How do you assess your goal weight?

teenytinybikini
teenytinybikini Posts: 49 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all,

I haven't got a goal in my head with regards to weight, I'm 5'8" and currently weigh 163lb.

My weight gain - or inch gain is a result of yo-yo dieting for around 4 years and I'm not sure what my weight was when I was comfortable (I didn't feel the need to weigh myself).

I have a whole wardrobe of clothes which I love that are too tight for me which I strive to fit as can't afford to buy a whole new wardrobe.

So my point is, I don't really have an absolute goal weight and am finding it a bit disheartening that I haven't got a number to strive for.

Do any of you just want to fit in your clothes or do you all have a definite 'goal weight'

Replies

  • chymerra
    chymerra Posts: 212
    IMO, weight is too arbitrary and variable to use as a goal and instead, i used a target size... i wanted to get back into my size 2 pants and XS shirt/dress size.
  • EmmaKarney
    EmmaKarney Posts: 690 Member
    I am going on size in reality too - I want to get back into my size 8 trousers that I wore only a few years ago. Im guessing I need to be about 125lb for that but who knows.
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  • kristen6022
    kristen6022 Posts: 1,923 Member
    How many sizes are the clothes you are in now larger than the clothes you want to be in? Typically a person loses a size with 10-15 pounds so say you are in 12's and you need to be in 8's you'll need to lose 20-30 pounds. This is will be different if you lift heavy and change the composition of your body - but if you only do cardio and watch what you eat - I'd follow the 20-30lb rule. Sorry I can't be of more assistance.

    When I started I basically went for 10 pound goals until I got a weight I liked. I had to buy a whole new wardrobe of clothes because my previous skinny clothes (that I had been hording for 5 years) were too big...
  • danielleburwell97060
    danielleburwell97060 Posts: 257 Member
    Don't pick a goal weight pick a goal body fat percentage. fat2fitradio.com and do the military body fat percentage calc, then take that and do the ideal weight calc. It will figure out a weight based on current BF and goal BF. You can pick a lower number BF then pick a higher number (I think it's like 24-33%) to get a range
  • quirkytizzy
    quirkytizzy Posts: 4,052 Member
    I picked the last weight that I was really comfortable at. That was 120. I might drop it to 115, as I'd managed that a few times and felt very good. But with the awesome influence of MFP, I'm looking at forms of light strength training and so if the scale goes up a few pounds for the muscle, I'm perfectly okay with that!
  • P05T5CRIPT
    P05T5CRIPT Posts: 285 Member
    I researched online and found my ideal weight should be 120-150, I aimed for the higher end at 150. Saw my Doctor a few weeks ago who suggested I aim for 160 and then go from there, so that's what I'm doing. I think ultimately 145-50 will be my ideal range, but my short term goal is 160.

    I'm really going more for clothes size, I'm a UK size 14 (down from a size 24) and my ideal size is a UK 12, so that's my main aim, whatever weight will get me there.
  • seena511
    seena511 Posts: 685 Member
    I a, going by body fat. You can calculate this on fat2fit. I told it I want 15% bf, and it told me the weight I would need to be in order to achieve that.

    this is what i was going to suggest.
  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
    I want to get down to 20-25% B.F. and that will probably put me in a smaller clothing size than I have worn since I was a teenager--IF I get there. It has been a very slow process so far. I am trying to step up my weight lifting but that is hard because of arthritic issues.
  • TheRealParisLove
    TheRealParisLove Posts: 1,907 Member
    I figured mine based on my lean body mass and then added back the body fat percentage I would like to hit. The answer was 118 pounds, but I added back a couple of pounds to include more muscle mass.
  • retiree2006
    retiree2006 Posts: 951 Member
    I look at the usual pounds, BMI, body fat %, etc. But my main assessment is how I feel and how my clothes fit. You can go crazy if the other numbers aren't to your liking or the lbs. seem "stuck" for awhile. I prefer to look at the big picture and health rather than specific weight goals.
  • juliemouse83
    juliemouse83 Posts: 6,663 Member
    Initially, I slapped 145 lbs up as a goal weight, since that is what I weighed 9 years ago when we got married. I had some meat on my bones, wasn't too thin, and looked healthy.

    THEN, I started lifting, and this has changed my perception of "weight" per se. When the scale was creeping down a half a pound at a time, the measurements were falling regularly, and even though the scale says one thing, the ability to get into old skinny jeans says another. I'm going to use my wedding dress as a tool. When I am not busting the seams on it and it fits the way it did on my wedding day, I will have reached goal. :smile:
  • contingencyplan
    contingencyplan Posts: 3,639 Member
    You don't. The fact is attaching a weight number to your goal is one of the big "no-nos" of this whole process. You go by the way you look and your fitness level.
  • WAHMto5
    WAHMto5 Posts: 375 Member
    I did have a number in mind and was within 2 lbs of it and my body was just holding steady around that weight, so I called it goal! I am comfortable in my clothes/size and do not want to get to weight that is hard to maintain. I think you have to listen to your body and not the scale. Go on how you feel and how your clothes feel;)
  • Katetw
    Katetw Posts: 188 Member
    use your BMI. A great calculator is here:
    http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assessing/bmi/adult_bmi/english_bmi_calculator/bmi_calculator.html

    you will notice it gives a wide range of what a healthy weight is. Once you're within that range, you should reset your goal depending on how you feel.

    for example, the range for my height is 89-119. My goal at this time is 115. I may adjust up or down once I get there.
  • sugarandspice27
    sugarandspice27 Posts: 521 Member
    I looked at a lot of pictures of women with my shape at different body fats and then decided where I was aiming. I used the site everyone else has mentioned to determine my body fat (which was pretty damned close to when I had it evaluated in a gym) and then I picked a goal weight based on the way I wanted to look. Shallow? SURE! But I'm assuming my health is falling in line with my lifestyle so the rest is up to vanity! I'm aiming for plus size model size, so about 35% body fat, but toned up as much as i can get it.
  • lisalousro
    lisalousro Posts: 1
    Holy Crap, seeing how much all of you have lost is definitely inspiring to me! :) Great job!!
  • Lupercalia
    Lupercalia Posts: 1,857 Member
    I made my first goal weight the high end of what considered "healthy" for my height. I know that when I weighed that before, I was really athletic and in great shape, but I've lost muscle and gained a whole lot of fat since then. I figure when I get to the initial goal, I'll have a super body composition test done (to celebrate, of course) and reassess from there.
  • dimsumkitty
    dimsumkitty Posts: 120 Member
    I worked out a goal weight based on what body fat percentage I wanted to be :)
  • reconman
    reconman Posts: 3
    I think if you dont have a particular goal, you will know when you arrive at the weight you are comfortable with and how you look in your clothes and mirror. Measuring weight and body fat is soooo subjective. Just go with how you look and feel, then you cant go wrong. We are all different. Good luck!!
  • ajnb88
    ajnb88 Posts: 339 Member
    This is most likely a very bad way to do it, but several years ago at a gym induction, I was told that my weight was perfect for my height, but that I needed to lose fat/gain muscle. Since then I haven't grown much taller, so my initial goal is to get back down to around that weight.

    ...Ok, holy ****. I hadn't realised that as of this morning, I'm only 2lbs off reaching that. Uh... Well, when I signed up to MFP, I think i set my goal to 11lbs under it, so I guess I'm nearly there. Going to rejoin a gym next week, hopefully can start shifting the fat to muscle.
  • fatfriendonadiet
    fatfriendonadiet Posts: 36 Member
    According to a calculator on Self.com, my healthy weight range is 108 - 145 pounds. I figure that I'll never be 108, no matter how hard I try. (The last time I weighed under 110, I was in sixth grade!) I picked 125 as my goal weight as a happy medium. It also started because I was 225 when I began my journey, and I figured that losing a hundred pounds was a good goal to have. :)
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    A mirror & a set of BF% calipers
  • mfpcopine
    mfpcopine Posts: 3,093 Member
    It's a combination of what I want to look like and what is realistic for my age, physical condition, activity level and interest.
  • mnmomto4
    mnmomto4 Posts: 97 Member
    I had a goal weight and I am only 7 lbs away from it. I remember weighing that 8 years ago and being very happy. I looked great in photos and wore a size 9/10. Well, like I said I am 7 lbs away and I am nowhere near wearing those old clothes that I loved and I don't feel I look good at all. I have a long ways to go. I think having 2 children by c-section really changed my body. So, I don't have a number in my head anymore. I just want to fit into those really cute dresses I have in my closet.
  • montana_girl
    montana_girl Posts: 1,403 Member
    I do have a target number (132 pounds) that I would like to be at, but my weight tends to stay between 135-139, which I am happy with.

    At that weight range, my clothes fit comfortably, I have energy to do the stuff I like, and I just feel good. So I guess that is my best way to assess my goal weight. :smile:
  • teenytinybikini
    teenytinybikini Posts: 49 Member
    Thanks for all your replies. I tried the body fat percentage and according to that I only need to lose a few pounds, I know that losing a few pounds isn't enough so I guess I'll just go with my clothes and general energy levels.

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