how did you decide on your goal weight?
zebasschick
Posts: 1,071 Member
i have an unusual goal weight for my height. at 5' 4", i'm shooting for 140, which is pretty heavy for my height. but my main goals are to build muscle and get my blood sugar down to normal all the time (type 2, been hovering between 96 and 119 fasting recently). i used to be quite muscular for a woman, and even though i'm over 60 and working back from several injuries, so i'm the weakest i've ever been, i'd like to build strength and muscle, which you can't do well eating at a deficit.
how about your? how did you decide on your goal weight?
how about your? how did you decide on your goal weight?
4
Replies
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We are sort of in the same boat.. only i'm tall. I have gotten weaker.. which is alarming. During COVID i exited all my routine exercise...and i did gain some weight, but nothing unusual..as have gained and lost 20 pounds many times in my life. . . But, the being weaker is more alarming.
Therefore.. I'm starting with the goal of getting stronger. Of course i'm watching my eating too...but my main focus is on regaining my strength and agility. I'll worry more about the goal weight later. It could be overwhelming and counterproductive to hit both hard at once.1 -
elisa123gal wrote: »We are sort of in the same boat.. only i'm tall. I have gotten weaker.. which is alarming. During COVID i exited all my routine exercise...and i did gain some weight, but nothing unusual..as have gained and lost 20 pounds many times in my life. . . But, the being weaker is more alarming.
Therefore.. I'm starting with the goal of getting stronger. Of course i'm watching my eating too...but my main focus is on regaining my strength and agility. I'll worry more about the goal weight later. It could be overwhelming and counterproductive to hit both hard at once.
are you upping your protein? mine's quite high for my size, but i am seeing strength and muscle gains.
yeah, i also have to work on agility, as well.
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Hm, I didn't decide precisely 🙂 certainly not from the start.
I'm 5ft 5. I had a first goal: high end of normal BMI, 68kg (150lbs). Reached that goal and still too much fat. Went down to 65kg, still too much fat. Got as low as 60.5kg (133.5lbs) which was where I starting hesitating between recomp and just a few more lbs.
I've lost focus a bit the past months, and perhaps my body was fighting me a bit with hunger, and have gone back up to 137. Definitely too soft around the edges, and my new clothes are a bit tight now, so I'm aiming for 60kg (132lbs) or thereabouts, very slowly. Sizewise I should be fine then, and it's just up to me to do some recomp to firm up.
It's a weight that's pretty close to what I weighed as a young adult too, as it happens.
So basically my criteria are visual and practical (clothing size).0 -
I spoke to my Doctor. She wanted me at 225 so 225 it was. I'm actually at 217 right now.1
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I base the final weight on the mirror. Right now for example I am a normal size but because my body makeup has shifted over the last few years (less muscle, more fat), a few pairs of pants still don’t fit so I am going to keep cutting a bit before returning to maintenance.3
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I base the final weight on the mirror. Right now for example I am a normal size but because my body makeup has shifted over the last few years (less muscle, more fat), a few pairs of pants still don’t fit so I am going to keep cutting a bit before returning to maintenance.0
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Um, which weight goal? First, final, or one of the ones in between?
At 5'5" and age 59, I started with a provisional goal (I forget whether it was 130 or 135) based on personal history. At adult size in late teens into 20s, I'd been in the mid 120s, which was a good weight for me . . . but "everyone says" we should be a little heavier when we're older.
Once I got near that provisional weight, I could see that it was more body fat than I needed or wanted to keep. (At the time, American Cancer Society advice for women with my specific cancer history was to shoot for the lowest weight one could sustain, but without being underweight, so that was my context.)
At that point, I thought of some benchmarks about how I wanted to feel and look, and kept losing intentionally slowly until - literally - one morning I woke up and thought "I'm there". I think that was 122 pounds. I then aimed for 120, but overshot while trying to dial in maintenance calories, hit 116 (too thin) and had to go back up.
Subsequently, over the course of maybe 4 years in maintenance, I let my weight creep up to the point where my jeans were getting a little snug during Winter long-johns season. Maybe mid to upper 130s, mostly, or a bit more? I hate to shop, so I crept it back down again. My theoretical goal is now 125 for maintainability (hah!), but I drifted back up over Winter (not unusual). I'm now around 130 +/-.
That all feels like maintenance to me, after being overweight/obese for around 30 years before age 59.
More answer than you wanted, I'm sure.
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I wanted to lose a stone or so of fat but I actually said to the PT in my first meeting I wasn’t worried about weight as long as I lost the fat (had lost muscle and gained fat over two years of injury and cancer surgery). I lost the 14 pounds (5’3.5 and got to 114) and probably 15% body fat. I have chunky legs so for the first time ever they looked slimmer. But I completely lost my boobs and my face looked a bit gaunt. My PT got me to up my calories so I could build muscle. So now I’m c 122 pounds with quite a lot of muscle and probably c20-23% fat, aesthetically I’d like to be a little leaner but this is a good weight for my sport (which I discovered whilst losing the fat). Plus, at 49, I don’t want to wreck my hormones and I tend to lose half a stone or so when I get ill so this gives me a buffer. Always that balance between health and appearance - or as a Joan Rivers said - after 40 you can choose your face or your butt - you can’t have both 🤣3
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I'm like you, same height, only my goal is to stay below 150 with 155 being my red line. I'm in my mid 70s but have always been about this weight. I am one of those special snowflake females who does get "Supah bulky" and if you took a picture of just my legs you would think I was some wrestler guy...and no, there is no fat there. So after creeping up and then losing 30 opunds back to where I'm happy I kept reading here and felt bad about my goal. At my last Dr appointment I asked if I should lose 5-10 pounds to get at "normal BMI" and was met with NO!!! I'm super healthy, have good bone and muscle mass, am elderly and can easily maintain at this level.
SO for you, are you healthy and happy. Can you happily maintain at that weight (when you get older being happy is really important). That is all that matters.5 -
My goal weight is the weight I used to be in 2004 when I was a full time yoga teacher and working out regularly. I liked the way I looked. It happens to be a 25 BMI, but I have a large frame and long torso and carried it well.
I was a BMI of 24 after 6 weeks of under-eating and over-exercising in boot camp at age 18. At age 56, I don't have that aesthetic as a goal.0 -
I only have a loose goal in mind. I’ve been in the weight range I prefer for most of my life with a few exceptions when I’ve gained and lost. I’m looking to get back to my preferred range, but I’m also aiming for a bit higher than that once was. I think I’d like to stop about 10 pounds higher than that. At that point, I want to work on doing a recomp. My blood work is all good right now, but not as good as it had been before I gained weight during Covid.
So, as long as my blood work is looking great again at that high end of my normal range, I’ll probably stop then and switch gears to a recomp.
I know from losing weight in the past that it takes me time to really see my new body in the mirror. So I’m going to mostly go by the scale and how my clothes fit and probably “force” a recomp before my eyes say it’s time.1 -
I wanted to lose 20 pounds first and then reevaluate when I reached that goal. Now that I’m in my 50s, I think my face looks better (ahem—less wrinkly) if I’m at the higher end of my healthy range. I’m working on the next 10 pounds and I think that will be as low as I want to go. That should get me back into the jeans I already own.2
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5'4" here and maintaining around 150 (+/- 3-ish lbs). It's a place that I'm lean to the point of being happy with the aesthetics but have high enough calorie intake (3300-3700 depending on where I am in training cycle) that I can enjoy plenty of good food (and beer!) and have good energy & strength levels etc. Basically, it's all-around comfortable for me so I'm happy sticking to it until I get a wild hair to do something different.2
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I started around 225. I pulled a number out of my tail end that seemed unobtainable- and obtained it relatively quickly. 😖
So I pulled another number out of my tail end that seemed likewise unobtainable. Hit it. 😶
No idea where to go next so chose really low number. 🤔
By the time it hit that one I figured “I guess I’ll shoot for my wedding day weight”. Seemed logical, huh? 5’7”, goal of 125.
I got within two pounds, trainer was brave enough to tell me “you look awful, put on some weight or find a new trainer.” She texted photos as proof. I was dismayed to realize I looked unhealthily, painful thin.
I’m holding around 143, 144 right now. I’m still thin and lanky, but also muscular. I’m very happy here. I’ve never ever in my life had muscles. They’re a novelty and I never tire of looking at them, and thinking “you earned those.”
So, short answer, goal has been a moving target.
Never get wedded to a static goal.8 -
I am 5' 4" as well and 56 years old. My first goal was 148, then 144 so my BMI would not be overweight. Then I figured my body (skin lol) looked fine, so I would go for my "pre pregnancy" weight (26 years ago lol) of 137. I just achieved that and plan to stay here for a while and then maybe lose some more. My doctor says the "healthiest" BMI is 22, so I may lose 4-5 more pounds. Or not lol.
I also agree with someone above. I liked my face better at 148 but my body better at 137.🤣1 -
I just want to say I feel so good about my personal goal. After seeing so many youngin's with goals at 21-22 BMI I felt so bad even though I knew that for my age at mid 70s I was in the "sweet spot of 25-27 BMI" This is not to say that in any way for those that have already maintained at that level should gain weight, but truth be told I was feeling like a slacker.
I was always very muscularand active at about this weight. At 60 I was running 5Ks and training a couple of horses (and doing barn work) in addition to full time teaching. Had a bit of cancer and eye surgeries set backs but now all blood work and dexa are off the charts super. Anyway thanks to others for making me feel better.2 -
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/304029/a-quick-way-to-figure-out-your-ideal-weight/p1
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 35+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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I stand 5'9". Graduated high school a scrawny 150, completed military training an athletic 170. Fast forward a decade, I'm now a soft 220 with arthritic knees gasping going up a single flight of stairs.
When I decided to lose weight, I reached back in time and figured I liked the way I was at 170, so that was my target using lots of cardio. Actually made it, too, but realized cardio no longer "did it" for me, so I took up weightlifting. Between water retention, suddenly stopping cardio and not lowering my food intake, my weight crept back up above 200, though now it was far more muscular than before.
Through trial and error, I've learned I like the image in the mirror more as my weight goes up, while my knees prefer my weight going down. I thus have found a natural compromise range around 190.4 -
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/304029/a-quick-way-to-figure-out-your-ideal-weight/p1
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 35+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
ideal weight varies. a lot of women my height prefer to be 110 to 120 pounds for esthetic reasons.
i was my happiest when i was lifting heavy at the gym in my 40s. doing 600 pound leg presses, 450 pound calf presses, 180 pound ab crunches and 120 pound lat pulldowns didn't lend itself to lean vs fat calculations. i know at 66 and after years off for injuries, i'm not likely to get that back, but i'd rather aim in that general direction.
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Doesn't matter. Unless one is willing to lose lean body mass (muscle), then determining what body fat % you want to be based on current lean mass will give you an accurate number of what you'll weigh at that body fat %. Height, frame, shape, etc. don't matter in this formula because it's just determining ideal weight at desired body fat %.zebasschick wrote: »https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/304029/a-quick-way-to-figure-out-your-ideal-weight/p1
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 35+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
ideal weight varies. a lot of women my height prefer to be 110 to 120 pounds for esthetic reasons.
i was my happiest when i was lifting heavy at the gym in my 40s. doing 600 pound leg presses, 450 pound calf presses, 180 pound ab crunches and 120 pound lat pulldowns didn't lend itself to lean vs fat calculations. i know at 66 and after years off for injuries, i'm not likely to get that back, but i'd rather aim in that general direction.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 35+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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Doesn't matter. Unless one is willing to lose lean body mass (muscle), then determining what body fat % you want to be based on current lean mass will give you an accurate number of what you'll weigh at that body fat %. Height, frame, shape, etc. don't matter in this formula because it's just determining ideal weight at desired body fat %.zebasschick wrote: »https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/304029/a-quick-way-to-figure-out-your-ideal-weight/p1
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 35+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
ideal weight varies. a lot of women my height prefer to be 110 to 120 pounds for esthetic reasons.
i was my happiest when i was lifting heavy at the gym in my 40s. doing 600 pound leg presses, 450 pound calf presses, 180 pound ab crunches and 120 pound lat pulldowns didn't lend itself to lean vs fat calculations. i know at 66 and after years off for injuries, i'm not likely to get that back, but i'd rather aim in that general direction.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 35+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
sure it matters, because most people have no idea of what body fat/lean mass percentages look like or why - other than looks - they would want to be a certain percentage of lean mass vs fat. there's plenty of partial info or full on misinformation out there on this issue - many with pics, so the numbers don't really tell the average person anything.
btw, when i was very muscular vs when i was heavy and not muscular, my BMI would have been the same, yet when i was working out heavy, my lean mass was much higher and body fat much lower. yet in non-tight clothes, unpumped, i looked close to the same. and i had 2 trainers give me radically different body fat measurements only 2 days apart using calipers.
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I just realized I had absolutely no idea what my BMI is and had to go look it up on my smart scale app.
NSV? 😂0 -
20%-25% is normal range for a female who isn't looking to look like an athlete. At that point 19% and under approaches that spectrum. And there are references of pics that people can look at online where they can get an idea of body % they'd like to be.zebasschick wrote: »
Doesn't matter. Unless one is willing to lose lean body mass (muscle), then determining what body fat % you want to be based on current lean mass will give you an accurate number of what you'll weigh at that body fat %. Height, frame, shape, etc. don't matter in this formula because it's just determining ideal weight at desired body fat %.zebasschick wrote: »https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/304029/a-quick-way-to-figure-out-your-ideal-weight/p1
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 35+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
ideal weight varies. a lot of women my height prefer to be 110 to 120 pounds for esthetic reasons.
i was my happiest when i was lifting heavy at the gym in my 40s. doing 600 pound leg presses, 450 pound calf presses, 180 pound ab crunches and 120 pound lat pulldowns didn't lend itself to lean vs fat calculations. i know at 66 and after years off for injuries, i'm not likely to get that back, but i'd rather aim in that general direction.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 35+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
sure it matters, because most people have no idea of what body fat/lean mass percentages look like or why - other than looks - they would want to be a certain percentage of lean mass vs fat. there's plenty of partial info or full on misinformation out there on this issue - many with pics, so the numbers don't really tell the average person anything.
Athlete measurements will vary in almost every situation if you're cutting/bulking, but again most people here aren't doing that.btw, when i was very muscular vs when i was heavy and not muscular, my BMI would have been the same, yet when i was working out heavy, my lean mass was much higher and body fat much lower. yet in non-tight clothes, unpumped, i looked close to the same. and i had 2 trainers give me radically different body fat measurements only 2 days apart using calipers.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 35+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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springlering62 wrote: »I just realized I had absolutely no idea what my BMI is and had to go look it up on my smart scale app.
NSV? 😂
For others who are interested in their BMI:
https://bmicalculator.mes.fm/bmi-chart
https://bmicalculator.mes.fm calculator0 -
https://www.builtlean.com/body-fat-percentage-men-women/
20%-25% is normal range for a female who isn't looking to look like an athlete. At that point 19% and under approaches that spectrum. And there are references of pics that people can look at online where they can get an idea of body % they'd like to be.zebasschick wrote: »
Doesn't matter. Unless one is willing to lose lean body mass (muscle), then determining what body fat % you want to be based on current lean mass will give you an accurate number of what you'll weigh at that body fat %. Height, frame, shape, etc. don't matter in this formula because it's just determining ideal weight at desired body fat %.zebasschick wrote: »https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/304029/a-quick-way-to-figure-out-your-ideal-weight/p1
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 35+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
ideal weight varies. a lot of women my height prefer to be 110 to 120 pounds for esthetic reasons.
i was my happiest when i was lifting heavy at the gym in my 40s. doing 600 pound leg presses, 450 pound calf presses, 180 pound ab crunches and 120 pound lat pulldowns didn't lend itself to lean vs fat calculations. i know at 66 and after years off for injuries, i'm not likely to get that back, but i'd rather aim in that general direction.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 35+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
sure it matters, because most people have no idea of what body fat/lean mass percentages look like or why - other than looks - they would want to be a certain percentage of lean mass vs fat. there's plenty of partial info or full on misinformation out there on this issue - many with pics, so the numbers don't really tell the average person anything.
[snip]
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kshama2001 wrote: »
https://www.builtlean.com/body-fat-percentage-men-women/
20%-25% is normal range for a female who isn't looking to look like an athlete. At that point 19% and under approaches that spectrum. And there are references of pics that people can look at online where they can get an idea of body % they'd like to be.zebasschick wrote: »
Doesn't matter. Unless one is willing to lose lean body mass (muscle), then determining what body fat % you want to be based on current lean mass will give you an accurate number of what you'll weigh at that body fat %. Height, frame, shape, etc. don't matter in this formula because it's just determining ideal weight at desired body fat %.zebasschick wrote: »https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/304029/a-quick-way-to-figure-out-your-ideal-weight/p1
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 35+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
ideal weight varies. a lot of women my height prefer to be 110 to 120 pounds for esthetic reasons.
i was my happiest when i was lifting heavy at the gym in my 40s. doing 600 pound leg presses, 450 pound calf presses, 180 pound ab crunches and 120 pound lat pulldowns didn't lend itself to lean vs fat calculations. i know at 66 and after years off for injuries, i'm not likely to get that back, but i'd rather aim in that general direction.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 35+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
sure it matters, because most people have no idea of what body fat/lean mass percentages look like or why - other than looks - they would want to be a certain percentage of lean mass vs fat. there's plenty of partial info or full on misinformation out there on this issue - many with pics, so the numbers don't really tell the average person anything.
[snip]
This visual can be really misleading to folks who’ve had large loss of weight, which is a lot of people here.
My BMI is 22.5 and my last DEXA had me at 21 or 22% body fat. I look nothing like the chick in the photo, thanks to a large floof of extra skin residing around my waistline. I look more like the 35% example.
Yet arms, legs, thighs, calves all have very visible muscles, and if I wear something with a high lightly compressive waist, you’d think I’d look like those gals if I were to show my belly. Nope. Unloose the Kracken!!!!
If you’ve lost a lot of weight, before you despair at these or similar pictures, remember the souvenirs the extra weight left on your body. I’m grateful for where I am, and have found if I continue hacking away at the same old plan, things do continue to change. Maybe when I’m 70, that floof of skin will finally melt away. 😂😂😂
Please be very very very careful when comparing yourself to anyone or anything.
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I'm still wondering if 20%, 25%, and 30% are corrected ordered in the women in that graphic.
And @springlering62, having seen a number of photos of you, including floof photos, I kind of disagree with your self-perception of appearance. Besides, if your extremities look (say) 15%-ish, ya gotta average things out somehow, eh?
But yeah, comparison is iffy. Personal choice matters, and every person has a different body configuration, besides. It's good to have a body, however it looks. I don't know what I do without mine. 4 -
Not a strange goal at all. If it is a healthier weight than you are now, then it is a great goal.0
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I choose 150lbs because I felt like that was a reasonable goal, and once I hit it I can lower it or not.
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Weight is a tricky one. For my height and weight (19 yo, 173cm or 5'8") I 'should' be around 70kg for a BMI in the mid-low 20s. Starting at 110kg that is still a goal but as someone who loves weightlifting as a sport and wants a muscular physique, once I get to about 85-90kg I may adjust that goal to better fit my physique and routine. Idk and I'm not an expert but BMI and weight aren't always an indicator of health when it comes to muscular bodies and at the end of the day my goal is health not weight. I think adjusting your goals in response to your body is an option not a lot of people take advantage of.2
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