Anyone else have a goal weight that still leaves their BMI in the "overweight" category?

I am 5'3" and am currently 206.5.  I have a goal weight of 150.  When I previously weighed this, I was in high school, a curvy size 6-8, and had a great looking body.  I know my husband (who's never seen me at that weight) would be thrilled and find it sexy but he doesn't want me to lose all my feminine softness.  He likes a little meat on a woman's thigh and frankly, I agree.  I looked GREAT when I weighed 150 which is why I made it my goal weight.  When I use a BMI calculator, it says that 150 would still put me in the overweight category.  According to BMI calculators, I have to hit 140 to have a weight in the "healthy" weight range.  I'm sure as I get closer to my 150 goal, my doctor can tell me if 140 is necessary or not.  I turn 30 in a few months and, to be honest, 140 seems an impossibility at this point in my life.  Maybe I'm blaming age on slowing metabolism and an unwillingness to get myself to that 140. 

Am I giving up on myself before I even reach my goal?  Can't I still be slightly overweight and "healthy" as long as I am exercising regularly and eating well?  Who else out there has a goal weight that would still technically leave them overweight?  Is anyone entered maintenence mode even though your BMI is not yet in the normal range?

it definitely wouldn't work for me, but you know your body best.  no index can tell you what you "should" weigh.

Original Post by kthompson92:

Am I giving up on myself before I even reach my goal? 

Can't I still be slightly overweight and "healthy" as long as I am exercising regularly and eating well? 

Who else out there has a goal weight that would still technically leave them overweight? 

No.  You are setting a goal that seems reasonable to you.  There's nothing wrong with setting 150 as a goal then deciding to re-evaluate once you get there.  You may decide "yep, this looks good on me" or you may decide "looking good, but I'd prefer 10 more pounds".  Some people do better with a superambitious goal; others do better with smaller goals.  Remember that goals can always be changed; they're not carved in stone.

Yes.  There is no magic number under which you're healthy and over which you're not.  It's all one big gradual curve, and we each have different "best spots" on the curve.  And, of course, there's the fact that someone with a muscular large frame who has a BMI of 26 is probably healthier than someone with a tiny frame and no muscle with a BMI of 24.

I don't anymore, but I like the shorter term goals so I started off with "get to 160" then lowered my goals 5 pounds at a time as I met them.  My longterm goal is just within the healthy BMI range but probably heavier than most women my height would aspire to.  If I get there and think it's still too heavy, I'll drop another 5 pounds off the goal.

The thing is that we all have different frames and while nobody is healthiest with a BMI of 40 or 50, some people truly are healthiest with BMIs in the mid 20s (even if over 25) due to muscle mass and weight distribution while others are really healthiest with BMIs in the low 20s.  I think the best solution to that is to just slowly lose weight until you get to a point where you're happy.  My experience has been that once you start trying to maintain, your body will take you the rest of the way to where it's happy (as long as you keep it reasonably active).  I've been eating maintenance calories for almost 6 months now and have lost 13 pounds doing that.  And I'm definitely not complaining about that!

I have just hit maintenance at 185, which is the weight my dietitian set after assessing my personal body mass index (I'm 5'9" and have a very large frame).  My formulaic BMI is about 27, still "slightly overweight" and looking in the mirror, I would agree.

And I'm delighted to be where I am after 16 years of being 100 pounds overweight!  I can wear size 10-12 pants and large (not extra large) tops.  I feel really healthy and strong.  If I lose more on maintenance, then great.  If not, I'm satisfied.  Learning how to stabilize at this weight (and not re-gain any of the hard-lost pounds) is my new goal.

"The Beck's Diet Solution" talks about the difference between "lowest attainable weight" and "lowest sustainable weight".  I believe I'm at my "lowest sustainable" and I'm not worried about striving for that perfectly lean body.  Compared to what I was doing to my health with morbid obesity, being "slightly overweight" is nothing!

I say, shoot for what feels good and your body will tell you whether it is "attainable" and "sustainable."

Thanks susiecue and mad4moon... you're making me feel better.  I also asked my husband what he thought and he said that as I get closer to the 150 we can discuss how he thinks I look (he loves my body now so it's not like a "I'll think you're prettier if you lose that last 10 pounds").  I know he'll give me an honest opinion if he thinks I'll look too thin at 140.  We also agreed that as I near that point, I should talk to my doctor and get her opinion.  I appreciate teh encouiragement.

Anyone else have thoughts/experiences/stories worth sharing?

This will cheer you up....  There's actually research out there that shows it's healthier to be slightly overweight!  

It has to be judged on 'health' rather than 'feeling OK' or 'looks'.  If someone used to be obese or morbidly obese, slightly overweight is a vast improvement.  A high BMI, however, will prompt a doctor to check your lifestyle habits and physical signs.  If the person with the 26/27 BMI takes regular exercise, eats a healthy diet, doesn't drink or smoke and if all the cholesterol/BP/blood-sugar tests say they're healthy then they're probably OK for now.   But if someone is in the 26/27 region and they have high cholesterol or they're totally sedentary then they're not healthy and need to think again.... especially if they're over 30.  Young bodies cope better.

My weight has crept up recently so that I'm now slightly overweight again and my BP is a little raised as a result.  (I'm 44)  So, regardless of how I look or feel, I'm under no illusions that I have to get back inside the BMI 20 - 25 range. 

Hi "twin" lol.  Last year at this time, I was 203lbs... I'm just over 5'2, and my goal weight is also 150 lbs... at my doctor's recommendation. 

She assured me that 150 is an acceptable weight for my build, and if I was capable, and comfortable losing more from there, that's good too.  Mind you, I have never had any kind of health problems associated with my weight (caught it in time I hope!)

I'm at 164 now... 14 lbs to go, and will re-evaluate when I get there.  I did hit 135 once in high school, but remember what a struggle it was to get there, and I was working out 21 or more hours a week because I was rowing!

I agree, that 150 is a fine weight. I'm 5'4 and have been 150 and I know I looked great...too bad I gained about 30lbs and am struggling to get back to that weight!

Look, charts are just a guideline, they are not an absolute so go with what makes you feel good. Plus, it depends on how much muscle you have and body type...don't let a chart dictate how you feel about yourself! As long as you are healthy who cares what the charts says.

Good luck and just keep up the good work...you will get there, just be patient.

Hey, triplets! :) I'm 5'2.5" and right now 150lb is my goal weight. I'd like to get to 140lb, but we'll see. The last time I was a "normal" BMI at 125lb it was thanks to being anorexic, and it looked TERRIBLE on me. My friends said it was like hugging a bird. I have a lot of muscle, so I just have to accept the fact that my BMI is naturally going to be a little heavier than recommended by the "experts." I'd rather be "overweight" and healthy and strong.

I haven't figured out exactly what my goal weight is, but this website wants me to be 132. I'm 220 and 5'5'' right now, wearing a size 16, so I can't even imagine what I'd look like at 132 pounds! I like to be a little curvy too (and my boyfriend likes me NOW), so I think I'll probably start focusing on weight maintenance somewhere around 150 or 170.

I don't worry too much about the charts. If your diet and your lifestyle says "I'm healthy," then healthy you be!

Another twin, here!  5'3" and 149 pounds.  I started at 206 July 2006 and dropped 30 pounds the first year, 20 the second year, and in the past 10 months ... a grand total of 6 pounds.  I had set my goal at 125-130, but I've totally let up on that, without conscious decision.  I look and feel SOOO much better now, I'm a size 10, and I'm comfortable with my calorie and exercise level.  I'm really not sure WHAT I'll have to do to drop the last 20 pounds, and I'm not sure whether I'm willing to do whatever that is.  I probably SHOULD drop at least 10.  I'm a medium frame, so that 140 probably is a good upper boundary for me.  But ... I'm struggling.  My husband just reached his goal weight last week, and it's a good weight for him.  Now ... I'm still 10 pounds overweight and 20 pounds from goal and I'm not sure what to do.

just a suggestion: if you're going to decide to disregard BMI (not an inherently bad plan), you might want to consider other measures of health.  can you run a mile?  how many push-ups, sit-ups, etc. can you do?  what is your waist measurement? 

it's true that bmi isn't the be-all-and-end-all, but it is one way of guaging wellness.  it's okay to decide it doesn't apply to you, provided that you don't use that as an excuse to disregard health.

I am not entirely disregarding BMI.  I just seem to have heard that it cannot be the ONLY way to measure health and since I'm already MUCH healthier than I used to be (not addicted to caffiene, able to walk quickly and not lose breath, do 20-30 minutes of cardio on the treadmill, do curls with 5 lb. weights instead of 2 lbs).  I wanted confirmation that weight/BMI are just part of the healthy lifestyle "package".

I'm 5' 5" and curently weigh 181.  I know I will look good at 150.  Even 160.  But I have been thin longer than I've been overweight.  I am 50 years old.  I was about 20 lbs. "over weight" when I got pregnant 15 years ago.  I gained 60 lbs and got up to 195.  I should be that "over weight" again!  I want to wear cute clothes.  I still have tastes for Juniors clothes.  Young at heart, I guess.  I don't care about BMI, only as far as my doctor cares.  She's a very thin Indian woman.  And she is addicted to excersize.  She walks 4 miles, twice a day.  I don't think she will think 150 or 160 is good enough.  Although she is a very encouraging woman.