BMI again.. getting to 144 will put me on the high side of a healthy BMI, so I plan on going a little lower to see where my body likes me.

Heybales has a spreadsheet that tells you what your goal weight should be for your age, height, weight, measurements, etc. You might check that out.

lin7604

thanks for that info, i checked out his link and it says 110....not sure if i can get there, but if i can get down to 115 and then no more then 118 max ever, i think i will be happy. I don't think 110 is reasonable for me??????

ajwolters

I'm 5'6" and like myself at 120, or even down to 118, but no less. That's where I don't look in the mirror and go, "ewwww..." Find the weight and muscle tone where you look in the mirror and say, "Damn, I look GOOD!" and where you FEEL good - healthy and lots of energy.

lin7604

well that is definitely at 115 no ore then... but i can't seem to get there and stay there.... that is the problem, so i wondered if this was my " sweet spot"... not sure how to break it and get down and stay down?

kylethomas3

Have you tried lifting weights? Lifting weights can be a great way to break through a plateau. If you are lifting weights, try lifting heavier weights for a few less repetitions. This will help give some lean body mass which might give you a better shape and help you stabilize your weight. Just a thought

lin7604

thx. I have been doing any strength in my dvd's i do at home like 30ds or rin30, slim in 6. That si what i have done as of strength. I assume that isn't enough and will try to do a bit more daily, maybe after my dvd is done, continue to do a rew more reps of each exercise. My heaviest weight at home is 10 lbs so far and i can't do all exercises with that yet...

KareninCanada

Maybe focus on a level of fitness, rather than a number on the scale. 115 and skinny-fat looks a whole lot different than 125 and fit. Check out Staci at Nerd Fitness.

http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/


Not that I'm encouraging you to take up powerlifting...

lin7604

i wish i could do more lifting, bu i only have 10 lb weights ( and 3 and 5,lol0 i can't use 10 lbs for every exercise and i find when i'm not following a dvd like ripped in 30 or 30 day shred i have no idea what to do, where to start, how much, how long, etc...

PrimalSiren

i posted this back a week or so ago and didn't get responses so i am asking it again to see if anyone can help me figure this out. I had a goal, hit it in dec and then gained 5 lbs on vacation... it's been 35 week snow and i can't get it off. So i am wondering, how do you know when you have reached your goal weight or just in a plateau? i am not sure what my final goal weigh should be, if i should keep trying to go lower or if i am at it....

The problem is the average person looks at the number on the scale rather than the % of body fat they're carrying around. I could say my goal weight was 130 lbs, but if my body fat % was +25% I would still look chubby and wouldn't feel satisfied at all with my body. Now if my weight was 130 lbs and I had 20% body fat or less I'd be much more satisfied and would look thinner, and would probably be a smaller pant size than at 25% body fat. It really changes from person to person, but I never go by the # on the scale. Are you satisfied with how your body looks? If not, build some muscle, if you are, then maintain.

Also, you can use your own body weight to build muscle. Simplefit.org, and bodyrock.tv are great places to go for building muscle without the use of weights, and they're free. I very highly recommend simplefit.org. It really is simple, but very effective.

cpudoc64

I think BMI is a pile of hooey. Think about it, most professional athletes are considered obese by those standards. I don't pay attention to BMI because it doesn't take into account muscle. So its not accurate. Body Fat Percentage and Hip to Waist Ratio would be better.

PrimalSiren

I think BMI is a pile of hooey. Think about it, most professional athletes are considered obese by those standards. I don't pay attention to BMI because it doesn't take into account muscle. So its not accurate. Body Fat Percentage and Hip to Waist Ratio would be better.

THIS times a million!!

acogg

This will probably not help you, but I reached mine ahead of my weight loss goal. I was seriously addicted to seeing the scale go down. I finally stopped when I couldn't buy any clothes in a reasonable manner. If clothes were more available to me, I would probably still be losing. Losing weight is another addiction that I hadn't thought was possible. I still feel fat though I am in the healthy range of my BMI and low weight factoring in my age. Yet if I could lose another ten pounds, I would be on that journey. I am trying to eat above my expenditure and working out, but I still have the mindset that small is all. It is hard to wrap my head around that the journey is over. Finally over.

kcallas88

Bump

TheRealParisLove

Try calculating where you want your body fat to be. I'm aiming for 18%, just because I'm curious what that feels like. My weight is lower than it has been in a very long time and my body fat is lower than it has ever been, well..ever.

Maybe you should try figuring out your body fat and them decide from there where you'd like to be % wise.

MyChocolateDiet

but that is just it, i don't know where i feel happy being? I am 5.2 ft and i wanted 120-125 and then when i got there i though, oh no i need to be back to 120. then it was like well 115-120 so i can have that 5 lb bounce around weight... but once i hit 116.4 i felt awesome and loved being closer to that 115 mark but i just can't seem to get back there or stay there... so i don't know if it' s not ment to be or just that i have hit a stall?

116.4 that's your goal weight. NOT 116.6 or 116.2, or 116.3. None of those ONLY 116.4!

That's what this whole conversation sounds like to a person trying to lose over 50 lbs. Splitting hairs.

lin7604

i posted this back a week or so ago and didn't get responses so i am asking it again to see if anyone can help me figure this out. I had a goal, hit it in dec and then gained 5 lbs on vacation... it's been 35 week snow and i can't get it off. So i am wondering, how do you know when you have reached your goal weight or just in a plateau? i am not sure what my final goal weigh should be, if i should keep trying to go lower or if i am at it....

The problem is the average person looks at the number on the scale rather than the % of body fat they're carrying around. I could say my goal weight was 130 lbs, but if my body fat % was +25% I would still look chubby and wouldn't feel satisfied at all with my body. Now if my weight was 130 lbs and I had 20% body fat or less I'd be much more satisfied and would look thinner, and would probably be a smaller pant size than at 25% body fat. It really changes from person to person, but I never go by the # on the scale. Are you satisfied with how your body looks? If not, build some muscle, if you are, then maintain.

Also, you can use your own body weight to build muscle. Simplefit.org, and bodyrock.tv are great places to go for building muscle without the use of weights, and they're free. I very highly recommend simplefit.org. It really is simple, but very effective.

ya i guess i am not there yet then. i a 23% bf. I know there is a few more inches that i woudl like to lose, mainly my lower belly. I have no idea what a good number is either for bf, as i know it is up to the individual on where you want to be. I don't know what 20% would look like on me, so i don't know if that is a good number, or too low or still a bit high.... when i do my stats on the calculators, when i try to figure out 20%, it always shows me with a weight anywhere from110-115, but i don't know if i can maintain 110 especially if i start to lift more then i do now.

lin7604

Try calculating where you want your body fat to be. I'm aiming for 18%, just because I'm curious what that feels like. My weight is lower than it has been in a very long time and my body fat is lower than it has ever been, well..ever.

Maybe you should try figuring out your body fat and them decide from there where you'd like to be % wise.

which calculator do you use to figure your out?

lin7604

but that is just it, i don't know where i feel happy being? I am 5.2 ft and i wanted 120-125 and then when i got there i though, oh no i need to be back to 120. then it was like well 115-120 so i can have that 5 lb bounce around weight... but once i hit 116.4 i felt awesome and loved being closer to that 115 mark but i just can't seem to get back there or stay there... so i don't know if it' s not ment to be or just that i have hit a stall?

116.4 that's your goal weight. NOT 116.6 or 116.2, or 116.3. None of those ONLY 116.4!

That's what this whole conversation sounds like to a person trying to lose over 50 lbs. Splitting hairs.

NO NO NO..... that was the lowest i got to 116.4, my goal was 115. i hit that in dec for a short 2 weeks but all of jan i have been back up ( up to 121) and can't get under 118.6. I am trying so hard to get back down as i still am working on losing inches but can't lose ANY inches ( been almost 2 months since i lost any inches) or weight.

Controversial

I asked my doctor what my "ideal weight" for my height and build are, and keep that loosely in mind. However, my real goal is a clothing size and BF%.

Weight is just a number. And here's why I say that.... When I was in high school, I weighed 160 and fit a size 14. Now, 17 years later, I'm 160 again but a size 8!! That's a MASSIVE difference.

Moral of the story: Forget the stinking scale, it lies.

lin7604

i hear you and understand . I may be at my clothing size goal but still not bf%. i still have inches i want to lose, like i mentioned mostly lower belly. so i won't keep a smaller belly if i gain more weight, it will just get bigger again... so no more then where i am now but obliviously i need to lose more to lose more belly still. I also asked my dr what a goal weigh woudl be for me and she said 115-120. so i am there now but can't stay there and still not happy with the inches i still need to lose.