Goal weight?

saraegentry
saraegentry Posts: 81 Member
edited September 21 in Health and Weight Loss
How did you decide your goal weight? I'm over 1/2 way there, but now that I only have 15 lbs to go, it seems like I have more to lose than that. My "healthy" BMI range is from 135 (on some websites) up to 180. I'm currently at my lowest adult weight, and my goal weight now is what my driver's license said (when I turned 16... I've never changed it...).

I'm curious to hear how other people decided what their goal weight should be.

Replies

  • bjshooter
    bjshooter Posts: 1,174 Member
    I honestly have no idea, I did sort of pluck a number out of thin air. I am only using it as a rough guide though, I'm sure when we near our goals we will know whether we need to lose more or less.
  • Haleyb2b
    Haleyb2b Posts: 2
    I chose a weight that I felt most comfortable in the past. I've been lighter, but it's where I feel like I could still indulge a bit and maintain once I'm there
  • OnionCookie
    OnionCookie Posts: 272 Member
    I basically found out my frame size and used it and my height to determine my weight range. I want to get to the smallest end of my range and keep my weight within the range. If I feel I'm too small when I reach the goal I'll gain some back. As long as I stay healthy that's what matters most.
  • Cina04
    Cina04 Posts: 609
    I chose mine 145 because once I reach it I can decided if I actually want to go back down to 135 like when I was 18 and before marriage/kids. Or to just worry about up keep and if I lose more weight in the process that is cool too

    I don't want to go below 130 because I don't want to look too skinny and don't mind some meat on my bones =) When I was 18 I use to think I was overweight because I was 135 when my sister and friends were smaller. So I now no longer think that especially when I reached up to 185 after my first daughter was born.
  • beethedreamer
    beethedreamer Posts: 465 Member
    i just recently decided on an ultimate goal weight and i just chose it because it was what i thought i could myself to. starting from 220, i know im never going to be 120 pounds, but i think 140 would look good on my frame. i have around 25 pounds left, and gave myself until my 20th birthday in May. It probably won't take that long, but i want to be toned as well.
  • Lyadeia
    Lyadeia Posts: 4,603 Member
    I have a way of choosing my goal weight that uses current weight, body fat, etc. It's not too hard to figure out. The way I do it is first write down your current weight and body fat measurement. Then you can calculate current lean body mass and fat weight. I'll use my current stats as an example.

    When I started with MFP, I weighed 143 with 25.1% body fat. Multiply the two together to get 35.9 pounds of fat. Subtract that from my weight to get 107.1 pounds of lean mass.

    To get your ideal weight, use your current lean body mass divided by (1- whatever body fat percentage you want.) I personally want to have just 17% body fat which is the high end amount for female athletes. So my equation looked like this:

    ideal weight = 107.1/(1-.17)

    When you do the math, my ideal weight for a body fat percentage of 17% using my current stats is 129 pounds. So, I made that my goal. :)

    I hope this helps. I learned this method from a man who is not only a bodybuilder, but also teaches other body builders how to get in shape for competitions. He said that the method works for anyone who is on an exercise plan and eats nutritiously.
  • sjaudio
    sjaudio Posts: 52
    My target it a bit of an "educated" shot in the dark. According to the charts, at my height I should weigh between 130 and 180 lbs. The last time I had a BMI test done (the quick kind at the gym), my raw body mass was over 180. I've always been a fairly muscular guy, and have no desire to change that. While my target weight is 205, I'm really aiming for 215. Once I get down into that range, I'll reevaluate things and go from there.
  • DrBorkBork
    DrBorkBork Posts: 4,099 Member
    I looked at what was a healthy weight for me (120-150) and went right for the middle (135) until my doctor told me she didn't want me out of the 140s. I wasn't happy about that, but after a lot of thought I decided to listen. It ended up taking a lot of stress off of me anyway :)
  • melodyg
    melodyg Posts: 1,423 Member
    Right now I am just aiming for a healthy BMI for my height (which is 130ish... I am somewhere between 5'1" and 5'2"). That is a far enough away goal for now... midrange for my BMI would be about 115 but I haven't been there since college and I am not sure if it is even reasonable to get back to that weight. I'll figure it out once I hit a healthy BMI.
  • cjemtegaard
    cjemtegaard Posts: 29
    How did you decide your goal weight? I'm over 1/2 way there, but now that I only have 15 lbs to go, it seems like I have more to lose than that. My "healthy" BMI range is from 135 (on some websites) up to 180. I'm currently at my lowest adult weight, and my goal weight now is what my driver's license said (when I turned 16... I've never changed it...).

    I'm curious to hear how other people decided what their goal weight should be.

    i was wondering the same thing, thanks for asking! :happy: :bigsmile: :happy: my bmi is the same but i would be model thin if i ever got down to 135...would be happy with 180 for sure :tongue:
  • saraegentry
    saraegentry Posts: 81 Member
    Thanks for all the responses! I'm 6', so 137 (my lowest healthy BMI weight) seems really low to me. I'm pretty sure I'd be nothing but skin and bones at that weight!
    I guess I could always ask a doctor! lol, that didn't even occur to me. My yearly check up is free on my insurance, so I really should take advantage of that...
  • fxst78
    fxst78 Posts: 221 Member
    I did the same as Lyadeia, worked out my lean body mass and worked out my 12.5% body fat weight.

    That puts me around the 85kg (187lb) mark as my goal weight.
  • Sumatra
    Sumatra Posts: 181
    I set a very conservative goal. It's within about 5 lbs of where I was at my best. It's been almost 10 years ago though, and I've also had 2 babies since then so I really am not sure how different my body is now. I know I have different muscles now. I wanted to go conservative for my goal so that I would be sure to get there and then decide if I wanted to lose more. Now that I'm less than 10 lbs from that goal, I can see that I am definitely going to want to lose at least another 20 lbs! Sad but true. I'm sticking with my original goal until I get there for that feeling of accomplishment, then I'll set another goal. I'll probably set my new goal for only 15 lbs and the reevaluate. I would rather set a modest goal and be able to achieve it rather than set too big of a goal that I can't or don't want to reach.
  • HIzara
    HIzara Posts: 187
    I have a way of choosing my goal weight that uses current weight, body fat, etc. It's not too hard to figure out. The way I do it is first write down your current weight and body fat measurement. Then you can calculate current lean body mass and fat weight. I'll use my current stats as an example.

    When I started with MFP, I weighed 143 with 25.1% body fat. Multiply the two together to get 35.9 pounds of fat. Subtract that from my weight to get 107.1 pounds of lean mass.

    To get your ideal weight, use your current lean body mass divided by (1- whatever body fat percentage you want.) I personally want to have just 17% body fat which is the high end amount for female athletes. So my equation looked like this:

    ideal weight = 107.1/(1-.17)

    When you do the math, my ideal weight for a body fat percentage of 17% using my current stats is 129 pounds. So, I made that my goal. :)

    I hope this helps. I learned this method from a man who is not only a bodybuilder, but also teaches other body builders how to get in shape for competitions. He said that the method works for anyone who is on an exercise plan and eats nutritiously.


    Works for me!
  • atynk
    atynk Posts: 400 Member
    Coming from someone who had changed her goal weight literally 6 times you probably won't know until you get there (im still not sure)... Weight loss in the end is not about saying you weight "such and such" but being at that point where you feel your best and know you can keep that up. When you get to that point, check out the number and you can use that to keep within a few pound range... I still haven't gotten there yet, but I am hoping this is how it will work for me lol....

    If you figure something else out let me know!
  • Sumatra
    Sumatra Posts: 181
    I just read your second post and saw that you're 6' tall. I'm 6"1" and I would never try to get down to 137! That would be far too thin for me! I'm pretty sure my goal will be somewhere in the range of 155-170, but I'm sure I won't know until I'm a little closer.
  • piratekittie
    piratekittie Posts: 9
    i went through my old pictures, picked one that I remembered being comfortable and full of self esteem in. Then figured out how much i weighed (approximately) by what year it was and went with that. I'm sure it'll need adjusting eventually :)
  • erin_89
    erin_89 Posts: 45
    I'm planning to go in the navy but they need me at 160 -200 but I found that would be to crazy. I'm 5'11 and 380 and I just thought
    280 would be a good number and if they don't let me in at that weight then it's not for me.
  • Amandac6772
    Amandac6772 Posts: 1,311 Member
    I chose a weight that I felt most comfortable in the past. I've been lighter, but it's where I feel like I could still indulge a bit and maintain once I'm there

    That is what I'm doing/. I know at 125 I could still lose 10 lbs and be "healthy" but I have never been able to maintain there.
  • hill242
    hill242 Posts: 412 Member
    Honestly, I don't know what my ultimate goal weight is.

    I know that I have been a lower weight than I am currently (about 10-12 pounds less). And no, this wasn't my "high school weight". I know that at that weight, I still had more to lose, so I picked a weight a little less than that as my goal. When I get to that goal, I will re-evaluate and decide whether I should lose more, or focus on getting stronger. It's hard to do both when I am in a caloric deficit.
  • thelima
    thelima Posts: 234
    Pretty much what a lot of folks said - I don't want to go by the numbers because BMI is fairly useless. I'm targeting a weight that I was once comfortable at and that I could walk and not get out of breath.

    That said, I'm older (lots!) now and that may change once I get closer. I will see what happens.

    Cheers!
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