Anyone else whose goal is still not a "healthy weight"?

I am a physician and I can tell you, BMI is unreliable at best. It was originally designed in the 18th century in Europe as a demographic tool and has no medical or scientific origin. It has been used as a category in medical studies, and for most "normal" build people is a fairly good indicator of ideal weight. Unfortunately, it cannot take into account people whose build falls outside that range. I am a very stocky, broad-shouldered person myself. The best shape I was ever in (high school and college) I was about 215. I am 5'8". I had defined abs, was a runner, and played multiple sports. I will never be able to get to my 'ideal' weight of 155-175 unless I have terminal cancer and am severely malnourished. The thing to keep in mind is that if you're making healthier choices, feeling better, and losing clearly excessive weight then you are on the right track. Don't be a slave to BMI or 'ideal' weight charts.

But you forget there ARE exceptions and I can offer numbers if that helps -- for example, I am just barely out of the "obese" level for BMI (My BMI IS 29.7) but my body fat is 27-28% which is considered average and healthy for a woman my age. I do want to lower it, frankly for looks. But even so, in order to get to the healthy weight as determined by BMI, it looks like I'd either have to get to a fitness level of body fat or actually lose muscle. That seems pretty counterproductive to me.

My goal weight (long term) is smack dab in the middle of the BMI's 'overweight' category.

I think its a general consensus that BMI is meaningless.

BMI is meaningless- my doctor said this today. It is rarely used as a scale anymore.

My goal weight (long term) is smack dab in the middle of the BMI's 'overweight' category.

I think its a general consensus that BMI is meaningless.

BMI is meaningless- my doctor said this today. It is rarely used as a scale anymore.

Well then - how come the insurance companies are allowed to keep using the BMI numbers to screw us over?!
(Rhetorical question of course!)

I try to look at what is realistic for me. I don't want to set a goal to weigh what I did in college when in reality, I just don't think that will happen for me. I'd love to be thin enough to pick up anything off the rack and have it look good on me, but without plastic surgery that just isn't going to happen.

This is the attitude that causes "I'll still be overweight/obese at my goal."

The reality is that there's absolutely nothing preventing you from weighing what you did in college besides your own expectations. You certainly could, but you think you're incapable and therefore you never will. So you set a goal that feels realistic to you and say "there, perfect."

I'm not judging anyone who wants to set their goal weight higher than the BMI charts. I will caution, however, that the side affects of carrying around extra weight can have some negative long lasting affects. And these can start when you still "look and feel good"

A reminder of some of these "ninja" side affects are:
High blood sugar
High blood pressure
High cholesterol
High triglycerides
sleep apnea
and more ... but you get my point.

So why I'm certainly not one to say what your healthy weight should be, I would encourage everyone who has decided on a higher goal weight to have their yearly physical and ensure these levels are measured and within normal range. Not everyone who is overweight will develop these symptoms, but some will. And the longer it goes, the harder it is to resolve without medication.

Additionally, you will gain weight as you age. It's just going to happen (well, I'd guesstimate 85% of the time)

I'm coming from a voice of experience on this one. I'm at pre-diabetic levels with my blood sugar, and have lost a total of 65 pounds. Since I last had my A1C measured three months ago, I've only dropped .1. My doctor was surprised at this, and said it's probably because it's been high for so long, that it's become resistant to dropping. Fortunately, for me, this just strengthened my resolve to continue to lose weight.

For the record, I'm 5'10", 48, and my current goal is 170. My ultimate goal is a tentative 150, but will end up at a place where I can comfortably keep it off at my current exercise levels. So, it will probably end up between 130 and 160. Really, I want to to be healthy and fit, inside and out.

Best of luck everyone!

I'm not judging anyone who wants to set their goal weight higher than the BMI charts. I will caution, however, that the side affects of carrying around extra weight can have some negative long lasting affects. And these can start when you still "look and feel good"

A reminder of some of these "ninja" side affects are:
High blood sugar
High blood pressure
High cholesterol
High triglycerides
sleep apnea
and more ... but you get my point.

So why I'm certainly not one to say what your healthy weight should be, I would encourage everyone who has decided on a higher goal weight to have their yearly physical and ensure these levels are measured and within normal range. Not everyone who is overweight will develop these symptoms, but some will. And the longer it goes, the harder it is to resolve without medication.

Additionally, you will gain weight as you age. It's just going to happen (well, I'd guesstimate 85% of the time)

I'm coming from a voice of experience on this one. I'm at pre-diabetic levels with my blood sugar, and have lost a total of 65 pounds. Since I last had my A1C measured three months ago, I've only dropped .1. My doctor was surprised at this, and said it's probably because it's been high for so long, that it's become resistant to dropping. Fortunately, for me, this just strengthened my resolve to continue to lose weight.

For the record, I'm 5'10", 48, and my current goal is 170. My ultimate goal is a tentative 150, but will end up at a place where I can comfortably keep it off at my current exercise levels. So, it will probably end up between 130 and 160. Really, I want to to be healthy and fit, inside and out.

Best of luck everyone!

I think these are great points! Weight isn't the only measure of health, and someone who is BMI-overweight with normal labs and no other risk factors may be healthier than someone who's BMI-normal with high total cholesterol and a history or heart disease in their family. There are tons of facts that have to be considered when you decide on a goal weight, and everyone's answer is going to be different.

My highest-ever weight is 307 (in 2008). I got down to 272 by exercising alone, and then changed my diet pretty dramatically in 2012 and lost only 10 lb.

So back in March 2013, I started MFP at 262 and now I'm at 225. It's been a steady loss. I've lost several clothing sizes and inches, and I am happy with where I am although I still want to lose AT LEAST another 20-30 lb.

HOWEVER...I don't want to get "thin" and by medical standards I still won't be a healthy weight for my height (5'8") even if I get to 180 which is definitely on the low side of where I plan to end up (I'm thinking 180-195 as my final goal in the next year or two).

Anyone else have goals like this? I see a lot of people on MFP who are in my weight range but most plan to lose another 75 to 100 lb. For the record I have no health conditions or issues (didn't even at 307) and obviously I want to keep it that way. If I ever need to lose more for health-related reasons I'd be more than willing to try, but in a purely aesthetic sense I don't really want to be much smaller than 200. I was 190 at age fourteen and I really think that was an ideal weight for me.

Why would you pick a weight about 40 pounds away and say "yes that's perfect"? How does that even make sense? How could you know how you'll look/feel then, let alone decide that it's ideal?

And how could 5'8 190 be ideal, anyway?

I think perceptions of how a healthy weight looks have been skewed to the higher end of BMI.

When I was obese most people thought I was just overweight. People then started to tell me to stop losing weight while I was still at an unhealthy weight - both by BMI and body fat standards.

Many people seem to think that obese means bound to a mobility scooter with huge flaps of fat hanging down the sides, but it really doesn't. A decent sized pot belly can be enough to make you obese, especially in men.

The majority of people who are leaning on the old 'muscle is denser than fat' are frankly in denial in my opinion. Chances are good that if you reached obesity without significant resistance training then you are obese by not just BMI standards, but by body fat standards also.

BMI is a poor indicator when considering highly trained athletes. But at 300 pounds, be honest, you don't fall into that category.

But you forget there ARE exceptions and I can offer numbers if that helps -- for example, I am just barely out of the "obese" level for BMI (My BMI IS 29.7) but my body fat is 27-28% which is considered average and healthy for a woman my age. I do want to lower it, frankly for looks. But even so, in order to get to the healthy weight as determined by BMI, it looks like I'd either have to get to a fitness level of body fat or actually lose muscle. That seems pretty counterproductive to me.

Out of curiosity, how did you determine your body fat %? A woman with a BMI of almost 30 but ~27% body fat would have an enormous amount of muscle. For example, a 5'2 woman with a BMI of 29.7 would weigh about 163 lbs. At 27% body fat, that gives her almost 120 lbs of lean mass. On a 5'2 frame 120 lbs of lean mass on a woman is incredible. Fitness model Jamie Eason is 5'2 and has around 30 lbs less lean mass than that.