Your Goal Weight (especially for those with a lot to lose)

NuggetBrain

I'm 5'4 and am supposed to be 142 at the heaviest. However, I was about 175 at my wedding and felt pretty damn good, so I set that as my goal weight. I will probably reassess when I get there, maybe drop ten or fifteen more pounds but I would never be able to keep myself at 140 or below because my body is just not built for that.

bmqbonnie

I don't really have one in mind. I think I officially picked 140. I figured it was reasonable and it would be a good weight for me as long as I'm muscular. Currently 150 and I'm 5'6 with a fairly large frame.

According to bodybuilding I should aim for 125... I don't think that will happen. I've been that low before and I was a twig, but we'll see. Since I'm on those last 10ish pounds I'm really just maintaining a lifestyle and we'll see where I hit when I hit a stride of eating healthy, being active and lifting heavy. I figure it'll be somewhere between 130 and 140 when I have a lifestyle I can live with and am pretty happy with my body.

Sexyf28

I'm with you! I started at 403 and picked a goal weight of 180 but figure I'll be good around 200. I don't know who comes up with the numbers they think you should be but screw them. hahahah

biggerbigs

Hell, I just needs to lose alot. Thinking seeing my toes is a good goal. Wish me luck, it my first day!

bloomlately

Mine is totally dictated by the government. My general goal weight is the weight that puts me back into the Normal range (135) on the BMI chart. My ultimate goal weight is about 10 under that, which would put me at a good body fat percentage.

Mathguy1

The first time I worked with a trainer, I was able to drop down to 172. Unfortunately, my nutrition plan was lacking and I was "skinny fat". After regaining the weight, my coworker pointed me towards this website to help me with my nutrition plan (better food choices and portion control). As for my goal weight, I originally set it to be 170 lbs (about the weight I dropped to before) to see what I would look like. Upon reaching that goal, I remembered that I used to be 165 during college. I have my ticker set to that goal weight. If I reach 165, that'll be nice. However, if I dont, I wont be disappointed. I'm very happy to be near 170 lbs (I'm 43 yrs old and 5'10"). I probably wont drop below 165.

abbycosta0912

my starting weight was 188... that is a LOT for me. i am 5'6 and i was always the active one. i got sick and within 6 months had gained 50 lbs. my goal is 145ish? anything less and i look too thin. i have people telling me that 145 is too heavy for my height, but it isn't if it's muscle!

cmfruin2012

Thank you all for responding so quickly and so insightfully. I appreciate the feedback.

OMGitsaLisa

And I am not shy about wearing a swimsuit in public -- in fact swimming is my form of exercise right now. If people don't like the way it looks, they don't have to look at me!

Yeah, I didn't mean to imply that no overweight people should wear swimsuits in public and I do wish I had your confidence. I just have a hormone disorder that has led to disproportionate weight gain in my upper body so I have abnormally large, and sort of lumpy arms which are really embarrassing to me, coupled with not nearly enough self-esteem. Weight loss will never fix the arm thing for me and I don't know that I will ever come to a point where I'm comfortable showing them off, but being healthy is the goal I focus on, not being beautiful. That's what therapy is for. Hehe.

BarbieAS

I have my own short-term goals (for example, I want to see if I can get off 26 more pounds by the first weekend in May. I have a girls' weekend scheduled and that's my pre-baby weight. Somewhat arbitrary but it's something to work towards.), but I keep those just kind of in my head. As far as my ultimate goal - what appears on my ticker - I chose that because I remember being that weight - just at the end of college, when I met my husband, etc - and I felt pretty good there. It's just on the cusp of "overweight" based on BMI for my height, and I'm ok with that. I'm a curvy girl (I'm measuring 45-33-51 right now), and as long as I'm healthy I'm fine staying a little soft, in the size 8-10 range.

BUT, I reserve the right to revise my goals as I get closer to them. We ALL have that right. It's totally ok to have a goal of 145, and get to 152 and thinking you feel pretty good and you're ready to stop. It's also totally ok to get to 145 and not be satisfied and decide to try for 135. It's nice to have an approximate goal in mind, something to work towards, but once you get into a healthy weight range for your height and body type it's really just all about how you feel, especially since bone structure, how you carry weight, and muscle mass are all going to play a big part in how you look vs the number on the scale.

SadKitty27

I'm 5'6 and my goal weight is 125lbs...It's the smallest weight I've ever gotten down to (granted not in proper ways,) but I was very happy at that weight, and would love nothing more than to get back down to it the "right way" this time.

I gained all my weight back plus some after having my kid.

njohnston64

I'm 5' 8" and currently weigh 184.3 lbs. Back in 2008, I had gained up to approximately 253 lbs. (Could've been more before I actually weighed in.). The medical recommendation weight range for my height is 125-164 lbs. I consulted my doctor, and he recommended a goal weight of 170 lbs. I wanted some wiggle room for fluctuation (+/-5 lbs), so I set a my goal at 165 lbs. I lost about 65 lbs over the span of about 1 year, but over the last few years I slowly regained 30 lbs. Since October 2012, I've been working to lose those 30 lbs regained plus the rest. I'm currently less than 20 lbs away from goal! (YAHOO!) And because of the combination of cardio/strength training I've added to my routine, I'm smaller than I've been in a LONG time. I definitely feel like 165 is attainable now. Once there, I'll maintain for awhile and then re-evaulate to determine if I should aim a little lower.

luvgurl22

I've been on both sides of the coin.at my lowest 115 and currently my highest weight ever. I was pretty active back then and very mindful of my diet. The guidelines for bmi and suggested weight would have probably said my old weight was classified as "underweight" but then again if you saw how much I ate and how much I worked out you'd be convinced otherwise. Now that I am getting older its taking a lot more effort on my part to get the same results that I could have gotten in the past with little effort. I would love to be my old weight but to be realistic Id like a stronger body with tone and definition in the ab,butt,leg.and,back arms.With that in mind that's how I came up of a goal weight of 140,being 5"8 t:happy: at puts me around the healthy margin for bmi and ideal weights:laugh:

itsmelynn15

My goal is 160 (started out at 306.6). Whwn I reach my goal I will then make the decision if I want to lose a bit more but it will depend on my feelings at that time. I am 5 foot 6 and 160 is still considered overweight but like I said it will depend on MY feelings when I hit my goal. :happy:

nczuczu

If I were you, I'd stick to the 200 lb mark. Once you get there, you can then decide if you want to go further. You may find that you are perfectly happy at that size or you may find that you still want to lose more.

I know that for me, I'd love to be 125, but at 47 years old, I would be happy with anything under 200 lbs. Haven't seen that since the 1980's. I have set some small goals for me to achieve and that is what I am focusing on right now. I hit the first goal of losing 10 lbs. Next mini-goal is to get to 215 (11 lbs away).

Whatever you do, just keep on tracking and moving. Good luck to you!

Kellyeee2013

I chose the weight I chose because when I started University I was that weight and I believe it was healthy. I am 195 and want to be 140.

agoofynut

I'm 5'3" and according to BMI my highest weight should be 140. That is what I've officially set as my goal. However, since I've been 200 pounds overweight for years, I suspect that I might be happy with myself long before I get to 140. My unofficial goal is just to get below 200, which is now about 25 pounds away.

KenosFeoh

I chose a goal weight about in the middle of what is supposed to be a healthy range for my height and build.

But really, right now I'd just like to lose 5 pounds. I've been gaining and losing the same 3 pounds ever since I joined MFP, and I'm beginning to despair that I'll ever succeed in losing any fat.

LynnieG85

When I started a few weeks ago I weighed a little over 200lbs. I've chosen 140 as my goal weight, as that's the weight I was steady at for a long time before I started to gain. Of course, I thought I was mega fat back then too... but I was 18, haha.

I think 130 would be good for my height, but I'm not sure I'd get there... People always guess that I'm at least 15lbs lighter than what I am, so I think 130 would be too thin ... I think I've got really heavy boobs or feet or something

I'll re-evaluate when (if) I get to 140, but I let's just see if I can get there first :flowerforyou:

Edited to include my height: I'm 5'6"

KBoddu

I'm 5'8 and currently weigh 303.6 (down from 340). I am losing for health and being able to have a comfortable pregnancy. My OBGYN told me that if I lose down to 200 pounds that I would look great with my build. *I* have a personal goal to be below 200 so, my "goal" is 199 pounds. I am HOPING to be there by the end of the year! If I lose more than that it would just be icing on the cake!

smurfaggie07

While looking at the forums and making new friends here the past few weeks, I have been checking out folks' tickers and their goal weights. I'm curious about how you all came to choose your goal weight. Is it doctor recommended? Dictated by governmental or other formal guidelines for someone your gender and height? Is it a weight you once were and were happy with how you looked or felt? For those with a lot to lose -- did you choose a weight that may still be in that category of overweight because it seemed a little less intimidating than what folks SAY someone your gender/height should be?

I am 5'9" and weigh over 400 pounds. For a female at this height -- I *should*, according to standards, weigh around 160. Even my doctor thinks that would be really thin for me. I have set my goal weight at 200. This would still be "overweight" by some guidelines -- but I remember weighing 200 pounds -- being a size 12/14 -- and I recall being pretty happy there. Doesn't mean I'll stop there -- but right now it seems attainable -- and I don't want to overwhelm myself with some unrealistic goal when I have such a long way to go.

Thoughts??

Today I'm at 337.7 and my goal is 200 as well. I think I'll be happy there, that's all.

LouPsych

I set my goal weight because of a bet site I'm involved in: Healthywage.com. Need to get to a healthy BMI in a year (<25), and 145 pounds is where my weight falls. However, the least I have ever weighed was 135 pounds and I liked how I felt/looked then. If I get there, fine. My main objective is to be healthy with less weight.

jmkmomm

I started out at 232.8. I am 5 foot 6. I always liked myself at a size 14. At my age (62) I have no idea where that will be. Right now my goal is 150 but I an setting 20 pound goals to see something more do-able. But the last pound is the hardest thing to do. I am stuck at 19 right now. Good luck

cmfruin2012

I set my goal weight because of a bet site I'm involved in: Healthywage.com. Need to get to a healthy BMI in a year (<25), and 145 pounds is where my weight falls. However, the least I have ever weighed was 135 pounds and I liked how I felt/looked then. If I get there, fine. My main objective is to be healthy with less weight.

I think I read a story in the news a couple weeks back about that web site -- how does that work?

SheBrokeHer0wnHeart

5'6 with a goal of 108.

ceemeelose

I am 5'10 and weigh 412 down from 475 pounds. Im not sure of what weight I would like to get down to, i guess it depends on how I look as i continue this journey. But I would definitely like to see 300 pounds.

zagrath769

I don't want to overwhelm myself with some unrealistic goal when I have such a long way to go.

Very good thinking.
I set my goal weight for 150. I currently weigh 255. I am 5'3.
I set my goal to 150 because that's about what I weighed in High School and I was happy and comfortable at that weight. According to the standards I'm supposed to weigh between 114-140 (what a range!). I think you've got your head on straight about this. Take small steps and be realistic. You'll do fine. Friend me if you'd like and I'll try to support you as best as I can.

shandi_b

I picked my goal weight to be the top of the "healthy weight range" for my height. I am 172 cm (5'8"), so it would make my goal around 74kg (or 163 lbs). (Start weight - nearly 255 lbs, Current weight - approx 236 lbs).
When I was 18 - at my lowest weight, I was around 123 lbs and looking back at photos I looked drained most of the time. When I got married - I was around the 69kg mark (approx 152 lbs) and I was healthy looking.......although that might be a bit hard for me to get down to now.

I'd be happy to get to the 159-164 lbs pound mark - I think that is more realistic for my age.

On a side note - one of my doctor's said that he didn't think it would be possible for me to lose a lot of weight and keep it off and said he would be happy for me just to get to 90kg (198lbs)..........I have taken it as a personal mission to prove him wrong (slowly but surely)

cmfruin2012

I am 5'10 and weigh 412 down from 475 pounds. Im not sure of what weight I would like to get down to, i guess it depends on how I look as i continue this journey. But I would definitely like to see 300 pounds.

Congrats on the loss so far!! And I am really excited at the thought of being back in the 300s. That will probably seem so weird to some people -- but it really is one step at a time.

Kaddyshack21

I started at 282 I have my goal set for 200. I am 5'5. This is WAY above the recommeded weight for my height. I think I am suppose to be 135-150ish ( don't quote me on that).

I realize that the majority of ppl are horrified at the very thought of even being 200 lbs.When I was at my very thinnnest I was 175 and a size 10 and the only way I was losing more weight is if they started removing vital organs. I will never be *normal* according to the BMI charts but I couldn't care less. What is most important to me is what I feel best at and what I feel most healthy at and that is what I am working towards.