i just wanted to know how you guys decided what your goal weight would be?

I am 5ft 10.. im quite broad but already have a pretty noticable hour glass shape.. always have had... i can see a difference already after just 5 pounds gone.. i dont think i will want to be any lower than 170 pounds which is the top part of my heights healthy weight range.. i also did a test to see how much fat mass i have and its 50 pounds... as a woman i dont want to be thin or skeletal in any way.. i want lovely rounded body parts and curves that move with me...

but i see other members who are my height or taller and want to get lower, like 30 pounds lower than me... it makes me wonder if i am kidding myself... if i really only have 35 pounds to lose... or is it more like 55?

Well, I read somewhere (can't remember where) that a good rule of thumb for women is 100lbs for the first 5 feet of height and then 5 lbs for each inch after that. So, I'm 5'7", so that's 100 + (5 times 7) = 135 lbs.
That's what I weighed most of high school and college, so I see that as an appropriate weight for me.
Trouble is that I'm almost there and I think I could stand to lose a little more fat, not necessarily weight, but fat
My body is definately different since having 2 kids and being over 40 now.
Maybe I could lose 5 more lbs???

Only you can decide what is an appropriate weight for you. Just take it small steps at a time. When you get to 170, you might re-evaluate and decide you might want to go lower. Or you might feel just fine. Just see how you feel when you get there. There's not really a magical number.

Best wishes

I chose 120 because it's in the middle (okay, high end, IIRC) of my 'healthy' BMI range. I don't feel any pressure to get that low if I'm building muscle and comfortable with my shape, but I know I *could* get that low (and lower) if I choose, you know?

Still, it's been my goal for so long that I'd like to see it at least once. Whether or not I maintain at that weight long-term is up to how I feel when I hit goal.

You're almost a foot taller than me (lucky!), so I might not be very interesting , but I chose it because I'm quite petite in frame. At least my upper body is...after i get rid of my butt maybe that can be petite too! Haha. My lowest recent-ish weight was 115lbs about a year and a half ago and I thought I could still tone up a little.

I don't think you're kidding yourself. Numbers shouldn't be based on anyone else but you. My sister who is a lot thinner than me only weighs about 15lbs less! It's just less noticeable. I know a lot of cases like that. Me at 137 might not seem big to another person...but it's HUGE on me. It's just the way I happen to carry weight.

I think you should choose the weight that makes YOU happy. Not the BMI junk, not your sig. other, not your trainer...YOU. Weightloss is one instance where I think it's important for people to be self centered...and of course brag when you hit your goals

Paula,

Good question - I was actually planning to ask it myself, that is once I get closer to my goal weight.

I set my goal weight as a tentative number. I am 5'9" and when I started my journey at 208 lbs, I had no idea how I would do at shedding weight and how long it will take me (I had no specific time frame in mind). So I set 175 lbs, which would be a 33 lbs loss, even though I know I probably should target for less than that - but I figured I would readdress that once I am at 175.

I have had some extra pounds for a long time so I no longer remember what is the right weight for me. Even when I weighed less (in the past) people always thought that I weighed a lot less than I actually did, so I guess I have heavy bones or what.
Being from Europe, I am used to the metric system (and I think in metric, I am just converting to pounds in order " communicate in the same language", so to speak. ). When I get to 175 lbs that will be 79.5 kg, which actually will be about 5 lbs less than what I weighed when I arrived to Canada in 1991. However, I was not working out then, and I am hoping to transform some of the fat into muscle, so I really will reassess the number when I am at 175. A good number for me will probably be 165, but that is to be seen.

(hope this rambling makes sense)

I think you have to guage how you FEEL... I agree with DDC's formula.

I am 5'9" but don't really feel 'thin' at 145 - I feel better at 140 or below. I am also the type of person that when I gain weight, it is very poochie.. I get hippy and get a gut - Some women look really womanly and shapely with more weight on them...

Get down to your first goal weight and see how you feel.. and then you can adjust accordingly...

Keep up the good work!

Also, I wanted to add that I saw that someone has in her ticker 115 lbs as her goal weight while she is not too far from my height; and I was quite shocked to see that number. Of course, it does not mean that 115 is not good for her, but I know I would be almost skeletal at that weight.
I don't remember who that poster was - if you recognize yourself, please understand this is not meant as a criticism!!!!! I was just very surprised by that goal.

Me and you are the same height, but my goal is 140. I've been 140 within the last 2 years so I know this is a very nice weight for me. But I have a really small frame and 140 may not actually be the lowest I go. I remember being 140 and wanting to lose a "few pounds" so 135 might be my ultimate goal.

Everybody's body is different, so I wouldn't worry about it too much. Once you reach your goal you can always reassess where you are!

I liked myself at 145 before I gained the weight. It all matters on your frame size/body type. I really don't think 2 people of the same height have the same ideal weight.

I think you should keep 170 as your goal. When you hit 170, you can then decide what you want to do. Do you want to lose another 5 or 15? Or do you want to try to maintain that loss for awhile.
You don't have to know what the perfect weight will be. Just set a goal you can reach and go for it. Then celebrate, and set a new goal!

I chose a weight that I thought I might be able to maintain. Also, 130 is just about the max I can weigh and be in the "normal" weight range as opposed to overweight. I weighed 110 for years and that is what I should weigh by the 100lbs, 5lbs per inch formula. I just don't want to work that hard.

Set a goal that is reasonable and when you reach it, re-evaluate and see if you are happy with your size. If you are, then great! Stay there.. if you arn't then set a new goal like 5-10lbs less and repeat. Every "body" is different. One 5'10" woman could look amazing at 170 and the other may look like she could possibly lose a few pounds. Our bodies are so very different.

I chose the weight at which I know I look FINE. Shirts tucked in, belts, hourglass figure that just ROCKS, etc. I'm a "big girl" and know it would take a huge change--one I can't even fathom, actually--for me to be below 170 (size 12).

Would I like to weigh less than 170? Eh... if it comes to pass. I am so completely and totally in love with my body at 170 and 5'7" that it just seemed like the right "goal weight" to start with, and if I reach that goal and want to keep going--to REALLY change my body into what it was before I graduated high school decades ago--then I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

But to set myself up for disappointment by setting a goal weight of something like 135 when my start weight was 225 would just be a reason to convince myself that "I'll never get there," "I'm a failure," "I suck," when I'm losing a pound a week soooo slowly and steadily. And I don't need additional reasons to think I'm not doing a good job. I get enough of those even when I'm doing GREAT. (That negative self-talk is a bee-yotch, isn't it?)

So, that's how I came up with 170. I know I look amazing and feel amazing at 170 and my 225-pound-self could see that 55-pound-loss goal as not TOO scary or impossible. I still have a long way to go, but I'm not afraid that I *won't* reach 170. I think, if I had chosen 135 as a goal weight, I might have already given up hope.

That's my story anyway.

It's been so long since I was a healthy weight that I had to do some research to figure out what a reasonable goal would be.

I started out by looking up the CDC recommended healthy weight for my height. The CDC says my range, at 5'4", is 108 to 144.

I also remember that when I was in college I weighed 135-ish and I remember always wanting to lose 10-15 lbs. Looking back at photos of myself, I was curvy and busty, but not *fat*.

Since 135 fell near the high middle of the CDC range, that's where I set my goal.

I *do* think that when I get there, I might want to lose 10-15 more lbs and I think I'll be in a good place to do it. But I also think that 135 - for now - is a very realistic and doable goal for me and it was important to come up with a number that was realistic.

I also am leaning less towards a scale weight as a goal, and more towards a jeans size as my real ultimate goal. It's just easier to track scale weight as a way to keep me on target! But my real, ultimate goal is to wear a size 8 pair of jeans.

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