what do you think my weight should be?

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cginex
cginex Posts: 16 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So i am having some difficulty trying to figure out what I want my ideal weight to be. I am 38, 6' tall with a medium to large frame (mostly due to my years as a competitive swimmer i guess). I have broad shoulders with a larger torso with shorter legs (if that means anything). My BMI tells me i am "overweight" at my current 191. I was yup to about 215 or so a year ago and this past holiday season was about 210. I started MFP last month at around 205-207 or so. I am doing well, losing weight, cycling a lot but not doing ANY strength training as my shoulder is injured and I can't do too much. My ideal weight based on internet sites is around 180 they say. Is this too small? Ive had many people tell me that i should probably be 185-190, no less. What do you guys think is ideal for a 6' tall 38 year old guy like me?

Replies

  • melsinct
    melsinct Posts: 3,512 Member
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    It is hard to pick a random weight since we all carry weight so differently. I look quite slim at 5'7" and 145 pounds where another person can look a little heavy at the same weight. It is so dependent on how you carry your weight, frame, etc. BMI is only a guide, not the end all, be all. Is there a weight you used to be where you know you were happy with your body? That's how I picked my goal weight.

    How do you feel at 191? If you feel good and look good, then you may have hit your good weight. Do you think if you lost 10 pounds you'd be too thin or look even better? If so, set your goal for 180. It is really hard to pick a number, you just need to adjust when you are in the general target area.

    Congrats with your loss so far, great job!
  • atx7
    atx7 Posts: 41 Member
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    How did swimming increase the size of your bones?
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,411 MFP Moderator
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    Don't worry about weight or BMI, both are meaningless. I am overweight according to my BMI and weight but I am @ 12% body fat and 200 lbs. If you have much, both will read high. If anything concentrate on body fat. It's a much better indicator of health.
  • EllieMo
    EllieMo Posts: 131 Member
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    BMI is a guide only, it takes no account of how much muscle someone has - top rugby players would be classed as "obese" using BMI, when actually they just have more muscle than the average Joe!

    Look up the ideal weight range for your height, and aim for the top of that, then assess how you feel and look, and see if you want to go lower, or indeed higher.
  • marybsalmon
    marybsalmon Posts: 46 Member
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    Don't worry about weight or BMI, both are meaningless. I am overweight according to my BMI and weight but I am @ 12% body fat and 200 lbs. If you have much, both will read high. If anything concentrate on body fat. It's a much better indicator of health.

    Excellent! I don't think most people understand that concept. The more muscle mass you have, the more you will weigh. Fat is less dense so it takes a lot more fat to weigh the same as muscle. The calculators don't take this into consideration.

    I suggest aiming for a particular size of clothing where you know from past experience you look & feel good in that size. Then when you get to that size, you've reached your goal.
  • mamabear272
    mamabear272 Posts: 268 Member
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    First, your body frame is based on the size of your bones not the size of your muscles. Just an FYI, not trying to slam you. :wink:

    Second, my hubby has the same issue. He's 5'11". According to the BMI scale he should be about 180. He would look sickly if he were that small! :noway: He looks pretty good at about 190-195. Our family doc said that he's good at the 190-195 range as long as he's eating healthy and exercising. You have to see how you feel.
  • 99clmsntgr
    99clmsntgr Posts: 777 Member
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    I went through a series of goals as I lost weight, each time stopping and thinking "Hey, self! Are you happy here? No? Well, let's keep going." That's probably the easiest way to do it, set a goal, get there and re-evaluate.

    I agree with the other posters -- Weight is only moderately important. BMI is supposed to be an evaluation of a larger collection of people, not an individual. Things like body fat percentage, your blood pressure, other blood and body chemistry indicators are much more important than just the number of pounds you weigh.
  • cginex
    cginex Posts: 16 Member
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    thats good advice...as far as frame size goes you're right. thats what i was told. that i have a large frame, probably due to my swimming background. weird. my bad. as for the numbers, you are all right. i agree with what you said about your husband...sounds similar to me. at 191 i feel good, and my 38" pants that were fitting ok, little tad bit loose a month ago are WAYYY to big and my 36" pants are not big themselves. Don't think I can do a 34" yet but maybe thats my goal. We shall see.
  • Donnacoach
    Donnacoach Posts: 540 Member
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    I would think that the 180 range sounds right.
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
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    I agree with the people who say ditch the scale and the BMI chart. Go with how you feel.

    According to the scale, I'm around 145-150lbs. According to the BMI chart, I'm at the high end of "ideal" if I'm down around 145lbs and I'm "Overweight" if I'm 150lbs. According to the ideal weight for my height charts, I'm on the higher end of the ideal weight for my height.

    All that being said, I'm happy here. I'm content here. I can easily maintain my weight. I can comfortably wear any size 10 pants I buy off the rack with the occasional 8 thrown in. I have curves - which I like. I don't want to be stick thin.

    So, toss out charts and worry about how you feel. Don't fret about a number so much as how your body feels. :)
  • Sonchie
    Sonchie Posts: 259 Member
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    My hubby is 42, 6'0, and weighs about 195. This is the heaviest he has been his whole life. When he worked out regularly, he was around 175-180lbs. I know he is overweight because he has a gut where he has never had one. He feels sluggish and he doesnt exercise outside of his job in construction. Although he still wears a size 32 jeans, being overweight has to do with more than the number on the scale.

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