How should I set my Goal Weight?

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jolarocknrolla
jolarocknrolla Posts: 236 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Background: I'm Female, 5'6", will be 38 in 2 weeks and am Insulin Resistant. I've been tracking and working out for about 3 months or so. My highest weight was 220 (before I was diagnosed as Insulin Resistant) about 5 years ago. I currently walk, do 30-day shred w/ 5 pound weights or kickboxing as exercise.

I'm currently at 149 pounds and trying to figure out what my goal weight should be or if my goals should not be weight-driven. I feel like I still have weight to lose and currently my goal is set at 140 pounds which seems reasonable to me. My "healthy" BMI range is between 115-155 pounds which is a REALLY big target. Should I split the difference and go for about 135? Or forget about the scale?

I think a lot of people measure more by inches than my the scale but for me that is problematic - because i'm insulin resistant I carry almost all of my spare fat around my middle - even when I was over 200 pounds my hips/thighs/butt were relativlely small. My waist measurements after losing 29 pounds has gone down only 1.5" which is terribly depressing. My doc thinks that because of the insulin resistance i'm unlikely to see my waistline decrease much without dropping my total body-fat considerably. I don't go to a gym so i'm not sure how to measure my body fat by the way.

I've recently upped my calories from 1,100 daily to 1,300-1,400 daily and upped my carb:protein ratio from 3:1 to 2:1 (some days it's almost 1:1) and i'm hoping that if i start lifting heavier weights i can start seeing some progress in body-fat loss rather than just on the scale. I'm just unsure how i can measure my progress and re-set my goals ...

Replies

  • jolarocknrolla
    jolarocknrolla Posts: 236 Member
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    bumpin for help.
  • chandra38
    chandra38 Posts: 112 Member
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    I have no idea about how to set goal weight, so I'm interested to see what the response is. But, I also wanted to say - Great job on getting your weight down to where it is! I would love to be in the 140's!!!
  • islandnutshel
    islandnutshel Posts: 1,143 Member
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    i set my goal weight at a modest interval. i can always adjust it later.
    Try setting it at the last weight you felt comfortable at.
  • plr150
    plr150 Posts: 10
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    Since your weight is already considered in the normal/healthy range, I would stay close to that and pay attention to your health, how you feel, your measurements (how you fit into your clothes). Also- good job getting to where you are now!
  • jadedone
    jadedone Posts: 2,449 Member
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    Since you are in your "ideal" weight range, you should trash the scale and focus on losing body fat. Strength training and intervals are your new best friends. There is loads of evidence that intervals reduce belly fat (walking too). But the biggest reason to do intervals. More intensity, higher calorie burn, less time commitment. :D

    Seriously, if you were 140 and had a smaller waist, you'd be happy right? You are just worried about your waist? So focus on that. Burn your body fat. (And I know it is a lot harder to lose when you carry it there.)
  • mariposa224
    mariposa224 Posts: 1,269 Member
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    Here are some tools that may help you decide:
    This one is to calculate your body fat %, which you'll need height, weight, neck, waist & hip measurements for... http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/mbf/ It's not as accurate as having some other tests, but it will give you a general idea...
    Then this one http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/ibw/ can help you determine your ideal body weight by using your weight, body fat % and what you would LIKE your body fat % to be.

    I'm probably not the best person to be answering, but those tools may help you get a better idea of where you want to be. :smile:
  • BeetleChe13
    BeetleChe13 Posts: 498 Member
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    You're already at a healthy weight for your height, so focusing on other aspects of your health is a good call. Upping your protein intake and starting strength training is a great idea too. I use an online body fat calculator, and while it may be far from accurate, when used consistently, it can measure relative progress. It may be 3% off from my real body fat, but over a few months, if the trend is downward, I know I've lost some fat. Make sense? There are more accurate ways to measure, but I like this way bc it's free. :bigsmile: I think it sounds like you're on the right track. Your body may find it's natural goal weight eventually if you just keep eating healthy and exercising. I wouldn't worry about the scale so much.
  • jolarocknrolla
    jolarocknrolla Posts: 236 Member
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    LOL, i guess I am just worried about my waist. I know you really can't "spot reduce" so if i carry most of my fat in my belly i have to reduce total body fat. I'm a goal-oriented person though so i want to tweak my goals to be more in line w/ that ... I'm just not sure how to do it I guess. How does one measure body-fat % outside of the gym (I don't own calipers)?

    I'm just not interested in being like 135 pounds and still have a buddha-belly you know? I know i need to get out of the weightloss mindset and into the muscle-building/shaping mindset but i'm having problems w/ that so i'm thinking a different goal or scale of measurement might help me.
  • jolarocknrolla
    jolarocknrolla Posts: 236 Member
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    Here are some tools that may help you decide:
    This one is to calculate your body fat %, which you'll need height, weight, neck, waist & hip measurements for... http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/mbf/ It's not as accurate as having some other tests, but it will give you a general idea...
    Then this one http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/ibw/ can help you determine your ideal body weight by using your weight, body fat % and what you would LIKE your body fat % to be.

    I'm probably not the best person to be answering, but those tools may help you get a better idea of where you want to be. :smile:

    THANK YOU! that helps a lot!
  • Qatsi
    Qatsi Posts: 2,191 Member
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    I'm wondering that myself. The BMI Calculator tells me my healthy weight is between 111 and 150 (I'm a 5'5" male). I picked my high school weight as a target (which is near the upper end of that range).

    But I've heard of and seen a lot of people on this site who have toned, muscular bodies and yet are technically "overweight", according to that formula.

    So I realize that my goal is just the number I'm using for now. When I get closer to that target I'll reassess whether I need to make adjustments.
  • mariposa224
    mariposa224 Posts: 1,269 Member
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    LOL, i guess I am just worried about my waist. I know you really can't "spot reduce" so if i carry most of my fat in my belly i have to reduce total body fat. I'm a goal-oriented person though so i want to tweak my goals to be more in line w/ that ... I'm just not sure how to do it I guess. How does one measure body-fat % outside of the gym (I don't own calipers)?

    I'm just not interested in being like 135 pounds and still have a buddha-belly you know? I know i need to get out of the weightloss mindset and into the muscle-building/shaping mindset but i'm having problems w/ that so i'm thinking a different goal or scale of measurement might help me.

    I don't have insulin resistance, but am on metformin for being "pre-diabetic" and I'm also hypothyroid. I carry my weight mostly in my belly/waist area as well. I just finished 30DS and it helped me a LOT. I still have some more fat to lose, but my belly is SOOOOOOOOOO much flatter than it was before. I can actually wear tops that fit snugly around my mid-section and they look good... It's been an amazing transformation for me. I took a week off (I was out of town anyway), and just started Ripped in 30 today and am looking forward to getting even more toned. No, you can't spot reduce, but yes, losing overall body fat % can do nothing but help... And I'm a firm believer in 30DS.
  • liftingbro
    liftingbro Posts: 2,029 Member
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    The best approach is to set a goal to weight 5-10% less than you do now and once you reach that goal set a new one until you are happy with your weight. The problem with setting an absoulute, long term goal weight is that it's really hard to tell what you'll look like or be happy with and it's even more problematic the more overweight you are when you start.
  • jolarocknrolla
    jolarocknrolla Posts: 236 Member
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    mariposa224 - I'm doing 30DS too (Level #2, Day 4) but i'm alternating it with kickboxing and bike riding so i'm not doing it every day, I'm also walking at least 45 minutes a day (the husband and I take a walk before dinner).

    My new plan is to alternate 30DS Mon/Thurs, lifting heavier weights Tues/Fri, and kickboxing Wed/Saturday with walking or jogging on Sunday.

    Update: so checked my body fat percentage on the site suggested ... it's 36.7% which sounds pretty awful. I guess i'd like to bring that down into 28-30% somewhere so my goal of around 135 pounds is actually on target so long as i'm losing FAT and not muscle.
  • antypim89
    antypim89 Posts: 31 Member
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    From my own experience I have found that by setting mini goals instead of bigger ones it's easier to keep track of what is right for you. I was once 180 pounds I lost a bit and got down to 140 and stayed like this for a year or so Ibecame unhappy again and dropped to 130 and now am currently working on dropping to below my lowest weight of 113. It may seem low but am very short. My point is since your tall and with your insulin problem a series of mini targets will let you measure what it right for you and your health. Also i find mini tagets give me a short term focus which stops me from loosing the long term focus.

    As for your scales or measurement dilemma I can't really help as I use measurements, however you can get electronic scales these days that calculate your fat percentage....this could be helpful? However I don't know how reliable they are.

    Anyway I hope this helps in some way
  • Sheila_Ann
    Sheila_Ann Posts: 365 Member
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    Try this website:

    http://www.webmd.com/diet/calc-bmi-plus

    I found this to be very usefull. A friend sent it to me the other day. Good job on losing what you've lost already. You need to start building some muscle so it can start eating that fat lol...Do weights and lots of protein.

    Best of luck to you and feel free to add me if you'd like!

    Sheila

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