How to decide a good goal weight?
ChrissyM93
Posts: 9 Member
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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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.0 -
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.0
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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.1
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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.3
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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.0
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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.0
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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.0 -
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?0 -
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.0 -
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.1 -
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.
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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.
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.0 -
bcalvanese 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.1 -
bcalvanese 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.0 -
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)0
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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.
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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...
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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.0
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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.0
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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.
No reason you cant do both at the same time now, and have it all done in the next year or two...:)0 -
It wasn't until I set up my mfp profile that I realized I didn't have a goal weight. I just pulled a number out of my butt because it required a number.
I still don't really have one. I'll quit when I hit one of two points:
-When it gets so hard that it becomes a struggle I no longer wish to keep up
-When I am thin enough for me
Whatever the number is, it is.
Doctor thinks 15-20 more pounds would do it, but I'm thinking 30-35. Have to see. 0 -
bcalvanese 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...:)
Agreed. The more LBM you save now while running some sort of resistance program, the happier you will be with your body as you near your goal weight-and the less muscle you will have to REBUILD.0 -
My goal right now is to lose 25 to get to my previous weight. After that, I might still look to lose about 10 or so more pounds.0
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How?
Dont.
Weight is meaningless.
Decide on a "Goal Look And Feel", instead.
Keep losing until you look and feel like you wanted to look and feel.
That can happen at almost any weight, right?
One could be, say (just to throw out a number) 180, muscle bound and cut - if you're into such .. OR .. that same 180 could be skinny-ish with belly flab that looks like the third trimester of quadruplets. Both 180 - the same weight(skinny fat) ... ÒŔ ... anywhere in between . The same number.
Weight is meaningless.0 -
I put 140 because it's in the middle of my healthy weight range, but really I'll just go off how I look and feel when I get closer. If I end up happy at 150 I'll switch to maintenance, if not I'll keep losing. Oh and yes to strength training now rather than waiting 'til goal 0
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Bshmerlie, do you believe those weights at mybodygallery.com? I went and looked at some, and I thought about 50% of the people are full of it, they look like they weigh a lot more than they are saying they do, and about 50% are being honest. If you look like a plus size but say you wear a size 6 ( I saw quite a few of those) then something is not right. Muscular is one thing, but that is not what I am talking about. 0
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In college I lost a bunch of weight (really just 6lbs) but I fell in love with running and lifting so my body changed tremendously. That is my real goal weight, but I wasn't really done at that time. I just remember wearing a size 12 in childrens' sizes (I'm short) and the cost of kids' clothes is much less!0
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During my last weight loss attempt I got down to 190 and thought "wow. one day i'd like to be 20 lb lighter than this", so i picked 170.
Turns out 22 bmi for 6'1" male is ~166 so i think i picked ok0 -
SergeantSausage wrote: »How?
Dont.
Weight is meaningless.
Decide on a "Goal Look And Feel", instead.
Keep losing until you look and feel like you wanted to look and feel.
That can happen at almost any weight, right?
One could be, say (just to throw out a number) 180, muscle bound and cut - if you're into such .. OR .. that same 180 could be skinny-ish with belly flab that looks like the third trimester of quadruplets. Both 180 - the same weight(skinny fat) ... ÒŔ ... anywhere in between . The same number.
Weight is meaningless.
Getting to a healthy weight is not meaningless.0 -
bcalvanese 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...:)
I am doing both right now but I'm also being realistic. I was a weight lifter and runner in college so I'm very well aware of what it's going to take to get the lean body I'm looking for. But I'm 45 now and I'm thinking I'm gonna have an excess skin thing going on in the pooch area for quite awhile after I loose the weight. Who knows maybe not. I'm just looking at the droopy thing happening as I'm losing weight and is the skin gonna shape up so quickly?....who knows. Only time will tell. If I do reach my goal weight and after another 4-5 years of focused exercise and I still can't manage to correct the excess sag I may consider a tummy tuck...if it bugs me that much. Maybe it won't by that point. But a lot of this also has to do with genetics and how our skin responds. And by looking at my mom in her Sixties I might need some surgical help in that particular area.0
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