How to decide a good goal weight?

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ChrissyM93
ChrissyM93 Posts: 9 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey guys. So i have been on this weight loss journey for a while. I started weighing 230lbs and now im down to 167lbs. When i first started this journey my goal weight was 160lbs because i remember being that weighht and liking it and i have some friends who are around that weight and they looked good. But, now that I am almost 160lbs I still am not satified. How do y'all decide what should be your goal weight and when did you notice the most changes in your stomach and arms? By fhe way I am 5'4" and i beleieve i am supposed to weight between 120 to 145lbs (correct me if I'm wrong).
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Replies

  • DawnieB1977
    DawnieB1977 Posts: 4,248 Member
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    Personally I want to be where I look good and can fit into my old clothes, but I do want to be within a healthy BMI. Before I got pregnant with my 3rd baby I was 154lbs, which at 5'6 gives me a BMI of 24.9! I was happy at that size and wearing a UK 10/12 (US6/8). I'd have liked to have lost a few lbs maybe, just to make my stomach slightly flatter.

    I haven't weighed myself for a while, but I think I still need to lose around 15-20lbs.

    Once I reach that, I then want to work on getting more defined muscles and improving my fitness and strength.
  • cajuntank
    cajuntank Posts: 924 Member
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    So maybe do small goals at say 5lbs at time. Lose the 5, maintain for a bit to decide if you want to lose another 5, change goals, rinse and repeat.
  • AlphaHowls
    AlphaHowls Posts: 1,909 Member
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    You need to decide what makes you happy. Do not chase the "I will be happy when..." Write out the things that make you happy, what makes you comfortable, what you can live with and without.
  • Patttience
    Patttience Posts: 975 Member
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    Aim for the middle of your healthy weight range. The lower end is very tough to reach and very hard to maintain for those of us who haven't spent most of our lives at that weight. Don't aim for the top end because its too close to the trouble zone. At the middle you should look pretty nice. Staying there will be the hard part though. Congratulations on all your progress so far.
  • Timelordlady85
    Timelordlady85 Posts: 797 Member
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    I agree, maybe aim for a few pounds at a time until you reach a goal weight that you feel you can maintain long term and adjust accordingly. I have mine set for the middle range of my healthy bmi weight for my height.
  • Bshmerlie
    Bshmerlie Posts: 1,026 Member
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    Congratulations on the weight loss. I am 5'5" and originally set my goal weight at 160 as well. But then I started thinking about it and then went to mybodygallery.com and looked at pictures of people with my height at various weights. That's when I decided anywhere from 120 -130 would be ideal for me. So that's what I'm shooting for. Why settle for less now? I'm doing this. Let's go all the way.
  • joeboland
    joeboland Posts: 205 Member
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    First off, congratulations!

    Secondly, I've given up entirely on the idea of a "goal weight" - when I started at 300lbs, my goal was 250...then 225...then 200...I'm now sitting fairly consistently at 180. I think it's more important to gauge how you look and feel once you start getting lower in numbers on the scale, because what you thought was your goal weight 50 or 100 pounds ago isn't necessarily going to translate into how you actually look or feel once you hit that goal.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
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    I'm 5'4" as well. I've been as high as 178/180 but I started this program at 163. First goal was something attainable, like 150.

    From there, I was good at losing and still not happy. I found that the closer I got to the "recommended weight" for our height, the better I felt. On a 5'4" woman, the 160s are still overweight.

    Someone mentioned mybodygallery.com. Take a look there. It's interesting to see how women with different body compositions look, at the same weight and height-which is why strength training has been important in my life.

    Why not shoot for the high end of the weight chart and then see how you feel?
  • OldAssDude
    OldAssDude Posts: 1,436 Member
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    https://rush.edu/health-wellness/quick-guides/what-is-a-healthy-weight

    Follow the link, and set your goal for the middle of the normal weight.

    Then set your goal to lose 1 pound per week.

    Then increase your cardio activity to burn at least the number calorie difference. Or even better, try to double it.

    This (IMO) is the easiest way to do it without failing and/or shocking your system in a negative way, and you will feel a lot better because of the increased activity.
  • Dariasen
    Dariasen Posts: 145 Member
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    This is the hardest for me because I have never been a healthy weight as an adult so I have nothing to guage for me.
    I set my goal at the top end of the next BMI catagory. When I get there I will lower it to the next. But that's just for the MFP algorithem thingy.
    My goal right now is just one day at a time, hopefully every week less and less.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 24,932 Member
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    Mid-June, I got down to a weight that I was in 2011 ... and before that 2009. I figured that would be good enough, but then that message we get when we close our food diaries suggested that if I stuck with this, I could be about 2 kg lower. And that got me to thinking ... I haven't been that weight since probably about 2007 or so, but all of a sudden it's possible! So ... why not.

    But I agree with the others ... aim for the middle of your BMI weight range and see how things go. :)
  • OldAssDude
    OldAssDude Posts: 1,436 Member
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    Dariasen wrote: »
    This is the hardest for me because I have never been a healthy weight as an adult so I have nothing to guage for me.
    I set my goal at the top end of the next BMI catagory. When I get there I will lower it to the next. But that's just for the MFP algorithem thingy.
    My goal right now is just one day at a time, hopefully every week less and less.

    Maybe that is why you have never been at a healthy weight as an adult.

    If you just set your goal to the middle of your healthy weight, and "slowly" work toward it, you are far more likely to succeed, maintain, and feel better.
  • Dariasen
    Dariasen Posts: 145 Member
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    bcalvanese wrote: »
    Dariasen wrote: »
    This is the hardest for me because I have never been a healthy weight as an adult so I have nothing to guage for me.
    I set my goal at the top end of the next BMI catagory. When I get there I will lower it to the next. But that's just for the MFP algorithem thingy.
    My goal right now is just one day at a time, hopefully every week less and less.

    Maybe that is why you have never been at a healthy weight as an adult.

    If you just set your goal to the middle of your healthy weight, and "slowly" work toward it, you are far more likely to succeed, maintain, and feel better.

    Could be.
    Before I was an adult I didn't care/wasn't paying attention about my weight so there was no goal. I've done the set the goal lower before and have driven myself crazy looking at the big picture instead of the mini here-and-now goals. I am working slowly toward it just not overwhelming myself with "Xlbs to goal" hanging over my head.
    This time my focus has been on health rather than a # on a scale or dress size. I've lowered my BP to a healthy number and quit smoking in the past few months. A few more health issues to focus now. That's more important to me than what my BMI catagory is right now.
  • OldAssDude
    OldAssDude Posts: 1,436 Member
    edited July 2015
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    Dariasen wrote: »
    bcalvanese wrote: »
    Dariasen wrote: »
    This is the hardest for me because I have never been a healthy weight as an adult so I have nothing to guage for me.
    I set my goal at the top end of the next BMI catagory. When I get there I will lower it to the next. But that's just for the MFP algorithem thingy.
    My goal right now is just one day at a time, hopefully every week less and less.

    Maybe that is why you have never been at a healthy weight as an adult.

    If you just set your goal to the middle of your healthy weight, and "slowly" work toward it, you are far more likely to succeed, maintain, and feel better.

    Could be.
    Before I was an adult I didn't care/wasn't paying attention about my weight so there was no goal. I've done the set the goal lower before and have driven myself crazy looking at the big picture instead of the mini here-and-now goals. I am working slowly toward it just not overwhelming myself with "Xlbs to goal" hanging over my head.
    This time my focus has been on health rather than a # on a scale or dress size. I've lowered my BP to a healthy number and quit smoking in the past few months. A few more health issues to focus now. That's more important to me than what my BMI catagory is right now.

    I was 225 when I started. The middle of my healthy weight is about 150 (5'9"). I set my activity tracker to lose 1 pound per week, and eat within the calories that it tells me I have. I also get at least my 10,000 steps per day in, and a big part of those steps includes a 2 to 3 mile walk at a cardio pace. I also bought a bicycle and do 6 to 10 mile rides at least twice a week.

    I am down to almost 190 now, and have absolutely no doubt that I will get to 150 within the next year.

    Because of the increased activity, I can pretty much eat what i want when I want, and still stay well withing my calories.

    I have health issues as well. COPD, slight heart issues, and blood clotting issues (3 pack a day smoker for over 40 years), and have been trying to quit smoking using an electronic cigarette. I have been using the electronic cigarette more and smoking less over several months now, and am down to about a pack a day now. Since I have been doing all this walking and biking, I can breath so much better now, and my resting heart rate has gone down quite a bit.

    I am 57 years young, and now I can do a 10 mile bike ride at a zone 3 cardio pace with no problem...:)

    Sounds like you are headed in the right direction in doing this for better health, and i hope you are increasing your activity level, as that makes such a big difference.
  • eddiecoffin1
    eddiecoffin1 Posts: 6 Member
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    I have a BMI of 22 and would like to be 20 or at least in the lower end rather than the middle (I am pretty short tho)
  • FoxyLifter
    FoxyLifter Posts: 965 Member
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    When I first came to MFP, I started with a goal weight. When I got within 2lbs of my weight goal and found myself still unsatisfied with the way my body looked, I found a better goal: body composition. I eat enough protein and lift heavy and I'm finally get that "tone" look (aka muscle definition). I want to look sexy with and without clothes. :wink:
  • Naaer
    Naaer Posts: 212 Member
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    I had a goal weight when I started...But I got, about, half way there and gained back twenty pounds...At the weight I am at now, my "numbers" are still good(blood pressure, triglycerides, and cholesterol), and THAT was the main motivation for losing the weight...I was at a risk for a heart attack...I figure as long as I keep my numbers OK, then I am OK...But, easier said than done...
  • Asher_Ethan
    Asher_Ethan Posts: 2,430 Member
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    In college I use to get complimented on my body all the time. I was 135 in college so I decided that would be my goal weight.
  • Bshmerlie
    Bshmerlie Posts: 1,026 Member
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    I honestly don't see this journey stopping when I actually reach my goal weight. I'm 45 years old and I started out at 254 pounds. If I can manage to get down to 129 pounds in the next year or two I'm sure it would take several more years to tone and firm my body like I'm looking for. That's why I'm not considering this a diet. This is going to be a slow transformation into a healthier and better looking me.
  • OldAssDude
    OldAssDude Posts: 1,436 Member
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    Bshmerlie wrote: »
    I honestly don't see this journey stopping when I actually reach my goal weight. I'm 45 years old and I started out at 254 pounds. If I can manage to get down to 129 pounds in the next year or two I'm sure it would take several more years to tone and firm my body like I'm looking for. That's why I'm not considering this a diet. This is going to be a slow transformation into a healthier and better looking me.

    No reason you cant do both at the same time now, and have it all done in the next year or two...:)

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