Ideal Body Weight page

[murf73]

So, how does one figure out ideal body weight. I admit, that even though I what many consider a "healthy" weight, I am not sure if it is ideal. For some reason I really really want to get down to 125. I can't really explain why. Right now I weigh about 133 and am 5'5" and female. Also, if this really is a good weight for me to be at, how can I become more accepting of this? What I really want is to be more toned, have more endurance and to look more muscular. Is this reasonable or not? I need help setting realistic goals.

[Sambo712]

I don't know how accurate this is, but I found it interesting.

https://www.purelifestyle.co.uk/Calculators.aspx?idx=12

The goals I have set for myself are two-fold. To look good in a swim suit, and to have a strong level of survivability. For me, this means being able to do whatever it is that I need to do. This could be climbing a wall, winning a fight, lifting something heavy, or running really fast. If I was in a life or death situation, could I do it? I'm trying to be able to say, "Yes I can".

[Leida]

It sounds to me that you might be struggling with defining what you actually want with what you expect it means. You might be confusing firm and trim, and having an athletic look with the number that records your mass. How you look is not defined by weight per se (despite the commonly held belief that the less is your mass, the better you look), it is a combination of muscle mass and volume, body fat percentage and body far deposition pattern. Normally, what is perceived as an athletic look is a relatively high muscular mass for the gender with a relatively lean body fat percentage. Where an individual's weight ends up when his or her look is as best as can be is anybody's guess, but normally it is higher than the BMI standard would have it, not lower. Losing fat and gaining muscle are opposing processes. Judging from your weight, I would say, if you can gain muscle, concentrate on that, rather than try very specifically to lose fat, as in the 'normal' weight range, it is typically too easy for a woman to lose upper body muscular mass, which leads to an uneven look of concentration camp on top and still plenty of fat on the hip that prohibits the athletic look.

[primalrob]

ideal bodyweight doesn't exist. you can look at pictures of two people who are the same height and weight, which means they have the same BMI, and they might look completely different based on their body composition. Sambo put up some way better goals that a person can set for her/himself; set some of those for yourself. if you want physically visible and measurable goals, go for a specific body fat percentage or body measurements, not weight.

[MissJecka]

One thing to always keep in mind is that weight is not synonymous with overall health, muscle mass ("being toned"), body fat, etc.

If you want to increase strength and tone, don't expect a huge drop in weight as muscle is more dense than fat is. In their prime, body builders are almost guaranteed to be in an "overweight" or "obese", but with a low body fat percentage, they're definitely muscular and strong!

For me, when I hit my lowest weight (134 pounds at 5'6", female) I was so happy because my goal was to be 135 pounds. But, I was way too thin and definitely not strong! From that point on, I decided that I want to be strong rather than skinny, so I threw out my scale and stopped weighing myself. (The only reason I have a goal weight in my signature now is because I'm in a "biggest loser" competition at work; but once that's over next month, I'm not weighing myself anymore!)

Bottom line: you probably can be toned/strong and 125 pounds, but given your height, you may need to sacrifice one for the other.

[Derpamix]

I don't, because it doesn't exist. The more I worry about an arbitrary number on a scale, the less I enjoy life. My ideal body weight is the one where I feel most comfortable in my own skin.

[whitebear]

I am a 5'8" male with a chest measurement of about 55". My goal weight is between 215-225. At that weight there is nothing I can't do athletically yet going by BMI I would still be considered obese. I am heavily muscled and have been since I was a teenager(without working out). I have also carried extra body fat for my entire life. Now days I focus more on how I feel than what the scale says.

[Damiana]

Your ideal body weight is something you set for yourself, within a reasonable limit. As long as you're not anorexic with a goal weight of Holocaust or one of those fat acceptance people who proudly proclaim that obesity is beautiful, it's fairly reasonable to assume you will set a limit at which you will be happy and healthy. It's different for everyone; at the recommended weight for my height, I was almost at the highest weight I had ever been and felt horrible.

[Annieh]

What I really want is to be more toned, have more endurance and to look more muscular.

Good goals, Murf. So take pix of how you look now, and all critical measurements.

Then set about improving your muscular development by lifting some weights. Continue to eat a clean diet, and see what happens.

You don't say your age and whether you already eat primally or do any exercise. But if not, you are sure to notice changes and probably in quite a short space of time.

Good luck.

[Kochin]

I'm 5'5" and around 137lbs and that's working quite well for me. I want to get to 155 by adding mostly muscle, though. Were I to get to 155 by adding fat, I'd be an unhealthy weight. Doing it by adding muscle makes it healthy. The number itself is more or less irrelevant. Weight doesn't matter a bit when you don't factor-in body fat or bone size.