Im thinking about this and totally confused. All my life I have been more musclar and bigger than my friends. My family is naturally bigger musclar wise. And im thinking how do I know what weight I want. I can understand body fat %. Can someone help me clarify how does one aquire what weight ones wants to be?

Im thinking about this and totally confused. All my life I have been more musclar and bigger than my friends. My family is naturally bigger musclar wise. And im thinking how do I know what weight I want. I can understand body fat %. Can someone help me clarify how does one aquire what weight ones wants to be?

I am been trying to go with my goals along the lines of how I feel about the way I look and how my clothes fit. My weight goal was set by my doctor a couple years back based on my height and frame, but muscle weighs more than fat so if while working on my transformation, if more muscle is developed, then my weight could be higher than what my doctor recommends once I get to the point of where I want to be at.

So if you have a goal in your mind of how you want to look with a body fat % in mind, then I really wouldn't worry about the actual weight number that much. Once you get there, you will know what that weight is...

just my 2 cents...

First goal can easily be from the Weight Tables (http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/primry/life15.htm). If you look around the forums here, you will see many finding their best weight comes from the tables for cutting. Note they allow you to look by your frame size.

Now that you have an idea where you should head. Keep your eye on mirror with no clothes on - the naked truth. Be sure and get a side view. This allows you to adjust up or down.

I bet if you have a good weight training program going at the same time as diet you will find the tables aren't too far off from perfect goal. After you get to goal and live with it, you might want to increase weight by muscle gain.

The important thing is you make a good diet and exercise program a Way of Life.

First goal can easily be from the Weight Tables (http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/primry/life15.htm). .... Note they allow you to look by your frame size.


There is some interesting history behind the Met Life weight tables in the link above.

1. Note that the weights are assuming you are wearing one inch heels and 5 lbs of clothing.

2. The orginal tables by Met Life (from the 1960's) were actually based on national averages not some concept of ideal weight (though the Met called them ideal weights--this was for statistical purposes for calculating life and health insurance premiums.) The '60's tables were not much different than the 1983 table in the link above.

3. The original tables were published before the great American weight gain starting in the 1970's.

When the tables first came out there was widespread criticism, including from the medical community and various US government health departments, that the tables stated too high weight levels; that the national averages should not be the goal--but should be considerably less. The collective medical opinion was that Americans were too heavy even back then! (Little did the medical community know what was to come!) :rolleyes: :lol:
Being a statistical average, a high percentage of the population was below those ranges (the overweight people pulled up the average.) The concern was that these tables would suggest people to gain weight and cause complacency among people who needed to lose weight.

Now, with average US weight sky-rocketing, today those tables look like good weight goals when you are dealing with what is essentially a fat society.

But they are probably not a good guide for ideal weight.

It depends on how much muscle a person has.

Body fat percentage would probably be a better guide is my guess.

It would be interesting to hear what people on this site say about what their ideal weight is or goals are, relative to their frames and muscularity.

Does anyone have a link to the cutting tables that rtestes refers to?

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But they are probably not a good guide for ideal weight.

It depends on how much muscle a person has.

Body fat percentage would probably be a better guide is my guess.

It would be interesting to hear what people on this site say about what their ideal weight is or goals are, relative to their frames and muscularity.

Does anyone have a link to the cutting tables that rtestes refers to?

The link is in my post. Google for weight tables will provide many other sites most based on the Met-life tables.

Sure the tables have shortcomings as do nearly all means of determining goal weights. Most of us knew what our best weight was when we were there. Mine was 165 lbs. And guess what, that is the weight table suggestion. I don't think they are too low as most complain. I think they are attainable and a good weight range to go to and make decisions from there.

Some suggest that the weight you were at age 20 should be a goal. But that doesn't work for those whose weight was out of control before then.

Sure fat% would be the best measure but it seems like getting a good measure is hard to do. People can't use the same measures and many aren't accurate.

So, I tend to say the tables are a good starting point for most everyone.

Well they are probably a decent starting point for most average people, but I want to be more muscular than most people want to be. My bodyfat is not high, and according to that table I am around 60 pounds overweight! :D

Well they are probably a decent starting point for most average people, but I want to be more muscular than most people want to be. My bodyfat is not high, and according to that table I am around 60 pounds overweight! :D

They address a cutting goal in my mind. If we build up muscle mass and cut fat%, we might even be able to carry additional weight, 60 lbs might be pushing it a bit, but you seem to have large bones.

I would guess 80% of members are in cutting phase.

They address a cutting goal in my mind. If we build up muscle mass and cut fat%, we might even be able to carry additional weight, 60 lbs might be pushing it a bit, but you seem to have large bones.

I would guess 80% of members are in cutting phase.
I would agree with you there rtestes. I'm a little more mesomorphic than most, and my goals are different.

I'm probably in the minority here seeing as how I seek more mass than most. Me, Knubb, and SwoleCat. That's okay though, I still enjoy these forums more than any other fitness forums. :)