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

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?

Replies

allie_00p

I picked the lowest weight that I remembered being healthy at (130), I am currently below that since I have refocused on my body composition. I want to get a bit lower to give myself room for a good bulk so I can build some additional muscle.

McCloud33

elsie_fair wrote: »

I picked the lowest weight that I remembered being healthy at (130), I am currently below that since I have refocused on my body composition. I want to get a bit lower to give myself room for a good bulk so I can build some additional muscle.

Looking good already. Good luck on your bulk. How long do you plan to bulk for? It was pretty hard for me to do it mentally after putting so much energy into losing the weight and I think I only lasted 3-4 months.

allie_00p

McCloud33 wrote: »

elsie_fair wrote: »

I picked the lowest weight that I remembered being healthy at (130), I am currently below that since I have refocused on my body composition. I want to get a bit lower to give myself room for a good bulk so I can build some additional muscle.

Looking good already. Good luck on your bulk. How long do you plan to bulk for? It was pretty hard for me to do it mentally after putting so much energy into losing the weight and I think I only lasted 3-4 months.

Thank you! bodybuilding.com has a transformation challenge that I just started with a good friend of mine and it's 12 weeks long, so I'm going to try and put my all into that, see where I get, then do a short bulk (4-6 weeks) in April so I can cut and (hopefully) see some good gains for the peak of summer.

ETA - this will be my first bulk so I'm being pretty conservative with the time frame lol it will definitely be a mental challenge!

SergeantSausage

Much like you, OP, I don't have a goal weight. I have goal abs.

When the 6-pack is looking tight and chisled, I'm there.

I currently have the 4-pack and am just waiting out that lower row of washboard ... 4, maybe 5 weeks. Then a couple of weeks to make 'em pop.

I wasn't extremely heavy M 6'0" 204 but it was getting out of control. Currently 160 and probably about 151, 152 when the body fat% gets low enough ... but I really don't care about the number. The goal is the 6-pack washboard.

Pushing 50, I don't expect to have the discipline to keep 'em exposed long. Maybe a year or two. It's too strict to have to keep fat% that tight. I'd like to settle in between 165 and 175. Will give a lot of wiggle room and still be looking fairly good for an old man, and be in a good healthy BMI range.

The abs popped before. A lot on time ago. Last seen in 1989 exiting the US Army as a youngling completing his first enlistment and entering the cushy civilian life.

They were there before and it's a Bucket List item to see them once again.

Time is short ...

nicsflyingcircus

I picked 155(BMI 22.9) because it is a nice round number, somewhat more than 10 lbs(13 in fact) less than the highest BMI that falls within the "normal" range for my height . In reality, I will see how it goes as I approach a healthier weight. So far I am down from a high weight of 375.3lbs(BMI 55.4) to 253.8lbs(BMI 37.4).

I also had/have non-weight related goals. I have my blood pressure down from 130/80 to 110/70, my cholesterol numbers and ratio's are improved across the board(not that they were awful to begin with, but they are better now), I have more stamina and energy, and I have lost so many inches in general.

It is however, just a number and I really plan to stop when I feel good about where I am. I plan to begin weight training at some point, but have no fixed agenda for that as of yet. So we shall see.

McCloud33

SergeantSausage wrote: »

Much like you, OP, I don't have a goal weight. I have goal abs.

When the 6-pack is looking tight and chisled, I'm there.

I currently have the 4-pack and am just waiting out that lower row of washboard ... 4, maybe 5 weeks. Then a couple of weeks to make 'em pop.

I wasn't extremely heavy M 6'0" 204 but it was getting out of control. Currently 160 and probably about 151, 152 when the body fat% gets low enough ... but I really don't care about the number. The goal is the 6-pack washboard.

Pushing 50, I don't expect to have the discipline to keep 'em exposed long. Maybe a year or two. It's too strict to have to keep fat% that tight. I'd like to settle in between 165 and 175. Will give a lot of wiggle room and still be looking fairly good for an old man, and be in a good healthy BMI range.

The abs popped before. A lot on time ago. Last seen in 1989 exiting the US Army as a youngling completing his first enlistment and entering the cushy civilian life.

They were there before and it's a Bucket List item to see them once again.

Time is short ...

Unlike you I have never seen my abs. Even in HS when I played soccer year round and weighed 140-145 at 5'-8.5" (yes, that .5" is important LOL). I quickly put on a freshman 25 and around the age of 20 my shoulders really broadened out and I just kept putting on like 5 lbs a year over the next 12 years taking me up to my heaviest 235.

I don't know if it's my build or what, but I see people who are 6'+ in the 150-160 range and I just don't see how that's possible (at least for me). My brother is one, 6'3" and like 165. Like I think I said earlier, my lean body mass is somewhere between 148-152, so in order for me to even reach 165, I would have to be 8% BF or lose a lot of my muscle, which I don't want to do! And again...I don't even reach a health BMI until I hit 163...that's just crazy!

yoovie

I started over 260. My first "ultimate goal weight" was 190 because I thought I was big boned and would look crappy at anything smaller cause Im so tall. Then I hit 190 and was like - this is fraking awful. So I changed it to 140.

I got down to 155 and I was like - maybe 150 should be my goal.

then I couldnt make goal weights anymore because I realized it was all about my body fat % and now that's where all my goals are and they dont have to change.

McCloud33

nicsflyingcircus wrote: »

I picked 155(BMI 22.9) because it is a nice round number, somewhat more than 10 lbs(13 in fact) less than the highest BMI that falls within the "normal" range for my height . In reality, I will see how it goes as I approach a healthier weight. So far I am down from a high weight of 375.3lbs(BMI 55.4) to 253.8lbs(BMI 37.4).

I also had/have non-weight related goals. I have my blood pressure down from 130/80 to 110/70, my cholesterol numbers and ratio's are improved across the board(not that they were awful to begin with, but they are better now), I have more stamina and energy, and I have lost so many inches in general.

It is however, just a number and I really plan to stop when I feel good about where I am. I plan to begin weight training at some point, but have no fixed agenda for that as of yet. So we shall see.

Congrats! Anyone who's aiming to lose more than they'll weigh at their goal weight definitely has my respect and support!

nicsflyingcircus

McCloud33 wrote: »

nicsflyingcircus wrote: »

I picked 155(BMI 22.9) because it is a nice round number, somewhat more than 10 lbs(13 in fact) less than the highest BMI that falls within the "normal" range for my height . In reality, I will see how it goes as I approach a healthier weight. So far I am down from a high weight of 375.3lbs(BMI 55.4) to 253.8lbs(BMI 37.4).

I also had/have non-weight related goals. I have my blood pressure down from 130/80 to 110/70, my cholesterol numbers and ratio's are improved across the board(not that they were awful to begin with, but they are better now), I have more stamina and energy, and I have lost so many inches in general.

It is however, just a number and I really plan to stop when I feel good about where I am. I plan to begin weight training at some point, but have no fixed agenda for that as of yet. So we shall see.

Congrats! Anyone who's aiming to lose more than they'll weigh at their goal weight definitely has my respect and support!

As a funny aside, I have lost more weight than three of my kids weigh and am closing in on surpassing my 14yo daughter (5'9 and 5/8" and 125.8lbs, she just had a check-up, lol).

SergeantSausage

McCloud33 wrote: »

Unlike you I have never seen my abs. Even in HS when I played soccer year round and weighed 140-145 at 5'-8.5" (yes, that .5" is important LOL). I quickly put on a freshman 25 and around the age of 20 my shoulders really broadened out and I just kept putting on like 5 lbs a year over the next 12 years taking me up to my heaviest 235.

I don't know if it's my build or what, but I see people who are 6'+ in the 150-160 range and I just don't see how that's possible (at least for me). My brother is one, 6'3" and like 165. Like I think I said earlier, my lean body mass is somewhere between 148-152, so in order for me to even reach 165, I would have to be 8% BF or lose a lot of my muscle, which I don't want to do! And again...I don't even reach a health BMI until I hit 163...that's just crazy!

I'm a runner, not a lifter, and have that "runner look." We're ... skinny wirey dudes with no muscle mass, but very little body fat. If you run long enough, far enough, and log the miles over the years/decades ... we all end up looking like this guy.
(random internet pic)

Muscle mass for size sake is not fun carrying on a morning 19-miler before breakfast.

ems212

I picked my goal weight because it's the weight I was when I was a high school cheerleader. I haven't changed it (yet) but I know that once I reach my goal, I'll re-evaluate where I'm at. Right now, I'm just taking it step-by-step.

dfranch

I started at 262 and just wanted to get under 200. Then 190, 180, 170. Currently around 165 and trying a bulk to add muscle.

xMrBunglex

McCloud33 wrote: »

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.

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

We're basically the same dude.

I started at 237 seven years ago, with a goal of 185. When I got there a year or so later, I wasn't happy, so I went for 180. Same deal, still looked like I had plenty to lose. So I got down to 175 & couldn't get past it. New goal: 169.

Just couldn't get there, so I quit drinking & boom - hit 170 in 6 months, then down to 165.

I really look good at 165.

I'm at 171 right now (it's tough to stay down there), but the difference between 165 & 175 is staggering. Those 10 lbs make ALL the difference.

MarziPanda95

I chose 140 because it's right in the middle of the healthy BMI for my height. That hasn't changed yet because I'm currently 28lbs off that, but I am going to reconsider when I get there. I might want to drop a few more or I might want to go back up a bit, it depends how I look and feel when I get there.

RSEC75

I picked the weight at the top end of the scale for 'normal' on the BMI scale. That's a 50lb drop so when I reach that I will be really happy (half way there). Once I reach it I will see how I feel about myself and decide if I want to adjust to a lower goal.

Allterrain_Lady

When I picked UGW, it was out of considerations such as BMI, "dream weight", "lowest weight I can remember being at", "thin girl supposed weight" and so on.
I then educated myself and, even though I can't shake a lifetime addiction to the scale yet, I do not have an actual goal weight anymore.
I have a weight that I'd love to see on the scale but what I really have is a goal body. I don't want to lose weight, I want to lose fat. And get muscles. The scale isn't an accurate reader for those changes.
I still weigh myself everyday because it keeps me on track but pictures and clothes are way more telling!

lemon629

My trainer said my goal should be 150 (based on body fat percentage according to a machine), and my doctor said not to go below 150. (The last time I was at 150 he told me not to lose any more weight.) However, I think I would be happier a little below that because when I weighed 150 before I still had a little more chub than I liked. So I have my goal set for 150 now, but I think I'd rather get to around 145. I don't think that's enough less for my doctor to be upset. I'll see how I look and feel once I get to 150 (which is only ten pounds away.

)

McCloud33

xMrBunglex wrote: »

McCloud33 wrote: »

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.

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

We're basically the same dude.

I started at 237 seven years ago, with a goal of 185. When I got there a year or so later, I wasn't happy, so I went for 180. Same deal, still looked like I had plenty to lose. So I got down to 175 & couldn't get past it. New goal: 169.

Just couldn't get there, so I quit drinking & boom - hit 170 in 6 months, then down to 165.

I really look good at 165.

I'm at 171 right now (it's tough to stay down there), but the difference between 165 & 175 is staggering. Those 10 lbs make ALL the difference.

If you don't mind me asking, besides the drinking, what was your diet like? Calorie goal/macros/anything. Does it really take 6+ months to lose those last 5-10 lbs???

The lowest I've gotten is 179ish and it took what seemed like forever to go from 183-179. I was/am doing low cal (1500), low carb (<100g), protein>150g, and the rest as fat.

pinkraynedropjacki

I picked to be 65kg down from 95kg...... it never changed once, and I not only got there but then passed it by 6kg. I'm right where I should be for a healthy BMI & measurements. Not put on anything since, it's now been very close to 3yrs since I started.

melimomTARDIS

I just took it as it came. I started at 180-175, and lost 20lbs by changing the foods I was eating. I lost the remaining 35-40lbs on MFP. If you had asked me at 180 if I would ever be sub-120lbs, I'd say you were crazy. But here I am, sub 120.

kyta32

I chose a goal weight because MFP required it. I was afraid to, because if my goal is "losing weight" and I lose 2 pounds, I've achieved my goal. If my goal is 140, and I lose 155 pounds, but not that last pound, I've failed at my goal. The 140 is supposedly the ideal weight for someone of my height with a medium frame.

I'm 8 months in and 110 pounds down (20 before MFP), and I think I might be able to get there? I'm not looking forward to the last 20 or so pounds...

I read something on a post that lead me to check my elbow breadth - now it seems like I have a small frame? So my goal weight is 126? That's a little too scary for me, so I think I'll just see if I can get to 140 first, and then decide if I want to change my goal based on how I look...

adriammmm

a year ago i hit 200 lbs and decided okay, this is no good, none of my clothes fit anymore, and decided to exercise and eat healthier and all that and see how far it went. i kept a personal diet diary and got down to 180 that spring and went off the track for the rest of the year. i nudged up a bit to about 185 around christmas and that kicked my butt back into gear. i got a new smartphone and remembered that i had a MFP account, so that's really been helping. so that's where i am now. atm i want to get down to 160, that was about what i weighed in high school. still chubby, but it's a realistic goal at the moment. we'll see what happens after i reach that. i can't remember the last time i was below 160, to be honest!