How did you choose your goal weight?

emmab0902
emmab0902 Posts: 2,338 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Did you use BMI or measurements or how you look/how clothes fit? Or something else?

After years of being a slave to the scales I now go on how I feel most functional ie energy levels and sports performance (I am a competitive swimmer.)

Ironically my weight fluctuates less now that I'm not counting calories or aiming for a specific number than it ever has!
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Replies

  • dinosaurparty
    dinosaurparty Posts: 185 Member
    I'm sort of picking arbitrary numbers until I reach a point where I'm happy with my figure. I've never been this slim before (and I'm in the middle of my bmi), so I have to play it by ear.
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,486 Member
    Nothing magic, I just went back to the weight I had maintained for the majority of my adult life.
    Cheers, h.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    Maximum BMI and level of self confidence in my physical appearance

    Then wherever I ended up after trying to find maintenance which was 5-7 lbs under a BMI of 25, giving me a 24 BMI

    But I switched to body fat rather than BMI as body composition is far more important to aesthetics than scale weight..so I'm happy at 23-24%
  • anasvitlii
    anasvitlii Posts: 267 Member
    I go with how I feel.. My primary goal was a few pounds less than what I weigh now, but then I measured my BMI and Body fat percentage, and it was low so now I picked the other goal.. Just take it easy and go step by step.
  • SergeantSausage
    SergeantSausage Posts: 1,673 Member
    I don't so much have a goal weight as a goal look.

    Numbers on a scale really don't matter.
  • thunder1982
    thunder1982 Posts: 280 Member
    I am still using the scales atm, I have a fair bit to lose. But I will be switching to body fat % once I am down another 10 or so kilos. When I was younger I was always at the high end of my bmi but had a firm body and even a six pack so I suspect my body compesition is a little heavier. At the moment I am in the obese range for weight but my bmi is in the overweight range.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    The weight I felt the best at in the past.
    That weight is about the middle of the healthy BMI for my height.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    Initial goal was simply my favourite adult weight (which happened to be from 25 years ago). Then made a few adjustments over next year or so based on what I saw in the mirror and my fitness/cycling goals.

    My final weight turned out to be at the top of the BMI healthy range.
  • Fursian
    Fursian Posts: 550 Member
    aes1219 wrote: »
    My initial goal was to be at a healthy bmi. My next goal is to be in the middle of a healthy bmi range (about 5 lbs to go). I'm not really satisfied yet so I figure my next goal will be to get on the lower end of the bmi scale.

    I know BMI doesn't account for everything, but it can be a good indicator of a health weight range for your height. With this there are always outliers (individuals who are super muscular, for example).

    Same goal here.
  • MommyL2015
    MommyL2015 Posts: 1,411 Member
    I initially picked the top of my bmi scale to 130 because it seemed like enough at the time. I then chose to go 10 pounds lighter just because of my belly fat. I'm nearly there but I may take it down another 5. I still have a belly hanging out and don't like it one bit. I doubt I'll go lower than 115 and will just have to live with whatever belly fat decides to stay.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,611 Member
    First I picked a weight I had last seen in 2011. It was a weight that was comfortably within my BMI range, and a weight I have been at a number of times in my life. 15 kg down from my start weight.

    When I got to that weight, I took a 1-month break and reassessed the situation. OK, I went on holiday. :grin: But I debated whether I would maintain that weight or whether I would lose some more. I decided to try to lose some more. Losing that first bit of weight hadn't been difficult, so I thought maybe I could lose an extra 5 kg or so.

    I got busy with a rather intense course I was taking in addition to work, and all of sudden I had dropped an extra 7 kg! 22 kg down from my start weight.

    So then I thought I might as well keep going to a weight I haven't seen since 2003. I'm about down a total of 24 kg from my start weight now, and about 2-3 kg from my 2003 weight goal.
  • norcogrrl
    norcogrrl Posts: 129 Member
    My goal weight was calculated by my sports physiotherapist. It is my "optimal" cycling weight: where I'm not sacrificing required muscle mass, but I'm also not carrying extra weight that will slow me down and make climbs more difficult.
  • shadowfax_c11
    shadowfax_c11 Posts: 1,942 Member
    It is the lowest weight I can remember being in my adult life. I remember that I was really happy with how I looked and how I felt at the time. It was still a bit above my ideal weight by about 30 pounds, so when I achieve that number I might change my goal. Things are going so much better than I expected ,so far, that I actually think it could be doable and reasonable.
  • Working2BLean
    Working2BLean Posts: 386 Member
    Pics tell the story

    Progress pics show how it all looks after body composition efforts.

    My BMI is high because of added muscle. Seeing muscle separation in my torso and body comp scale say 12% body fat are good things.

    I still have pockets of fat to drop. So it has nothing to do with a single number. It is about all of them together evaluated with my personal satisfaction with athletic performance and appearance.

    BMI is fine if you don't add extra muscle. If you do, it kind of goes out the window.

  • scorpcookie
    scorpcookie Posts: 113 Member
    The number that I chose, which I finally met 2 weeks ago is one that I felt would let me indulge in the holidays without feeling guilty if I ended up gaining 5lbs.

    Of course along the journey to meet that goal I decided that I wanted to get lean for once, so now I'm trying to achieve that goal which is probably another 5-10lbs away from the original number I chose.
  • CoffeeNCardio
    CoffeeNCardio Posts: 1,847 Member
    edited October 2015
    emmab0902 wrote: »
    Did you use BMI or measurements or how you look/how clothes fit? Or something else?

    After years of being a slave to the scales I now go on how I feel most functional ie energy levels and sports performance (I am a competitive swimmer.)

    Ironically my weight fluctuates less now that I'm not counting calories or aiming for a specific number than it ever has!

    I used BMI, an advanced one with a waist to hip ratio as well as adjustments for frame size as measured by elbow bone width. Then I picked a BMI (22) dead in the middle of the healthy range and picked the weight associated with that number for all those characteristics. 115. If I get to 125 and look and feel awesome, maybe I'll stop. Or if I get to 115 and still look visually flabby and round, I'll keep going. So I guess it's a combination of both scale and feelings. Obviously if I feel like hell at 115, I'll gain back up til I don't, but I want to be a long distance runner, so I expect I'll feel fine.

    If that seems low: I am 5'2", small frame, 26 yrs old, and I have a fairly large pelvis for my bod so I'm going for an 8-10 inch difference in waist to hip ratio.

    And none of this matters in the least if I don't feel well. I like comfort. I will choose feeling good and being comfortable over being at a certain number or set of numbers in the end.

    ETA: I've never been thin since I can remember, so I just have to guess really.
  • CoffeeNCardio
    CoffeeNCardio Posts: 1,847 Member
    That's another thing: BMI seems to be more accurate a measurement for females who are not very tall or very large framed than for anyone else. Partly because frame size IS a big deal, and because females are less likely to be trying to bulk up with big heavy musculature (not everyone obviously, just in general, you GO muscle girls!) like men often desire.
  • rosebarnalice
    rosebarnalice Posts: 3,488 Member
    BMI says I should weigh no more than 160 to be "normal", but my target is 180. Why?

    I'm 54 and have struggled with my weight since age 9. Over the years I've drifted through husky, heavy, chubby, fat, morbidly obese, and for a very brief time (2 years), "normal".

    What I know now is that "normal" for me is "obsessive", and puts me in a head space that I don't like. Yes, my clothes fit, but I don't FEEL healthy--at least mentally. My goal weight is a weight where I feel healthy, I can do the physical things I like and want to do, I like the way I look in my clothes, and that I can maintain without obsessing or thinking about food every freaking moment of every freaking day.
  • ar9179
    ar9179 Posts: 374 Member
    5 lbs below the top of my healthy weight range for age/height. That gives me wriggle room for hormonal changes. I'll reevaluate once I'm there and will switch to body fat % based on how I look. Strength training has become a big deal to me and will play a role in my goals.
  • Juniper3411
    Juniper3411 Posts: 167 Member
    I picked the weight I was a couple of years ago. Felt good and looked good :) only 13 pounds to go!
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    edited October 2015
    I am aiming for about 140 lbs, which is what I weighed in high school when I played a few sports. At 5'8", I looked and felt good at that weight.

    It also happens to be in the middle of my BMI range, and I've seen one calculator declare that to be my ideal weight.

    If I remember correctly, my waist will be about a 30-31 at that weight. Could be wrong, it was a loooong time ago.

    I'm about 155 right now and look fine. I have a large bone frame for a woman, and tend to be naturally muscular so i can carry more weight than many women. I wear a size 8-12 or medium now.

    I am not working to hard to hit that 140lbs at the moment. No rush.
  • kuroshii
    kuroshii Posts: 168 Member
    edited October 2015
    Clothes that fit me fine a year ago didn't fit me in April, and I discovered I had gained 15lbs in those six months. That doesn't sound like much to lose compared to a lot of other folks on this board, but I'm on the "wrong" side of 40 so I needed to nip it in the bud.

    I started by rebuilding my workout routine (I had stopped completely a year earlier due to changes in work) and when I saw that just adding workouts wasn't working I started looking at my diet, creating my account here on MFP.
  • MKEgal
    MKEgal Posts: 3,250 Member
    I started out aiming for 10 lb under the top of a healthy BMI weight (top of the green range).
    When I get there I'll see how I feel, how I look.
    Maybe I'll want to lose a little more (won't be more than 15 lb), maybe I'll just want to focus on weightlifting to
    shape up, lose inches, be stronger, look awesome.

    Also wanted to get my waist under 34", because that's shown to be healthier, and I've done that.

    Also want to get my body fat into a healthy range, and it's coming along. I'm just over 14% down, aiming for
    maybe another 10-14% beyond that.
  • Asher_Ethan
    Asher_Ethan Posts: 2,430 Member
    It was the weight I was in college.
  • Traveler120
    Traveler120 Posts: 712 Member
    edited October 2015
    I used this calculator for ideal weight:
    http://www.calculator.net/ideal-weight-calculator.html
    It has 4 different formulas, so for my 5'5" height, I chose the lowest result of 125 lbs which is what I am now. Yay! However, it also says my healthy BMI range is 111 to 150 lbs. My starting weight was above the upper range at 152 lbs and I want to be close to the lower end. I'm still holding a bit of extra fat so I've set a new goal of 115 lbs.

    I also used this calculator for body fat (uses height, neck, waist and hips):
    http://www.calculator.net/body-fat-calculator.html (US Navy formula)
    American Council on Exercise has 4 ranges of body fat (for women) - Athletes(16-20%), Fitness(21-24%), Acceptable(25-31%), Obese(32%+). I started at an obese 32% and wanted to drop to the Athletes range. I'm now at 19% so mission accomplished! But, I could stand to drop another 2% so I'm working on it.
  • nowetdio
    nowetdio Posts: 5 Member
    Recently changed my goal weight according to thishttp://www.builtlean.com/2010/05/04/ideal-body-weight-formula-how-to-calculate-your-ideal-weight/
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    When i was young and a competitive gymnast i was evaluated by a few doctors because my body fat was too low to inhibit hormone function necessary to start my menstrual cycle. They did some tests on me and determined i would likely not hit puberty until i quit being a full time gymnast. They told me based on my age and current height/weight when i reach maturity i would be around 5'3-5'4 and my normal weight between 108-113 pounds.


    When i lost weight initially i set that as my target goal.

    Turns out I am 5'3.5 and i maintain just about 113-115 at my optimum level of fitness.
  • shrcpr
    shrcpr Posts: 885 Member
    middlehaitch wrote: »
    Nothing magic, I just went back to the weight I had maintained for the majority of my adult life.
    Cheers, h.

    +1
  • nyponbell
    nyponbell Posts: 379 Member
    My goal weight has been set by doctors for a surgery, but once I reach it and have that surgery, I'm not going to maintain that weight, as I believe (at this stage in my life anyway, I might change my mind when I get there) it is not sustainable for me nor healthy considering the lifestyle I want to live (I want to focus more on fitness and health than my actual weight). For the surgery I need to be at a BMI of 25, which would put me at 65 kg (or 143 pounds). My personal goal weight is probably around 70kg, but it will be mostly determined by how I'm feeling and what I can do, fitness wise. And probably also how my clothes fit. :smile:
  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
    BMI target based on my height and frame size, but honestly, I'll know when I get there. I'm shooting low, I might be pleased at a higher weight, I might need to go lower.

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