Hi ladies,

I'm the type of person who really does better when I have a specific goal in mind...My problem is I'm really having a hard time picturing what my weight goal should be. I know it's not ALL about the numbers but it sure helps to quantify it when you're trying to lose weight.

The reason I have so much trouble choosing a weight goal is that I weight much more than I look. I'm tall (5'8) with an athletic build and hourglass figure (39-28-39). For lots of girls my height a healthy weight goal could be as low at 130-140 but I could never see myself in the 130's, that would be unhealthy for me! I'm currently at 163 but as soon as I start working lifting weights for a few weeks, I either stay the same or gain weight. I know muscle weights more than fat but it's still hard not to see the scale budge!

I know a weight goal is a very personal thing but are there any athletic girls out there in my situation? What do you do? How do you track your improvement without being discouraged by the number on the scale? I feel like I don't fit in any of the forum categories...the girls in the 150-170's are (generally!) trying to lose more than a few pounds and I feel out of place in the 130-140 forum because I feel like that's an unrealistic goal for my body type...Help!

I realize I don't necessarily need to "fit in" any of those categories to be happy but it would help just for support from people in my same situation. Any thoughts?

I agree that you wouldn't really fit with the 130-140s group. You are built differently than that, & I'm glad you get that! Lots of girls don't care about their build & just want to see a specific number. For me, my original goal weight was just on the inside of healthy BMI (even that's slightly outdated). Maybe take it 5lbs at a time until you feel comfortable with how you look. Your ticker says your goal is 150...aim for that & if you feel comfortable before that, then stop. If you feel great at 150, stop there. The number on the scale is only one indicator of our bodies & when you are athletic & tall, that number can't be the only indicator you look at.

Hope that helps a little!

Maybe a good route for you would be just to set miniature goals. You could aim for 5 pounds and then reassess when you hit that.

I know that at one point I could never imagine myself below 130, and then one day stepped on the scale (I never weighed myself) and was 122! Over the next year just from lifting intensely and keeping my diet in line I got down to 113 pounds and was VERY lean without intentionally trying to lose weight... just lifting weights. I also consider myself naturally thicker and am definitely a mesomorph body type with an hourglass figure. (I was at like 118 or so in the pic that I have as my avatar right now, so you can see I still had muscle and shape even at that weight which I thought was absolutely insane for me to ever try to weigh!)

Now... I'm at just under 130 and just want to get back to 120-ish. I know now that my body looks and feels best in that range, but finding that out was just happenstance more than anything. Until this point I never had a goal weight in mind.

My apologies for the ramble, but my point is that your opinion of what looks best and what is or isn't attainable will change throughout your lifetime. Perhaps just taking it in small chunks at a time will work for you.

BTW you're gorgeous!

Wow thanks that really helps! It was my first time posting a new thread so thanks for the feedback- this website it great

I like the idea of 5 lbs mini-goals and assessing along the way. Also, it makes sense that what I might think is not an attainable goal for me might change throughout my life. I think the best approach for now is just to be consisted with my exercising ( the easy part ) as well as my diet ( the harder part ) and see where I'm comfortable and feel better as I lose lbs.

Thanks for the compliment Joss- that was after a Spartan Race so a bit muddy Love both of you ladies' transformations wow, so inspiring!

At some point last year, I hit 132-133 pounds but I was still feeling BLAH about my body. it was feeling like no matter how low I would get, I'd never be much satisfied... But now I started weight training so I hope it will tone up the body and get me more satisfaction.

I'm with Joss on 2 things here, 1) maybe shooting for mini goals of a couple of pounds and then checking out how you feel about where you are right now is probably the safest and healthiest way and 2) you are so pretty!!

I'm doing my first Spartan race in May, can't wait to play in the mud!!!

Oh, just saw we are Height Twin!

@TurboMammoth yay for being height twins! Also Spartans are so much fun! I see you're in Sherbrooke- I'm in Ottawa I just registered for the Ottawa Spartan in June and am considering maybe doing the one in Tremblant as well.You'll love it!
I think weight trainning can make a huge difference in how you feel about your body. I know I feel much better at any weight if I feel firm. Plus, doing weights makes me feel like I'm "actually doing something about it". And I love the feeling of being sore, makes me feel like my efforts are worth it
Who knew mud was so flatering? I should try that look more often

I'm registered for the one in Tremblant!! We're doing the one on Sunday, we wanted Saturday's race first but there was some mess for choosing a wave since it was already almost completely full.

We forget so frequently how mud is flattering!

I have a similar build as you...i'm 5'7" and pretty muscular. I also do a lot of athletic stuff where it would really help if i shed some weight. But unfortunately i don't think i'm meant to be 130, ever. So i decided to give up having a weight goal, and instead focusing on eating properly and see where i end up. Say i set my goal at 145...well that's a reasonable number, but i'm not willing to do whatever it takes to get there. So i'm not doing that. Instead, i set a realistic calorie level for each day (higher on weekends) and my plan is to stick with that forever. My guess is that i'll lose a few pounds and, if i stick to the plan, probably end up around 150 in the long term. Which isn't great...but i love food and i'm not willing to diet hard in order to get below 150.

wow it's getting full! Good luck!!

Gen I'm in Cornwall .... some friends of ours have registered for the Spartans.

I agree that you're gorgeous and that weight training is the way to go... In that pic though you already look pretty buff...

Hi Ilene! Lots of Canadians on here that's great!

Thank you- your smile is contagious I wanna smile just by looking at yuor avatar! haha.

On my pic I was around the 170s I think...Hence why I get so discouraged by numbers on the scale! I don't think I look overweight but society is telling me that 170 = fat so it's hard to get passed it! Logically I realize everyone's body is different but it's a challenge for me to get passed those "large" numbers.

I shall start with the 5 lbs mini goals and hopefully get leaner!

I know this is an old thread, but I wanted to chime in. I totally understand not knowing your goal weight. I have a small frame and want to get rid of my pot belly. I'm doing SB and tae-Bo which help with that, but I don't know when my pot belly will be gone. Will it be at 125? Or 122? Or 120? I guess I should I'll keep going until it is gone, but is seems so loose. And sort of floppy. I prefer a hard fixed number.

Any ideas?

Just Dance Girl, I have the same issue! My goal is a constantly moving target because of my belly!
I just want the little pooch to go away, but it stubbornly refuses to go! All my inches are going from my butt, which is already flatter than a wall

And I have been working out, doing resistance training, etc. and I can feel my abs getting tighter but the layer of fat on top doesn't want to leave...

sigh...I want to be in maintenance already!

Me, too! All my pants are loose in the butt, sagging loose, but snug in the belly. I'm hoping low carb will flatten things. I just want it to go straight across my ribs, not to mention my hip bones.
My arms are getting skinnier, though. I'm afraid of becoming one of those scrawny women with a pudgy middle!
So, I guess weight training for my scrawny arms and low carbs for my belly?

That's great that you've lost 37 pounds! Way to go!