I had a goal weight based on estimated body fat %, but then had to keep decreasing that as I lost both fat and lean mass; and as I was able to perfect accuracy of body fat % measurements. That original goal weight was rounded off to 150 lbs.

Now, I can determine body fat at home within 0.3% of a Dexa scan at any given time; so it is constantly changing and I average the prior 2 weeks.

Well, there was also a distinct "American Beauty" goal in my mind. I wanted to look good naked. Lol. That was more important than the scale anyway.

KnitOrMiss wrote: »

@tcunbeliever

BWAH HA HA HA ... "monthly subscription to Lucifer's Waterfall" is too ... on the nose freaking perfect! Thanks for that.

OMGness! Hearing @KnitOrMiss re-phrase and laugh at it... now I get it! Believe it or not, when I read it the first time, I actually thought it was an actual subscription to some kind of pill or supplement @tcunbeliever ordered to help you lose weight!

I’m so out to lunch!

I do, in fact, have a goal. That may change. I started this process a month ago with two things in mind (regarding weight). I wanted to weigh less than 200lbs. And, I wanted to be able to say, "I lost 50 pounds" in the process. Weighing in at 242 the day I set the goal, a loss of 50 pounds would result in me weighing less than 200 - 192 to be exact. So, I set my goal for 192.

The BMI chart says I should weigh 165. I disagree, as I think I would look "scrawny" at 165. For the time being, my goal is 192 - subject to change a bit lower when I reach that goal.

Since we're all different and have different reasons for becoming healthier, my advice would be to decide for yourself. I'm not one of those "it's all about me" people, but you decide if you need a number to strive for. Or, if you just want to choose when you feel comfortable & healthy. Best wishes!

@char1iej

Remember, the BMI chart typically only accurately applies to someone who never became obese in the first place. Once we have added fat cells to our bodies, even when we have emptied them, they never go away completely, so our bodies look and feel different, and sometimes, previous expectations are no longer realistic.

I know that insurance and medical groups use BMI as the measuring stick, but it's really not the best one.

I try to remember that Olympic Body Builders are considered Overweight and/or Obese in some situations by BMI calculations alone. They don't account for fat percentages and such. I like the mental milestone of 50 POUNDS GONE, but you could look better by far at 200 pounds and muscular than 150 or even 175 as skinny fat, etc.

I think I posted the links to Staci - the NerdFitness body builder... I love to see that when she's 30 pounds heavier but fitter, she looks smaller than the lighter weight. I'll go look to make sure I posted the links. If not, I'll come back and add them.

When I started at 267 pounds in August 2017, I looked up my normal weight range on the BMI chart. According to one chart, it's between 125-165 for my height of 5'9". So I told myself that I would set my goal to be on the high side of that range of 165.

The last time I did a diet was the Weight Watchers diet a few years ago. I got great results as I lost weight on that diet too, but I plateaued at 186 for the longest time. So I gave up on it. This time around, when my doctor told me that I needed to go on a low-carb diet, I told myself I wasn't going to give up.

But as a couple of people have said in this thread, and what I've been finding out myself, is that the BMI chart isn't really the "de facto" standard to what your optimum weight should be. I read that you should measure your waist size to get an approximate idea of your health and weight, FWIW.

But I'm going to try for 165 and see what happens.

walterkirklin wrote: »

I think my goal is 225#. That was my high school graduation weight back when I could bench press more than my body weight, kickboxed, and had hair! ;P. But seriously It would represent a loss of 100# over a couple years. The BMI chart says that I should be 175# at most for healthy. I'll discuss that with my doctor when I get to my goal.

More importantly I want to lose the weight for activity reasons. I don't want to get dropped on group mountain bike rides (that's why I pretty much only ride solo these days) and to be strong enough to consistently run sub 10 minute miles for a sustained 30 minutes or longer. My walk/run is between 11:30 and 13:50 depending on the day and the terrain.

@midwesterner85 I'd like to know more about how you measure your body fat. That is supposed to be a far better indicator than the BMI chart. Do you have any web resources? I'll be googling it myself pretty soon.

@walterkirklin I use an Omron HBF-516. Most bio-electrical impedance devices are way off (way too low), but this scale is 0.3% higher than Dexa every time. I can't / won't get rid of this scale.

I don't have a goal weight, but rather a goal composition. Ten percent body fat is what I'm trying to obtain. I'm at 13 now.

my goal is to be normal weight, for me that is around 140 pounds, also would like to have a belly of 32 or less inches, mainly for health reasons