Determining goal weight

But to specifically answer your question, I based my goal on my healthy weight range for my height and what my weight and measurements were when I was in great shape.

My range is 118-154, but I was 135-145 when in really great shape and dancing and working out 4-9x a week in high school. My lowest weight when I tried to lose weight during high school was 131-132. So obviously I don't have any interest in seeing the low end of my range. I have a large frame.

I'm a male 5'9" 170lbs and my goal weight was 160lbs until I realized how hard it was to lose 10lbs after 30 so I said fine 170 it is...lol

I set mine based on research for optimal running performance, which is more based on BF%.

I go by the range of most BMI charts, which for my height, is around 100lbs-136lbs. I originally planed to maintain on 115-120lbs, but then I decided that a BMI of 20 would feel best, and a BMI of 20 is maintained on 108lbs-114lbs, which is my maintenance weight range. I personally don't like being too close to the underweight/overweight borders, so ultimately, I always made sure to set a target range at least two BMI points(?) from either border.

Bone structure definitely makes a difference, along with muscle mass.
As for determining my own goal weight, it used to be 139 which was the lowest weight I'd maintained as an adult. A couple years ago I decided to try losing another 10 lbs to see how I would feel, and I ended up really liking ~130 on me. I recently hit that weight and am moving to recomp.

I set mine based on what I weighed when I was married--the last time I remember liking how I looked in a bathing suit (and still within the healthy BMI range). I actually achieved it, and 25 years later it looked way different than I remember so I gained a little bit of weight back (8 lbs).

vingogly wrote: »

My weight in my early 20s was around 170-175 lbs, so that's what I'm shooting for. It's heavier than I've seen recommended in various tables and calculators, but at that weight I'm healthy, happy, and not emaciated. Using the wrist circumference criterion, I classify as large frame. See:

http://www.calculator.net/ideal-weight-calculator.html

I like your calculator--it says that I am perfect where I am right now!

I'm 5'6" so looking at the examples a lean 140lb would be my initial goal. With a top goal of a lean 150lb

At 133lb I have a couple of years hard work to go lol

trjjoy wrote: »

No-one has a "large frame". People who are taller will have longer limbs, for example. But that's it.

Nonsense. There is a a huge variation in all body parts including build / skeleton / body proportions.
Have a look at rugby legend Jason Leonard for someone with a real barrel chest. (Not talking about the muscle on top of his frame BTW - his rib cage is enormous).

sijomial wrote: »

trjjoy wrote: »

No-one has a "large frame". People who are taller will have longer limbs, for example. But that's it.

Nonsense. There is a a huge variation in all body parts including build / skeleton / body proportions.
Have a look at rugby legend Jason Leonard for someone with a real barrel chest. (Not talking about the muscle on top of his frame BTW - his rib cage is enormous).

I agree with these guys, there are larger and smaller frames. I don't know how much they contribute to weight, but my shoulders and hips are a certain size even when I am way underweight, that's my frame. I don't have the tiny sloping shoulders of Diana Ross or Nancy Reagan, I am built elongated athletic in the skeleton. Bone size also varies, my oldest daughter is built very similarly to me but her wrists and ankles are 2" bigger than mine. There is no way her bones don't weigh more. I don't know how much more, but more.

On the original question, I just try to stay near the low end of a healthy BMI, and my goal is based more on measurements than pounds, but if I can be heavier at the size I want, would consider that healthier.

I set an initial goal based on a weight that I'd been sometime in young adulthood (not my lowest adult weight ever), realizing that I'd need to re-evaluate when I got closer, since young adulthood was 30+ years ago. I like that general strategy of setting a provisional goal, then re-evaluating.

About 5-10 pounds above that initial goal, I did two things: I started slowing my weight loss rate way down (0.5lb/week and eventually less), and paying attention to how I felt, and how my body looked.

I ended up saying, "OK, this is good" about 8-10 pounds below that initial goal. I just woke up one morning (literally) and thought "I'm there".

And I absolutely agree that people do better at different goal weights for the same height. Obviously, there are cultural and personal aesthetic factors. Muscularity makes a difference. And, yes, frame size is a thing - not so much the "big boned" idea in the sense of bone weight per se, but that if you have wide hips (say), it takes more meat of all types to go around them, and that meat has a weight.

Sometimes people think that those defending frame size want to excuse themselves for being heavier because they "have big bones". Sometimes that happens, maybe, but I'm defending the frame size concept as someone who has boy-hips instead of lady hips, no booty whatsoever, and who - despite wide shoulders, big hands/feet, and more-than-average muscle for my age - should be on the lighter side of normal for my height. (I'm 5'5", 60 y/o, and 118lbs, which is 2-5 pounds less than I ultimately intend).

I stopped when it was easier to buy clothes that fit. I've always been pear-shaped, so pants that fit me around the hips were too big at that waist. Now I weigh 123 lbs, my hips and butt have slimmed down, and clothes look good on me.

Agree with @cwolfman13 people can have different builds. My mom for instance is a half inch taller than me, 175 pounds on her looks fat but I'm at 30% fat at that weight and look fine. I've got wide hips and broad thighs and just tend to be more muscular. I'm 5'6.5" and she's 5.7" and more of a slender build.

BMI is notoriously inaccurate and racially biased, working with Lean Body Mass estimates is going to serve you better since it accounts for variations. I did pick a target weight, but it's higher than BMI would put me at (125??!!). I picked mine based on what I've weighed in the past and 140 is way more realistic for me. I plan to do recomp once I get down to 170 anyways so lbm will be more my focus.

I set my goal weight based on what I weighed at 19. However I'm currently 10 lbs heavier but have the same measurements I did back then. I wear the same size clothing (adjusted for ASTM changes) as well (that is I'm in a 10/12 now and was a 12/14 then).

I honestly have no clue any more what my goal is. If I go on the height that scoliosis robbed me of I'd be in the "healthy" range; but as it is I'm "overweight" by 15 lbs. I can easily feel my backbone, ribs, hips and sternum.

I'm actually considering calling it quits now because my goal was functional rather than numerical anyway; I wanted to relieve stress on my heart and make it easier to do the things I love to do. I feel at this point my weight is not contributing to my disability significantly; mostly its just living with lupus.

This is me at 5'9" 185 lbs.