How did you determine your goal weight?
achagpar
Posts: 493 Member
I’m 47, 5’2”, female. I’ve been overweight my whole life (born 10 lbs 10 oz). When I was in the 150-160 lb range, I set a goal of 145... I maintained that for a long time, thrilled that I was was a better weight. Later, I set a goal of 125... and miraculously got there (ok, not really “miraculously” — it was CICO — but going from a size 14-16 to a size 2-4 was pretty incredible!). I maintained that for nearly a decade (give or take a few lbs). Each time I get to my goal, I’m happy there and think I look and feel good, then I’ll drop a few lbs and think, “this is even better — I never thought I could look this good or achieve this weight”. Now I’m 114 lbs (yes, purposeful weight loss through healthy means) and think I look and feel better than ever. I’ve established for myself really good habits in terms of eating and exercise.... but I wonder if 110 might not be an even better weight for me. The normal BMI for my height has a range of 102-135 lbs — which is a huge range. I’d like to target a number and be within +/- 5 lbs. So my question is how did you figure out your ideal goal weight?
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Replies
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I picked a number in the middle of my optimal BMI range.
The thought process you’re describing is concerning. Ask yourself why you want to lose more weight. Is it because you’re unhappy with your appearance? If so, then I would strongly recommend recomp rather than additional weight loss. But if you just want to keep seeing smaller numbers on the scale despite being well within a healthy weight range, I think that is a potentially dangerous mindset.12 -
I'm also aiming for the middle of my healthy BMI.1
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I had most of my life (15-50ish) maintained a weight around 105lbs.
I probably see-sawed up and down a bit, don’t know, rarely weighed myself, but never enough to go up a clothing size.
I put on 30lbs after buying a car and getting lazy.
My goal was to return to my usual 105lbs.
I never knew about BMI until I had returned to my ‘normal’ weight, so that didn’t influence my decision. I maintain at a BMI of between 19-20, low for a lot of people, but normal for me.
Oddly I always think of my goal weight as 7st 7lbs even though I’ve been in Canada for decades.
Don’t forget, if you go lower and don’t like it, you can always reverse back up to a number or body composition you do like.
You say you have a good exercise routine, have you thought of doing a recomp instead of, or before, dropping more weight? Not discouraging, just forwarding an alternate.
Cheers, h.
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Mine's nothing like yours, but I just thought back to a time I was at my full adult height and didn't feel "fat" all of the time and liked the way I looked in the mirror. For me, that was around 7th-8th grade and 160-something pounds (I am 5'8"). I'd been well over 200 for my entire adult life & most of my teens, but I did achieve that goal and am maintaining at 8th grade weight aged 42, so I'm pleased.8
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My goal weight is the one that I feel that I looked best at before I gained weight due to illness.
I'm just about 2lbs up from that now so once I've knocked that off I'll see if I want to go a little bit lower.2 -
I just kept going, with provisional goals and readjustments, until I got to a place that felt good and looked right to me. This wouldn't be a great approach for any/everyone, but as someone who's fairly body confident (was even when obese), and not very appearance-oriented, I didn't think I'd get myself into too much trouble. Also, I was consulting with my doctor along the way, for another reality check.4
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I essentially picked within 10 pounds of the weight that I was when I was rock climbing competitively. Said weight would have my BMI at around 23.5. Once I'm there I'll see how I feel.1
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I usually aim for the lower end of the BMI scale (just so I have some wriggle room in maintenance when Christmas or a holiday hits) but I'm worried about your thought process. A size 2-4 is already very small and I would be careful about the reason why you want to lose so much weight.2
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Thanks so much all! I like how I look, and will see how I feel at 110lbs. I can always gain a bit if I think I’m getting too skinny but trust me — with a BMI of 21, I look good, but am just curious if whether a few more lbs might look better. I also lift and so have muscle definition (particularly in my 💪) but will look into recomp as well. I had thought there might have been a formula based on frame size (however one figures that out) that people may be aware of so thought I’d ask but it sounds like people just pick a number they either remember from before or mid-low BMI which is what I did. Thanks again for the responses!4
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Just found this on google and thought I’d post in case anyone was asking the same question... https://healthyeater.com/ideal-body-weight-calculator. Off to measure my wrist size!2
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I kept it simple.
My intitial goal weight was top of BMI range. Once I was there I kept it there for a bit and decided that I wanted to be in the middle of the BMI range at 22,5. For me that was 56kg.
I have had that as my goal and maintenance weight for 4 respectively 2 years now. My range is 55-57 and that works like a charm in maintenance.
I have been shaping (weights/running/etc) since I got to my goal weight and to be honest I am now looking more athletic than I ever held possible.
I just checked the calculator that @achagpar noted above and its outcome is exactly the same as what I had determined myself1 -
Just found this on google and thought I’d post in case anyone was asking the same question... https://healthyeater.com/ideal-body-weight-calculator. Off to measure my wrist size!
I’ve never really understood this...one of the places that makes me particularly notice weight gain/loss is my wrists. The link that comes out of and into my watch when my weight varies is larger than the quarter inch in this calculator that would put me from small frame to large frame.4 -
Just found this on google and thought I’d post in case anyone was asking the same question... https://healthyeater.com/ideal-body-weight-calculator. Off to measure my wrist size!
Those "calculators" aren't very definitive, because people's proportions vary.
My wrist and elbow measurements are large and medium even when I'm thin, because I have giant hands (size 10 ring finger at 5'5" and BMI 20 for heaven's sake!) and sturdy arms.
But my pelvic width is narrow (built like a 14-year-old boy despite being a 63 year old woman) and I have no breasts (literally: post bilateral mastectomy).
My wrists say I should be at the higher end of BMI range. The actual body parts that really require meat to be wrapped around them are small, so in reality I belong at the lower end of the BMI range.4 -
Yep...I agree so much with AnnPT77 about these types of measurements. I'm just the opposite, though.
Even when I was at my heaviest weight (over 300 lb!) I had TINY wrists and ankles, now at an average weight I need children's bracelets and watch bands and can wear normal bracelets as anklets. Size 4 ring is not even snug. However I'm tall and my hips, on the other hand, are still very broad even when I can feel the bones and don't have a ton of fat covering them, and even my rib cage is also wide. Bodies are built so differently.1 -
An old rule of thumb is at 5’ you should be 100#, then add 5# for every inch.
Personally, I look and feel best at the very low end of BMI. So 5-7” and 120-125.
I’m not there at the moment.11 -
An old rule of thumb is at 5’ you should be 100#, then add 5# for every inch.
Personally, I look and feel best at the very low end of BMI. So 5-7” and 120-125.
I’m not there at the moment.
Optimal BMI is a range, not a specific weight, and for someone 5’0” 100 lb. is close to the bottom of their optimal BMI range (97-123 lb). It’s fine if you prefer to be lower in your own BMI range; it’s not good general advice for everyone.10 -
The BMI healthy range denotes a range of weight in which most people of a certain height are not facing extra health risks.
It does not at all follow that this complete range is equally healthy in terms of risks at all points for any single individual.
For me at 5ft 7", maybe 154 pounds is my lowest health risk point. For Roberta also at 5ft 7" maybe a hundred and forty five pounds is her lowest health risk point. (Or not, we don't actually know whether our "preference" for a weight also results in lower risks)
If she and I flip our weights our health risks will not be at the lowest for each of us as ndividuals!
But in general, out of a million people who are 5 foot 7", people who happen to be 154 lb or 145 lb do not face increased health risks as compared to people who are more than a hundred and seventy pounds for example. Or less than 125 or whatever the bottom end is for my height.4 -
For me my goal weight is always around the same range, but it changes based on my body composition. The more muscle I have the higher I can go while still being lean.2
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After 40 years of dieting failure I stopped dieting to lose weight in 2014 and had no concrete goal weight. My goal was only to improve my health (cut out my Ankylosing Spondylitis related pain) and health markers. Without a goal weight but working to get better labs and health I drifted on down 50 pounds and still with no goal weight I have maintained that 50 pound loss for the past 4 years tracking health and health markers results and eating all I want to get full at each meal but there was no meal timing. After the cravings stopped the binging stopped and both the pain and weight dropped without thinking about either. When I think about calories limits I stay hungry it seems but with my mind freed from weight loss goals food no longer defined who I was it seemed.
Everyone one is different and what is best for each is to find the way that works for us and forget the WOE's of others and there are more than one Way Of Eating out there for sure.3 -
Well there is the Doctor's way (BMI) and there is the Dr. Phil way... then there is what makes some sort of sense. The possibility of achieving my Doctor's BMI is nearly impossible... I'm not even going to try. Dr. Phil says your "right" weight is not the draconian number you assign yourself... that weight is when you're comfortable, in your clothes, moving about without undue restriction. THEN... there is my "good" weight. I set the bar at around 250 lb. That weight I can hold, reasonably. IF I can stay between 250 lb and 275 lb, most things will work OK. I started April 2019 at 431 lb and have since lost 30 lb, so I work with 25 lb increments ... next goal 375, then 350. So it's keeping faith with the program, getting smarter about my eating plan, and hitting the gym. I have read that the more you weigh, the faster it will come off, initially... so by that plan, getting to 300 should have few plateaus. Getting from 300 to 250 will be a fight. Currently, I'm 67, so I don't expect to have smooth sailing to my goals. It would be nice to see my closet of clothes fit me again. I don't have to buy new ones... just be able to fit into the one's I already laid down the money for. I'm not worried about being an underwear model... because I didn't have the genes for it to begin with.6
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Please take the time to read this article from NPR on why the BMI is bogus. https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106268439
It is often better to go by waist vs. hips ratio. What are your ideal key body measurements? How's your cholesterol? I'm 5/10" and currently weight 183ish. I lift 4-5x/week and do a cardio ab day. I'm eating within my macros suggested to me by a fitness coach & bodybuilder who I trust.
Just my 2 cents.....3 -
I never had a target or goal weight. I just wanted to not have a belly or love handles. I don't really care about a number, nor do I care about being super lean.3
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@seltzermint555 Mine was much like hers. I remember the weight I felt strong, healthy, and comfortable at and so I have picked 170. My doctor's goal weight for me is 155 which will put me in the healthy BMI range, so when I make to 170 I will reevaluate and see what 155 might look/feel like for me.3
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I'm just under 5'4 and according to the 'charts', I should be around 115-145. I'm 42 yrs old and 170 lbs at present and would be thrilled to get to 150 even though I know this is still considered heavy.3
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My goal weight is the weight I felt most attractive at (not too big not too skinny). For me, that was 150 lbs. TDEE calculators have my optimal weight between 142-146 lbs so depending on how I feel once I reach 150, I may go as low as 140 lbs before switching to maintenance.2
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While I remain overweight, my immediate goal has always just been 'less'. As long as I continue to weight less more often than not then I'm achieving my goal.
As far as end goal is concerned I've always set this goal as what I currently see as achievable. The thing is this end goal keeps moving as I gain in confidence. When I was 160kg I just wanted to get back to 130kg. When I got there I wanted to get back to 120kg (so I could start cycling again and 120kg is about the weight limit for most bicycles). When I got there I wanted to get to 110kg which was my lowest previous weight.
Now that I'm at 114kg, 110kg no longer felt like a stretch so I changed it to <99kg (to be in double figures for the first time in my adult life). But even that seems like I'm letting myself off too easy so I've determined to get to 83kg (top of healthy BMI range) and then get to 80kg just so I can say "I halved myself"3 -
I've been on the weightloss journey before, so I know my optimal weight - the weight I feel the happiest, healthiest and the best - is at 60-63kg.
During my first weightloss journey, I had no idea. I went as far down as 57kg, which is still in the healthy BMI range for my height - 168cm. But I didn't feel great. I went back up to 60-63kg and maintained at that weight for 4 years. I felt that was the right weight for me.0 -
Losing body fat/inches and getting fit was my goal. I did want to reach the healthy range of the BMI and also I had a dress size goal in mind, but I had no idea what I would weigh when I reached it.
So I kept going until I was happy with what I saw in clothes and in the mirror.
It took a couple years of maintenance to tighten up everywhere and be happy with my body out of clothes.
Now I maintain a 10 pound range year round.10 -
I haven't yet. I'm 5'3, and the weight I liked best as an adult was 120 (when I was heavy into triathlon in my mid 30s). The weight I seem to maintain most easily is 125-130 (fluctuates). In that I'm a weight I like at 120, I'm happy there but would run faster and might look better thinner and also would be interested in trying lower body fat but heavier, I'm open so long as I'm improving my fitness. For a while I was 120-125 and working on recomp, but the trouble is I'm not unhappy at 125-130 so it's easy to let it slip. I'm back to focusing on fitness again and trying to lose a little but much more trying to improve my lifts and get back into running more. Will see what happens.2
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