How to figure out proper goal weight?

Hi,

I'm 5'2" and about 105lbs.  My diet and fitness routine isn't for the sake of losing weight, but because I would like to burn off the fat I can feel on top of my muscles.

The problem is that because the scale isn't a really good measure of this, I can't really tell how I'm progressing. Sometimes I just "feel" better but that's so subjective.

Should I be measuring my waist, hips, thigh, arm, etc. instead?? How do I know what weight, or what measurements to aim for?

Thanks in advance.

if you're just trying to get lean and weight loss isn't the primary goal than I would say to measure, and if you can, find out your body fat percentage and base your progress off that. Rather than aiming for a particular number at first, track your progress slowly and carefully..you might realize that you prefer your body a higher percentage/higher measuremets than what some people may consider "ideal"

I'd also recommend that you not focus on fat loss, but on muscle gain.

if you want to track just fat loss then i suggest you measure your body fat percentage. you can purchase scales that will give fairly accurate readings or pinchers and a special measuring tape or go to a dr to do a dunk test. 

Personally I think the scale is the easiest since you dont have to make sure that you are measuring properly or go to a doctors office. Unfortunately the scales can be unreliable. Also body fat percentage will take longer to change than weight so daily checks can become frustrating. Keep in mind that when you are trying to lower body fat you may need to gain muscle (so you will weight more) but will have less fat over your muscles.

Also, be careful setting a goal lower than 105lbs. I am also 5'2" and have noticed that according to bmi, 105lbs is almost the lowest weight our height can maintain and not be "underweight."

yeah, i don't really care about my weight. i've never really weighed myself and the last time i did it was about 3 months ago. i do care about my muscle/fat ratio though..

i'll probably end up getting the accumeasure calipers to measure my body fat. i guess the problem im having is that i don' t know how many calories i need to eat and how to design my workout plan if my plan is to lose fat and not weight. ive been eating around 1500/1600 calories and burning 200/300 during workouts for a net total of 1300.

should i be frequenting bodybuilding forums? does anyone know of good ones?