What should my lean body weight be ?

Babieseverywhere
Babieseverywhere Posts: 311 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm a 39 yo female, 5 feet 4 inches tall (or short, lol)

What should my lean body weight be, when I am a healthy weight in lbs ?

Replies

  • Mads1997
    Mads1997 Posts: 1,494 Member
    How long is a piece of string?

    Everyones lean mass will vary.
  • Babieseverywhere
    Babieseverywhere Posts: 311 Member
    Oh right, I didn't know that.

    According to my body fat scales I am currently 185 lbs with approx 52 lbs of fat and 133 lbs of lean weight and wondered if that is reasonable ratio or not.
  • Mads1997
    Mads1997 Posts: 1,494 Member
    lean weight takes into account all your organs as well it's not just muscle. It would really depend on your makeup.

    two people could be the same weight on the scale one could have high fat content, low lean weight the other could have high lean weight, low fat content.
  • MommaSherryB
    MommaSherryB Posts: 79 Member
    It may help if you run some calculations...
    your frame size, BMI, etc.

    It sounds like you are mainly wanting to know what a healthy weight would be for you?
  • Babieseverywhere
    Babieseverywhere Posts: 311 Member
    two people could be the same weight on the scale one could have high fat content, low lean weight the other could have high lean weight, low fat content.
    Thank you, I see.
    It sounds like you are mainly wanting to know what a healthy weight would be for you?
    Yes, that is right.

    BMI wise I need to be 145lbs to be healthy, yet 22% body fat would also be healthy and I (in theory) can get to that by dropping to 169 lbs if I keep my current level of lean body weight. Big difference,

    I will have to keep plodding along and see what I feel like at 169 lbs I guess :)
  • GauchoMark
    GauchoMark Posts: 1,804 Member
    22% body fat would also be healthy and I (in theory) can get to that by dropping to 169 lbs if I keep my current level of lean body weight.

    key words are "in theory". In reality, you are going to lose a good deal of that LBM along the way since you will be at a calorie deficit and you won't be carrying around all that extra weight.

    You do not need to really set the end goal today. Set a reasonable goal - use 145 if you want - acheive that goal. Then re-evaluate and set a new goal if needed. I personally have changed my goal 3 times during my weight loss and I honestly thought I knew what my goal should be when I started.

    Point is, no matter what the number is, you do the same thing to get there. You maintain a calorie deficit for a long period of time. Focus on that and worry about when to stop when you get there. You'll know it when you see it!
  • Babieseverywhere
    Babieseverywhere Posts: 311 Member
    You'll know it when you see it!

    Thanks, I have a long way to go either way but what does another few months or years matter, I'll get there one day and I am heading in the right direction :)
  • ckish
    ckish Posts: 341 Member
    Body fat percentages are broken into six categories: athlete, lean, normal, above average, over-fat and obese. For women, athlete is less than 17 percent body fat. Lean is between 17 and 22 percent. Normal falls between 22 and 25 percent body fat. Above average is between 25 and 29 percent. Over-fat sits between 29 and 35 percent. Obese is above 35 percent body fat. Anything below 12 percent body fat for women is unhealthy.

    Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/252475-ideal-body-fat-for-women/#ixzz2DfSxbSbs
  • Babieseverywhere
    Babieseverywhere Posts: 311 Member
    Thanks ckish :)

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