Approaches to setting a goal weight
There are two approaches to setting a goal weight. One approach that you choose is a random number without any reason beyond “it sounds good.” The other is understanding your current body composition and choosing a goal weight that focuses on a specific reason. Selecting a goal weight based on your current body composition compared to the body composition you want will elevate your purpose for staying focused on your meal plan and exercise and lessen your chances of health challenges and diseases.
I understand that setting a goal of losing 50 pounds may sound good, but if you do not have a deep-seated underlying reason why you may not be so motivated to reach it. For example, if you have a life or death reason, you need to lose 50 pounds, such as trying to get rid of or prevent the challenges, illnesses, and diseases that come with being overweight or obese that is entirely different. As a result, the internal motivation to lose this weight will be stronger.
I hope that completing this lesson will help you figure out how much weight you need to lose to alleviate or abolish the risks and threats you may face in your current body composition. In addition, this lesson aims to show you how to calculate a goal weight no matter where you are on your health and wellness journey.
How to set a goal weight
I want to show you how to calculate a goal weight that will enable you to reach the ideal fitness level you would like to be in the future. You will need your current and lean body mass weights calculated in the Understanding and calculating your total body fat percentage and weight lesson to do this. You will also need to know the body fat percentage ranges of the body fat category you want to reach. Once you have those, follow this formula.
Goal Weight (Lbs.) = lean body mass (lbs.) ÷ (1.00 – body fat percentage goal)
Additional Tips: The calculator on the last page is helpful. But I want to teach you the fundamentals of calculating everything to make sense and show you how everything relates.
To start, you need to calculate your current body fat in pounds. You will need to know these three figures:
- the current body fat percentage you calculated in the last lesson and your total body weight.
- your lean body mass. This is calculated by subtracting your body’s weight from fat (in pounds) from your total body weight.
- your goal weight is based on the body percentage weight you would like to be at your ideal fitness level.
Calculate your current body fat weight
Total bodyweight x body fat percentage = number of lb. of fat carried
Female example: My client named Shawna weighs 175 lb. She is 5’7.5” . After using the seven-site skinfold method, we calculated she has a body fat percentage of 30%.Therefore, Shawna’s current body fat in lb. is 175 x .30 = 52.5 lb.
Male example: My client named John weighs 280 lb. He is 6’9”. After using the seven-site skinfold method, we calculated he has a body fat percentage of 40%.Therefore,John’s current body fat in lb. is 280 x .40 = 112 lbs.
Calculate your body fat in lb.: Use the calculation of your body fat percentage in the last lesson and multiply it by your body weight. Please write down your current body fat in pounds after you calculate it. This is the formula:your bodyweight x your body fat percentage = current pounds of body fat
Calculate your lean body mass
Total body weight in lb.. – lb. of current fat= lean body mass in lb.
Female example: Shawna weighs 175 lb. She has 52.5 lb. of body fat. So Shawna’s current body fat in lb. is 175 – 52.5 lb. of fat = 122.5 lb. of lean body mass.
Male example: John weighs 280 lb. He has 112 lb. of body fat. So John’s current body fat in lb. is 280 – 112 lb. of fat = 168 lb. of lean body mass.
Calculate your lean body mass in lb.: Use the formula below to calculate your lean body mass. Please write down your current lean body mass in pounds after you figure it.The formula is your body weight – your current lb. of body fat = your lean body mass in lb.
Percent body fat norms for men and women (American Council on Exercise, n.d.)
Calculate your goal weight for your ideal body fat percentage
There are numerous ways to calculate your goal weight to reach your ideal body fat percentage. I am going to give you two the quick way and mathematical way. I prefer the quick way, but I provide the long way for all of you math and science people who want to know how to calculate numbers.
Quick way
The quick way is to have a body composition scale at home that connects with an app. I literally found my goal weight based on my ideal body fat percentage within 3 minutes or less.
- Here is my next process:
- I use the Renpho scale at https://amzn.to/3czBG3K. (The link will open in a new window). It has an app.
- I turn on the Bluetooth on my cell phone.
- I find the Renpho app.
- I underdress to my boxers.
- I get on the scale.
Done!
Next, I to go https://gettopics.com/en/calc/target-weight-given-target-body-fat-composition-calculator. (The link will open in a new window)
I enter my current weight, my current body fat percentage, and the target body fat I want to be to calculate the goal weight I need to reach.
I chose a 10% body fat percentage as a goal weight in this example. To reach a 10% body fat percentage, I must strive to lose about 15 pounds. The goal weight calculation shows I need to be about 153.82 pounds at 10% body fat.
The long way
Lean body mass ÷ (1.00 – body fat percentage goal) = goal weight
Percent body fat norms for men and women are determined by the American Council on Exercise.
Female example: Shawna weighs 175 lb. Her goal is to be at optimal health and fitness. Therefore, she needs to be in the body fat percentage range of 14-18%.
Shawna’s current lean body mass in lb.: 122.5
Ideal body fat percentage goal = 14-18%
122.5 ÷ (1.00 -.14 =.86) = goal weight => 122.5 ÷ (.86) = goal weight of 141.86 lb.
122.5 ÷ (1.00 -.18 =.82) = goal weight => 122.5 ÷ (.80) = goal weight of 153.13 lb.
The calculations above show that Shawna needs to weigh around 141-153 lb. to reach her ideal level of health and fitness at an optimal range. Therefore, Shawna needs to lose approximately 22-34 lb. to achieve this goal weight.
Male example: John weighs 280 lb. His goal is to be at optimal health and fitness. Therefore, he needs to be in the body fat percentage range of 15-19%.
John’s current lean body mass in lb.:168
Body fat percentage goal = 15-19%
168 ÷ (1.00 -.15 =.85) = goal weight => 168 ÷ (.85) = goal weight of 197.65 lb.
168 ÷ (1.00 -.19 =.81) = goal weight => 168 ÷ (.81) = goal weight of 207.41 lb.
The calculations above show that John needs to weigh around 197-207 lb. to reach his ideal level of health and fitness. Therefore, he needs to lose around 73-83 lb. to reach this goal weight.
Calculate your goal body weight: Use this formula to calculate your goal weight based on which body fat percentage you’d like to reach:Your lean body mass ÷ (1.00 – your goal body fat percentage) = your goal body weight
Reference
American Council on Exercise. (n.d.). Percent body fat norms for men and women [image]. Retrieved from https://www.acefitness.org/education-and-resources/lifestyle/tools-calculators/percent-body-fat-calculator/.