How do you know what your final weight goal should be?

lizzyclatworthy · February 2014

Well done you!
I picked a nice round number in the middle of my bmi recommendation. Seems to be right, the nay-sayers say I am too thin and those who genuinely care say I look good but I shouldn't lose any more. It'll all go out the window when I lift properly so no more scales for me!

smantha32 · February 2014

I know what weight I'm most comfortable being..I've also figured I'm not going to get down to the weight I was when I was 21.
Just pick a spot that feels good and one you think you can maintain.

smantha32 · February 2014

Congratulations on your loss so far!

What is your height? I know you don't want to know about BMI calculations but they are a good way of finding a weight range that is healthy. Extensive research has been done and found that (at the population level, anyway) people who have a BMI of 20-25 (roughly) have fewer lifestyle related diseases and lower mortality.

Yes, I did forget to list my height. I am 5' 4" which is short.

I'm also 5'4, and for me, I'm good around 130. Some people at this height look to get lower.

action_figure · February 2014

I decided on my goal weight by having my body fat measured, figuring out my lean mass, and then picking a body fat percentage I wanted. Assuming that I could keep all the lean mass I currently had through strength training, I did the math to get a weight number based off that. For me, at 46 and training for my first triathlon, I wanted to be at 20% body fat. That's the high end of "athletic", low end of "fit". You might want to be 25% or something else, depending on your goals. The important thing is to listen to your body. Do you have endurance? Do you have flexibility? Do you have aerobic capacity? Can you do the things that make you happy? Are you living in your body instead of existing? If so, then you have achieved the most important part of weight loss. I have been able to kayak and bike and go on long hikes easily since the 230s. As far as I am concerned, if I never lost another pound, I'd still be a major winner. I keep working my plan because I want to be able to run, and I want to be able to bike competitively, but I'm not sitting here going "Oh, unless I have visible abs I'm a fat loser." It sounds like you are possibly in a similar place. That is a wonderful sign of mental health and wisdom. So, just think about what end results you want, work your numbers, and reset your goal if needed. Congratulations on your journey.

Edit to add: Also remember that loose skin is SKIN. Like your eyelids or the skin on the back of your hand. It is thin almost like paper. Thick loose moveable rolls with weight and thickness is not "loose skin" it is skin with fat attached. Now the good news is that kind of fat does not cause heart disease or diabetes or any of the other problems. Fat around your organs causes those. Many people think that they can't lose any more because of loose skin but they aren't actually "there" yet. I found a wonderful video from a very open and honest lady who showed what her loose skin looked like after losing from 293 to 125. Here it is.

http://youtu.be/eZuKXy9K4Qw

c2111 · February 2014

Hi there congrats :flowerforyou:

I would like to add that when I went into maintenance mode I continued to lose weight for about the first month, so I'd recommend try maintenance and see where it stops and then you can allways push for few more pounds later on.

ratty_uk2011 · February 2014

This is a tricky subject for me also.

After 12 months of diet and exercise absolute quantification, deciding a target has been met when "you feel good etc." is a difficult mindset to switch to.

And using the BMI index seems fraught as I've read a lot of work suggesting it's based on very old population data, and takes no account of muscle mass that many people build as they typically diet & exercise / train as a pair.

Iwishyouwell · February 2014

I have a solid goal weight in mind based off the last time I was within range. I grew up thinking I was a naturally larger framed guy, but time has proven that wrong. Fat is just VERY deceptive and you can potentially still have a ton of it left even when you hit a "normal" weight range.

So, for me, goal "weight" is nowhere near as important as "goal fat level". I will know I'm at goal when I've reached a very low bodyfat level, regardless of scale weight.

Also, knowing from first hand experience, a lot of flab that people mistake as "loose skin" is just skin that's hanging thanks to loose, disconnected fat that's in the process of being lost. While technically possible, it is extremely rare to see anybody, regardless of age, have flabby "loose skin" at truly very low bodyfat levels. Actual loose skin is thin and does NOT feel like it has marbles beneath it. For those who are not interested, or willing, to get their "loose skin" removed, you really need to look into body recomposition and working to get to very low bodyfat levels to see if that flab is really excess skin or just fat that's become decompacted.

In the meantime take a look at people who have undergone excess "skin" surgery. You'll find that most of the examples you come across are of people who, despite their size and scale weight, still have TONS of fat left on their bodies. You will not find a plethora of examples of really lean, low body fat individuals who have heaps of "loose skin" hanging off their bodies. It's very rare to see somebody, for example, with a visible, clearly defined six pack and pounds of skin hanging off their bodies as well. Not impossible, but still very rare.

shayh27 · May 2014

Love this answer!!!:happy:

salvyhead · May 2014

First congrats on your new you.

To your question - it's really a matter of 1) where you are comfortable and 2) what's realistic for you.

First of all, forget BMI. It's a scam. It was devised 100 years ago to measure the weight of populations, not individuals. And it is a really, really, REALLY crappy tool to assess individual weight. A better measure is waist/height ratio. Your waist should not exceed half your height.

In my case, my 'normal' weight according to BMI is 160. That's not in the cards for me. I was that weight once - ONCE - at my current height, that was when I was on the high school wrestling team and the coach forced me lose six pounds one week. That, with working out 6 days a week and a 16-year-old metabolism. The only way to make weight was to starve myself. Totally bogus.

So realistically, to maintain a .5 waist/height ratio, I need to be around 175-180. That's where I've been, going on a year.

Good luck and don't be too hard on yourself.

-S

How do you know what your final weight goal should be?

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