What are you basing your weight goals on?

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  • wilkinswoman
    wilkinswoman Posts: 4 Member
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    Firstly try setting a mini goal of losing 10% of what you weigh(ed) when you signed up. Then evaluate a new goal.

    When you reach a weight that you like, and you feel good at then look into BMI etc. Remember, no-one is average and bone structure is never taken into consideration with these figures. An example is me I'm 5ft 4inches and should weigh somewhere between 7 stone 10 and 9 stone 9. However the weight I got most compliments at was 10 stone 0.

    Personally I find if I set my goal at my final weight then it's too much to think about and I get disheartened.

    Good Luck
  • jra6651
    jra6651 Posts: 16 Member
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    When I got married, I was at a certain weight that allowed me to pretty much dress in whatever I wanted and felt comfortable in it. That weight is my goal now. When I can go shopping for clothes without getting disgusted looking in the mirror, I'll know that I'm at a good weight for myself.
  • lc971
    lc971 Posts: 104 Member
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    I went with the height and weight chart. My range is 111-150 for my height. I chose a weight in the middle.
  • MFPBrandy
    MFPBrandy Posts: 564 Member
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    It's an evolving process. I based it off my healthiest-feeling adult weight, and as I get closer to it, I'm re-evaluating in 5-lb increments. I also did a BodPod session, which gives you a no-kidding body fat percentage (vs. the height-weight charts that have no way of telling how much muscle you have). So now that I'm closer to my weight goals, I'm shifting focus to my body fat percentage. Once that gets down to a reasonable level, I'll see how I feel -- I may be right where I'm supposed to be, or I might need to lose a little more weight. No way to tell until I'm there!
    If you don't have a previous healthy adult weight to shoot for, just pick something in the middle of the "normal" weight range for your height and work towards that. Once you get close, ditch the chart and go with how you FEEL (this is, of course, assuming you don't have any eating/body-image disorders that would significantly skew how you perceive yourself--if you do, get your doctor involved in the goal setting and especially once you get close to your goal).
    If you DO have a healthy adult weight you want to return to, keep in mind that what was healthy years ago might not hold true anymore. Don't judge a 40-year-old body by a 20-year-old body's standards. :)
  • MaraDiaz
    MaraDiaz Posts: 4,604 Member
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    I had a brief window after I lost the weight from having my son where I wasn't too thin and wasn't overweight and was going to the gym. Unfortunately, I ruined it by deciding to get super skinny in hopes of losing the last vestiges of mommy belly (not realizing loose skin isn't going anywhere except maybe with time). I remember how I felt, I remember how strong and energetic I was compared to now. So that's one goal.

    My ultimate goal though would be to get into the shape I was in when I was a teenager and taking care of our horses every day. Hauling hay, feedsacks, and waterbuckets around as well as riding is a great way to get in shape.
  • dhuffman15
    dhuffman15 Posts: 4
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    BMI mostly, but I wanted to land on a good number, so instead of 115 lbs, I lowered it to 113 lbs. That way I can say I lost 20 lbs, which seems better than saying I lost 18. Plus that extra 2 lbs gives me room to fluctuate.
  • Sasha0701
    Sasha0701 Posts: 14
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    I'm basing mine on the weight my body will need to be at to lower my body fat 7-8%. 140 (I'm a size 6, sometimes 4 at this weight) is my comfortable weight and one I know I can maintain easily.
  • danbradley1970
    danbradley1970 Posts: 42 Member
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    This is an interesting question, and has spurred some results....I struggle with the end goal and am currently basing it on BMI.... although the big struggle here is the the recommended weight that is associated with that for my age and height is in my opinion to low.....most people tell me if i attain that weight i will blow away.

    So I know right now i am at an unhealthy weight, which has caused attributable issue with y heath. I will re-assess my goals once i get to the 200lb mark, which is a long way to go......

    So long story short, I have a target goal for phase one......the re-assess what my body what my body needs from there.
  • montana_girl
    montana_girl Posts: 1,403 Member
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    My goal weight has changed several times. I have never been at healthy weight (was overweight even as a child) so I wasn't sure what I could maintain.

    I lost my weight through Weight Watchers and had a doctor goal of 139, then I joined the staff of WW and they have a problem with doctor goals so I changed my goal weight to 137, which is the top of the BMI range for my height (5'2), and now I'm trying to get to 132... just because! :tongue: If I can't maintain that, then I will be happy to stay between 135-137 range.
  • yeti2000
    yeti2000 Posts: 15
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    For me the BMI is all wrong. If I follwed that I would look anorexic. I used to be in the Military a long time ago so I figured why not check out the Miitarys weight requirments for my age and height. Turns out at 50 they would want me to be 222 to enter at my age or 226 to be able to stay in at my age. Works for me! I am now at 220 which is about 12 lbs more than the BMI. And it gives me peace of midn to know that I could make the cut to get into the military at my age.
  • Lillouns
    Lillouns Posts: 40 Member
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    I'm basing mine when I ran track in high school and my lowest weight. I'm short with a small frame. I'm not basing mine on BMI because I don't think it's accurate for me. I wound like to sometime find one of those bod pods (or whatever they're called) or get a skin calliper to see what my body fat really is.
  • varulv
    varulv Posts: 21
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    for me its not so much a body weight but rather a body fat percentage which i think is a much better judge of how you are doing especially if you workout a lot cause muscle gain can some times mute the pounds lost in fat. my goal is to get to 8% body fat at 8% body fat you are guaranteed to show your abs and all the definition in your muscle all the time. but id say ill be able 200-215 when i get to 8% and i am 6'4".
  • Rjdj3530
    Rjdj3530 Posts: 154
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    A number that I think I can maintain sanely! And possibly be in single digit clothing. Possibly
  • Shrinking_Moody
    Shrinking_Moody Posts: 270 Member
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    My goal of 150 still puts me at about 30lbs overweight (per those stupid medical chargs) - but it was a previous weight for me where I looked healthy and didn't have back and knee pain. I will revisit my goal once I reach 150 - but going musch lower than that might look sickly on me because of my frame.
  • NWCountryGal
    NWCountryGal Posts: 1,992 Member
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    For me the amounts I put in here are just a guess'timate. I think I put 110 or 115 but when I was 33(last time I was thin/normal)I didn't have much muscle and sort of looked like a toothpick. Now that I am going on 60, gaining muscle and losing fat, my "right" weight may be different from the 110 area.

    Mostly though, sort of a height/weight proportionate deal as well as clothes fitting right. Now if I get jeans, they are either too big in the butt and fit my waist or visa versa:)
  • jerber160
    jerber160 Posts: 2,606 Member
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    i've done 5 lb increments because I have no faith in myself... i'm very happy with my results.. slow and steady
  • tanyaslosingit
    tanyaslosingit Posts: 178 Member
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    I was pretty much the same weight from the time I was 17 until I was 42. Yep, that's right, all of my weight gain has been in the past five years and most of *that* was in a three year period. Sooo, I have to consider my weight gain an anomaly and work back to my norm.

    That said, I did check out a number of different calculators (reverse BMI, CDC, WHO, etc) and discovered that my normal weight was at the low end of normal. So, if I come within +10lbs of my previous weight, I'll consider it good :-)
  • DaveC29
    DaveC29 Posts: 232 Member
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    Just pulled a number out of thin air!

    I am almost there and think just a couple lower will do the trick- I look and feel good to me, so I think I am there!

    It's not some number in a book or scale that the 'average' person should be- I'm AWESOME, not 'average' so I'm gonna be me! (and you should be you!)
  • EnchantedEvening
    EnchantedEvening Posts: 671 Member
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    My goal weight is 156. This is:

    1) Ten pounds under my high school weight (which I was happy with since I was toned, but I always wanted to drop ten pounds)
    2) Within the healthy weight guidelines for my height and build
    3) Puts me at an even 200 pounds lost

    (I have my ticker set for my first goal, since setting it for the big goal makes me feel overwhelmed some days.)
  • realme56
    realme56 Posts: 1,093 Member
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    Definitely NOT BMI which is an outrageous measuring tool. I was 174 and wearing 10's in the past weight loss run. I figure if I go just 10# more into 160 range I should have a nice cushion there. If I went to my "healthy" BMI I would look emaciated.

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