Goal weight? Pictures included.

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weightliftinggirl
weightliftinggirl Posts: 45 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello,

I want to get opinions about what a good goal weight for me would be. It is hard for me to work towards something without having a goal, and I am at a loss for what weight I want to be. I am 5'5" and currently weigh 155.4 lbs. Last year I weighed 164 lbs so I have lost a little bit of weight but am still working on it!

I used to be very athletic (135 lbs was my prime weight) until I broke my back and have become very busy finishing college and job searching. I am starting my career in January and am very excited because I get a free gym membership and will start weightlifting and running again.

Now i know people might say it's up to each person how much their goal weight is, but I am just wondering from other peoples experiences and from how I look. I currently and considered overweight based off of my BMI so I of course want to get into the "normal" range.

Thank you so much in advance!

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Replies

  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    edited December 2014
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    I think you have a gorgeous body

    but you need to tidy your room ;)
  • leggup
    leggup Posts: 2,942 Member
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    I am 5'11. My goal is 149 lbs, which is a BMI of 20.8. At your height, a 20.8 BMI is 125 lbs.

    I may cut down to 140 lbs (BMI 19.5) and then bulk back up to 149 to lower my body fat percentage.
  • ashleydawndill
    ashleydawndill Posts: 242 Member
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    I agree, you have a gorgeous body. :)

    That aside, I don't go by desired weights. I prefer to go by body composition. I'm aiming for around 20% bodyfat, and don't really care what my actual weight is, since I plan to gain muscle as well and that will affect my weight. So if I were you I'd just focus on losing BF, and letting your weight change how it wants to. If 135 was good for you though, that sounds like a good starting point!
  • limitles
    limitles Posts: 39 Member
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    I'm 5'5 and my goal weight is between 140 and 135. I lift weights so I'm hoping to stay at the upper end. I'm pretty pear shaped so my goal is a little bit lower to try to lose some weight on my thighs. Anyway, your goal weight will be probably be in a similar area maybe around 145. You look awesome! I would start weight training as it will build some muscle and help reshape you some and see how you feel in about 10 pounds. Good Luck! Feel free to add me if you like.
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
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    I think you look great. What everyone else has said, body recomposition should be your focus not the scale.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    scale weight is pretty arbitrary. I'd work more towards a goal BF% and composition. When I hit my "goal weight" of 180 I was around 19% BF. I'm now 189 and 15% BF...the scale is only one tool, and not the best tool in your arsenal either. Your weight is comprised of so many things, not just fat.
  • deeannhill
    deeannhill Posts: 111 Member
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    queenliz99 wrote: »
    I think you look great. What everyone else has said, body recomposition should be your focus not the scale.

    ^^^
    THIS - the rest is just noise.
  • RavenLibra
    RavenLibra Posts: 1,737 Member
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    think body composition rather than body weight. your still in school? If your school has a kinesiology program I am sure there's a program you can pay a couple of bucks for to get a body composition profile done. once you have that.. then .. you can create a program of diet and exercise that will get you to where you want to be. and JUST cause I am an EMU... at you rcurrent weight.. NOT bad :)
  • dopeysmelly
    dopeysmelly Posts: 1,390 Member
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    I targeted a weight right slap-bang in the middle of "healthy" BMI, because it just seemed as good a place as any. I got there and decided that it was actually a decent weight for me. I don't know exactly what my BF% is, but it looks OK to me.

    You can always change your mind as you get closer to your target (whatever that target is). It doesn't have to be a static thing.
  • _lyndseybrooke_
    _lyndseybrooke_ Posts: 2,561 Member
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    I definitely agree with those who said that the number on the scale shouldn't be all that important - how you look in the mirror and how strong and healthy you are should be your focus.

    That being said, the "ideal weight," medically speaking, for a woman your height is 125 lbs. Some 5'5" ladies would look emaciated at 125 lbs and some might still have some excess fat to lose at that weight. According to BMI, a healthy weight range for you would be 112-149, which is quite a big range. It depends on how your body is built, your lean muscle mass, and where you carry your weight. I'm 5'5" and weigh anywhere between 122-127 depending on the week. I'm still a bit soft around the midsection (pictures on my profile), but body recomp is my focus right now rather than weight loss.

    I say focus on getting yourself in the healthy range, and you're not far off, and then just go by what you see in the mirror. If you think you look good, you look good. I suggest lifting heavy if you're not doing it already. Skinny fat isn't attractive.

    Also, you're going to have a bangin' bod when you're done. Hell, you already do! Great curves.
  • Silentfool
    Silentfool Posts: 189 Member
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    queenliz99 wrote: »
    I think you look great. What everyone else has said, body recomposition should be your focus not the scale.

    totally this ^^^ my trainer has ingrained it into me. composition not scales

  • Silentfool
    Silentfool Posts: 189 Member
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    rabbitjb wrote: »
    I think you have a gorgeous body

    but you need to tidy your room ;)

    Oh oh oh This as well.... now go tidy up :D

  • fitfabforties
    fitfabforties Posts: 370 Member
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    <<<<....I'm 5'3"....and in this picture, I think I was around 135lb.....you should definitely start up with the weights....my BF% is around 23-25% depending on which online calculator I use.....BMI is not a good indicator in my opinion....I'm bordering on the overweight category according to the BMI chart....get lifting!!!....best of luck....
  • weightliftinggirl
    weightliftinggirl Posts: 45 Member
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    Lol I just got done tidying up haha. Thank you all for the kind words of encouragement, I was not expecting that! I guess I will make my first goal 145 so I get into the healthy range then see what happens and how I feel! I am excited to start weight lifting again (and when I lift I lift heavy). Thank you for all the advice!
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    LyndseyLovesToLift wrote: »
    I definitely agree with those who said that the number on the scale shouldn't be all that important - how you look in the mirror and how strong and healthy you are should be your focus.

    That being said, the "ideal weight," medically speaking, for a woman your height is 125 lbs. Some 5'5" ladies would look emaciated at 125 lbs and some might still have some excess fat to lose at that weight. According to BMI, a healthy weight range for you would be 112-149, which is quite a big range. It depends on how your body is built, your lean muscle mass, and where you carry your weight. I'm 5'5" and weigh anywhere between 122-127 depending on the week. I'm still a bit soft around the midsection (pictures on my profile), but body recomp is my focus right now rather than weight loss.

    I say focus on getting yourself in the healthy range, and you're not far off, and then just go by what you see in the mirror. If you think you look good, you look good. I suggest lifting heavy if you're not doing it already. Skinny fat isn't attractive.

    Also, you're going to have a bangin' bod when you're done. Hell, you already do! Great curves.

    there is no ideal weight - taking a mass population scale like BMI to an individual level is ridiculous to begin with - then saying that the ideal weight is in the middle of that BMI range is just simply nonsensical
  • morgo20
    morgo20 Posts: 68 Member
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    You have a really nice body shape.. and also you can tell that your weight distributes evenly throughout your body!
  • court_alacarte
    court_alacarte Posts: 219 Member
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    i'm in the same boat as you, pretty lady! same height and weight range, however i do carry more of my weight in my butt/hip/thighs. my goal weight is 118 (only by the suggestion of a personal trainer i had a few years ago) but i will honestly be jumping for joy when i reach 139.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    I'll leave this here too...
    Staci gets super strong.

    Beginning in October 2010, Staci jumped headfirst into the world of power lifting. Over the following six months, she strength trained like her life depended on it, keeping track of her gains and making sure she ate enough to continue getting stronger. I honestly cannot tell you how refreshing it is to hear that from a woman! She packed on another ten pounds of muscle and got incredibly strong.

    Seriously, how many 5’4″ females who weigh 140 pounds do you know that can deadlift 315 pounds?

    Here are her weight training stats for those six months:

    Screen-Shot-2011-07-21-at-9.16.35-AM1.jpg

    Over those six months, Staci put on ANOTHER 10 pounds of muscle while strength training like a World’s Strongest Man contestant and eating A TON of food to make sure she could continue to get stronger. She raised her deadlift from 135 pounds to 315 pounds, added 50 pounds to her overhead press and 50 pounds to her bench press.

    You’re probably wondering what happens to a woman’s figure when she goes through this transformation.

    Prepare to be shocked.

    Staci Now

    Screen-Shot-2011-07-21-at-9.23.11-AM1.jpg

    Believe it or not, she’s 11 pounds HEAVIER (142 pounds) in the picture on the right (May 2011) compared to the picture on the left (131 pounds, October 2010).

    So what the hell happened? How the heck does she look like she weighs less even though she weighs more?

    She packed on the right kind of weight while getting rid of the wrong kind.

    When you strength train with very heavy weights for low numbers of repetitions, you build incredibly DENSE, tight muscle. It’s funny, but if you really want that toned look in your legs, stomach, and arms – picking up small weights and doing lots of repetitions isn’t doing anything – it’s really heavy weights with low repetition that will sculpt the body you’re after.

    On top of super heavy strength training, Staci had to eat between 3000-4000 calories per day (all healthy calories, mind you) to put on the extra weight. Had she not overloaded her system with calories, she wouldn’t have gained an ounce.

    As we’ve learned from Mark Twight, trainer for the actors from 300, “appearance is a consequence of fitness.” Rather than worrying about every calorie, every ounce of food, and every pound on the scale, Staci put her focus into getting stronger – she ate to get stronger, she exercised to get stronger, she lived to get stronger.:

    http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/
  • jos05
    jos05 Posts: 263 Member
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    deeannhill wrote: »
    queenliz99 wrote: »
    I think you look great. What everyone else has said, body recomposition should be your focus not the scale.

    ^^^
    THIS - the rest is just noise.

    I have to agree with both of these people.... I would focus on bodyfat. Hit those weights!!! I'm excited for you!!!
  • beastcompany
    beastcompany Posts: 230 Member
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    145 is a great starting point.

    The thing to remember is that goals should be more in regards to a certain "look" & feeling, versus arbitrary numbers.


    A scale weight is nice because it gives you a "Set in stone" target, but it can also be very misleading.


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