How do you decide on a goal weight?

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SoulOfRusalka
SoulOfRusalka Posts: 1,201 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So, I have no idea what my "natural" weight is or should be, since my eating habits have been abnormal and unhealthy more or less since high school, and I've only just dealt with that in the past year or so. My weight is at exactly the average for my height/age right now, but I'm naturally smaller-framed and I think I'd like to lose more. I'm just not exactly sure when to stop. How do you figure out what the right weight is to switch to maintenance?

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  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    Assuming no presence of an eating disorder or body dysmorphia, when you're happy with what you see in the mirror or are satisfied that continued weight loss is not going to get you to that point. In the case of the latter, a recomp or bulk to build muscle may follow.
  • Nikki10129
    Nikki10129 Posts: 292 Member
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    When you're happy with what you see, but it's a lifestyle journey, my goal is to never stop but keep improving on the things I'm starting to love
  • richardgavel
    richardgavel Posts: 1,001 Member
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    My initial goal was to get under the high threshold for healthy BMI. After that I'm losing in 5 lbs increments and seeing how things look and looking more at body fat percentage. I want to get to 15% but there may be a weight I won't drop under and I just start working to put on muscle sooner.
  • inglysh731
    inglysh731 Posts: 42 Member
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    The lowest weight in my range of "happy weight" is still "over weight" when I calculate on BMI so I take that recommendation with a grain of salt.

    Once I got down to the high 140's... which BMI says is the high end of my "Normal" weight...

    I felt fine but was lethargic/non-competitive on the bike. Went to the Dr. and asked what to do because I lost my sprint, couldn't climb and just plain felt out of gas. While I may have been able to train my way through it, he told me to put on some weight... and that worked too. I do my best work in the high 150's, low 160's.

    If I didn't ride, staying within the BMI thresholds would probably be fine but it doesn't work for me when I want to be active.
  • eskimohugger
    eskimohugger Posts: 80 Member
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    I am currently at 164 and when i lay on my side, I have fat gravitate towards the ground which I can see is around 5 pounds of fat. Then I notice the fat around my arms, back, and legs make up another 5-6 pounds. So I know my fat loss goal is 10 pounds of fat. So technically my goal weight is around 150 but I also plan on gaining muscle mass so who knows that might be so mine varies!
  • kiara1066
    kiara1066 Posts: 119 Member
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    My goal weight will be 135 this is the weight I was before I got my current job and became less active. I was super active throughout high school and college, and worked in a fast paced retail store. So yeah this weight works for me.
  • ZeroDelta
    ZeroDelta Posts: 242 Member
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    Threw a dart at the dart board. It hit 16 so I multiplied it by 10 for 160. :p;)
  • Yi5hedr3
    Yi5hedr3 Posts: 2,696 Member
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    Target should never be weight - it should be Percent Body Fat. :)
  • ilex70
    ilex70 Posts: 727 Member
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    Threw a dart at the dart board. It hit 16 so I multiplied it by 10 for 160. :p;)

    :D

    Good news/bad news OP. If you lose and decide you are too think for your personal comfort, it is really easy to put some back.

    Last round I aimed for normal BMI, but felt pretty lousy when I got there. This time we'll see, maybe the same, or higher, lower. Definitely in the overweight range at the worst, underweight is something I'm at no risk of short of famine or disease.
  • YalithKBK
    YalithKBK Posts: 317 Member
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    Ideal weight for my height is 100-128lbs. I have been 125 before, but want to go a little skinnier this time (also to give me more buffer in my ideal BMI range). I'm aiming for 120 this time around, but really anything under 130 and I'll be very happy.

    Follow what others are saying. You stop when you feel good about yourself!
  • nordlead2005
    nordlead2005 Posts: 1,303 Member
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    My initial goal was 175lb (started at 220), which was my highschool/college weight (or at least when I got my shirts from college).

    I'm now 172-174 depending on the day and still slowly losing weight as I want to get my BF% lower. Based on my most recent estimates I need to get down to 168-169lb.

    If I hadn't of had a reference point I would have aimed for 179, which is the point I would be "normal" for BMI and would have reevaluated as I got close.

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