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Is my goal weight too low?

Old 09-22-2010, 09:22 PM
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Default Is my goal weight too low?

OK, so according to FitDay my highest healthy weight would be 159lbs, and because of that I've set my goal weight to just below that at 154lbs.

However, one of my fitness class instructors was asking yesterday how I'm doing. When I told her how much I'd lost and how far from my goal I was she said from looking at me that I wouldn't need to lose that much. And if I did I would probably lose my curves and look too slim for my frame. (I genuinely am big/heavy boned, generous up top and on the way to sporting a fair amount of muscle.)

This entire time I've been aiming to get into a healthy weight and BMI range. However from speaking to other Personal Trainers at the gym they said it's common for fit people to fall into an overweight or even obese BMI range, and that I shouldn't worry too much about trying to get into the healthy range. But I should concentrate on getting fitter and lowering my body fat percentage to around 30%. (Currenty at 48%)

Would like the opinions on others on this topic, and if anyone has reached a place where they felt happy with their body and fitness and still technically falling into an overweight or obese BMI and weight range? Thank you.
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Old 09-22-2010, 09:58 PM
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I think you have to do what is right for you, regardless of what your trainer says. Don't let that advice de-rail your efforts. What do you think your goal weight should be? As an adult have you ever weighed that amount? How did you feel mentally and physically about your body, were you at a good weight for your frame? What does your doctor think? At 244.6 pounds I could get on the elliptical and go full out for an hour, so yes I had some degree of conditioning, but I was still obese and certainly not at a "healthy weight". There are people built that defy their BMI range. I suspect if you have a long torso, very muscular arms/upper body, large feet/hands, then your BMI won't be a reflection of your health. Or if you are very long and lean and run marathons, you might also ignore it. But I think the majority of us need to take a good long look at that BMI number and try and muscle it in to the healthy range.
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Old 09-22-2010, 10:13 PM
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Originally Posted by almeeker
As an adult have you ever weighed that amount? How did you feel mentally and physically about your body, were you at a good weight for your frame? What does your doctor think?
I've always been an overweight adult, and I was an overweight teen aswell.
However, I was around 210lbs when I left school at 16 and although at the time I was unhappy with my weight looking back I was a lot healthier and actually had a nice figure considering.
I'm not saying that I would stop at 210lbs as I was in plus size clothing back then and that's one goal of mine, not to have to shop in the plus size section! However, if say I got to 170-180lbs and felt happy with my body and fitness then I may stop losing and move to maintaining even if I'm still technically in the overweight catagory.
I haven't spoken to my doctor at all since starting this journey. Their booking system for appointments is a joke and far too much hassle for something which isn't an emergency. So I've been going it alone with just the advice of my fitness instructors so far.
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Old 09-23-2010, 12:48 AM
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I'm new here and just perusing threads this morning. I am in my early twenties, female, 5'4", 140lbs which puts me on the high end of the healthy BMI.. BUT, I fit comfortably in size 4 clothing. My mother is the same height, ten pounds less than I, but could never fit into my clothing. She is on the lower end of a healthy BMI. I think you should continue to strive to reach a healthy BMI, but not if you have to starve yourself in order to get there. Keep in mind that some of us are just heavier than others. Maybe checking your body fat percentage would be a more accurate gauge to finding your healthy weight. You've done great so far! Good luck!!
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Old 09-23-2010, 01:01 AM
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I would tend to think that the healthy BMI range is for a range of body types, including big and small frames. That being said, I think that there are extremes that would not fall into this range. Those extremes would be body builders, marathon runners, elite athletes and people with medical conditions (and I am probably missing some).

Another guage of health is the waist to hip ratio, but it should be used in conjunction with BMI and body fat%. A healthy waist to hip ratio for women is less than 0.8 and for men it is less than 0.95 (the numbers vary depending on the site I look at).

I suggest talking to your doctor to get an understanding of what the medical consequences (if any) of your current weight is.
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Old 09-23-2010, 02:09 AM
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Hi Weightlossboo,
For me, personally, I would work on reaching a goal in the 180's and then reassess.

Maintaining that weight, or continuing to lose at that point is a decision you should make after you see how comfortable you are with yourself and if you think you are healthy at that weight.

For me, maintaining is NO DIFFERENT than losing and I think that is true for the majority of people. I had the idea that once I reached my goal weight I could loosen up the reins a bit...I was wrong! So, my point is that you want to be someplace that is livable for you and also healthy. The BMI numbers may guide you but it's really just up to what you think is best for your body.

Also, mentally, I try to go easy on myself, if you ever feel overwhelmed and feel that your goal is out of reach, then I think its time to change your goals to make them reachable. Then make a new goal. Slow and steady really wins the race for weight loss.

Congrats on your hard work and weight loss to date. Keep it going, you're doing really well!
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Old 09-23-2010, 02:24 AM
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So lets look closer at the numbers.
Current stats.
* Your current weight 253.5 pounds.
* Current bodyfat 48%.
* 253.5 x .48 = 121.68 pounds of fat.
* 253.5 - 121.68 = 131.82 pounds of lean body weight.
Goal stats.
* Weight goal 154 pounds
* Lean body weight 131.82 (this assumes that you don't lose or gain muscle)
* 154 - 131.82 = 22.18 pounds of fat.
* 22.18/154 = 14.4% bodyfat percentage.
Alternate goal (170 pounds)
* Weight 170
* Lean body weight 131.82 (this assumes that you don't lose or gain muscle)
* 170 - 131.82 = 38.18 pounds of fat
* 38.18/170 = 22% bodyfat.

From the math it appears that this is still going to boil down to what you want your body to look like. At 14-15% bodyfat you will definitely look and be fit. Check out the Bodybuilding.com site and look at some of the female transformation of the week archives. You should be able to see what different bodyfat % looks like on real people. The real test is when you reach 170 or 154 (or whatever that number is) and how you feel about yourself and your body.

Hope the math helped provide some perspective... and good luck on your journey!
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Old 09-23-2010, 03:56 AM
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rpmcduff:
Interesting addition to the convo. I liked how you did the math, although when I look at the numbers I think there must be something we aren't taking into account. 14.4% body fat is low for a woman and that would be at her mid BMI range 154.4 pounds..so that just doesn't jive. Unless, Weightlossboo is super tall or something..even then..?

I don't think we can make the assumption about not gaining or losing muscle...as the numbers just don't make sense even if they make sense mathematically. There are added factors that we are not taking into acct. Not sure what they are, but I bet you that at 154 pounds pounds she would not have 14% body fat.
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Old 09-23-2010, 04:33 AM
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Thank you Ron and everyone else.
I think 14% body fat would be very low for my build. My personal trainer said between 25-30% would be healthy to aim for and non of the fitness instructors I've spoken to think I would need to shoot for such a low weight.
I guess I will just have to wait and see how I feel when I get closer. I do have a mental image in my head of how I'd like to look and what clothing size I'd like to wear, so if I get to that still having 15-20+lbs to lose from my FitDay 'goal' I probably will move to maintenance.
Interestingly I've been watching old seasons of the Biggest Loser. I'm on the one where the dark haired girl Ali won, and to be really honestly I thought she looked terribly thin at the final. She's about two inches shorter than me and was in the 130s or something close to that? I definitely don't want to end up looking that thin, fit or not.
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Old 09-23-2010, 05:29 AM
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Originally Posted by blackrhino2
rpmcduff:
Interesting addition to the convo. I liked how you did the math, although when I look at the numbers I think there must be something we aren't taking into account. 14.4% body fat is low for a woman and that would be at her mid BMI range 154.4 pounds..so that just doesn't jive. Unless, Weightlossboo is super tall or something..even then..?

I don't think we can make the assumption about not gaining or losing muscle...as the numbers just don't make sense even if they make sense mathematically. There are added factors that we are not taking into acct. Not sure what they are, but I bet you that at 154 pounds pounds she would not have 14% body fat.
I agree that it is unrealistic to to believe that WeightlossBoo won't lose some muscle while losing another almost 100 pounds. So the bodyfat percentages would in reality be a little higher. The difference in bodyfat percentages (7 to 8%) at 154 and 170 pounds will remain nearly the same though.

I personally place little credibility in BMI measurements. There are too many factor that BMI does not account for. Frame size, muscular development and even breast size (for women) are unassesed in BMI. So BMI is probably not a good indication of health for WeightlossBoo who describes herself as muscular and 'top heavy'.

I am curious to know how tall WeightlossBoo is (if you are comfortable sharing) so I could get a image of a woman at that height and the weights we have been discussing. But in the end it all comes down to what you want your body to look like and what you are comfortable with.
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