Ideal weight ...

amsuraj wrote: »

So I am in a journey to lose weight, but not sure about what it ought to be. I am 5’ 6” and currently weigh 183 lb. Internet says, ideal weight for my height is about 150 lbs which seems low to me. How many of you are in the “ideal” weight or trying to get there? or do you have a different opinion? Thanks in advance.

If that's a current photo of you in your AVI, you appear to be a guy who's got some shoulder breadth and overall solid build. That might suggest that your happy weight might be a little higher in the standard normal BMI range, compared with a man of the same height who might be more narrow in build, with more delicate-looking limbs). So, 150 could be right. While you look like you have some muscle, it's not obvious that you have so very much that you'd be likely to be one of the very few people that are better off in what's technically the overweight range (154+) . . . but there's no way to be sure from looking at just that photo.

I'm a little shorter than you, 5'5', but female. My best weight is near the lower end of the normal BMI range for my height (low 120s, so BMI 20-ish. But I'm built on the narrow side, despite broad shoulders: Quite narrow hips, generally kind of built like a 14-year-old boy (despite being a 62-year-old woman ).

And don't go believing those frame size calculators that use your wrist/elbow measurements to tell you you have a "small frame". Even at 120 pounds, my huge hands/wrists and bigger arms make those calculators say I have a "medium" or "large" frame. If I picked my weight on that basis, I'd be substantially over-fat (despite being in the normal BMI range).

The bottom line is that only you (and your doctor) really know what the right weight for you is: It depends on your overall body configuration, your body fat percent, personal/cultural preferences, and more.

But here's the thing: When you're starting weight loss, it totally doesn't matter what your goal weight is. You lose weight exactly the same way (from your 183 pound starting weight), whether you're heading for 175, 160, 150, 140 . . . . There is literally no difference in strategy or tactics.

This means you can start losing at some sensibly moderate rate (0.5-1 pounds a week might be a good goal given your body weight). As you get lighter, it will be easier to see how much more you want to lose, and you can begin slowing to 0.5 pounds/week as you get close.

Your MFP goal weight setting has no effect at all on the calorie budget MFP gives you. It asks for your goal weight just to be able to give you motivational updates about how you're progressing toward that goal. You can set it for any weight lighter than your current one, and adjust as you go along. I did.