Goal weights - what's the "right" number?

mauryr
mauryr Posts: 385
edited October 4 in Health and Weight Loss
Hiya.


Whadda ya think... as "normal" bmi range is from 18.5 to 25, should one's goal be 21.5, which is smack in the middle?

Replies

  • SergeantSunshine_reused
    SergeantSunshine_reused Posts: 5,382 Member
    I honestly think that no one should go off BMI

    I would pay more attention to a body fat% goal :]
  • mauryr
    mauryr Posts: 385
    @sunshine - what do you think would be a good bodyfat % goal?
  • Pandorian
    Pandorian Posts: 2,055 Member
    BMI is such a silly measurement. Once I realized VERY fit people were being classed as obese based on nothing more than their height to weight ratio I dropped that as any 'Sane" reference to work towards.
  • SergeantSunshine_reused
    SergeantSunshine_reused Posts: 5,382 Member
    For men I would say anywhere from 10-17% but 14 seems to be a fantastic goal :]

    for women about 18-24, im shooting for 18% eventually :D
  • fearundercontrol
    fearundercontrol Posts: 9
    How do you know what your bod fat % is?
  • LolasEpicJourney
    LolasEpicJourney Posts: 1,010 Member
    I dont think I will ever fit ideal BMI -- I think its a bunch of crock
    The body fat % is a good way to go - however I dont know what a good range is
    Personally I am going to get fit - and healthy. I want to be curvy but not fatty.
  • BigDaddyBRC
    BigDaddyBRC Posts: 2,395 Member
    For men I would say anywhere from 10-17% but 14 seems to be a fantastic goal :]

    for women about 18-24, im shooting for 18% eventually :D

    Ideal body fat % for a man averaged at 12%.
  • BigDaddyBRC
    BigDaddyBRC Posts: 2,395 Member
    How do you know what your bod fat % is?

    The best way, see your doctor...a quick way...http://www.bmi-calculator.net/body-fat-calculator/
  • mauryr
    mauryr Posts: 385
    I have an omron scale, which tells you body fat % (and many other measurements) but it seems as though the reading varies widely, depending on many things, notably if you test shortly after you've had a strenuous workout. My BF measurement varies from 13 to 17 on that scale.
  • fh1951
    fh1951 Posts: 441 Member
    google on body fat chart and you'll get a bunch of links, here's an example:

    http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/library/blbodyfatcharts.htm
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    Yeah, I used body fat. I'm 25% right now, which gives me 114 lean mass, which at 18% = 140lbs. So that's my goal.
  • Jeff92se
    Jeff92se Posts: 3,369 Member
    After 74lbs lost, 13-17% body fat and your pics, I think it's totally up to you at this point. You great to me (no homo)
  • fatboypup
    fatboypup Posts: 1,873 Member
    EVERYONE men and women should all weigh 168lbs when elected King this will be my first rule
  • UpEarly
    UpEarly Posts: 2,555 Member
    Here's a handy-dandy chart from the American Council on Exercise:

    Description Women Men
    Essential fat 10–13% 2–5%
    Athletes 14–20% 6–13%
    Fitness 21–24% 14–18%
    Average 25–31% 18–24%
    Obese 32%+ 25%+

    Personally, I'd like to be around 21-22%.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,968 Member
    Hiya.


    Whadda ya think... as "normal" bmi range is from 18.5 to 25, should one's goal be 21.5, which is smack in the middle?
    Body fat % is a much more accurate way. Shoot for 15%-20% for the average male.
  • ABetterBalance
    ABetterBalance Posts: 298
    In order to have something to put on my weight tracker, I picked a weight near the low end of the BMI chart for my height. My real goal is Body Fat % (I want to get down to 20%) and if I reach my body fat goal before my BMI goal, I'm fine with that! :smile:
  • sharanranran
    sharanranran Posts: 64 Member
    Bump
  • gizmonel
    gizmonel Posts: 24
    The right number is not a number that a medical professional gives you its one that you feel your best at! A number is just a number focus on body composition.
  • manjingirl
    manjingirl Posts: 188 Member
    BMI is a very good guide to healthy weight range for the vast majority of people. BMI is not good for very muscular men, read body builders and certain types of professional athletes. Even the average strong bloke still fits into the BMI range, and virtually all women do. Perhaps some Pacific Islander people have averages outside the range, but there's a debate raging about the health of the 'average' Islander.

    BMI is used as a measure by the medical profession because it correlates with many health indicators such as risk of diabetes, heart disease (heart attack, angina, stroke), arthritis and quality of life (measured by physical and psychological indicators).

    Body fat % is hard to measure accurately for the everyday person, those scales that claim to measure it are very inaccurate and not consistent. The Australian Consumers Association tested several expensive and cheap brands some time ago and found even the most expensive ones (which were the best) were still at least 10% out. Others were so inaccurate as to be useless.

    AND when body fat % is correctly measured it correlates pretty closely with BMI in the vast majority of people.

    Since BMI is a range, you really have a lot of leeway in deciding what is the correct weight for you. Do you feel good? Can you do the things you want to? Do you have health issues associated with carrying too much weight?

    Hope this helps.
  • mfpchris
    mfpchris Posts: 279 Member
    BMI is a outline based on statistics. There is a 99% confidence interval that somewhere between 18.5 and 24.9 BMI is a weight that well have the least impact on long-term health.

    There is almost no more universal belief, than the belief by heavy people that BMI is "wrong."

    As someone else wrote, being really fit and lean is a great place to decide what's your best weight.

    Being not so fit and chubby isn't a good place to decide what your best weight is.

    You are in the former. i.e. It would help me do X and I would really feel better if I (gain/loss) Y pounds.

    Here Y is a little tiny number like 2 or 3.
  • Lyadeia
    Lyadeia Posts: 4,603 Member
    I also go by body fat % instead of BMI. Right now my current BMI is "healthy" but my body fat % is "overweight." The reason for this is I lost a lot of weight by dieting without working out, and then I lost a lot more by dieting and doing excessive cardio without any weight training. I am "skinny fat." My weight and BMI are many people's goals! But, I have an above average body fat % which is what I am concentrating on.

    I want to compete in figure competitions, and have even considered bodybuilding down the line. So with that in mind, my goal is 12%. However, when I am not competing, my goal is 17%. I have quite a ways to go, but what seems to be working for me is 3 weight training days per week, 5 cardio days, and a diet with a calorie deficit (but not a huge one, I eat around 1550 calories per day).
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