What’s the right goal weight?

(89d1105db794d549f907) #1

Hi Keto Fam;

I am struggling with figuring out the correct healthy goal weight. In my mind, losing 100 pounds was all I needed to become healthy. However, I discovered that even when I reach that 100 pound mark, my weight will still be considered Obese. Ughhh! What metrics do I need to use to determine the best weight?

BMI? - everyone says that sucks, it can be useful for an overall assessment of health but can’t really be used to target an ideal weight because muscle tone, body comp, etc can all slew accuracy. Besides my BMI based on my height says I need to be 125 pounds which would make me look extremely emaciated and sickly based on my body comp

Waist to height ratio? - I have a huge umbilical hernia, that measurement is never going to be accurate like ever

Dr. Recommended weight? - she uses the BMI scale. Besides she told me as long as I wasn’t on meds, had no problems and no medical issues, I was fine. Please note I was 5’3” 271 pounds at the time!!!

Phinney weight? - yeah I’ve read all the articles and still don’t understand how the hell that works. My phinney weight is about 212… which is still obese and unhealthy. That’s not an option for me.

I’m a little sad to know that im only 35-40 pounds away from a 100 pound loss but it still won’t be enough. So please chime in friends. What’s the right weight and how do I determine it? SW 271, CW 207, GW 171

#2

Chiming in as a friend so take it for what it’s worth.

I’ve been thinking about ideal weights a lot lately, for myself.

There is a very good podcast on “the 2 keto dudes” regarding this issue. You might find it reassuring and interesting. These are guys you can trust!.

You should be proud and excited about the weight you’ve lost- you’re so much further ahead than you were before. You are lucky if you don’t have any medical issues!

Maybe taking a long-term outlook; like your whole life, would help. Continue to follow the plan that you’ve had success with so far and can maintain. Nobody said you have to get to a “goal-weight” overnight. Expect some ups and downs along the way- just keep working toward a goal and re-adjusting the goal as it feels right.

(Karen Parrott) #3

Get to what you think your goal weight is and do these things. No particular order, but do them

  1. Stay stable for 1-3 months
  2. See how you feel
  3. See how your blood markers are
  4. See how the first year is, are you on a stable plateau?
  5. See how the new weight fits with your new lifestyle (sports, hobbies)
  6. See how your joints feel.
  7. See how your insurance discounts go

Go from there. I used to maintain my WW goal weight at the top of my BMI. Turns out with my history of obesity and a short frame (5 ft, 1 inch) that I feel awful there. And regain was easier.

Cut to 2012. I picked a goal weight and maintained it most of the 5.75 years ( I had a 1.5 year regain of 8-10 pounds which are gone now)

My best practices

A. Natural weight plateau
B. Best blood sugar ranges- fasting and 2 hr post
C. Best lean body mass
D. Fewest binge urges
E. Best natural hunger signals ( only 25% of the time or so, but that’s better than none)
F. Best clothes fit, I have extra skin, no the keto fairy did not come for it. Sorry. No surgery either. Compression clothing to the rescue.
G. Least amount of joint pain. 40 years of obesity means I have had a lot of stress on my knees.
H. Get’s me my insurance discount because health care will bankrupt me at higher weights.

Hope this helps. Use your own list. One that fits you the best. There are no magic cut-off’s just ones that will work for you the best. Good luck.

(Duncan Kerridge) #4

It’s not very scientific but you’ll know when you get there. I had goal weights, lost my way through them, looked in the mirror and thought ‘nope, not yet’. As I got close to ‘yep, that’s ok’ my goals changed to different things like fitness and getting into a smaller pair of jeans.

#5

I keep hearing how EF is supposed to fix that. That your body through autophagy will use it when it has nothing else. Did you try and it did not help or was it the WW? I have been on regular diet sites where they advise fasting when you are within 20 lbs of goal to eliminate the skin. I have some now that I am hoping will go but I am not sure what is skin and what is weight

(Doug) #6

There isn’t a “one size fits all” within the BMI. A big thing is just how much fat we have, especially visceral fat around our organs.

(Karen Parrott) #7

Yes, I tried IF. It helps, but when you are a short person, post menopause, and formerly obese since the age of 6, many people have extra skin- IF or not.

Genetics, age, former obesity history seem to all play a part.I’m really happy for those who have no lose skin. I can deal with it. I’m lucky that regular clothes fit

I’m a single parent living in a cosmetic surgery crazed world of So. Cal. I can either send my kid to college or get several surgeries. Luckily, I don’t get skin infections often. I can deal with regular wrinkles.

If I get skin infections from the skin, then I can have insurance cover it. I’m trying to avoid that.

(Dawn) #8

can you explain skin infections from loose skin? I’ve never heard of that and you’ve just scared me.

#9

I think body fat % is a much better target than weight, BMI, waist to height, etc. We now know that fat is not benign tissue, it can make us sick. We also know muscle plays a crucial role in quality of life as we age. Ideally, we want to lose fat while gaining muscle. Those of us who are older, especially need to make sure we’re not losing muscle along the way.

This website has my favorite body fat % chart:

(Jennifer) #10

I had a DEXA scan so I know exactly what by lean mass and body fat percents are. At 20% BF I am still in the obese range in BMI. BMI is crap for a lot of people that are not “average” builds.

I’m going to go by body fat percent and see where I am comfortable.

(Karen Parrott) #11

Do not worry!!! It all depends where your lose skin is and your skin microbiome. I had a C-section in 2000, I’m short and have some extra skin. Belly button, too. Gross, I know. But real life. When it goes unnoticed, I can get a bad rash. I can take care of it with a combo of over the counter Bacitracin and I’ll hit it with some anti fungal cream, too.

No worries. I’ve never been not able to control it, so far. Your doc or PA can help you to diagnose. I can see if I had a second developing auto-immune condition (Hashimotos in 97) that things could go sideways. I’m at higher risk for more auto-immune.

I work in a medical lab for fractions of a day. I don’t worry so much about that, probably worse things to pick up from the grocery line at the store, but I have seen the worst skin infections in different medical conditions. I see what untreated infections can do.

This is why I test my glucose periodically. Never diagnosed type 2, but close. With 40 years of prior obesity, I take care of infectious stuff fast.

It’s just me. But I can’t unsee what I’ve seen after almost 30 years in Lab Medicine.

(Dawn) #12

I’ve had two c-sections so that does worry me a bit. I have a bunch of saggy under belly from the cuts. I guess if I have any kind of infection, I will know it pretty quickly?

Did keto help heal your hoshimoto? My aunt has it and I have thought about suggesting keto to her to help control it but I probably need more info before I approach her.

(Dawn) #13

I like body fat percentage. That seems very common sense and easy to track. Thanks again @4dml, you always come through with awesome answers

(Dawn) #14

DEXA scams are expensive in my area. Is it possible to get insurence to pay for it or is there a place where one can get them for free?

(Dawn) #15

Can I trust my body fat scale? Are these scales to inaccurate to be dependable?

#16

Thanks. I’m a KISS person.

There are other devices for measuring body composition besides DEXA. Two others I’ve tried:
Air Displacement Plethysmography- aka Bod Pod
Hydrostatic Weighing- underwater
And one I’m unfamiliar with:
3D Body Scan

Try to Google these terms and see if there’s a facility near you. There are even some mobile facilities. If that doesn’t work, try contacting area universities (especially any that grant fitness certifications) they should have the equipment and may be open to the public.

(Jennifer) #17

That I don’t know - check any colleges around you for a sports medicine department. That is where I went and it was only $50.

I found that my body fat scale was actually pretty close to my DEXA body fat number. If yours isn’t really accurate, I would think that it should still give you an accurate delta as you lose weight.

(Karen Parrott) #18

Search Hashimotos and see what topics come up here on the forum.

#19

Thank you. I get the same thing, no C section simply saggy skin. I am not near goal and will see if it disappears. I always thought that it was fungal it never occurred to me that it could be an infection. Sometimes it gets red and itchy. I have Hashimotos as well

(VLC.MD) #20

Time.

After 3 more years of Keto, your weight will be the right one. You won’t know til then.