I wanted to put up a quick post explaining how I view my own weight goals. I’ve tried to explain this to a few people I know and I don’t think I’ve done a good job explaining myself. Maybe if I typed it up, this concept would make more sense.
My current weight is still 199. Until better information surfaces, I consider my ideal range to be 185-200. I don’t have a specific pound target. I use the range as guidance as I know – within this range – my face looks best at 200 and my waist looks best at 185. I’m also guessing that my left knee will feel best at 185. The range serves as a compromise, as I don’t know if I have an ideal weight.
These estimates are based upon my last experience in this range. Below 185, my face looked haggard and my abs were tight. But this time might be different. My sleep is much better. I’m eating plenty of carbs, which helps reduce stress hormones. So my 185-200 range might float lower.
Poor Timing
I am a little concerned. I dropped from 222 to 199 while the weather was great and for more than a month I’ve been stuck at 199. Being at the upper limit of my range after a weight loss and heading into winter makes me nervous for 2 obvious reasons:
- I want to lock in the losses I already earned and I know that will take time. Like anyone that has ever lost weight, the real challenge is keeping it off in that first 6-12 months, before metabolism can increase to the new weight.
- Not only do I move less in the winter, but I crave more calories. It is easier to eat like a peasant on a sunny day than a drizzly cold day.
If this were April, I’d be far less concerned. The wind would be at my back and my probability of success would be higher.
Lawrence
Oct 9, 2017 — 10:08 am
Interesting article Michael. How do you know that is your ideal range aside from your subjective measure? Is there any evidence out there to help one identify ideal weight / body composition? I’m sitting at 8-10% body fat and I sometimes wonder if I’m too low despite never feeling deprived of food (eating mostly steak and eggs …)
MAS
Oct 9, 2017 — 11:32 am
@Lawrence – Good question.
My evidence is what I see and how I feel. I’m using numbers to quantify my best guess, but I concede that range might be off or it might change over time.
A decade ago, all I cared about was adding muscle. Today being leaner is more important. So my values have changed as well. There is no right answer, which is why I like using a range approach.
Matt
Oct 10, 2017 — 12:43 am
Nice post, I agree target weight ranges are better than a fixed number . I was taught to use two formulas longevity (Dr Fuhrman) as the low end and Hamwi (Dr Hamwi) as the higher end.