How to set weight goal

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wholock108
wholock108 Posts: 2 Member
in Getting Started
Hi! I've been logging on MFP, and have went from 163 to 118. My goal was 123(my weight in college before I had my two boys), but once I hit it I realized I still looked kind of chunky. I'm 21 and 5"4 female.
How did you set your weight goal? Links appreciated, because nothing on Google is helpful. Thanks!😁

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  • MichelleSilverleaf
    MichelleSilverleaf Posts: 2,028 Member
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    Googling will bring up a whole bunch of ranges, and you kind of just ballpark it once you get into that range. You might want to consider recomp instead of further straight weight loss, recomp is a long-term thing but the toning can help shape you further without bringing your weight down.
  • Aint2Proud2Meg
    Aint2Proud2Meg Posts: 193 Member
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    I'm with you wholock108. Same height, and just not sure where I want to land weight-wise. I'm just aiming for the top of the healthy range (based on a few different search results) and I know I'll want to recomp from there. I was my fittest at 149 (post basic training) but still had some fat to lose. How much to lose from that 149 to look lean however, couldn't tell ya. Anywhere between 10 and like 30 lbs.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
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    I'm 5'4 and change, and I only started from the upper end of the healthy weight range - 145ish. So I aimed for the middle at 127 which is where I am now. I got tired of eating at a deficit, so I decided to try recomping for a couple of years to see if improving my muscle and fitness would get me where I want to be or if maybe I want to lose another 5 lbs. I guess we'll see. If you're interested, check out this thread:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat/p1
  • elothen
    elothen Posts: 155 Member
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    Yeah, weight is pretty much garbage as a goal, we just all drift to it because it's so easy to measure. You may try getting your BodyFat % tested by the most accurate means you can afford. This, too, is notoriously garbage though as no 2 methods agree and people can look significantly different with the same measured BodyFat %.

    So I agree with Michelle. Have some pictures taken, front, side, back and start lifting. Then do it again (once a month?), compare, and adjust. This process WILL mean gaining weight but that's where the bulk/cut cycle comes in.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    I really can't imagine "chunky" at 118 and 5'4"...this is likely a body composition issue, not a continued weight loss issue. I imagine what you're alluding to is what is often called "skinny fat"...the only way to fix that really is with resistance training. Continued dieting and cardio and whatnot is really not going to alter your overall composition...you likely need to add some muscle to get the look you want.

    Re-comp as mentioned above is basically eating right around maintenance and doing resistance training whereby you slowly drop fat and build muscle. There are any number of good beginner weight training programs out there or you could do body weight calisthenics.
  • Danp
    Danp Posts: 1,561 Member
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    While I have weight to lose my goal weight is 'less'. That's it, just 'less'. As long as I keep hitting to goal weight of 'less' then eventually I'll get to a point where I don't want/need to lose weight then my goal weight will be 'same'.
  • manderson27
    manderson27 Posts: 3,510 Member
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    Danp wrote: »
    While I have weight to lose my goal weight is 'less'. That's it, just 'less'. As long as I keep hitting to goal weight of 'less' then eventually I'll get to a point where I don't want/need to lose weight then my goal weight will be 'same'.

    This.... I like this <3:)<3
  • steveko89
    steveko89 Posts: 2,216 Member
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    manderson27 wrote: »
    Danp wrote: »
    While I have weight to lose my goal weight is 'less'. That's it, just 'less'. As long as I keep hitting to goal weight of 'less' then eventually I'll get to a point where I don't want/need to lose weight then my goal weight will be 'same'.

    This.... I like this <3:)<3

    It sounds great unless you're already in the healthy range for your height. Wolfman hit it on the head, many times dissatisfaction at a "normal" weight comes down to body composition; I know it did for me. 6'1" male for context, I had the mindset of "less is better" and bottomed out around 158 right before getting married in 2013. I looked and felt OK at that weight but still didn't love my aesthetics; I needed gain muscle to really look the way I wanted. Took me a while to figure that out for myself but started lifting in 2015. I pretty happily bounce around the 170s now and look better than I have at any point in my life (now at 29).

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