How do you know what is an ideal weight?

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thelovely4
thelovely4 Posts: 3 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So I have lost 5stone 6ib now and am not sure what my ideal weight should be? Or when I get that there what I should do to maintain that weight, can anyone help?
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  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    edited April 2015
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    For me, it has turned into an "I'll know it when I see it" kind of thing. I think I have around 10 pounds to go, based on what I see in the mirror and am judging my remaining excess fat to be. But I won't know for sure until it happens.

    Once you get to maintenance, you work on upping your calories to a level that will allow you to maintain. There is a Maintaining Weight subforum. You may want to start looking at threads there to see how other people are doing it.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    I am not sure either...BMI gives me a range of 118-165...no help.

    I first set a goal of 165...decided I wanted to lose more so I set another one of 155...then 145...and was happy there last summer...I did gain to 148 over the holidays then another 7 on a vacation down south so back at er again so I decided to see what 140 looks like for me...

    I suspect that will be the point stopping as my jeans are a size 4 already and I don't care to buy another waredrobe of size 2's.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    IMO, there's no such thing...there's an ideal (for you) body composition and ideal (for you) BF%. Scale weight is made up of many things, not just fat. According to BMI, I'm slightly overweight...but I'm about 15% BF which is well within a healthy range.

  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,939 Member
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    Play at the halls.md site.

    Cheesy graphics, but interesting date including percentiles and ideal weight calculators.

    Also google pictures of the body fat % look you might be aiming for...
  • dirtyflirty30
    dirtyflirty30 Posts: 222 Member
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    BMI is a good start. There's also a "Happy Weight Calculator" (Google it) that's pretty helpful.
  • segacs
    segacs Posts: 4,599 Member
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    BMI range or body fat estimate are both decent gauges when you just want a starting place. But yeah, I agree with the "I'll know it when I get there" mentality. I'm about 7-8 pounds away from what I initially set as my goal weight. I think I might want to go down another 5 when I get there, but, hey, I'll see.

    For me an ideal weight is one where I can fit comfortably into a reasonable clothing size, feel healthy and strong, but also feel like I can sustain it without crazy amounts of exercise or too much effort.
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
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    I used BMI as a rough starting point, even though it's pretty retarded for tall people.

    At this point, I'm more focused on body fat percentage and how I look, rather than what I weigh.
  • segacs
    segacs Posts: 4,599 Member
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    BFDeal wrote: »
    Do you like what you see in the mirror?

    Assuming you have a healthy self-image and no issues with EDs or body dysmorphia, this method is fine, too.
  • joeboland
    joeboland Posts: 205 Member
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    In my experience, it's ever-changing. For me, it was 225. Then 200. I'm now at 190, and I feel pretty good about myself; but I'm now working out out a lot, and will likely end up back at 200 again.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    joeboland wrote: »
    In my experience, it's ever-changing. For me, it was 225. Then 200. I'm now at 190, and I feel pretty good about myself; but I'm now working out out a lot, and will likely end up back at 200 again.

    I think this is a good point. While I'm hoping another 10 pounds will do it, I'm probably going to have to get lighter than I want to in order to lose the belly fat. After that I'll end up trying to add muscle which will take me back up the scale a bit in order to get a better look. And then it will be back down the scale if I don't like the amount of fat put on while adding muscle. That's pretty much why I'm just saying I'll know it when I see it.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    The weight that makes you happiest.
  • llUndecidedll
    llUndecidedll Posts: 724 Member
    edited April 2015
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    Well, I chose to go by the BMI charts. Maybe you should reach your healthy weight range first, then determine how you feel.

  • RyanDuranG
    RyanDuranG Posts: 4 Member
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    I go by bodyfat percentage.
  • DearestWinter
    DearestWinter Posts: 595 Member
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    I set my initial goal based on a weight where I was previously comfortable.
  • minties82
    minties82 Posts: 907 Member
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    I determined my frame size (large). I looked up the healthy weight range for my height and chose a weight closer to the heavy end to account for my frame.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,426 Member
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    Past experience being at a lower weight and bmi chart.
    I chose a weight that I remember feeling pretty comfortable at that happens to be about the middle of the healthy bmi for my height.
  • smantha32
    smantha32 Posts: 6,990 Member
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    DearestWinter wrote: »
    I set my initial goal based on a weight where I was previously comfortable.

    Same for me.
  • jessicadb2
    jessicadb2 Posts: 57 Member
    edited April 2015
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    I just look at pictures on mybodygallery and figure out what weight looks the best to me and what fitness level. I have been overweight most of my life so this is the easiest way for me to determine where I want to be. I think 150 lbs with a good level of fitness is most attractive to me at 5'6''.
  • 4leighbee
    4leighbee Posts: 1,275 Member
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    For most of us (including me), I would say it's when it ceases to become something in the forefront of our minds. I'm not a numbers person, and the ones I've paid attention to in this journey seem very unreliable as guideposts anyway - so (because I don't suffer from any psychological condition related to physical weight/body image) I can rely on my own self-satisfaction to be my guide. This goes for reduced joint pain while running as well as being comfortable "in my own skin."

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