How did you decide your goal weight?
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bowsontoes
Posts: 44 Member
Hi ladies,
Just curious, how did you decide your goal weight? Did your goal weight change at all throughout your weight loss journey? If you were already at a healthy BMI, is it hard to maintain at your lower weight?
I stopped dancing ballet 30 hrs/week when I was 19. Begining in college and over the past 7 years, I've consistently cycled through 132-115lbs every two years. Finally, I've managed to shave a little off that top number so I've ranged from 115-127 this past year. I feel happiest and most confident under 123, when I finally see inches come off my hips (quite pear-shaped). My goal moving forward is to stop the cycling and stay between 118-123 with some wiggle room. I am curious to see if anyone else had similar experiences, and if anyone has tips to stop the cycling. I tend to hit my lows when I don't have access to a scale and I'm not working so I move more and am significantly less stressed.
5'5''
UHW: 135
ULW:107
SW:127
CW:125.2
GW:118
Edit: typos
Just curious, how did you decide your goal weight? Did your goal weight change at all throughout your weight loss journey? If you were already at a healthy BMI, is it hard to maintain at your lower weight?
I stopped dancing ballet 30 hrs/week when I was 19. Begining in college and over the past 7 years, I've consistently cycled through 132-115lbs every two years. Finally, I've managed to shave a little off that top number so I've ranged from 115-127 this past year. I feel happiest and most confident under 123, when I finally see inches come off my hips (quite pear-shaped). My goal moving forward is to stop the cycling and stay between 118-123 with some wiggle room. I am curious to see if anyone else had similar experiences, and if anyone has tips to stop the cycling. I tend to hit my lows when I don't have access to a scale and I'm not working so I move more and am significantly less stressed.
5'5''
UHW: 135
ULW:107
SW:127
CW:125.2
GW:118
Edit: typos
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Replies
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My goal weight was my pre pregnancy weight.. at 118lbs currently 128lbs. That was when I was not lifting weight.. Now that I have started lifting weight I actually do not have a goal weight anymore but more of a goal fat %. I need to go to a reliable place and get that checked.
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And sorry for the typos, on mobile!0
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My goal weight has been a sliding scale. I started out at about 221-218ish and I set myself the goal of 154. That way I was a healthy BMI with a good almost 15lb barrier from being 'overweight'.
Cue dramatic and rapid weight loss and being rid of the lot in about 7 months. I do not recommend this. This will not make you happy. It requires a lot of restriction and a lot of working out. I was fine with it while I was in it, I never felt deprived, but looking back, I wouldn't ever do it again. Plus I regained 12lbs pretty soon after because of life stress. I then got rid of that weight much slower. Probably in around the same time it took me to lose the bulk of my weight. Much happier and much more in control of my body. I actually went onto lose about another 7lbs (LW recorded 147.8) now I'm moving more into body recomp that strict weight loss and my new goal is 145. I could end up there. I could end up heavier with muscle or I could even end up as low as 140. I really don't know because I'm not chasing a number but rather a feeling and an aesthetic: strong and lean.
My point is: you can pick a number out of your head, get there and feel completely different about it and yourself so don't become set on it. Let it guide you, but not control you. Find where you feel happiest and that's your goal weight. As for cycling, my biggest thing is I weigh in everyday regardless. I'm not bothered by numbers, I use them as information, for managing my IBS, so weighing in everyday and being able to see a upward trend in my weight relatively quickly I know when to start curbing my 'treats' and my portion sizes. You can do it without the scale, especially when you've been in deficit because we know what portions are supposed to look like and we know when we're being cheeky. I wish you luck!
Easy to read stats:
28
5'10
UHW: 218-221
ULW: 147.8 (I was 145 in high school with poor LBM)
SW: 212
CW: 149.2 -- Easter and my period today got me good. XD
GW: 154.
UGW: 145.2 -
My goal weight changes based on my goals.. typically I aim for a certain look or bodyfat percentage within a range. Also every time I bulk my goal weight goes up which is pretty awesome because I look more lean and fit at a higher weight
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My goal weight is 58kg - the weight I had before I moved continents and started a slow upward trend that made me gain 10kg in as many years. I kicked into gear before my 40th birthday and vowed to get it off to start the new decade with my old, "real" weight. It was an awful struggle and I couldn't quite get below 61kg. With hindsight I did it all wrong - too much pressure, too much fixation on dates and numbers. Needless to say I gained most of it back in 6 months. After a few attempts i am back in a lot more relaxed way. I'd like to get back to 61kg and then take it from there. 58 remains the ultimate goal, but I'm not in such a hurry. I'm okay with it taking months rather than weeks.
Height 168cm
Current weight: 64.4kg
Goal weight: 58kg
Age: 41
PS I am much in awe of reading about the many peeps here who have all much more impressive goals and weightloss journeys. Mine is cosmetic, not life changing. :-)1 -
shroodle88 wrote: »My goal weight is 58kg - the weight I had before I moved continents and started a slow upward trend that made me gain 10kg in as many years. I kicked into gear before my 40th birthday and vowed to get it off to start the new decade with my old, "real" weight. It was an awful struggle and I couldn't quite get below 61kg. With hindsight I did it all wrong - too much pressure, too much fixation on dates and numbers. Needless to say I gained most of it back in 6 months. After a few attempts i am back in a lot more relaxed way. I'd like to get back to 61kg and then take it from there. 58 remains the ultimate goal, but I'm not in such a hurry. I'm okay with it taking months rather than weeks.
Height 168cm
Current weight: 64.4kg
Goal weight: 58kg
Age: 41
PS I am much in awe of reading about the many peeps here who have all much more impressive goals and weightloss journeys. Mine is cosmetic, not life changing. :-)
It is life changing though! You're choosing to lose weight to make yourself happier in your skin, what is more life changing than that? It's about self love for all of us so don't think your journey is somehow less than anyone else's because it's not.
I find that taking it slower allows for the real changes in approach to diet and exercise to really take hold. It also allows us to learn to relax. Take Easter, for example, a lot of people will have been worried about what they ate and that's good to some extent, being aware, but beating yourself with the guilt stick isn't going to get you where you need to go. Plus stress makes you make cortisol and that causes the body to retain fat. Being zen is actually necessary to your weight loss journey. XD1 -
My goal weight is 9 stone 7, this is what I was when I got married and I looked good in my bikini!! I will reassess when I get there, I think I'll need more toning, so am making exercise part of my lifestyle2
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115, the weight I was when I got married. And that was after a kid so I know I can do it! I'm currently 140, 5'4"1
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glassofroses wrote: »shroodle88 wrote: »My goal weight is 58kg - the weight I had before I moved continents and started a slow upward trend that made me gain 10kg in as many years. I kicked into gear before my 40th birthday and vowed to get it off to start the new decade with my old, "real" weight. It was an awful struggle and I couldn't quite get below 61kg. With hindsight I did it all wrong - too much pressure, too much fixation on dates and numbers. Needless to say I gained most of it back in 6 months. After a few attempts i am back in a lot more relaxed way. I'd like to get back to 61kg and then take it from there. 58 remains the ultimate goal, but I'm not in such a hurry. I'm okay with it taking months rather than weeks.
Height 168cm
Current weight: 64.4kg
Goal weight: 58kg
Age: 41
PS I am much in awe of reading about the many peeps here who have all much more impressive goals and weightloss journeys. Mine is cosmetic, not life changing. :-)
It is life changing though! You're choosing to lose weight to make yourself happier in your skin, what is more life changing than that? It's about self love for all of us so don't think your journey is somehow less than anyone else's because it's not.
I find that taking it slower allows for the real changes in approach to diet and exercise to really take hold. It also allows us to learn to relax. Take Easter, for example, a lot of people will have been worried about what they ate and that's good to some extent, being aware, but beating yourself with the guilt stick isn't going to get you where you need to go. Plus stress makes you make cortisol and that causes the body to retain fat. Being zen is actually necessary to your weight loss journey. XD
Thanks, Glassofroses - that's very generous! :-) I agree with what you posted about the fixation on numbers. At 63.5kg this morning, I suddenly fit back into my old jeans! I used to wear them at a much lower weight. Heaven knows how it happend, but oddly enough losing weight is not a numbers game. As for life-changing ... I currently find that this time round losing weight is just part of the bigger picture of other changes going on in my life.
Enjoy the " strong and lean" feeling - I know exactly what you mean! :-)2 -
shroodle88 wrote: »glassofroses wrote: »shroodle88 wrote: »My goal weight is 58kg - the weight I had before I moved continents and started a slow upward trend that made me gain 10kg in as many years. I kicked into gear before my 40th birthday and vowed to get it off to start the new decade with my old, "real" weight. It was an awful struggle and I couldn't quite get below 61kg. With hindsight I did it all wrong - too much pressure, too much fixation on dates and numbers. Needless to say I gained most of it back in 6 months. After a few attempts i am back in a lot more relaxed way. I'd like to get back to 61kg and then take it from there. 58 remains the ultimate goal, but I'm not in such a hurry. I'm okay with it taking months rather than weeks.
Height 168cm
Current weight: 64.4kg
Goal weight: 58kg
Age: 41
PS I am much in awe of reading about the many peeps here who have all much more impressive goals and weightloss journeys. Mine is cosmetic, not life changing. :-)
It is life changing though! You're choosing to lose weight to make yourself happier in your skin, what is more life changing than that? It's about self love for all of us so don't think your journey is somehow less than anyone else's because it's not.
I find that taking it slower allows for the real changes in approach to diet and exercise to really take hold. It also allows us to learn to relax. Take Easter, for example, a lot of people will have been worried about what they ate and that's good to some extent, being aware, but beating yourself with the guilt stick isn't going to get you where you need to go. Plus stress makes you make cortisol and that causes the body to retain fat. Being zen is actually necessary to your weight loss journey. XD
Thanks, Glassofroses - that's very generous! :-) I agree with what you posted about the fixation on numbers. At 63.5kg this morning, I suddenly fit back into my old jeans! I used to wear them at a much lower weight. Heaven knows how it happend, but oddly enough losing weight is not a numbers game. As for life-changing ... I currently find that this time round losing weight is just part of the bigger picture of other changes going on in my life.
Enjoy the " strong and lean" feeling - I know exactly what you mean! :-)
Credit where credit is due, y'know. A lot of what makes numbers pointless is body composition. I weigh roughly what I did in high school except NONE of my clothes fit like they would have back then. I have muscles in my quads, calves and biceps I just didn't have before. I'm also a little thicker around my waist because of my obliques. So you can't isolate everything to just your weight because a number isn't trying to get into your pants every morning.
But it's definitely great to hear that you're reaching your goals. Especially when they're a surprise like that. It's like the universe is reminding you that good things happen.
Thank you! I'm feeling a lot better since I started a new macros based food programme. I'd like to strip the fat and show the muscle but it's more of a hobby project rather than an 'I AM OBESE AND NEED TO DO SOMETHING' weight loss project. What was life changing for me in terms of my journey was realising how different I had become. I would eat things I didn't even like just to eat. Like butter. I hate butter. But I'd spread it on bread like I was a cake baker. I'd eat cake too, don't like that either. Like, who was this person? It wasn't me. Now I'm back to my weird self who loves salad but no dressing. Yup, just give me the leaves and I'm happy.
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I chose 130 lbs totally irrationally. It's the lowest I can be at my height and still be considered healthy on the BMI scale. I've struggled for years with a starve/binge cycle, so my compromise was to lose as much weight as possible without becoming "unhealthy."
But now that I'm so close to my goal and still unhappy with certain things on my body, I'm accepting that the focus has to be on strength and happiness. Congratulations to those of you who are achieving that. It's a lot harder than reaching an arbitrary number on a scale.
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I love this question because I'm wondering if I'm trying to get to an unrealistic goal now. I started last year (august) at 152. I'm 5'3" and 59 yrs. old (at the time I was 58) and I was NOT the picture of health...so I decided those 20 lbs. I was "always going to lose" (seriously, I think I started a diet daily for decades -- ugh!) were coming off. I decided to log everything on MFP and the math worked! I lost the 20, then found out I could keep going....I'm currently at 121.2, and I've set my goal now at 115. But realistically, I'm wondering if I can do that. I'm not struggling -- and I do think I'll get to 120 by this week...and I plan to just keep doing what I'm doing--eating 1200-1300/day, doing power yoga 3-4 times/week, walking/jogging the dog daily, and I may even start doing some weight training. 115 lbs. puts me at a BMI of 20.4, so using that chart as a guide, I think that would be pretty healthy.
My biggest "issue" (and it's not a bad one!) is that friends tell me I've lost enough -- they want me to "stop now" -- I don't need to lose anymore, etc. I tell them I want to lose 5 more pounds and they think I'm crazy. It's nice to hear, but still, why would I stop? Is 115 just an arbitrary number for me?1 -
Now I'm back to my weird self who loves salad but no dressing. Yup, just give me the leaves and I'm happy.[/quote]
Me too Glassofroses! I fill up on greens and they, all by themselves, taste amazing! I do add in protein (salmon, chicken, or just eggs chopped up) and feel like the luckiest person in the world to be able to eat this way!1 -
I am curious to see if anyone else had similar experiences, and if anyone has tips to stop the cycling. I tend to hit my lows when I don't have access to a scale and I'm not working so I move more and am significantly less stressed.
Bowsontoes: My husband and I weigh ourselves daily -- every morning. He has lost 25 lbs (started at 199 and is now at 175!) If we go "up a couple of pounds" (usually after the weekend!) we get right back to our diets -- it keeps us losing that elusive 1 lb. /week or so -- so if I look at my pounds lost graph (under reports) it's a pretty straight line down! That's how we stay on track -- now we've only been at this for a few months (I started in August and he started in November after I "inspired" him!) but so far it's worked for us both through Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, family birthday celebrations, etc. Those things that used to be "diet killers" for us --now we can control them! Hope this helps!2 -
juliemargaretkim wrote: »
Now I'm back to my weird self who loves salad but no dressing. Yup, just give me the leaves and I'm happy.
Me too Glassofroses! I fill up on greens and they, all by themselves, taste amazing! I do add in protein (salmon, chicken, or just eggs chopped up) and feel like the luckiest person in the world to be able to eat this way! [/quote]
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I did some math equation with my bf% and found out how many pounds of fat I have on my body and subtracted that from my weight and found my goal weight. It was crazy low I thought so I settled on 125 but now that I'm under that I think I can push even further and get down to around 117 (which was the crazy low goal I originally found).
Age: 21
Height: 5'5"
HW: 138lbs
CW: 124lbs
GW: 117lbs
I think I can reach this goal in the next couple months. I've been consistently losing 1lb a week even after I stopped trying to lose.1 -
juliemargaretkim wrote: »I love this question because I'm wondering if I'm trying to get to an unrealistic goal now. I started last year (august) at 152. I'm 5'3" and 59 yrs. old (at the time I was 58) and I was NOT the picture of health...so I decided those 20 lbs. I was "always going to lose" (seriously, I think I started a diet daily for decades -- ugh!) were coming off. I decided to log everything on MFP and the math worked! I lost the 20, then found out I could keep going....I'm currently at 121.2, and I've set my goal now at 115. But realistically, I'm wondering if I can do that. I'm not struggling -- and I do think I'll get to 120 by this week...and I plan to just keep doing what I'm doing--eating 1200-1300/day, doing power yoga 3-4 times/week, walking/jogging the dog daily, and I may even start doing some weight training. 115 lbs. puts me at a BMI of 20.4, so using that chart as a guide, I think that would be pretty healthy.
My biggest "issue" (and it's not a bad one!) is that friends tell me I've lost enough -- they want me to "stop now" -- I don't need to lose anymore, etc. I tell them I want to lose 5 more pounds and they think I'm crazy. It's nice to hear, but still, why would I stop? Is 115 just an arbitrary number for me?
Honestly, 20.4 is still a healthy BMI so if you feel like you'll be happiest at 115, then continue, but if you're chasing the rush of losing then it might be a good time to take a step back and reassess because while 20.4 is a healthy BMI, doctors can become concerned when BMIs reach between 18-20. If you're losing a pound a week still at 121, that's too aggressive. Some of that will be water, yes, some will be fat but some of will be muscle. You want to aim to lose 0.5lbs a week when you're this close to goal to preserve as much muscle mass as you can. That's what keeps your metabolism high and increases your maintenance calories. I don't mean to be a Debbie downer here, but I just want you to stay healthy rather than just skinny. At the very least at this point you should be eating half of your exercise calories back. As I said in another post, for most women 1200cals won't even sustain a woman's bodily functions while she's in a coma. Let alone doing any exercise. I'm not saying increase tons because you're still 5'3 but you could definitely increase your calories by at least 50-100 a day*. It also helps encourage your body to lose fat as it's receiving the right signals that enough food is coming in to release the fat. Prolonged undereating can cause all kinds of problems like bad skin and hair loss, particularly if you're lacking in protein. You'll catch colds quicker on less protein too as it compromises your immune system. Seeing a low number on the scale is all well and good but it matters how you got there.
*Increasing your calories will create weight fluctuations just because there's more food in the body, it should all settle down after a couple of days or so.4 -
I'm 5'5" (medium frame) and my ultimate goal weight is 9 stone or 126 pounds I used to be this weight at university and looking back at pics I felt I looked great, I've been as low as 116 when I was 18 but it didn't suit my frame and I looked a bit gaunt, 9 stone seems to be the lowest I can go without losing my bewbs. ;P (I managed to get to 130 9st 4 for my wedding in 2013 on MFP)
I'm 144.5 at the moment and I've lost 8 pounds since New Year when I restarted MFP (16 weeks ago). It's coming off slow (which is fine although I sometimes feel a little impatient especially when others seem to lose so quickly) but I'm doing HIIT this time around and the tape measure is showing the biggest difference in comparison to the scale compared to when I just did cardio, I'd really love to lose 11.5 pounds by August (my 35th birthday) 9stone 7 was my happy weight and everything after that is a bonus.
To be fair if I hit my tape measure goals before my scale goal, I'll happily reassess and stay at a higher weight if I'm happy with my shape. 2 -
My goal weight is when I can fit all of my clothes in my closet and that is around 125lbs for me (I'm 5"4). I used to be more muscular and I'm kind of soft now, 2 years after giving birth, so technically that number should be lower. I'm 132 right now and am so looking forward to breaking 130. Also looking forward to a time when I don't feel guilty for every half hour that I spent away from my toddler (if such a time ever exists.)2
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Most of my adult life I weighed around 110 lbs until late 30's when I started gaining. I am 5' 2" and my soft goal is 118 (it would be 120 but I knock off 2lbs for my breast implants whenever I weigh myself). When I get there I will make judgement on whether I should continue to aim for my 'normal' weight from before age 40, or whether I am happy with where I am at already. I am more interested in seeing if I can maintain at around 118 for a decent length of time before loosing more. I got down to 116 two years ago, but not in a healthy way and I gained it all back. Now I know more about nutrition and exercise I am doing it differently this time.0
