How did you decide upon your goal weight?

MommaLovesToLoseIt
MommaLovesToLoseIt Posts: 271 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
Curious how other people chose their goal weight/size/composition. I am having some difficulty deciding where I want to go with my weight, maybe some insight will help :)
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Replies

  • CALS0CCERBEAR87
    CALS0CCERBEAR87 Posts: 38 Member
    edited October 2016
    you'll know when you feel more comfortable in your own skin (think sitting in on a job interview in your best clothes)...aiming for a healthy bmi range based on your height is always a good idea! i had some people tell me (mostly fam) not to lose more or lift or whatever...but i just tuned them out...it's really about you and how you feel personally...your life. your body. your choices.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
    Which goal weight? :)

    Initial one was "my favourite adult weight" - but found my favourite weight from 30 years ago wasn't right for me three decades later.
    Then nibbled away roughly 11lbs in a few increments of 3 or 4lbs based on looks and exercise goals (lighter is better generally for cycling).
    Now I've recomped a bit I've gone back up 4lbs as was struggling with hunger and exercise performance.

    In relation to BMI my initial goal was in the overweight category, but current weight is top end of healthy. There's less BMI outliers than people like to believe!

    Body composition.
    During my initial weight loss had 6 monthly BodPod scans - not too impressed with the accuracy/consistency.
    Also used 4 point Omron BIA bathroom scales which performed better than expected - reliable/believable trend but with the predictable variable data points.
    Also used a tape measure monthly - that still requires some interpretation though (same chest measurement but less chest fat and bigger lats for example).

    But since hitting maintenance I just go by the mirror, how I feel and how I perform. Maintenance doesn't mean the same weight or body composition forever.

  • Red_Pill
    Red_Pill Posts: 300 Member
    Trial and error. No one will no the sweet spot except you. It's when all of your physical goals align and you're comfortable with it.
  • Gamliela
    Gamliela Posts: 2,468 Member
    I feel best at the low end of my bmi range. I have been there most of my life, so I lost until I acheived this.
    Age doesn't matter.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,372 Member
    I picked the middle of the healthy BMI. Never reached it. I basically stopped losing when it started to be too hard to maintain the deficit necessary to lose without being too hungry (I'm 5/6 pounds over my goal weight).
  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
    No goal weight although I have a rough idea of what range I need to be in based on bodyfat readings. I go by the mirror/photographs to achieve the physique I am after.
  • Gamliela
    Gamliela Posts: 2,468 Member
    trigden1991 wrote: »
    No goal weight although I have a rough idea of what range I need to be in based on bodyfat readings. I go by the mirror/photographs to achieve the physique I am after.

    Me too. I don't have a scale, I use measurements to assess loss and I have calculated body fat by other means, also it is pretty obvious using the mirror. I have used some different calculations to make assessments, mostly to make sure I don't go too a underweight status.

  • tapwaters
    tapwaters Posts: 428 Member
    I had a general target of 130, but now that I'm near it I am reevaluating as I go because I've never been this thin in my adult life. Basically, I hit a wait and see point.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    I was 54 when I lost. I went back to my college weight and the weight I returned to after my kids were born. It looks good on me, it's well within the healthy weight range (BMI 21), and when I'm thinner than that I get grumpy and feel hungry.
  • RogerToo
    RogerToo Posts: 16,157 Member
    Hi
    Initially I researched on the Internet for a good goal weight, Then at a doctors appointment around two years later I asked and was told You are good where You are. So I am currently in a holding pattern although still loosing a little weight since that date in January. From January 11 to October 11 I have lost a further 15 pounds eating a near Maintenance calorie count average of 2000 calories. I have been walking 3 Miles or more daily since before then which helps.

    I feel OK, I look OK in clothes, I see in the mirror there is a little more to go and that is why I am not worrying about the slow loss. I believe that at this point a slow loss is the way to go.

    Good Luck to All
    Roger
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 24,805 Member
    I started training for long distance cycling events ... and training for those things while losing weight is difficult because you need the fuel. So the weight I was when I started doing that has been where I stayed.
  • girlinahat
    girlinahat Posts: 2,956 Member
    I originally aimed for 118lbs (I’m just under 5’) but when I got down from 147 to 129 I had a few too many holiday weekends and have been struggling to get below that.

    So as I’m only just in the overweight BMI category AND I’m trying to get fitter AND my scales have broken, I’m less worried about the number. I also found I was too lethargic and unable to do the activities I wanted to when I was trying hard to eat less.

    My focus now is on weights, showing muscles through my skin rather than fat, and getting to running fitness for a Half Marathon in the Spring. That means I have to eat more to play more, ho hum.

  • daniellek30
    daniellek30 Posts: 171 Member
    I'm aiming for less of a goal weight and more of a waist size. This is about 80% for health reasons, and a selfish 20% because I want to look good.
  • groodlesuk
    groodlesuk Posts: 34 Member
    When I started, I was 126Kg and I set my goal weight to be 99Kg. The aim was to make it into "double-figures".

    For Americans: Started at ~278Lbs, goal was 219lbs.
  • MsRuffBuffNStuff
    MsRuffBuffNStuff Posts: 363 Member
    It can be a challenge to set a final goal, if you've never been in the normal range. I don't know if this is what you're asking. You can use a tool like this to get an idea of where you should be. https://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/ideal-healthy-weight . I'd aim for the "high" weight range and see how you feel when you get there. My range is 115-145. I thought I would want my goal weight to be my high school weight (115), I got down to 135 and I was pretty sick. I got back up to 145 and feel pretty good. I'm just doing a recomp. In the last 8 weeks, I've only lost one pound, but I've gained muscle and lost 5% body fat.
  • lightenup2016
    lightenup2016 Posts: 1,055 Member
    I'm going for the weight I was in my 20s, and when my husband and I were running a lot and doing races (5k, half-marathon, etc). I'm actually shooting for about 5 lbs over my lowest from back then, since I'm almost 20 years older. But I'll see what I look and feel like at my goal and adjust from there. My goal is also in the healthy range of BMI, at 20.2.
  • NealNH
    NealNH Posts: 106 Member
    I started by using a BMI calculator to find the "normal" range for me and picked a number half way between the middle and high end of that range. Once I got within 20 pounds of my initial goal I got a DEXA scan to help me set a new goal. I still don't have a firm number but rather a range I am working toward and will decide where to stop when I get there.

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