Ideal Body Weight

[Stinkyfish97]

Does anyone else see these as a real goal. I am 5'9 and the task of getting down to my "ideal" weight seems almost daunting. Even the upper range of my ideal weight seems daunting at times. I mean according to the charts I am supposed to be 128lbs-168lbs. To someone like myself who has been 200+lbs most of their lives that task seems almost impossible. Its not that I do not believe I cannot get down to 160s its more of maintaining it once I get there. I feel like I would have to give up food all together. 

What are your guys thoughts on ideal weight? Is it a practical goal? How do you or would you go about maintaining it? As I mentioned it is not that I cannot get there. I am down from 214lbs to 185lbs as of today, that is about half-way to where I need to be. So even if I set my goal to 155lbs, my worry is not getting down to 155lbs but maintaining it once I reach it. 

That is why I always tell myself my weight is a short term goal. My long term goal is to eat more healthy, develop better eating habits, better food preperation habits, and overall exibit better health overall. It is a difficult concept to grasp, weight being a short term goal, a secondary goal. I treat it as my primary goal at times and I would be lying if I said it did not help me avoid just pigging out at times. Still though I need to develop better motivation, I need to begin developing a mindset that once I reach 155lbs, my goals do not change. What I fear most is that once I reach 155lbs I will unconciously tell myself I am good, I am healthy, I can snack on what I like when I want however much I want. I need to break this type of thinking and begin planting the seeds now that what I am treating now is the symptom not the cause of me being overweight.

We hear this all the time. Especially with pain meds, pain meds treat the symptoms and not neccisarily the cause of pain. You may have a pinched nerve and may be taking pain meds to relieve the pain, but the pain meds are treating the symptom of pain not actually the cause of the pain. You still have a pinched nerve. What I need to begin developing is the mindset that gets me thinking about how I eat. It is very difficult because eating is done unconciously for the most part. If I am hungry I am going to eat. What I need to start treating is the cause of my overeating. What causes me to overeat? The symptom of overeating is weight gain, something easy enough to track. 

Anyone have any advice on how to tackle this difficult issue? How do you find motivation? How did you develop good eating habits to where they became secondary nature? How long does it take till your habits became your habits? 

I feel I sabotoge myself sometimes. I still allow for a so called cheat day 1 day per week. Where I eat whatever I want. I feel I have to do away with this. I have to choose between one way of eating vs another. I can either continue to be that pig that one day a week and it will slowly turn into 2 to 3 to 4 to everyday. Or I can stick with my good diet of veggies, fruits, low carb, low salt, low sugar. I need to clear this hurdle I put in front of myself that is the 1 cheat day I give myself. Should I quit cold turkey? Or start by making it 1 cheat day per every 2 weeks? I guess these are questions I have to answer myself but I would like to hear from alll of you on your thoughts? 

Thank you

https://www.rush.edu/health-wellness/quick-guides/what-is-a-healthy-weight

[USAF-Larry]

Yes, @Stinkyfish97, your Ideal Weight is acheivable. It takes, time, patience, and setting small goals along the way. After I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, my doctor help me develop a plant to lose 1 pound per week - it involved a diet plan and an exercise plan.  I followed that plan as close as I could, and I lost a pound a week and built muscle to replace the fat. I got within my ideal weight range in about 30 weeks and have never looked back. It took a lifestyle change on my part, but it was worth it. Use the FitBit to the max to track your exercise and your calorie count, and you'll get there.

[bcalvanese]

I am in the same range as you and here is what I did...

I was 225+ lbs. and My ideal weight is the same range as yours, so I set my goal weight to 150 lbs. which is right about in the middle for that range.

I set my tracker to lose 1 lb. per week, started logging my food, and getting my steps in (started at 5,000 steps a day).

As time went on I started power walking every day (sometimes 2 and 3 times a day). I could only do a mile at first, but I kept pushing it faster and longer. Now I can go over 8 miles at a 4 to 4.5 mph pace, and have increased my fitness level from poor to good. My resting heart rate went from the 80's to the 60's.

I have been doing this for a little over a year now and am down to 170 (from 225+), and I burn so many calories power walking that i can eat even more than I used to and still lose. I do eat a lot smarter than I used to, but it's a lot easier to eat a satisfying diet if you burn enough calories through exercise. Another 20 lbs. to go and then it's maintenance time...:)

You can do this!!!

And if you do it over a longer period of time, you can use that time to develop good habits and increase your fitness level at the same time.

It's a win win.

[awood08]

I can tell you that the "ideal weight" has never been spot on for me and I take it just a suggestion. I was an all around athlete in high school, my weight was in the 150-160's and my body fat was 22%. That was during my senior year of high school. Since then 8 years later, I've had two children and was up to 235. I've lost 67 pounds and should technically be around 130 pounds for my 5'3 height. I feel happy and healthy right now at 168, and my body fat percentage is at 30% even though I'm technically around 38 pounds "overweight" . I'm not trying to be an athlete or acheive a minimal body fat percentage. I just want to be healthy, so once my body fat percentage is around mid 20's the heck with my "ideal weight". My suggestion is find out your body fat percentage, and find what size you are happy with. We obviously don't want to be unhealthy but if you are happy with yourself, and you are healthy that is what matters most in my opinion.

By no means am I a professional or a doctor, but I feel happiness and health are more important than a scale number 🙂

[JohnRi]

I know how you feel.  I've been over 200 since I was around 20.  I'm down to 231, and plan to get to 183 or less.  I was 281 six months ago.  So it's been a long journey.  I really don't think that I can be 183.  It just seems so small to me right now.  But then again I never thought I'd be 281 either.

I've been running a 1000 calorie deficit for months now.  But once I get 40 lbs from my goal, I'm switching it to 750 and slowly increasing my diet.  I have completely changed 75% of what I.  The 25% I didn't change became a lot less often, smaller portions.  So things spread across several means instead of just one.

My diet changes are permanent.  I will not go back to my old habits and therefore I won't gain it back.

Once I get to 20 lbs away, I'll change my deficit to 500 calories.  And at 10, I'll switch to 250.

I'm not sure how much I'll go below 183.  183 is top end of the normal weight range for my height.  I'm going to consult with my doctor and nutrionist once I get under 200 to figure out an ideal weight for my height and build.  Remember the BMI is just a basically guideline, it does not take into account your build, just your height.  So it's not a perfect do all table.  But a rough guideline.

The only reason I'm going to slow decrease my deficit is so that I can slowely increase my diet, while maintaining a healthy diet.  Yes it will take me longer to get to my goal, but by the time I get there my body should be used to more calories, and I should be able to maintain my weight. 

If you go back to your old diet, you will gain it all back.  Plus more in most cases.  I've changed my diet, and my eating habits are very different now, and will stay that way.

Cheat days are never good for weight loss.  It usually takes 2 or 3 days or more to recover from them. 

It's ok to have an extra here and there, but you have to add extra exercise to make up for it.

I did a 5k in Feb, and on that day I walked 12 miles.  I really blew my diet, up to 2700 calories.  I burned over 4000 calories that day...  Yet the next day I was 2.5 lbs heavier!  Took me a week to get back down.  It may have been a lot of water weight as I drank a ton that day...

My best advice, eat healthy all the time, keep at it.  Ween your self off as you get closer to your goal, keep up the good eating habits. 

[Mukluk4]

Ideal weight is just a generic measuring stick. It allows doctors to easily put you into a category that may not be accurate and for fitness guru's to lure you into purchasing their new fad. 

For every fat guy that dies of natural causes in their 40's and 50's, there's a fit guy that drops dead in their 30's from the same thing. For every old man/lady that follows a strict diet, there's another that drinks whisky/eats bacon for every meal that is well into their 90's.

You need to determine (my answers):

1. Can I do the things I want to do? (Yes)  If not what do I need to do to get there?

2. How do I want to look?  (Able to fit into XL shirts) What am I willing to sacrifice to get there? (TV Time, Sweets)

3. Do I want to increase my perfomance in X? (Yes, basketball, vertical jump, speed)  If yes, how do I need to get there? (increase strength training routine, interval training)

4.  If I died tomorrow, what would be my regrets? (not enough time with my family, working in a cubicle for 40 hours+ a week)

Notice that none of these are answered with a number.  Even #2 should not be, 10 lbs lighter (as you have no idea what that specifically looks like).  These answers will identify your wants and limitations and create goals.  Reconsidered these on a regular basis to realign goals to changes as necessary..

[SunsetRunner]

I'm 6'1 174lbs.     My ideal weight  is 168 when I look ripped.    

[emili]

hey @Stinkyfish97- you are on to something here. You aren't worried about getting there - you are worried about what happens when you get there. No more goal- so what to do. You asked yourself some really good questions about why you might not know what to do when you get there. Did you happen to answer them? If you are on a diet to lose weight- without understanding nutrition- you won't know what to do when you get there. If you aren't sure what your stressers and triggers are for eating poorly- you won't know what to do when you get there. So on and so on. The adventure you are on is more than just restricting what you eat, having a cheat day and getting on a scale. Its understanding what's in it for you and what does your body need to work at its best. I think if you continue your thought process and answer your questions- you will find your motivator, you will understand why you are doing it and you will figure out what to do when you get there. Its about a lifestyle change- way more than eating this vs that. Much, much, much success to you- please check back and let us know how you do-

[Dominique]

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@Mukluk4 wrote:

For every fat guy that dies of natural causes in their 40's and 50's, there's a fit guy that drops dead in their 30's from the same thing. For every old man/lady that follows a strict diet, there's another that drinks whisky/eats bacon for every meal that is well into their 90's. 

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This is anecdotal evidence. Yes, heavy smokers (or drinkers) may produce one example of a relative or acquaintance of died of old age in spite of having smoked two packs of cigarettes every day for their entire life, as a justification of their own habit, or proof it isn’t harmful. But that doesn’t change the fact heavy smoking (or drinking) is harmful, and the vast majority of people who don’t smoke/drink will live a healthier and longer life. Same with obesity and obesity-related diseases. 

[Mukluk4]

 But that doesn’t change the fact heavy smoking (or drinking) is harmful, and the vast majority of people who don’t smoke/drink will have an increased chance to live a healthier and longer life. Same with obesity and obesity-related diseases. 

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Fixed your sentence for you.  

The point I am trying to make is that there are NO guarantees in life.  Eat like a rabbit, work out every day, be in an ideal weight category does not guarantee that you will live longer but it only provides a better chance of living longer.  

Fixating or becoming obsessed will have negative impacts to relationships, added stress and a whole host of health and mental problems.  It is important to take things in stride and be realistic about what works for you and maintains a healthy balance.

[SebringDon]

@Stinkyfish97

I've got some comments on three things.

1) Cheat days. I don't. My technique is to "earn" my cheats. If I want to take my wife out to dinner, or munch down on pizza with the gang, I plan ahead. That's the day I'll get up early and burn a bunch of extra calories in the morning with a long walk or jog, and I'll still stay in my calorie budget for the day. My macronutrients are likely to end up way out of whack, particularly if there's a lot of cheese on that pizza and my fat ends up at 35% or 40% for the day, but I'm going to stay within my overall calorie budget if it means walking till midnight.

2) Keep in mind that when you hit maintenance weight, whatever deficit you're on disappears. You'll suddenly have another 250 or 500 calories to eat each day if you continue your exercise plan.

3) Maintaining. My current goal is 185, and I'm aiming to hit that by my annual physical in June. Then I'll consult with my doc and settle on a 5 pound range for my healthy weight. I think that will either be 175-180 or 170-175.

Once I hit the bottom of that range, I'll still weigh in every day and pay attention to what I eat, but I'm not planning to log my food; if I'm drifting up I'll be cautious. I've decided that if I hit the upper limit of my range, I go back on gram-level food tracking until I've gotten back to the bottom of my range. I figure that will be incentive enough to keep me in that 5 pound range. That's my theory, anyway, and I'm sticking to it until it proves me wrong. 🙂