Goal Weight
 

how did everyone here get a goal weight? Did you take a weight you knew you looked good at and aimed for that? Did you use a certain number below your current or highest weight? Did you use BMI or some other calculation to see what a "healthy" weight is?

here is my problem...i never really weighed myself that much. I dont know what a good weight (as far as me looking good) is for me. Also, if i use the BMI scale, it wants me under 200 and i know i would look anorexic if i was that small (keep in mind, im a guy).

i guess i can just keep losing weight until i am somewhere that i feel good about myself. any ideas? do i really need to set an ultimate goal?

I've heard a lot of people around here say how helpful minigoals are, and I personally love them. My ultimate goal is based on BMI, but to be honest, I have no idea if that will be my goal when I get down below 200. I like to have something off in the distance as a goal, but really, its just a vague approximation.

Mini goals give you something to celebrate, they keep you motivated, and prevent you from getting impatient. I say, if you aren't sure of an ultimate goal, forget it... pick an amount you say you know you want to lose, then when you reach it, another one.


Good luck with your weight loss. :)

i do have mini goals. i have a certain weight i want to be each time i go to my nutritionist (every three weeks) and so far i have always met that goal. it does help me quite a bit. like today, i know i am going to see my nutritionist tuesday and that is keeping me from having fast food like i really want. i want to be at 280 when i see her next.

according to BMI the weight i need to achieve to finally not be overweight or obese is 180 and trust me, not only is that impossible for me physically but i would look horrible!! thats why i dont go with BMI. the only thing it uses is height and weight, it does not take into account body type.

anyways, thanks for the advice!!

BMI goal weights are really just guidelines. Depending on your body type, you could either look skinny at 180, or fine, or still heavy.

I have chosen my goal weight that is within the BMI range, but I also am going to adjust as I get there. I might decide I like how I look at 135 and stop, or I might keep going. It's just sort of an evaluation point for me to get to.

I would just keep doing what you are doing and evaluate as you get closer.

I agree that BMI is a bit of a crock when it comes to people who aren't the perfect average. Have you ever seen that site where they show you pictures of people and their bmi category, and it just seems ridiculous?

Here it is, anyway:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7736776...7602199008819/


Btw, it seems like you already have a pretty good goal plan, and I'm glad you recognize your own body enough to say that 180 is way too small for you. A lot of people would get frustrated instead.

wow...thanks for posting those pics. thats hilarious!!

I came up with my goal weight of 115 because that is what i weighed in high school. My eating during my college years has not been good for me.

same here!! the only problem is that my college years have stretched to be 6 years now lol...and still a little bit to go.

go to this website, it shows you different people's heights and weights. it's simply fabulous!
http://www.cockeyed.com/photos/bodie...htweight.shtml

I picked my weight by BMI, but if I get to a point where my weight is fine and losing more would make me unhealthy, I'll stop then. I figure it's a goal, not a mandate.

Actually, my goal weight, has pretty much been my goal weight all my life! I dunno I always thought I would look good at that weight.

Here you go - a couple of recent threads on the topic:

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=99612

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=70586

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=147840

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=137821

:D Hope that helps some.

.

I went off the BMI chart because I hadn't been under 200 in a few years. I picked 150 until I get there and see if I wanted to go any lower. I think 156 or 158 is the top of the "normal" weight range for my height.

Honestly, at 5'11" tall, I would doubt highly that you would look "anorexic" at 200 pounds. :lol:

My husband is your exact same height, and when we were young and first started dating (11 years ago) he weighed 140. He was underweight some, and wore about a 30 waist jeans. A few years later, when he got a little older, he was about 170 pounds, and wore about a 32-34 waist jeans. He was about average in size for his height at that time.

He started running, and bodybuilding a few years ago...and now he weighs about 200-210 depending on how strict he is being. He is wearing a 34-36 waist in jeans in most brands. His arms and shoulders and back look very, very good and broad-he looks football playerish now. He does have a *bit* of the problem belly/lovehandle thing but not much at all. But, he has a lot of bulk-he is DEFINITELY not skinny at ALL. He wears a size XL in shirts, because of the broadness in his back and shoulders from the weightlifting.

Honestly, when you have a lot of weight to lose-it is hard to choose a goal weight when you are that far from it, because it is hard to guage what you are actually going to look like at that weight. It's hard to visualize.

I would recommend mini goal weights at this point. Aim to lose maybe 20 or 25 pounds, and then at that point, guage how much more you want to lose-say, another 10 or 20, and so on. When you get closer down the road, you may decide that you would look best at 220, or 210, or even 200 or a few pounds less. Goal weights are often something that you have to mess with along the way.

Mine was, actually still is because I am not at goal weigh yet, a "guestimate".
After having some extra weight for years, I had no idea what to shoot for. So for a start I decided that my goal will be 175 lbs (which is weight I was at some 15-17 years ago) and that I would decide (once I am there) whether I need to lose any more.

I am at 175 lbs or a bit below and right now, I think I am going to focus on body fat percentage rather than the actual weight (although I tentatively reset the goal weight to 158 lbs). My body fat is right now somewhere around 23.4%, if I remember correctly, and I would like to get it as close to 20% as possible.

My husband is also your height, with a large bone structure. When we first met he weighed 190-195 and he looked pretty skinny. He later started working out with free weights and weighed in the 215 range - he looked healthy at that point. When he was at 200 he didn't look anorexic, just a little slim. :)

His current goal weight is 220 - he started at 260, is at 234 now. Like Aphil said, you don't always know how you are going to end up, he may get to 220 and decide to go a little further, he may stop before he gets there.

Some of the links above are for BMI calculators that allow you to specify a frame size - check out some of those and see what they tell you.

I still don't have a set goal weight, still - after losing all of this weight. One part of me says now that I'm so close to where I should be I should start thinking on it, the other part says just to keep going and I'll know when I get there.

The problem with not having one yet, for me, is that my mind still hasn't caught up with my body. I worry I'll take the loss to an extreme without a stopping point.

I think it's time for another body fat test, it's been 3 months or so. I workout a lot, lift weights often and have built quite a lot of muscle, so I know my end point will be higher than the BMI charts. For example, I fit into old clothes now that didn't fit me at all 25 pounds lighter. I'm thinking I need to go by BF%.

Originally Posted by aphil:
Honestly, at 5'11" tall, I would doubt highly that you would look "anorexic" at 200 pounds.

Maybe not anorexic, but gross, for sure. At 280-something his ribs are poking out. He has extremely muscular legs and that's really where most of the weight is.
I agree with everyone else, modify your goal as you loose, babe! :hug:

raw23, do you know the original poster? Who are you talking about?

Jay

Yes. The bf :)

I picked my goal weight based on a past "feel good, look good" weight. I will not be thin, but comfortable. I have also successfully maintained that weight for several years in the past. (Obviously it didn't last, but I did manage to hold at that weight longer than any other lower weight.) I have several timeless classic outfits saved from that weight that I am so stoked to wear again.

Oh, I also wanted to comment on "mini goals". I hate that term...LOL :) To me there is nothing MINI about any weight loss goal. Every pound is a huge success. ;)

Originally Posted by Lori Bell:
Oh, I also wanted to comment on "mini goals". I hate that term...LOL :) To me there is nothing MINI about any weight loss goal. Every pound is a huge success. ;)

Maybe "next goal"?

It's good to set short time, achieveable goals. As far as how much you should weigh, stop when you like the way you look and feel. It's all so individual, and we all have different body types. You'll know when you get there.

Personally, I use the weight that I was a few years ago (see my profile) when I was in the best shape of my life. I had adequate muscle on me and felt very healthy and good!

By the way, I know for a fact that you would not look anorexic under 200lbs as my hubby is your height, a body builder (lots of heavy muscle on this guy) and he weighs 190lbs. I think that you will be surprised when you get close to 200 and realize that it is not so small... All the best in your efforts!!

Originally Posted by raw23:
Maybe not anorexic, but gross, for sure. At 280-something his ribs are poking out. He has extremely muscular legs and that's really where most of the weight is.
I agree with everyone else, modify your goal as you loose, babe! :hug:

Well, because of my body type (hourglass) my ribs also stuck out when I was 233.9 pounds...and I am a 5'7" female, and was wearing a size 20W. :o

Just because my ribs were apparent, didn't mean that I was at a good weight. I also tend to store much of my extra weight in my hips, butt, and legs....and a little in my upper arms. However, my torso area-around my bra, ribcage, and upper abs area-is always, and has always been, pretty small compared to the rest of me. I also have bony, small forearms, wrists, and hands no matter what my weight.

However, when I lose weight, the ribcage area isn't affected all that much-it is the heavier parts of me that become more proportioned to the rest of me.

I still say to choose mini weight goals as you go along...because you honestly aren't going to know what 200, 210, or 225 looks like on you until you get there. :)

My husband is 5'11" and a little over 140 and he doesn't look anorexic. He is thin and slightly muscular (not big bulging muscles but also not scrawny). He even has a little potbelly (don't tell him I said that!!).

I've been reading on some athletic forums and generally the guys feel they themselves, despite muscle, are overweight at 200 lbs. Of course it varies, there are some tall guys that are really muscular that are fine around 200 lbs and feel so but 200 lbs is a good general goal for any guy to get to and then 'to see' after that.

Originally Posted by JayEll:
raw23, do you know the original poster? Who are you talking about?

Jay

oh yes she knows me...lol :cb:

anyways, thanks for all the advice. i guess i dont really need an ultimate goal, ill just keep with my mini goals and ill stop when im happy.

I agree with not setting a definitive goal this early. I chose 160 since that was my lowest, non-anorexic weight. There are a lot of women on here who are the same height as me, but have much lower goals {I've seen some as low as 115}. 160 pounds will put my 1 pound into "overweight" - which I'm OK with, as BMI doesn't take into account larger frames. Then again, I may get to 160 and continue to drop 5 pounds at a time until I get somewhere I like.