How do you figure out a reasonable goal weight?

goalreacher998
goalreacher998 Posts: 22 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
So the last time I was in shape I was shorter and a lot younger. I'm 19 years old an 5'5, but have always had broader shoulders and wide hips. I'm currently 180lbs and my "goal" is 140, but I don't know if that's too high or anything. I just want to be lean, maybe even a little muscular.
How did you guys figure out a goal weight? Is it just guesswork? Thanks guys. :)

Replies

  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    140 sounds fine. You can always reassess the situation when you're 150ish...
  • Blitzia
    Blitzia Posts: 205 Member
    I started without one. I'm 5'0" and started at 155ish. I lost 20ish pounds just trying to eat better. Since that was going well, I took a "challenge" from another website to lose 10% of my bodyweight which was 13 pounds at the time and that brought my to MFP. Now I'm 111ish. I'm not toned and I think I still have some excess fat that would cover up muscle (if I had any :p ) so I'm planning to lose a little more. My fitbit asked for a goal so I said 10 pounds back when I was 114, so I guess my "goal" for now is 104.

    My point is, you don't really have to know what your end goal is before you start. If it helps you, you can set a goal of losing 10 or 20 pounds and then reassess when you get there. In my opinion, weight is just a number so I wouldn't put too much emphasis on it. You may hit your goal weight, decide that you aren't lean enough and start a lifting program to build muscle. If you build muscle, you may end up higher than your goal weight but happier with your appearance. So yeah, go ahead and say 140 if it helps you to have a goal, but don't feel like it has to be set in stone.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    Set a goal that sounds reasonable to you and start working toward it. If 140 sounds good to you, go with it. If you reach 150 or 145 or whatever and discover you're happy there, call it good and start maintaining; if you hit 140 and still aren't satisfied, establish another goal and continue on your way with it. Setting a goal doesn't mean it's immutably written in stone, you can always re-assess and change your goal along the way.
  • jessiebethin
    jessiebethin Posts: 30 Member
    I'm 5'4'' and the medical charts indicate that a healthy weight range for me is between 105 and 145. However, I still felt too heavy when I was 130 pounds so my goal weight is 110 but I think it really depends on how your body is built and what you feel comfortable with. You can always have your goal be in your measurements instead of pounds too. If you are a more muscular build you can be heavier and still have smaller measurements than someone who is your same height. Start with 140 as a goal weight and adjust it later if you need to.
  • Luna3386
    Luna3386 Posts: 888 Member
    My goal is my prepregnancy weight and the reassess from there. If I didn't have that prepregnancy weight, I'd just go in 10 pound increments until I was happy.
  • SusanMFindlay
    SusanMFindlay Posts: 1,804 Member
    edited May 2017
    My goal is the weight I was when I first met my husband. It was a good weight for me then. Once I get there, if I decide I want to lose more, I'll decide that. If not, I'll maintain. Maybe recomp a bit. I'm only ten pounds out, and I definitely still have another ten pounds to lose, so I know I won't be stopping higher. But I'm also not racing to get there. I slowed down to .5 pound/week over the winter and I'm fine with losing at that rate. If it goes a smidge faster because I'm more active in the summer, great.

    My goal is near the upper end of the "normal" BMI range for me. I don't have the bone structure to be a willow-y BMI 19 type. I suspect my ideal weight is in the ballpark of BMI 22-23ish.
  • misskarne
    misskarne Posts: 1,765 Member
    At one point, not long after I started skating, I was 70kg (at 5'8") and thought I was fat.

    What I would give to go back and slap my 22-year-old self.

    So 70kg is my first goal. I'd like to be 65kg, but I'll see how we go at 70kg and progress from there.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,672 Member
    I just set a provisional goal weight, recognizing that I'd re-evaluate it when I got closer. I decided on 130 initially (at 5'5", no hips to speak of under the fat), which was about 15 pounds above my lowest weight at adult height, because "everyone says" you should weigh more when you're older (I'm 61 now, 59-60 when losing).

    When I got close to that (maybe around 135?) I recognized that it was going to be too high, and decided to go lower. By then, I'd slowed my weight loss to a very slow rate (deliberately), and I had some criteria in mind of how the right weight would feel/look. One morning I just woke up and said "I'm there", and started working on maintenance.

    My advice: Don't invest too much effort to pick the right weight up front. Not necessary.
  • Theo166
    Theo166 Posts: 2,564 Member
    My current target is a swag that I'm reaching for, it's above my college weight but not much insight. I expect when I get closer I'll look in the mirror, grab my belly fat, and adjust my goal weight.

    You might repost in the 'Maintaining' subfolder where people are at their goal weight.
  • tinkerbellang83
    tinkerbellang83 Posts: 9,147 Member
    I personally use the BMI healthy weight range, allowing 10% extra for a larger frame. I am aiming for the top end of the scale at the moment and will review when I get to my initial target.

  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,732 Member
    Lower half of my normal BMI range.
  • Lillymoo01
    Lillymoo01 Posts: 2,865 Member
    A healthy BMI range for me is between 93-124 pounds. My initial goal was 124 pounds. Once I reached that I reassessed and decided on a goal of 115 pounds. From there I decided to go to the middle of my range and am now trying to maintain at about 105 pounds.
    I found it effective with a changing goal post because you really don't know if that is a weight you are comfortable with until you are there.
  • YalithKBK
    YalithKBK Posts: 317 Member
    I Googled the healthy weight range for my height (for me 105lbs-130lbs), picked something within that range (120lbs), and set that as my goal. I'll see how I feel/look when I get there.
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