Defining a Goal Weight

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steelyjoe22
steelyjoe22 Posts: 40 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
9 months ago, I weighed 285 lbs. This morning, I weighed 214 lbs. This is the lightest I have ever been since middle school, when I was about 13 years old and 5'4" (I'm now 24 years old and 6'2"); so there is no "I want to be high school skinny again" for a guy like me.

I looked up the BMI indexes, and it says a healthy weight range for someone like me should be 144-194 lbs. This is a huge range, and doesn't really help me all that much when it comes to setting a goal, or when to stop eating such a calorie deficit.

The bottom line is, I don't know where to set my sights on anymore. I had originally set 220, then 200 as goals that I thought it would be impossible to achieve. At my current pace, I'll be below 200 sometime in April, and looking at my body now, I definitely have more than 14 lbs of fat that I'd like to get rid of.

Does anyone have a better way of getting a clearer number, based on my actual body type?

Thanks for your help!

Replies

  • CristinaL1983
    CristinaL1983 Posts: 1,119 Member
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    You can have your body fat checked right now (or estimated using one of the online estimators which use measurements). If your body fat estimate says you are (let's just say for the sake of having numbers) 23% at 214 then 214x.23 = 49.22 lbs body fat which means that you have 164.78 lbs of lean body mass (lbm). If your goal is 15% BF then you would shoot for 195 lbs. There are online calculators that will do the math for you if you want.

    That's how I figured out my goal
  • steelyjoe22
    steelyjoe22 Posts: 40 Member
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    You can have your body fat checked right now (or estimated using one of the online estimators which use measurements). If your body fat estimate says you are (let's just say for the sake of having numbers) 23% at 214 then 214x.23 = 49.22 lbs body fat which means that you have 164.78 lbs of lean body mass (lbm). If your goal is 15% BF then you would shoot for 195 lbs. There are online calculators that will do the math for you if you want.

    That's how I figured out my goal

    Thanks! Do you have suggestions as to where to get my body fat measured accurately? My scale claims to do it, but I don't think that's very accurate.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    That weight sounds about right for your height, so why not just go for the old 'stand infront of a mirror in your pants' measurement? if you're happy, you are at your goal, if not, then work on losing a bit of body fat, or go for a bulk to build muscle, and then cut.

    the actual number on the scale doesnt matter, how you feel is more important.
  • jesindc
    jesindc Posts: 724 Member
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    Finding that ideal weight is a very individual thing. For instance, both my sister and I are 5'6'', but she has a MUCH smaller frame. For me, 130 = thin and size 6. For my sister, 130 = size 8. Oh and then for my best friend who is taller and has an athletic build, 130 = rail thin size 2 or 4. My sister looks fantastic around 120 lbs, but my bones start to stick out and my head looks too big for my body if I drop below 123.

    I've also found that I hang onto weight a little bit differently than I did 10 years ago. I don't know if it's just getting older or if it's the effects of two pregnancies. I originally had my weight goal set higher until I reached that weight and realized that I still had a good amount of fat in certain parts of the body. Right now I'm trying to focus less on the numbers on the scale and more on building more muscle. I figure that if I keep building muscle, that pesky belly fat will eventually melt away.

    Anyhow, all of this is just to say... you're not married to a number. Personally, I like to set small goals and then readjust. I think you're doing a great job!!
  • CristinaL1983
    CristinaL1983 Posts: 1,119 Member
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    You can have your body fat checked right now (or estimated using one of the online estimators which use measurements). If your body fat estimate says you are (let's just say for the sake of having numbers) 23% at 214 then 214x.23 = 49.22 lbs body fat which means that you have 164.78 lbs of lean body mass (lbm). If your goal is 15% BF then you would shoot for 195 lbs. There are online calculators that will do the math for you if you want.

    That's how I figured out my goal

    Thanks! Do you have suggestions as to where to get my body fat measured accurately? My scale claims to do it, but I don't think that's very accurate.

    Scales are the least accurate tool for body fat measurement you are right.

    Calipers are going to be the most accurate (cheap and easy) way to measure. You can find some online (sites like amazon.com) or if you belong to a gym, some trainers have them and could measure your body fat. They usually run $5-15

    If you want to pay to have it done for less than $100 you can get a DXA scan which is extremely accurate. It is kind of like an x ray but measures bone density, lean body mass, muscle mass, and fat mass.

    If you have a tape measure handy and want to get a decent estimate, http://www.davedraper.com/bodyfat-calculation.html is one of the best online estimates I've found (closest to actual). It takes into account frame size and muscle (to some degree).

    Ideal weight =Lean Body Mass/(1- Desired Body Fat Percentage)

    Edit to add: in this formula desired body fat percentage should be input in the format 0.15 (where 15% body fat is desired).

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