What should my realistic goal weight be?

rainbowbow
rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
edited October 4 in Health and Weight Loss
Right now i am
5'3
122 lbs
28.6% body fat

I want to be somewhere between 14-16% body fat and maybe 5lbs of muscle.

What should my goal weight be?

(also, fyi, i have to go do something but will be back to check responses and suggestions in a few hours! just incase you ask for additional information)

Thanks everyone in advance!!!

Replies

  • deadstarsunburn
    deadstarsunburn Posts: 1,337 Member
    We're the same height and your weight is fine, so maybe do a lot of weight lifting to build more muscle. Make sure you're not eating in a deficit if you decide to do that. I think your weight can go as low as 105 and still be healthy with that height. A doctor could tell you what to do and weight and such better then anyone here though =]
    good luck
  • h0taru
    h0taru Posts: 43
    14-16% body fat is unhealthy for women.

    Normal range is between 20 and 28%.
  • JennaM222
    JennaM222 Posts: 1,996 Member
    14-16% body fat is unhealthy for women.

    Normal range is between 20 and 28%.

    Really? my trainer told me 17% body fat is what I should be at?
  • A_New_Horizon
    A_New_Horizon Posts: 1,555 Member
    Sounds like to me - you already a good weight. I am also 5'3", and I weight 138 lbs (struggling to get off 3 or so more lbs to hit my second goal weight). Just be smart and listen to your body.
  • mfpseven
    mfpseven Posts: 421 Member
    I'm the same height and I'm setting my goal at 110 for now, then if I like what I see at 115 or 120 I can stop there
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    I want to be somewhere between 14-16% body fat and maybe 5lbs of muscle.

    ???, I'm sure you already have well over 5 lbs of muscle, not sure what you mean by that comment.

    A general guideline for weight would be to take your height and at 5' you should be 100 lbs, then add 5 lbs per inch, so at 5'3", you should be around 115, if you are small framed you should be up to 10% lower (104) or if you are larger framed up to 10% higher (126). Of course this ignores muscle mass but is a good general guideline.

    14-16% is very low BF% for a female and is what many eliteathletes are:
    http://www.leighpeele.com/body-fat-pictures-and-percentages
  • LOVEsummer
    LOVEsummer Posts: 304 Member
    The above poster is incorrect... there is a range of healthy %s and it varies based on your gender, age and if you are training for particular activities...

    Here is a decent resource to help you out!

    http://www.sport-fitness-advisor.com/bodyfatpercentage.html

    I say who cares about the weight, just keep measurements and have your BF% checked every 6 months or so if you have access to that sort of thing.

    I think your goal is set high, but totally worth trying for!!!
  • christy_frank
    christy_frank Posts: 680 Member
    I found out that I want to be 125 based on what some celebrities look like. I figured out their BMI, which all hovers around 20 and in order for me to have a BMI of 20, I need to be 125 lbs. If you would like to have a BMI of 20, you would have to be 115 lbs.

    This is my long term goal. If I am somewhere between 125 - 130 consistently. I will be happy.
    You should think the same thing....115-120 would be a good range.
  • h0taru
    h0taru Posts: 43
    14-16% body fat is unhealthy for women.

    Normal range is between 20 and 28%.

    Really? my trainer told me 17% body fat is what I should be at?

    I guess that if you are performing a lot of sport, it is normal. But a lot of sporting women do not have their period anymore, for example. Not sure if it is directly related to body fat, but women do not have the same body than men.

    You can check the wikipedia page about body fat
  • MikeDailyIntake
    MikeDailyIntake Posts: 133
    14-16% body fat is unhealthy for women.

    Normal range is between 20 and 28%.

    Really? my trainer told me 17% body fat is what I should be at?

    Women have a higher Body fat percentage, you shouldn't be below 17% unless you're a top athlete
  • ChitownFoodie
    ChitownFoodie Posts: 1,562 Member
    I am 17.9% BF, if you want to see what I look like at that amount.

    Btw, I am 4'11" and weigh 100lbs.
  • rayneface
    rayneface Posts: 219 Member
    It' not unhealthy to be below 20% body fat, there are plenty of women that are, it's just not the average. Many health conscious women are below this amount and it's perfectly fine - they normally say that highly active or athletic women tend to be in this range.

    As per Wikipedia:

    Women fat %
    Essential fat 10–13%
    Athletes 14–20%
    Fitness 21–24%
    Average 25–31%
    Obese 32%+
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    Sorry about that guys,

    Well my personal trainer told me that for my body type i need to be between 14-16% ideally.

    Also, Just a little bit about myself. I used to be a competitive gymnast. Im talking 25 hours in the gym every week. Eight pack, 10% body fat, couldnt even start my period until i quit because of lack of fat. When i had to quit gymnastics i COMPLETELY stopped working out. I lost all of my muscle and was my height 5'3 at about 100-103 pounds (this happened over a few years). I got emaciatedly thin looking without muscle. I started gaining weight and medicating with food. That brings me to August 1st 2011 at 136 pounds when i decided to make a change.

    I beleive this is why i am "skinny fat". I beleive that for my body type and given the fact that i was extremely muscluar and fit 14-16% is not a long shot. I also was saying i want to gain an additional 5 pounds of muscle.

    The problem im having is when i do the math it says to be 16% body fat i would need to be 108. If i gained 5 pounds of muscle i'd be 113.

    But i'm not sure if that math is right.

    Anyone who knows this math tell me if im right? :D
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    Bump!
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,994 Member
    14-16% body fat is unhealthy for women.

    Normal range is between 20 and 28%.
    It's not unhealthy.................................female athletes are around that level all year around.
  • Jeff92se
    Jeff92se Posts: 3,369 Member
    I think that's the right idea. I love the fact that BMI isn't mentioned once.

    All people are different, if you think you can maintan a 14-16% BF, then fine. Especially given your background. Seems you already know what to do as a gymnast. But I'd suggest some actual weight training if you want to put on some muscle mass.(along with your gmnast routines). My 6yo daughter takes classes and they train along some advanced older students. I was watching what they do for training and I like some of the stuff they do
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,994 Member
    Sorry about that guys,

    Well my personal trainer told me that for my body type i need to be between 14-16% ideally.

    Also, Just a little bit about myself. I used to be a competitive gymnast. Im talking 25 hours in the gym every week. Eight pack, 10% body fat, couldnt even start my period until i quit because of lack of fat. When i had to quit gymnastics i COMPLETELY stopped working out. I lost all of my muscle and was my height 5'3 at about 100-103 pounds (this happened over a few years). I got emaciatedly thin looking without muscle. I started gaining weight and medicating with food. That brings me to August 1st 2011 at 136 pounds when i decided to make a change.

    I beleive this is why i am "skinny fat". I beleive that for my body type and given the fact that i was extremely muscluar and fit 14-16% is not a long shot. I also was saying i want to gain an additional 5 pounds of muscle.

    The problem im having is when i do the math it says to be 16% body fat i would need to be 108. If i gained 5 pounds of muscle i'd be 113.

    But i'm not sure if that math is right.

    Anyone who knows this math tell me if im right? :D
    It's close. If you were a former athlete then putting on a little lean muscle wouldn't be too hard.
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