My goal weight is healthy, right?

Currently I'm 5'6, 155 lbs., 25-26% body fat.  My goal weight is 135 lbs.  But this puts me at about 15% body fat.  The weight range for my height is 118-150, so I would be right in the middle.  I would have a low body fat, but so do many professional athletes (depending on the sport, they're anywhere from 12-18%.  It's not like I would have a low lean mass and 15% body fat -- I would have a high lean mass and 15% body fat.

It seems reasonably healthy.  Your body fat will depend on how much muscle you gain not your overall weight.  Most body fat measurements are not done correctly, even those done at the gym by fitness profesionals or using impedence such as the scales with electrical signals.

I don't think that its an unrealistic weight. However I am not sure how you figure what your body fat will be at that weight. I mean I could lose 30 lbs and only drop a few percentages of body fat. I am sure you must workout a lot but I just wanted to mention this because your body fat percent may not end up that low when you get to that ideal weight.

If my lean mass stays the same through just losing fat and not muscle (if I strength train and eat adequate protein it should not change), then my body fat at that weight will be easy to calculate.  My lean mass is 115, at 135 I would have 20 lbs of fat on my body, for 15% of my total mass.

Oh, believe me, you will loose some muscle along the way, even if you do it in the most impeccable way possible. Unless, of course, if you are monitored by professionals who know what they are doing.

Average for all weight loss is 75% fat loss, 25% muscle loss.  But I will be strength training and eating adequate protein and lots of glycogen after I workout to recover the muscle.  The fitness expert I met will said my lean mass should stay the same.

Also, at mid 140's, I was at around 20% body fat, which means my lean mass stayed the same even after I gained (and lost 10 lbs.)... so it looks like on my high lean mass body, that's the case.

I think I'm very healthy and Im at 15% body fat!

Hi,

  I dont think your goal weight is unrealistic and you will inadvertantly loose muscle as you start to come down on your body fat. 

I guess my question is are you trying to lower your weight or trying to lower your percentage of body fat or both?

A few years ago, I had 11.5% body fat and I was very healthy (mid-20s male with years of military training).  With that said, I would not put all your trust in a fitness expert.  A 60 Minute episode (or was it 20/20) was dedicated to how few fitness experts there really are seeing there are few actually certified fitness trainers.  Many learn on the job.  In fact, when I was at that body fat, a fitness expert at a local gym told me that I was at 22% body fat and I could lose at least 9% body fat (I quickly pointed out that he was reading the woman's scale, and he revised his estimate to 12% which was close to what my doctor told me).

I would see a dietician and your doctor to collaborate what the fitness expert told you, and use that combined guidance forward.  I am cutting calories and training four to five days a week to drop to my goal, and I fully expect to lose some muscle mass along the way.  Due to my Crohn's disease, I can never get back to 11% body fat because one bout could drop me to a very dangerous weight, and only a physician or dietician would truly know those ramifications.

I am an advocate of checking with a physician to ensure you are not causing any long term health detriment based on family history and current physical health.

With that said, I wish you luck! 

I started off a year and a half ago at 155 and 5'6 and I am currently 135. It's perfectly healthy. It doesn't necessarily mean that you would have 15% body fat since you could lose muscle along with the fat. I know I'm not 15%, a electric test put me at about 18% but Im not sure how accurate those are.