Goal weight: how important is it to you?

jg627
jg627 Posts: 1,221 Member
edited November 12 in Health and Weight Loss
When I joined MVP I originally set my goal weight to 180. When I was 'skinny' I weighed anywhere from 155 to 175, so I thought that 180 was being modest, until I did a couple sessions with a personal trainer and had my bodyfat percentage taken. At that point I changed my goal weight to 200. Thistles was still a while back when I first started at the gym. Now I am a lot closer to my goal. I've been seeing a physical therapist, who also happens to be a certified trainer, because apparently being nearly 350 lbs at 5 ft. 9 in. is not especially good for your back and can cause some lingering issues, such as a strength imbalance between your left and right hip, which is the problem I have. He thinks I should stop trying to lose weight around 215.
For the strength imbalance I temporarily modified my routine. I removed deadlifts in favor of low weight high rep multi-hip and lower back exercises. I'll get back to deadlifting when things get straightened out a bit.
Back to the point... should I feel like a failure if I don't stick to the goal weight I've set for myself or should I just say to heck with numbers?

Replies

  • 0EmmeNicole0
    0EmmeNicole0 Posts: 180 Member
    It's fairly important, but it's pretty difficult to gauge since you never really know what you are going to look like or how you are going to feel once you get there. My goal weight is 145 just because I'm not officially in a healthy BMI range until (i believe) 149. I'd like to be a little below that. At my smallest (in adulthood) I was 155 and wore a size 8. I wasn't happy at that size. I was bigger than all of my friends at the time, so I didn't wear bikinis or shorts. However 155 looks a lot better to me now that my SW was 180, and I was really unhappy there (even though I've grown the confidence to wear shorts and dresses although I'm bigger). So I also chose my goal weight to be lower than the weight I was at my smallest because I didn't feel healthy or happy then either.
  • jg627
    jg627 Posts: 1,221 Member
    It's fairly important, but it's pretty difficult to gauge since you never really know what you are going to look like or how you are going to feel once you get there. My goal weight is 145 just because I'm not officially in a healthy BMI range until (i believe) 149. I'd like to be a little below that. At my smallest (in adulthood) I was 155 and wore a size 8. I wasn't happy at that size. I was bigger than all of my friends at the time, so I didn't wear bikinis or shorts. However 155 looks a lot better to me now that my SW was 180, and I was really unhappy there (even though I've grown the confidence to wear shorts and dresses although I'm bigger). So I also chose my goal weight to be lower than the weight I was at my smallest because I didn't feel healthy or happy then either.
    Feel lucky. Even when I was skinny, I still didn't wear shorts. My legs are very white. They don't turn tan, only red.
  • TeresaWash
    TeresaWash Posts: 283
    I haven't set one and never think about it. So far I've lost 142 pounds.
    Maybe because I have such a long way to go???
  • ampa916
    ampa916 Posts: 189 Member
    It is what I am keeping my eyes on now, but if I reach another weight I will be happy there. My goal is 135 but if I make it to 155lbs and am happy then I will just try to maintain there.
  • ericalynn104
    ericalynn104 Posts: 382 Member
    My goal weight isn't as important as being fit. I would like to be in my healthy BMI range which is below 145 lbs. I Originally set my goal weight as 135, but if I'm fit and have gained muscle, I would be okay with being a little heavier. As long as it's healthy weight, it's cool. :)
  • MinnesotaManimal
    MinnesotaManimal Posts: 642 Member
    Ugh. The lowest I have been since junior high was 180, and that was 10 years ago, since then Ive been 200-230+ so I set my goal to 200 because I figured Id never get down to 180 again. I got to 200 and still saw only fat in the mirror, so went to 190, then 180.... then 170.... then 165...... and still saw just a fat mess that I was ashamed to be.
    Im a 6 ft male and don't have a small frame either. I realized finally that the scale doesn't mean as much as body composition, I finally saw the light and have been weight training and eating more. I hope some day that I don't feel ashamed of what I look like.

    From what I have seen of others, lifting High weight and low reps while eating a very slight deficit can do wonders for how you look. Ask me again in 3-4 months..... we shall see,
  • CarrieAnne22
    CarrieAnne22 Posts: 231 Member
    because apparently being nearly 350 lbs at 65' 9" is not especially good for your back and can cause some lingering issues, such as a strength imbalance between your left and right hip, which is the problem I have. He thinks I should stop trying to lose weight around 215.

    Damn! I would think being 65 feet tall and only weighing 350lbs would be considered 'under' weight, lol :laugh:
  • angela828
    angela828 Posts: 498 Member
    it's pretty important to me. Hate to say it but I do sometimes use the scale as a way to view my progress. Not going to lie, I love seeing the 140s on the scale each morning, especially since I was seeing 200+ for quite a while! I also like seeing a healthy BMI. But then again, if size 4 and size 6 jeans are fitting me at Old Navy I usually say "FU Scale!" and dance in the dressing room LOL I'm scared to NOT have a goal weight because I'm afraid I will let my weight get out of control again.
  • samhelen
    samhelen Posts: 98
    In reality, I have a goal weight set, but I acknoweldge that there may come a point where I'm truely happy with my size even if the number on the scale is higher than my goal weight -- I'm shooting for 160lbs -- right now I'm around 275 but if I never make it to 160 I won't feel like a failure as long as I'm able to do all the things i want to be able to do and keep up with my little boy -- for me its about quality of life and health and less about physical appearance and an arbitrary number on the scale.
  • StarIsMoving
    StarIsMoving Posts: 437
    My opinion (and everyone has one, lol):

    Your goal weight is a shooting mark to start from. As with anything in life, as you are on the path to a particular goal, that course may change. Goal weights are no different. If you are shooting for it and change course/path, or ending... there is nothing wrong with that at all. You go to your individual comfort. So basically... are goals important? You betcha.... are they set in stone to not change?? Heck no! Mine are every-changing per what suits me... as they should be. Let me leave you with this thought: How many college students do you know that will change majors while on the path to their degree? Same thing. We find out a lot about ourselves on such a journey, not uncommon to change it up :) Great luck to you and congrats on kicking out so many pounds already!!!! Fantastic job!
  • Coco_Puff
    Coco_Puff Posts: 823 Member
    I would never be happy if that was my main purpose. I just want to be healthy and firm. I'm working on building muscle so I can be a fat burning machine.
  • jg627
    jg627 Posts: 1,221 Member
    because apparently being nearly 350 lbs at 65' 9" is not especially good for your back and can cause some lingering issues, such as a strength imbalance between your left and right hip, which is the problem I have. He thinks I should stop trying to lose weight around 215.

    Damn! I would think being 65 feet tall and only weighing 350lbs would be considered 'under' weight, lol :laugh:
    oops. Typo. Lol. Should be 5' 9". I have huge fingers.
  • pursuinghappy
    pursuinghappy Posts: 9
    I don't think the numbers on the scale mean nearly as much as how you feel about yourself and how healthy you are.
    I lost 30 pounds a little over a year ago (badly controlled pregnancy weight) and was happy when I reached my goal of 160. Now, a year later at 165, I realize that I'm not happy with how I look.
    I think it's a process. You might be happy with your body and you health at a different number than you picture right now. I certainly wouldn't let the final number determine my success with weight loss.
  • Im_NotPerfect
    Im_NotPerfect Posts: 2,181 Member
    My goal weight was a way to get me started. Yes I would like to get to my 175, but I also want to be fit and toned. I don't have any aspirations to be super muscular or 0% body fat. I would just like to look and feel good and be confident in anything I put on. I'm tired of sucking my stomach in to prevent overhang...
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
    I figured out pretty early on that a specific goal weight was crap. I had a range that I wanted to get to, and then once I got there I decided to base my goal on bf%. I find goal weight to be a bit more arbitrary. I'm 5'3", there are plenty of women who can achieve 115 - 120 pounds at my height, but I'm 112 - 113 (or at least I was 6 months ago before I decided to add some muscle) pounds of lean mass so you can see that's an unrealistic goal for me.
  • jg627
    jg627 Posts: 1,221 Member
    I definitely don't want to get into that weight loss trap where you just want to keep losing more and more weight. I have a friend who started out trying to lose about 30 - 40 lbs and ended up losing more than double that. Now he looks awful and lost all his strength.
    It's funny that I call him a friend. He's more like an argument partner. We agree on absolutely nothing, but that's another story.
  • MinnesotaManimal
    MinnesotaManimal Posts: 642 Member
    oops. Typo. Lol. Should be 5' 9". I have huge fingers.



    Huge fingers =


























    Huge gloves
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    I think setting a goal weigh is a useful exercise but weight is just a number. Ultimately what really counts is how you feel (pretty subjective, I know) and how your overall health is.

    Right now I'm hovering a little over 200 with a goal of 180, based on my current pursuits lighter is better (running, swimming etc) however if i decided that I really wanted to start playing rugby again (I was a fullback in university) my objectives would be different and I'd probably be shooting for 215 to 220 (but a lot lower % body fat).

    Based on purely objective health measures (resting heart rate, serum lipids, blood pressure) I'm already in a pretty happy place and that, IMHO, is far more important that how I look at the beach.
  • jg627
    jg627 Posts: 1,221 Member
    I think setting a goal weigh is a useful exercise but weight is just a number. Ultimately what really counts is how you feel (pretty subjective, I know) and how your overall health is.

    Right now I'm hovering a little over 200 with a goal of 180, based on my current pursuits lighter is better (running, swimming etc) however if i decided that I really wanted to start playing rugby again (I was a fullback in university) my objectives would be different and I'd probably be shooting for 215 to 220 (but a lot lower % body fat).

    Based on purely objective health measures (resting heart rate, serum lipids, blood pressure) I'm already in a pretty happy place and that, IMHO, is far more important that how I look at the beach.
    Rugby. That's pretty cool. I went to a fight once and a rugby match broke out. :p I just got a bf % app for my phone and a set of calipers. I think I'm ready to just stop obsessing over the scale.
  • splackk
    splackk Posts: 163
    My goal weight is fairly important to me, but not just for the number value. I'm 5'1'' and my 102 lb goal is much lower than some other women who look and feel fantastic 10, 20, 30 pounds higher, but for my tiny frame it's perfect, and that I know from past experience. I use my previous weight from when I looked and felt best as my reference, though I feel comfortable in my skin around 115 and don't see any point in pushing myself for fast results between 102-115.
  • taramaureen
    taramaureen Posts: 569 Member
    I say to hell with numbers, go with how you look and feel. My original goal weight was 140's but honestly I'd be happy just looking and feeling good at this point.
  • jameehardey
    jameehardey Posts: 32
    i think its important, gives you a set goal to work towards!
  • sofitheteacup
    sofitheteacup Posts: 396 Member
    OP for your specific situation I would say to focus more on what's healthy and appropriate for your body rather than the number on the scale, but if you feel fine when you get to 215 I see no reason to go out of your way to stop.

    As for my own goal weight, it's 150, which is still considered overweight by my BMI, so even though it's a good 25 pounds away from where I'm at, it's not exactly extreme. When I reach that, maybe I'll want to keep going. But as an adult, I've never weighed that and that's where I want to get to. I like a curvy look and it's part of what I like about myself, so aside from difficulty, I don't really see myself aspiring to an actual "skinny" physique or an extreme weight. It's more mental, I think.
  • SoozeE512
    SoozeE512 Posts: 439 Member
    Reach that 200-215 and decide then if you think it's best to keep going to 180 :)
  • Lolli1986
    Lolli1986 Posts: 500 Member
    I like to have a goal weight range.

    1. bmi works well for me, so I stay within healthy bmi.
    2. I am more concerned with decreasing that fat layer and smoothing out the cellulite. this may mean that i have to build a bit of muscle... so weight itself is not a very good measure.
    3. I know that i look best below 60kg, and preferably around 57 because that is what I used to be.

    So a goal weight is useful for me, but I am happy at anywhere between 55 (bit low, but okay cause I have no boobs), and 62. I prefer to be between 57 and 59. LOL. If i start getting near 53 or 72 I get into high gear 'what is going on, need to make a change' mode.
  • jadedone
    jadedone Posts: 2,446 Member
    Not really important. I am more focused on how I look and sort of clothing size. I have some goal measurements in mind that I think are attainable, and I would be happy to hit those.

    My "goal weight" is easily 30 pounds higher than other people my height. I think the last time I was at my "goal weight" was around middle school, so I am guessing what it should look like for me now. I have been pretty much very close to my current weight for my entire post college adulthood, and a low point in college was 30 pounds lower than I am now (give or take). There was a period there when I was fairy happy with my body, and I am shooting for something a little bit smaller than that point.

    I know, that for me, I'll have bigger, more muscular arms and thighs than average. I was always called "solid" as a kid even when I was chubby since I always had firm legs and arms carrying all of my spare weight as a pot belly. At some point after puberty things shifted a bit and I got curvier and turned into a pear.

    Focusing on being a "normal" BMI isn't even on my radar, because "normal" on me is going to look really really skinny and frankly probably isn't attainable. And that's not the look I want for myself. What the scale says doesn't matter to me at all. I'd rather look smaller and weigh more, than weigh less and look less fit.

    Once I am a little nearer to my goal, I'll probably keep my scale around for a gauge, but the number on it won't set my mood for the day.
  • stefv86
    stefv86 Posts: 60
    I'm not so much worried about the number as I am about not being a size 16 anymore. Whenever I get to a place where I feel comfortable in a swimsuit I'll stop.
  • annabellj
    annabellj Posts: 1,337 Member
    a range is so much better. i want to fit back into my clothes and for that to happen i need to be somewhere between 150 and 155. to fit into every thing in my closet! but i still have a lot of toning to do! so wherever my body ends up is fine. long way to go.
  • sweet110
    sweet110 Posts: 332 Member
    Goal weights are meant to change. Eight years ago, my original goal weight was what I weigh right now. But I surpassed it and shifted my goal weight lower. And achieved it! Now, I feel "fat" at what use to be my goal weight. However, I also have added 5 pounds to what I use to think was my "ideal" weight. Because I'm 8 years older and "sag" has become a real issue!

    Your goals will always keep moving. Weight. Body fat percent. How far you can run, how much you can lift. That's the nature of being alive. Revel in the change.

    If you didn't change your goals based on new information, *that* would be lunacy.
  • JenAiMarres
    JenAiMarres Posts: 743 Member
    It is becomeing less and less important to me daily...I am up 9 lbs since january but still fit the same clothes..perfectly, and Im looking better than ever. Its muscle I guess...Its a mind F...but I am coming to terms with the fact that the weight I once had in mind is probably not going to work with the fitness goals i am trying to acheive.
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