How did you pick your goal weight and how many times has it changed?

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McCloud33
McCloud33 Posts: 959 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
For me I started at 235 at the age of 31 and hadn't been under 200 in close to a decade. I kind of randomly picked 185 (even 50 lb weight loss) when I started almost exactly a year ago. I hit that in May 2014 and was happy, but still didn't have the body I was hoping for. After some research I and body fat calculations, I though I could get down to 12% BF at about 175 or 10% at 170. After several months of just maintaining I'm trying to loose those last 10-15 lbs again, but if I get down there and still can't see my abs (at least a 4 pack) then I might shoot for 165.

So how did you pick and have you changed it at all?
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Replies

  • obscuremusicreference
    obscuremusicreference Posts: 1,320 Member
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    I set it at 130, but like you I've moved on to working out more and being fit. I suspect I don't have a goal weight so much as a goal body. I haven't changed my goal, but I will be happy with anything in the 130s.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    I started with "wanting to lose blah blah" (randomly picked). Yes it's changed, the number is no longer important. Being strong is.
  • NoelFigart1
    NoelFigart1 Posts: 1,276 Member
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    Hasn't changed yet because I haven't reached it, but I picked my goal weight based on what I weighed when I was winning martial arts tournaments, and basing it on the fact that when I went below that, I started to lose tournaments. So, it's quite literally my "fighting weight"
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 17,959 Member
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    In the past, I never picked a goal weight that wasn't arbitrary based on BMI. To be fair, I've never reached a goal weight either :)

    Currently, my goal is based on the weight I was in a photo I like. I know though that my body composition will have changed and I'm unlikely to look that way again, even at the same weight.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,426 Member
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    This time I picked a goal that was 30 pounds less than my starting weight. That will take me to the highest healthy weight for my height. It seemed like a good number and not too overwhelming. When I get to that point, there is a very good chance I will decide to try to lose another 10 to 20 pounds which would put me in the middle of the healthy weight range for my height and is where I felt pretty good in the past.
  • McCloud33
    McCloud33 Posts: 959 Member
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    Lounmoun wrote: »
    This time I picked a goal that was 30 pounds less than my starting weight. That will take me to the highest healthy weight for my height. It seemed like a good number and not too overwhelming. When I get to that point, there is a very good chance I will decide to try to lose another 10 to 20 pounds which would put me in the middle of the healthy weight range for my height and is where I felt pretty good in the past.

    I assume you're referring to BMI when you talk about "healthy weight for my height". I quickly ruled out using BMI as I would have to be at 8% body fat just to reach the high end of "healthy". My calculated lean body mass is around 154 lbs right now which would only put me in the middle of the healthy range and that would be at a theoretical 0% body fat LOL.
  • BekaBooluvsu
    BekaBooluvsu Posts: 470 Member
    edited January 2015
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    I picked my goal weight (between 130-160) because of a BMI chart. I am pear shaped(which I didn't realize at my highest recorded weight of 360.2) and I can see alot of my bones at 260. Not really sure if I will even want to be 160 at this point. After 100# down its more of a goal body than a number. I want to be strong, healthy and have a normal body fat %.
  • RaspberryTickleChicken
    RaspberryTickleChicken Posts: 629 Member
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    I took the middle # for a healthy BMI for my age & height and went from there. I know BMI is not a good indicator but it was an easy starting point to use as a goal. My goal only changed once from my original goal. Once I was a healthy weight for my stats I just went with it and made no huge adjustments & figure my body will level off once it arrives at a weight it is comfortable with. I've maintained for coming up 2 yrs now.

    Best of luck to you!
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
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    I picked my goal based on a weight I have been before and was happy at. It hasn't changed yet. I'm still about 30lbs or so away from it. I ultimately want to be 20% BF and I really don't care what the scale says at that point.
  • La5Vega5Girl
    La5Vega5Girl Posts: 709 Member
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    i chose my goal weight based on the last time i was that weight. i felt amazing, i looked great (to me) and i was healthy and active. i got pregnant and long story, my weight went up and up. now, i just strive to get back to where i was back then. no, i haven't changed my goal weight.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    I picked one that sounded good, realized it would be considered overweight still, dropped it 15, and now I dropped it another 10 as my absolute lowest I'll hit, which is still in the middle of a healthy BMI.
  • Phoenix_Down
    Phoenix_Down Posts: 530 Member
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    I started at 170 lbs. My original goal weight was 130 lbs (5 lbs heavier than high school weight). As I closed in, I kind of stopped paying attention to a specific number and with weightlifting and a moderate deficit, found that 120 lbs was about where I wanted to be at physically. Now, I do intend on doing bulk/cut cycles to build muscle and continue increasing in strength with weightlifting, so who knows what that number will be in a few years but my focus has definitely pulled away from a set number and more of a "what I love myself as" perspective.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    When I was in great shape in my early to mid 30s (10 years ago) I was 120, so that was my goal and it was reasonably easy to pick. I've played with maybe trying to go lower in my mind, but it will depend on how I look and what my BF% is. I'm more likely to decide to focus on gaining strength than getting thinner, I suspect.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,426 Member
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    McCloud33 wrote: »
    Lounmoun wrote: »
    This time I picked a goal that was 30 pounds less than my starting weight. That will take me to the highest healthy weight for my height. It seemed like a good number and not too overwhelming. When I get to that point, there is a very good chance I will decide to try to lose another 10 to 20 pounds which would put me in the middle of the healthy weight range for my height and is where I felt pretty good in the past.

    I assume you're referring to BMI when you talk about "healthy weight for my height". I quickly ruled out using BMI as I would have to be at 8% body fat just to reach the high end of "healthy". My calculated lean body mass is around 154 lbs right now which would only put me in the middle of the healthy range and that would be at a theoretical 0% body fat LOL.

    Yes, I looked at BMI. I know it isn't a great system for everyone to choose a healthy weight but for me I think the numbers are right. After age 18, I have weighed anywhere from 100 lbs to 180 lbs and I feel I was at my healthiest weight when I was in the middle of what the BMI says is a healthy weight for my height.
  • 47Jacqueline
    47Jacqueline Posts: 6,993 Member
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    Every time I did Weight Watchers they set my goal at 128 and I always wanted it to be 125 (who knows). So now, I pretty much stay between 126 and 129. I'm happier at the lower end, which is usually attainable. I'm at 128 right now.
  • Kymmu
    Kymmu Posts: 1,650 Member
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    I'm petite and like to be 50 kilos. When I'm a that weight I feel right and get compliments. That's what I always go back to, it's like my preset button. Even 2 extra kilos ( 4lb) changes my tummy / thighs. Probably no one but me can tell though. I gain and lose that extra bit constantly.
  • krawhitham
    krawhitham Posts: 831 Member
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    I was about 130 lbs when I was lifting weights 3 times a week and working out a lot. That was also 10 years ago.

    I know my body composition has changed (in addition to gaining loads of fat) but 130 still seems reasonable to me. I have less muscle mass. When I get around 130 I guess I might adjust, but it's a long ways away so there's no reason for me to re-assess just yet.
  • kdeaux1959
    kdeaux1959 Posts: 2,675 Member
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    Started at midpoint of my IBW range (about 185). Then moved it to 225 as a more realistic number. I reached that and then changed it downward a couple of times. Then I changed it back to about 190 relatively recently. Currently about 239... Started 344 a couple of years ago, went down to 213.6 at one point. Have been back up to 244 at one point.
  • icrushit
    icrushit Posts: 773 Member
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    I started last year in June, and my initial target was 175lbs, the lightest I could ever recall myself been. Like you when I hit it, I did not yet have the body I wished for, and revised my goal down to 168lbs. I hit that, and revised it down again to 160, with a view to dropping further to 155, depending on if my body goals were satisfied at that point or now.

    Namely though, it's a work in progress, as beyond 175, it's been new ground for me. I may have been lighter than 175 before, but 175 is the lowest measured weight I've reached that I've been aware of.

    I hit 166 before Christmas, and currently sitting at 164, but at this point I'm letting my body be the goal, and whether I am fully happy with what I see in front of the mirror yet. I'm not sure what ultimate weight I shall end up at, but my goal is to have no superfluous/ excess fat deposits that are visible, or to put a body fat % on it from what I've seen on the web, somewhere around 14% body fat I think.

    Congrats on your progress, and good luck in reaching your ultimate goal. Re: stalling, I wouldn't worry too much about it, you'll get going again I'm sure. Personally everything was plain sailing for me until November, and then it felt like I had a tape worm or something, and hovered back and forth around the same weight level for a while, as I struggled to thread water. I've got going again, and put my prior struggles down to perhaps colder weather/ increased appetite. I still struggle for a few days from time to time, but mostly it's forward progress, even if a little slower than the initial traunch of weight loss in the first 4 months or so.

    I don't plan on stopping until I am happy though, as for the first time in my life I may reach the point where I don't have a belly, lol. That said, as I drop a little more weight, my maintenance calories reduce with the lower bodyweight. As a result, I may take a little break before I reach my ultimate goal, and reverse diet a little. If I can bring that level up by at least a few hundred calories and help me maintain better when I hit my final target, I will be happy. Until then, it's onward and upward, even if those final 10'ish pounds take as long as the first 30/ 40, lol :smile:
  • McCloud33
    McCloud33 Posts: 959 Member
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    iloseityes wrote: »
    Re: stalling, I wouldn't worry too much about it, you'll get going again I'm sure. Personally everything was plain sailing for me until November, and then it felt like I had a tape worm or something, and hovered back and forth around the same weight level for a while, as I struggled to thread water. I've got going again, and put my prior struggles down to perhaps colder weather/ increased appetite. I still struggle for a few days from time to time, but mostly it's forward progress, even if a little slower than the initial traunch of weight loss in the first 4 months or so.

    I actually did stall pretty hard. After reaching that first goal of 185 mid May, I kept going and got down to my low of 179, but it was taking like 3-4 weeks to lose one pound at the end. Which might not actually have been a "stall", but after consistently dropping 1.5-2 pounds per week for 5 months, it felt like it. It also was just after I picked up and started the SL5x5 program and so when I wasn't losing as fast as I'd liked I basically said screw it, and figured if I gained/maintained it would only help me in my lifts (which it did). I shot up to 190 from 179 in two weeks (mostly glycogen/water I think) and then maintained that for 4 months. Back down to 185 this morning after restarting again on Jan 1.

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