“Cristy, how do I know what my goal weight should be?”

I get this question a lot.

When people invest in a custom program, I calculate their goal weight.

I also ask them what they think their goal weight should be. It helps me get a feel for their mindset about their weight.

Sometimes what they pick matches what I decide, but other times, people choose a goal weight that’s way too high. Why?

Because a healthy goal weight seems so out of reach when you’ve been heavy for a long time (or for your whole life). It makes you prone to settling for a weight that’s still too high for you.

For example, back when my sister, Cari, weighed 250 pounds, she would have been happy with a goal weight of 180. But that was still way too high for her.

When it comes to choosing your goal weight, you need to pick something that’s right for YOU, without “settling” for something too high.

Here are three tips to help you do that.

1) Don’t overthink it! You can always change it later. Just pick something and work toward it.

2) Think back to a weight where you loved how you looked and felt. Start there. I realize that if you’ve battled your weight your whole life, this may not be possible for you, so go with option 1.

3) Listen to your body. Pay attention to how you feel. Do you feel great, or do you feel tired? Are you happy with the amount of body fat you have, or would you like to be rid of more?

I’ve had clients get to their goal weight and keep losing, because their body wanted to go lower. I’m a big fan of listening to your body. Let it guide you.

“Cristy, what about BMI?”

I am not a fan of BMI, and here’s why: BMI is a cookie cutter method of determining your ideal weight that doesn’t account for differences in build.

Cari and I are both 5’7.5″, and because of our natural builds, a healthy weight for us is the low 150s. Neither of us looks or is fat in the low 150s.

But our youngest sister, who’s around the same height, would be and look fat at that weight, just because natural build is much more slender.

Bottom line: Pick your goal weight and see how you feel when you get there. It’s not set in stone, and you can always go lower if you find what you chose the first time is too high!