How did you decide what your goal was?

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Iamfit4life
Iamfit4life Posts: 3,095 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Based on just BMI? Body Fat? A certain size?


I've lost a lot and chose to join MFP to maintain. I'm just not sure what I should actually be striving for at this point.
(which is probably why I've started pigging out).
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Replies

  • tickletickle
    tickletickle Posts: 147
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    I just go by how i use to be, and that happens to be the highest weight of my BMI range so it works out quite nicely :)
  • Nikstergirl
    Nikstergirl Posts: 1,549 Member
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    I started out thinking I'd be happy at 140 (I'm 5'2" and was about 180 when I started) and just before I hit that, I lowered it to 135, and it's now at 130... I may re-evaluate that again. For my height, I am at the top of the "normal" range, and while I'm thrilled with that, I do still have some belly chub I'd like to lose, but it may only be 5-10 pounds. Whatever, but I will not let myself get about that 135 mark again. Putting myself on a tighter reign once I get to maintainence will be a challenge, but worth it if I can stay here for the rest of my life!!!!
  • JWeaser
    JWeaser Posts: 302
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    I keep changing mine. I am now only 5lbs away from the last goal I set of 160 (I am 5'9") but I am thinking I may try for 150. I just play it by ear and see how I feel!
  • MarieNevada
    MarieNevada Posts: 395 Member
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    i decided how much body fat percentage i wanted, 15% at most, and added that to my lean body mass, and came up with 132 lbs. based on the fact that i was a size 2 when i was 17 i dont think that was totally unrealistic. that number might have to be adjusted upward based on what my lean body mass will end up being as i'm increasing it through strength training, but for now 130 lbs is my ultimate goal. however, it's my body fat percentage that is going to be the deciding factor in the end.
  • Taintedkitten
    Taintedkitten Posts: 35
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    I put down the weight I'd be "happy" at, a weight I was before I did my back in and met my partner, and used to love how I looked.

    Once I get to that weight I'm planning to re evaluate, and maybe set it a little lower.

    I'm enjoying this lifestyle change however, so I don't foresee any problems in maintaining it.
  • smkcx♥
    smkcx♥ Posts: 317 Member
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    Alot of things went into deciding my goal. My BMI (im considered obese right now) and "a certain size" -- I have a cousin who looks just like me (we look similar) and she weighs 143lbs, i'd love to be her size, so I asked her how much she weighed and set my goal for 60lbs :) I think i'd be really content at that weight, I know I wont look exactly like her because everyones body is different, so if I dont feel happy at 60lbs lost, i'll continue to lose - or- if im content with 50lbs lost, ill stop there.
  • kdelost630
    kdelost630 Posts: 199
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    I think most people use the BMI as a rough goal when they start out and then change it as they continue. For some people, BMI is actually a healthy place for them to be. For others, like myself, I feel like it is too low...but again, I may change that idea once I get closer to my goal weight. Really, there is no "right weight" and you should do what feels best for you! Just get healthy! :) And good luck!
  • tkacomet
    tkacomet Posts: 73 Member
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    I've had trouble with this also. my real goal is to look good in my clothes (and not in my clothes!) and especially under the stage lights. I set my weight goal at 150 mostly because I thought that was pretty impossible and when I was last 150 I was looking pretty good. However, at my height I should be lower than that eventually.

    When I get to 150 I'll reevaluate and move from there. my goals have changed over the process, too. I not only want to look good, but I'm pushing to be able to exercise more, to run longer, and to have some real muscle definition. again, not real tangible and quantifiable goals, but less dependent on numbers on a scale. I'm paying more attention to measurements nowadays, and physical endurance.

    my dream? washboard abs, a firm *kitten*, and that my already impressive biceps and quads show to the rest of the world! oh - and a complete lack of double chin!
  • Taintedkitten
    Taintedkitten Posts: 35
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    I think most people use the BMI as a rough goal when they start out and then change it as they continue. For some people, BMI is actually a healthy place for them to be. For others, like myself, I feel like it is too low...but again, I may change that idea once I get closer to my goal weight. Really, there is no "right weight" and you should do what feels best for you! Just get healthy! :) And good luck!

    When I had gone through a rough patch, I was sitting at 58 kgs, people thought I was getting too skinny (I agreed, just didn't have the stomach to eat), but according to my BMI I was fine. I guess because of my genetics: Big butt, boobs and hips, and the fact that I'm fairly solid boned anyway. My BMI is kinda out for me I feel because of that.
  • jjstokes
    jjstokes Posts: 47 Member
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    BMI is my yardstick. It's a pretty broad range. Once you get within "Normal" you can decide from there how low you feel comfortable going. I'm in the middle of my "normal" BMI range and can now move a couple of pounds up or down and not feel like I'm in trouble either way. I LOVE this app/website.
  • UpEarly
    UpEarly Posts: 2,555 Member
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    I had a 'happy weight' in my mid-twenties, and I'd like to get back there again. It's right in the middle of my healthy BMI range and puts me in a size 8. I'm 5'9" and have a large frame.
  • Iamfit4life
    Iamfit4life Posts: 3,095 Member
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    BMI is my yardstick. It's a pretty broad range. Once you get within "Normal" you can decide from there how low you feel comfortable going. I'm in the middle of my "normal" BMI range and can now move a couple of pounds up or down and not feel like I'm in trouble either way. I LOVE this app/website.

    Looking at the chart it shows I'm kind of at the low end of the middle.
    So I just need to be happy. I suppose it's just fear that if I let up my guard the next thing you know I'll be heavy and wearing clothes I pretend I never wore again.

    My fiance always tells me that women are batty, he might be right.
  • seal57
    seal57 Posts: 1,259 Member
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    I set my goal at 100kgs because going under would mean double digits..I don't remember being in the double digits..

    Once I get to 100kgs then I will just take 5kgs at a time until I'm where I feel ok within myself..
  • bmqbonnie
    bmqbonnie Posts: 836 Member
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    Once upon a time, I weighed 160 and decided I wanted to get down to 130. I figured that would be about how much weight I needed to lose to get to a size 7, which I figured was attainable. I starved myself down to a little below that and then gained all of it back and more. I recently found a picture of myself at my low weight and I looked like a bobblehead. I know 125-130 doesn't sound that small but it is for my body type. I am hefty no matter what, I don't know if I'm made out of lead or what the deal is! I was about 160 in my profile pic and I think it's not just my imagination that I don't look it.

    So now I would like to be a muscular 140 and am 15 lbs away. I base this on my previous experience and because my best friend has a similar body type to me and her weight and fitness varies a lot depending on how active she is. When she was swimming, doing cross country and eating healthy that was about how much she weighed and I figure I can reasonably get to that too. I put on muscle very easily so if I'm working out a lot, I am not going to drop a lot of pounds but I do want to burn fat and lots of it.
  • UltraRunnerGale
    UltraRunnerGale Posts: 346 Member
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    I read a book called "Racing Weight", a book for athletes that want to attain peak performance. There were some crazy calculations you had to do based on age, gender, height, and who knows what all, to get your perfect race weight. I had already said I would like to get down to 125 pounds and when my boyfriend did the calculations for me, lo and behold, it said I should be 125!! I only have four pounds to go but i still have a little fat in some spots, so I may go a little less. I don't know if I will go much under 120, though. Even at 129, I look fabulous and feel fantastic!! :bigsmile:
  • AZackery
    AZackery Posts: 2,035 Member
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    I've decided by my body fat percentage and how much pounds of fat I'm carrying on my body. I'm aiming to lower my pounds of fat. I don't care about the scale weight.
  • Michelle_M2002
    Michelle_M2002 Posts: 301 Member
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    On the body fat percentage chart "Fitness" is catgorized as 20% - 25%. So my goal is in the middle of that at 22%. My tentative weight goal is 145, because looking back that's about where I was at my healthiest. But that's just a number to work towards, that I can measure on a regular basis. The TRUE goal is 22% body fat.

    God bless!
  • splackk
    splackk Posts: 163
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    I am just out of college (okay, maybe a year or so) and the freshman 15 + bit me in the butt!

    When I began college I weighed 118 and had recently put on just over 10 pounds since the end of my last tennis season. I wasn't working out much and with my small frame looked a bit chubby then. Now, 5 years and many ups and downs later, I am 119 pounds and...well, still look a little on the chubby side too.

    I was fit and light and in great shape at 105-110 back when I played tennis regularly, so I'd like to be back at that size. I certainly haven't added any height, so getting back to that range should be do-able. 102 is my ultimate goal just because that was my lowest steady weight when I was in my best condition. If I can't get that low comfortably I'm perfectly happy to stay 5-10 pounds higher, but that will be figured out as I get there.
  • hhan
    hhan Posts: 74
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    I started my journey with a goal set at what the Dukan Diet calls "True Weight". It is a weight that takes into account age, sex, (number of kids you've had if female) as well as stuff like how much you've weighed at your least and most as an adult. It seemed a good place to start and more logical and personalised than BMI. You can check it out here http://www.dukandiet.co.uk/en/350-subscribe.html

    I'm actually at the inital weight it calculated for me and still carrying too much body fat so have decided now just to work towards a body fat goal. For me at the moment that is 30% which was also calculated using an age based formula at my fitness centre. I have no idea what weight that will end up being or what BMI that will mean. I'll just wait and see now when it happens and how I feel and look at whatever weight that turns out to be.
  • Spitfirex007
    Spitfirex007 Posts: 749 Member
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    I picked the same weight I was when I played minor league ball. I was in the best shape then.. wanna get back to it

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