I'm not sure what my goal weight should be

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CLICit
CLICit Posts: 17 Member
edited February 2020 in Health and Weight Loss
I thought my goal should be 135 lbs as that was my weight below and I had felt good about my body. My current weight is 185 lbs. But now I see 135 lbs is at the high end of a normal BMI, almost overweight for my height 5"2.7. I don't know know what to put my goal weight at. I don't know if I want to get any smaller than the below images. tjmwg0ru2khj.jpg
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  • harper16
    harper16 Posts: 2,564 Member
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    My goal weight is closer to the higher end of my bmi. I felt the best and looked the best at that weight.
    Did you feel comfortable at 135?
  • ecjim
    ecjim Posts: 1,001 Member
    edited February 2020
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    You look good at 135 - when you get back there you can decide what you want to do. Are you lifting weights as you cut?
  • CLICit
    CLICit Posts: 17 Member
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    Nony_Mouse wrote: »
    If you liked how you looked and felt at 135, go with 135. There is nothing wrong with being at the top end of your BMI range.

    Hi Nony, I felt amazing, I was also building a lot of muscle across my body with weight lifting and yoga. I felt very strong.
    harper16 wrote: »
    My goal weight is closer to the higher end of my bmi. I felt the best and looked the best at that weight.
    Did you feel comfortable at 135?

    Hi Harper, good to know someone else has a similar goal. Yes I did very much.
    ecjim wrote: »
    You look good at 135 - when you get back there you can decide what you want to do. Are you lifting weights as you cut?

    Hi ecjim, thank you, I am. I am doing the same workout plan I did as before. Just not as intensely yet.
  • corinasue1143
    corinasue1143 Posts: 7,467 Member
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    I agree you looked so good in the pictures, that should be your initial goal. It’s a woman’s prerogative to change her mind when you get there if you want.
  • KickassAmazon76
    KickassAmazon76 Posts: 4,558 Member
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    Why not take it 10 lbs at a time? Or 5.

    Break out down into tiny bits and celebrate each victory. Then move into maintenance when you don't want to go any further.
  • fdlewenstein
    fdlewenstein Posts: 231 Member
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    135 seems like a reasonable goal. Keep in mind that there are different body types as it relates to bone structure. I am 5'4" and my goal is 140 pounds, which is at the higher end of BMI.
  • riffraff2112
    riffraff2112 Posts: 1,757 Member
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    nothing wrong with re-adjusting as you go. Reach one goal, and set another. BMI be damned. I have been above my supposed healthy BMI since I was 16. I have always carried a lot of muscle and had large thighs, broad chest etc.. I would pretty much have to get a serious illness to be at my recommended BMI.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,081 Member
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    Maybe you already realize this, but just in case not: The goal weight you put in your MFP profile has absolutely no impact on the calorie goal it calculates for you. The goal weight is only used for some motivational-type messages along the way. You can put in a provisional goal weight now, then change it later, and everything will work just fine.

    The only thing that a goal weight does, in terms of your weight loss process, is to tell you when to stop losing and up your calorie intake to maintenance level. You can wait until you're near goal, or even at goal, to make a final decision about what's best. Heck, you can even stay at a weight for months or years, change your mind, and lose or gain a bit, if you decide that's what you want. :)

    No need to stress over it now.
  • RGILLESP1
    RGILLESP1 Posts: 11 Member
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    BMI is an iffy way to measure because it doesn't take into account the fact that muscle weighs more than fat. 135 pounds looks a lot different on a person who has a lot of muscle than it does on a couch potato. I can tell that you had great muscle tone in the 135 lb photo. I suggest using 135 lbs as a loose goal for yourself and then just see how you feel when you get to that goal weight.
  • ecjim
    ecjim Posts: 1,001 Member
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    Hi ecjim, thank you, I am. I am doing the same workout plan I did as before. Just not as intensely yet.[/quote]

    Good - start easy and ramp it up as you get stronger. What program are you doing ?
  • JaxxieKat
    JaxxieKat Posts: 427 Member
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    The BMI is mostly rubbish. It doesn't account for anything like lean muscle mass, activity level, or a person's general health. To put it into perspective, I was considered "overweight" at 150lbs, although I looked very slim (I had a few folks I'm close to ask me if I was ill, because my face became so gaunt) and was freezing all the time. My current goal weight is between 150 and 155lbs. I'm almost 40 years-old, lightly active to active and stand at 5'5".
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,876 Member
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    You don't have to pick a goal weight. It has no bearing on your calorie targets or anything like that. I never had a goal weight because an arbitrary number is just an arbitrary number.
  • SlayLikeAWarrior
    SlayLikeAWarrior Posts: 89 Member
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    Go with how you felt when you were 135lb.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,081 Member
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    The overwhelming majority of people can find a reasonable weight somewhere in the rather wide normal BMI range, though perhaps not their perfect or preferred weight.

    At 5'5", not totally devoid of muscle, I feel best below BMI 22 (lower 130s pounds, and down to BMI 20 (120 pounds) is fine. Builds vary, and that makes a difference, but it's unusual - though not impossible - for a woman to carry so much muscle that the top of the range is too low a weight. (I'd need 112+ pounds of lean mass to get there at 25% body fat).

    The thing is, if you've been happy at a particular weight in the past, there's no reason not to head there as a starting point. As it gets closer, you'll have a much better feel for whether it's still OK or not. If in doubt then, talk with your doctor.
  • Liftinglex
    Liftinglex Posts: 49 Member
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    I’m at the higher end too but I don’t like being too thin , whatever you are comfortable with:)
  • leggup
    leggup Posts: 2,942 Member
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    Personally, I like being in the middle of my BMI range to the lower end. Did I decide that when I started losing weight? NO! I took it 1 lb at a time as I got lower.
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
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    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    Maybe you already realize this, but just in case not: The goal weight you put in your MFP profile has absolutely no impact on the calorie goal it calculates for you. The goal weight is only used for some motivational-type messages along the way. You can put in a provisional goal weight now, then change it later, and everything will work just fine.

    The only thing that a goal weight does, in terms of your weight loss process, is to tell you when to stop losing and up your calorie intake to maintenance level. You can wait until you're near goal, or even at goal, to make a final decision about what's best. Heck, you can even stay at a weight for months or years, change your mind, and lose or gain a bit, if you decide that's what you want. :)

    No need to stress over it now.

    +1

    I think not knowing what my final goal weight will be is and has been a benefit. It has kept me from counting down and allowed me to focus on my daily process and just trying to be happy now. However my undertaking was somewhere in the 300 pound range so I had to use every trick in the book and write a few new ones to keep me from getting overwhelmed or frustrated.



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