How Do You Work Out Ideal Weight ?

Crystaleyed
Crystaleyed Posts: 229 Member
edited January 2 in Health and Weight Loss
Another question, I am curious little things :3.
Okay, so I have set myself an ideal weight goal based on BMI and before everyone starts telling me how inaccurate it is I don't know another way to see what I'm like and I looked on the National Health Service {NHS} Website and that was the only tool they had to check weather you were healthy weight wise.
But dad was saying the other day that the weight I'm aiming for is not healthy, but I don't know how else to work out my 'perfect' weight. My ideal situation would be to be in the middle of the healthy BMI so that if I want to tone up I don't go straight into the underweight section and if I loose track for a few days I'm not back to square one.
I don't suppose anyone has any ideas what weight I should be aiming for.
I am 5ft 6 and 72kg / 11.4 lb ?

Replies

  • maricash
    maricash Posts: 280 Member
    BMI is reasonable for many people. I am the same height as you, though much heavier at the moment. I set my initial goal weight at 150, just because that was in the healthy BMI range. My plan is to get there and see what happens. I may also switch to a body fat percentage goal at that time.

    I tried the goal body weight calculator at http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/ibw/

    It takes a goal body fat percentage into account. According to it, based on my current and goal body fat percentages, a healthy weight for me is 160, which is actually a few pounds over the healthy BMI range. I think this might be correct, since I do have a fairly large frame, but I won't know until I get closer.

    Ultimately I think a healthy weight is one that you can easily maintain through healthy habits. That is, if you are eating healthy and exercising and your body is at 150, than that is healthy for you. If it drops to 130 than that is probably right for you. If you have to starve yourself to be 150 (or 130 or 110), than you should probably weigh more.

    Don't get too caught up on numbers. Focus on continuing to eat right and exercise and you'll find the ideal weight for you.
  • kellicci
    kellicci Posts: 409 Member
    I think BMI is a good place to start. It does depends on frame also but certainly if you stay within the healthy BMI zone you should be at what most consider a healthy weight. Never mind what you dad says, listen to the health professionals.

    Set your goal to 150 if that sounds good to you now, and as you get closer you can decide if that is really where you wan to be you may decide to raise or lower it once you get closer. I'm much shorter than you at 5'1" but I set my goal weight to 127 but I think I have toned up some so I may stop at 129 and got to maintenance. I'm okay with a few extra pounds of muscle, but honestly I didn't think I would be until it happened.
  • AllonsYtotheTardis
    AllonsYtotheTardis Posts: 16,947 Member
    I have my goal weight set at the high end of 'healthy' BMI. When I get there, I plan to re-assess.
  • TaniaCorric
    TaniaCorric Posts: 51 Member
    well im 5'4 and weigh 67kgs and am in healthy BMI but i could still see to drop at least another 10kgs without looking unhealthy.
  • Flixie00
    Flixie00 Posts: 1,195 Member
    I initially took the mid weight for a healthy BMI, but after I had taken up strength training I adjusted my target weight up to the high end of the BMI for my height as I felt that my original target weight would make me look scrawny.

    BMI is a good place to start, and once you near your target, you should have a good idea of what weight would suit you and can adjust your target accordingly.

    Good luck.
  • sevencallmemom
    sevencallmemom Posts: 505 Member
    The goal I had set for myself was in the 160's and then the closer I got, and still wasn't happy with myself, the lower I made my goal. When I recently set it to 130 (and I am a big framed girl...shoulders like a freaking linebacker...or so I've been told. LOL), I knew that I probably wasn't having a healthy outlook.

    I went to the Dr last week and asked him and he said 150, but the more we talked and the more he realized that my goals are for strength and not skinny, he revised that to 160.

    I'm not sure if it's where I'll stick until I get there, but it was good for me to hear that 130 is not healthy FOR ME.
  • Farburnfred
    Farburnfred Posts: 333 Member
    I think you get to a place,decide if you like it or not and move up and down accordingly. BMI is a good start. I am 5'6 and targeted 62 kg, but at 63 still feel quite flabby, so am now trying for 60... I think I could go down to 54 without going into the underweight section..but that feels far too light..

    And I Want my weight to be muscle not flab..so doing strength training is a must.

    Good luck to you
  • RoadsterGirlie
    RoadsterGirlie Posts: 1,195 Member
    I currently have a BMI of 18.6, (5'9" and 126 lbs). It's not that hard to maintain - I eat at least 1600 calories a day, and more on the weekends. I also do combined cardio and weight training for an hour a day 5x a week.

    There are going to be others who are on the opposite end from me who can only maintain at a higher end of the healthy BMI spectrum.

    As another poster said - you should pick the balance between what feels good, and what is the easiest to maintain.
  • Crystaleyed
    Crystaleyed Posts: 229 Member
    BMI is reasonable for many people. I am the same height as you, though much heavier at the moment. I set my initial goal weight at 150, just because that was in the healthy BMI range. My plan is to get there and see what happens. I may also switch to a body fat percentage goal at that time.

    I tried the goal body weight calculator at http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/ibw/

    It takes a goal body fat percentage into account. According to it, based on my current and goal body fat percentages, a healthy weight for me is 160, which is actually a few pounds over the healthy BMI range. I think this might be correct, since I do have a fairly large frame, but I won't know until I get closer.

    Ultimately I think a healthy weight is one that you can easily maintain through healthy habits. That is, if you are eating healthy and exercising and your body is at 150, than that is healthy for you. If it drops to 130 than that is probably right for you. If you have to starve yourself to be 150 (or 130 or 110), than you should probably weigh more.

    Don't get too caught up on numbers. Focus on continuing to eat right and exercise and you'll find the ideal weight for you.

    Thank you for the link I will have to try it out when I come back as I really need to get to bed at the moment and I'm away for the next few days. I am only bothered about weight as far as being healthy is concerned and I just want to make sure that I'm not going to end up losing more weight than I need to.
    By the way I LOVE your picture :).
  • Crystaleyed
    Crystaleyed Posts: 229 Member
    I think BMI is a good place to start. It does depends on frame also but certainly if you stay within the healthy BMI zone you should be at what most consider a healthy weight. Never mind what you dad says, listen to the health professionals.

    Set your goal to 150 if that sounds good to you now, and as you get closer you can decide if that is really where you wan to be you may decide to raise or lower it once you get closer. I'm much shorter than you at 5'1" but I set my goal weight to 127 but I think I have toned up some so I may stop at 129 and got to maintenance. I'm okay with a few extra pounds of muscle, but honestly I didn't think I would be until it happened.

    Thank you, it's nice to know there are other people doing this and that I'm not aspiring to an unhealthy weight by using something others think is invalid.
    I also want to congratulate you on your loss, it sounds as though you're truly happy with where you're at and that you've worked hard to get there. Well Done :)
  • Crystaleyed
    Crystaleyed Posts: 229 Member
    I initially took the mid weight for a healthy BMI, but after I had taken up strength training I adjusted my target weight up to the high end of the BMI for my height as I felt that my original target weight would make me look scrawny.

    BMI is a good place to start, and once you near your target, you should have a good idea of what weight would suit you and can adjust your target accordingly.

    Good luck.

    Thanks for the advice and I'm at mid point now, I thought it was a good place to be since at the moment my main focus is weight and being at a healthy weight and not being toned I thought it would be good to be mid because if I went slightly higher or lower it wouldn't result in me being under or over weight again.
    Thanks for the reassurance that I'm doing the right thing :)
  • Crystaleyed
    Crystaleyed Posts: 229 Member
    I think you get to a place,decide if you like it or not and move up and down accordingly. BMI is a good start. I am 5'6 and targeted 62 kg, but at 63 still feel quite flabby, so am now trying for 60... I think I could go down to 54 without going into the underweight section..but that feels far too light..

    And I Want my weight to be muscle not flab..so doing strength training is a must.

    Good luck to you

    Thank youu and I would love to do strength training, but I'm clueless at the moment I'm stuck on Cardio and forgive me if I'm wrong but isn't strength training involving gym weights and stuff ?
  • Chief_Rocka
    Chief_Rocka Posts: 4,710 Member
    You figure it out as you go. You don't reall know how you will look at a certain weight until you get within 10-15 lbs of it.
This discussion has been closed.

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