How to Calculate How Much Weight I Need to Lose

There is not one single formula to calculate the perfect body weight. Variables involved in determining an ideal body weight usually include your age, gender and height. Other factors less commonly taken into consideration by basic calculations are your percentage of body fat or body composition, your lifestyle, whether or not any of your limbs have been amputated and your bone density. Since muscle weighs more than fat, your primary goals for fitness should actually be to lose body fat, rather than weight. Moreover, each person's ideal body is different.

Instructions

• 1

  Weigh yourself. Knowing your starting point when beginning any new weight loss plan is helpful so you can track your progress. Write down your starting weight and keep it with your other weight loss information or tracking diary. You'll need to plug this number in to formulas later, so keep it handy.

• 2

  Calculate your approximate ideal weight. Using the Hamwi Formula, calculate your target weight. For men, allow yourself 106 lbs. for the first 5 feet of height and an additional 6 lbs. for each inch after that. For women, allow yourself 100 lbs. for the 5 five feet and an additional 5 lbs. for each inch taller than that. You also can plug your statistics into an online calculator to determine the healthy weight range for average people of your height.

• 3

  Subtract your ideal weight from your current weight to determine the total number of pounds of fat you wish to lose. Bear in mind that if you will be incorporating exercise into your weight loss plan, you may gain muscle. Muscle will help burn fat but will show as weight gain on the scale. A good way to generally tell if you are in an unhealthy weight category is by finding your height and weight on a Body Mass Index (BMI) chart. BMI charts do not take into account the fat/muscle composition of the body in question, so if you have an above average percentage of muscle, the chart may not apply to you.

• 4

  Speak with your doctor before beginning any new diet or exercise plan. Your doctor also will be able to measure your body fat percentage with calipers or an electronic body fat measuring device. You and your doctor can then set weight loss goals best suited to your body's needs according to losing the most fat, helping you achieve the healthiest results from your weight loss. Your doctor also can advise you on the healthiest road to shedding the amount of weight the two of you agree on.