Seriously how much should I weigh?

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darthwein
darthwein Posts: 37 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Ok I am slightly over 6' and currently weight 243 lbs (down from 265). I am 33 years old, and from every calculator out there it tells me my ideal weight is 170 lbs. I honestly believe that is way low. I am all for being healthy, and I happy that I am still losing weight. But for me to get down to 170 would require me to lose not just fat but muscle as well.

I am not the most muscular person alive, but I carry a large frame and have a decent amount of muscle on me. Am I crazy for thinking 170 is WAY TOO LOW?

My goals are 20 lbs goals. It keeps me motivated seeing myself getting closer to a goal that is attainable in a shorter period of time.

Anyone out there want to give their 2 cents on this one?

Replies

  • rwillard78
    rwillard78 Posts: 19
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    Do what's best for you...do you know what they say my ideal weight is??? 97 lbs to 113 lbs. There's no way in hell I would ever get that low. 130 is stretching is for me...but we'll see. :) I'm at 158 right now. So, don't follow that, do what's best for you.
  • adkmountainguy
    adkmountainguy Posts: 50 Member
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    Weight is only one measurement to go by. I would shoot for a body fat percentage instead, it'll give you a better idea of how fit you are versus your actual weight, especially as you build muscle. Ideally, you should be under 20% body fat, and from there, see how much further you can/want to go.
  • kbarry90
    kbarry90 Posts: 48
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    This semester I'm taking weight training and my teacher is the soccer coach and he is about you height or a little shorter. He weighs around 205 and has a lot of muscle but doesn't look 205 at all and he seems okay with it. If you want muscle your probably going to weigh more than 170.
  • Sarahr73
    Sarahr73 Posts: 454 Member
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    A general rule of thumb is for a woman to weigh 100 pounds at 5 feet and to add 5 pounds for every inch after. So for at 6 feet it would be 160. So, 170 isn't way too low if you are 6'2'' or so. But, if you feel it is too low, go with what you think is right for you.
  • rileamoyer
    rileamoyer Posts: 2,411 Member
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    I whine when my 6' 1'' hubby gets below 190 - too boney. He is big boned as well. Do what makes you feel well. That weight might be fine if you were a long distance runner but for an average guy - way to thin for my tastes ;-)
  • kacarter1017
    kacarter1017 Posts: 651 Member
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    My outlook may help: I'm going to continue to eat healthy and exercise. When I stop losing and am sure that I'm being honest in my food and exercise, I've reached my goal weight.

    Always thought I had a "big frame" and quite a bit of muscle. I'm 5'7" and currently weigh 152. NEVER thought I could break 160 again- and I'm still losing. Slower than initially, but about 1/2 pound a week.

    You may be surprised at what you are capable of. Keep an open mind and see what happens.
  • javarushed
    javarushed Posts: 218 Member
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    Figure out how much you'd think you'd weigh if you had no fat to get an ideal of how much muscle mass you have and from there it depends on what you want your body fat percentage to be.

    If you weigh 200 lbs, with 170 lbs of lean mass then your BF% would be 15%. (To figure that out take your lean mass and divide by your weigh. In this example you'd get .85 now minus that from 1.00 and you'll get your BF%)

    Feel free to add me. I'm in a similar boat. Down to 210 (5'10") from 232 lbs and I've got another 20 or so to go.
  • mikeyml
    mikeyml Posts: 568 Member
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    No you're not crazy - you are 100% correct! For some men 6'1 and 170 pounds might be great. But for a lot of men that weight is way too low. That's why the BMI is not a good tool for a lot of people. It does not account for gender differences or body frame differences. That goal weight of 170 pounds would be the exact same if you were a female and obviously we don't have the same body structure as women.

    If I were you I would go by body fat. Depending on your fitness goals your body fat % will be different from others. I'm shooting for 15% or less right now.
  • jazgal
    jazgal Posts: 122
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    this is what it came out on http://www.freedieting.com/tools/ideal_body_weight.htm

    IDEAL BODY WEIGHT CALCULATOR
    Gender: Male
    Frame: medium
    Height: 6 Feet 0 Inches

    Ideal Weight Range
    178 - 182 pounds
    81 - 83 kilograms
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
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    I'm 180, take a peek at my pics, it's not to low for many people over 6', I'm 6'2" and while I'd rather be 190, I'm happy with 180.

    Weight is pretty arbitrary though, a lot of weight depends on muscle density, type I vs Type II muscle fiber percentages, organ size, bone density, and fat volumes. so a range for someone who is 6'1" of anywhere between 165 and 210 is generally pretty healthy, once you start going above that, unless it's all muscle mass (which is quite possible), you're either a special case, or you have fat volumes that could probably use a little trimming.

    Obviously it's not an all or nothing thing, by that I mean, you don't weigh in at 211 and suddenly freak out, but around that range is when most of us should start examining our eating habits a little closer to make sure we're not gaining fat.
  • javarushed
    javarushed Posts: 218 Member
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    http://www.leighpeele.com/body-fat-pictures-and-percentages is a good site to look at concerning Body Fat %. Hope this helps :D
  • Sarahr73
    Sarahr73 Posts: 454 Member
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    A general rule of thumb is for a woman to weigh 100 pounds at 5 feet and to add 5 pounds for every inch after. So for at 6 feet it would be 160. So, 170 isn't way too low if you are 6'2'' or so. But, if you feel it is too low, go with what you think is right for you.

    Wow...I didn't even realize the gender. Disregard my comment :embarassed:
  • ShaneT99
    ShaneT99 Posts: 278 Member
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    Ok I am slightly over 6' and currently weight 243 lbs (down from 265). I am 33 years old, and from every calculator out there it tells me my ideal weight is 170 lbs. I honestly believe that is way low. I am all for being healthy, and I happy that I am still losing weight. But for me to get down to 170 would require me to lose not just fat but muscle as well.

    I am not the most muscular person alive, but I carry a large frame and have a decent amount of muscle on me. Am I crazy for thinking 170 is WAY TOO LOW?

    My goals are 20 lbs goals. It keeps me motivated seeing myself getting closer to a goal that is attainable in a shorter period of time.

    Anyone out there want to give their 2 cents on this one?

    My advice is to forget what the internet says your ideal weight should be, determine your body fat percentage and then work on getting that percentage down somewhere between 10 and 15% (assuming you are male).
  • ShaneT99
    ShaneT99 Posts: 278 Member
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    this is what it came out on http://www.freedieting.com/tools/ideal_body_weight.htm

    IDEAL BODY WEIGHT CALCULATOR
    Gender: Male
    Frame: medium
    Height: 6 Feet 0 Inches

    Ideal Weight Range
    178 - 182 pounds
    81 - 83 kilograms

    That calculator seems much more realistic than most. Most don't account for frame size. At 6'0" and having a large frame it says I should be 190-194. I'm at 260 right now so I'm not sure how I'd look 65 pounds lighter, but as I get closer to that weight I guess we'll find out.
  • AFWinter
    AFWinter Posts: 13
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    I'm in the same boat. The Military says I have to be, at most, 202 based on my height (6ft), problem is that doesn't account for my college lineman frame. Good news for me is, that if I don't get there they do some measurements for body fat %. I say go till you like what the guy in the mirror looks like unless you have to meet someones else's standards.
  • wilsoncl6
    wilsoncl6 Posts: 1,280 Member
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    I was around 6'1, 190 for a long time and didn't like the way I looked. I thought I looked too skinny and was around 12% body fat (was a big time runner). My wife thought I looked too skinny also. It all just depends on what you and your mate finds aesthetically pleasing. I like the bulked up muscular look and think that somewhere between 200 and 210 for my size frame between 10% and 15% body fat is great. I was there for a long while and now trying to get back to that ideal weight and body fat for me. You may like the runners frame and some women like thinner men and are turned off by heavily muscled guys. Don't worry so much about the weight as physical appearance, overall health and body fat is a lot more important than actual weight. If I was to follow the BMI index I would need to get down to 170 also and I would have to cut off around 20 pounds of muscle along with 30 pounds of fat to get to that "ideal" weight. I could probably do it if I wanted to but I definitely don't want to. I had been down to 145 at one point when I was long distance running but I thought I looked absolutely sickening I was so skinny. Do what makes you happy because that's what matters in the end.
  • philwrightfitness
    philwrightfitness Posts: 122
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    ShaneT99 wrote: »
    Ok I am slightly over 6' and currently weight 243 lbs (down from 265). I am 33 years old, and from every calculator out there it tells me my ideal weight is 170 lbs. I honestly believe that is way low. I am all for being healthy, and I happy that I am still losing weight. But for me to get down to 170 would require me to lose not just fat but muscle as well.

    I am not the most muscular person alive, but I carry a large frame and have a decent amount of muscle on me. Am I crazy for thinking 170 is WAY TOO LOW?

    My goals are 20 lbs goals. It keeps me motivated seeing myself getting closer to a goal that is attainable in a shorter period of time.

    Anyone out there want to give their 2 cents on this one?

    My advice is to forget what the internet says your ideal weight should be, determine your body fat percentage and then work on getting that percentage down somewhere between 10 and 15% (assuming you are male).

    This, at 10% you would look awesome whatever your weight, body builders are often much lighter than you would expect because of their 5 to 8 % body fat. Concentrate on fat loss not weight loss
  • mamashrub110
    mamashrub110 Posts: 18
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    I'm 5 foot and I've been anywhere from 103lbs to 145.. 100 makes me look borderline anorexic, 110-115 is my ideal weight, slender but with curve. But like everyone says, go with what you feel comfortable with.

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