Setting a healthy weight loss goal is a subject I’ve wanted to tackle for a while. Keep in mind that everything I’m writing is solely based on my own personal experience.
As I mentioned in my last post, the Fitbit tracker and program does not tell you what a healthy range is, so if you happen to set a dangerously low goal, no red flags will go up. The only thing it might do is show your BMI as underweight after you hit your goal. That’s a little too late.
There are different things you can Google to find your healthy weight loss goal:
“Healthy weight calculator”
“How much should I weight?”
“Healthy weight loss goal”
“Weight calculator by age”
These are just a few. I highly recommend using one that asks for your age, because, as we get older healthy weights are a little bit higher.
BE FLEXIBLE. Realize that you may have to adjust your goal, either higher or lower, along the way.
BE CONSCIOUS of the changes you see as you are losing weight. (In the mirror, in pictures, and in your clothing sizes.) This is about being healthy, not about numbers.
LOOK AND LISTEN: You’re going to get comments and feedback from a lot of people once they start noticing your weight loss. This will happen whether you like it or not. Some will be constructive and positive, and, sadly, some will be thoughtless and fueled by jealousy. As a wise person once said, “Consider the source,” when it comes to those comments. Look at photos of yourself as you’re losing and evaluate which ones make you look healthy or not. Listen to comments of those you trust, those who truly have your best interest at heart, and those who celebrate your success.
BE REALISTIC about your goal. Be open to change, be prepared to work. But, it is better to set it too high than too low. You can always change it once you get started and begin losing consistently.
ULTIMATELY IT IS UP TO YOU. Ah, the fun of being an adult. Your weight loss goal is one more decision that is, ultimately, yours to make.
A good link to use is the IDEAL WEIGHT CALCULATOR. Within that link are different calculators, like BMI, body fat, calorie intake, and others. I like it because it asks for your height and age and takes those things into consideration before giving you healthy ranges.
Here is what it told me about my range:
Let’s look at the “healthy range” section, which it says is between 113 to 153. That’s a 40 pound range–quite a span from which to make a decision. This is not the calculator I used when I set my weight loss goal in January (I honestly cannot remember which one I used,) but I love the way it labels each section. (If you’re new here, my starting weight in January 2014 was 186.6…*just* trickling into the “obese class I” section. Eesh.)
BUT…there are those “invisible” labels within a section. The ones YOU know are too high or too low.
During previous weight loss attempts I remember certain weights and how I looked. When I began college in 1989 I was 153 and classified “obese” at age 18 in my “Fitness for Life” class. I started running every day before dinner and keeping a weight loss journal. (This was about passing a class, not feeling better about myself and, certainly, not about Maintenance.)
Eventually I got down to 130, then 128, and then down to a low of 117 by the time I was a sophomore. Even at the tender age of 19 I knew I was too skinny and brought my weight up to 128 again, which was a healthy-looking weight at that age.
Remembering this, and knowing that 128 would be too skinny 25 years later, I decided to make 140 my goal this time. I also decided to let my window be 135-140.
I hit 153–top of my healthy range according to this scale–at the beginning of May. Hubby and I were going on a 5 day trip to Las Vegas and it was terrific to buy clothes in smaller sizes and feel so much more confident in my new body. We worked out each morning and tried our best to watch what we ate, despite the yummy temptations everywhere. But, yes, I indulged once in a while!
May 3, 2014…I was about 153 here.
Admittedly, I probably could have stopped with my weight loss at 153, but I know me. I didn’t want to stop at the top of the range because it would be too easy to get back to where I was before. My real goal was still 13 lbs away. And I had to do what was right for me (within a healthy range.)
As time went on I got closer to my goal. I had choices to make. I needed to listen to constructive advice, mainly from my husband. We decided I should change my “window” from 135-140 to 138-143. (When your husband says you’re getting too skinny–listen.) And if I go a little higher, even 150, that’s OK too. But I am at the point where I do not want to lose more.
I wish I could do all of this without thinking about it so much, but I’m not quite to that point yet. Again, a process. Six months of trying so hard to lose vs only 1 month of Maintenance. It is a new phase of learning and I’m still at the beginning of it.
2 1/2 months later, 1 month into Maintenance. Look how slimmed down Hubby looks!
So this is what I do now…
I still go to the gym and get my 10,000 steps in before breakfast. But I add frozen organic mangoes to my morning shake to give it a few more calories. Still no cow’s milk, no soda, but I will have an occasional dessert when we eat out. I have never drunk alcohol and I try to avoid sodium.
I weigh myself each morning and if I am getting too low ( a few days ago I was 136.8 for 2 days in a row) I just eat more. I still count calories with everything (I don’t see that ending anytime soon.) Because the body is more forgiving and I’ve probably reset my metabolism, I can eat things at restaurants that I would not have eaten when I was working to lose. But like I said in my last post, I still walk a tightrope.
As I share these things with you I can also confide that even in the Maintenance phase, every bite is a choice. If you are counting calories, which I highly recommend, the best thing to do is think about what you plan to eat, and calculate the calories BEFORE you eat. It is the same as determining whether or not you have enough money to buy that tempting pair of shoes. Either you do, or you don’t.
Lastly, check in with yourself. Talk to yourself honestly about how you’re doing. I do a lot of thinking about my eating while I’m working out, which is one of the reasons I’m not a big fan of working out with headphones or reading a magazine. That is my Zen time. My thinking time. My time of clarity in the morning before the day’s obligations begin.
I realize that there are some who will look at the pictures of me and say, “I think she looks better in the top picture.” Others will say, “I think she looks better now.” Like I said before, people are full of opinions when it comes to weight loss in someone else. Many factors went into my decision and will also go into yours. It’s your decision. Your goal. Your health. Your life. Your success.
Here are some other great links for calculating a healthy weight range:
Everyday Health: Healthy Weight Calculator
Some excellent articles on healthy weight loss:
The Mayo Clinic: Set Yourself Up for Success
WebMD: Is Your Weight Loss Goal Realistic?
WebMD: Ideal Weight? Or Happy Weight?
All the best in setting your goal! Stay healthy. Stay cool. Stay active.
Health, Happiness & Almond Milk 