How to Determine Your Ideal Weight
Jun 26, 2019
Last week we talked about Weight Goals (catch up here)—they are milestones on the way to your Goal.
Today we get to talk about Goal Weight and in particular how to pick yours.
The term “Ideal Weight” can have a negative connotation. As if there is some magic number that all bodies should be if they are a certain height.
Just writing that seems preposterous to me. It’s clear to anyone who’s ever been to a beach or mall that bodies come in all shapes and sizes.
So I use caution when discussing Ideal Weights with clients. I don’t use the standard equations for body weights (like Miller or Devine). They were originally developed for medication dispensing. One number, out of context, has little meaning in real life.
So after almost 20 years of working with people to lose weight, I’ve seen that the first and most important aspect of a Goal Weight is: MAINTAINABILITY.
That’s it.
As long as it’s a weight you can keep for years to come, then that’s a weight worth going for.
Choosing a number because it was your lowest after the stomach flu that time in 11th grade. Or because it was your wedding weight might not make much sense if you’ve had 3 kids and some health issues.
This is a time to be honest with yourself.
- What would make a difference right now?
- How many pounds would it take to have your back hurt less or for you to sleep better?
- Is there an article of clothing (recent, not ancient) that you’d like to get back into?
These are the kinds of questions to ask yourself on the path to your Goal.
Deprivation doesn’t work. Especially long term. So it has to be a weight you’ll be able to live with for decades. It’s a balance between eating enough not to feel deprived and stabilizing at a weight you’re happy with.
Only you know what number that is.
And you may not know it at the beginning of the weight loss journey.
There’s lots of fiddling with the final number as someone nears their Goal Weight.
You may look better than you thought you would at each weight.
You may realize that it would take way too much restriction to reach the initial goal.
Wait and see.
But do pick a Goal, a Target. Eventually.
You’ll need it so you can keep track of how you’re doing with maintenance.
Because getting there is only the first step in your life-long quest to live in a body you’re happy with.
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