What is the ideal weight for men over 70

Posted by evillarreal @evillarreal, Oct 16, 2023

I need to know what is the ideal weight for me. I am 75 years old, weigh 207.6 lbs and I am 5'9" tall. As of today, I have lost 50.8 lbs and I know that I need to get well below 200 lbs. However, I am getting conflicting information as to what is the ideal weight for me. I've seen that the range that I need to be in is between 145 to 169 and I've seen other ranges that seem a little to extreme. I am at that point in my weight loss program where I need to focus on my target weight so as not to lose too much weight or not lose enough weight. If someone can tell me what that ideal weight is or direct me to a source that can help me, I would appreciate it very much. Thank you so much in advance for your assistance in this matter.

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John, Volunteer Mentor | @johnbishop | Oct 17, 2023

@evillarreal, I'm 80 and I have struggled with that question for quite a few years. I've been overweight most of my adult life and reached a high of 330 lbs. Joined Weight Watchers for a few years and got down to 250 and went many years back and forth between 250 and 280 until I did a little research and changed some bad eating habits. A little over 3 years ago I started lowering the amount of carbs I was eating and trying to reduce my sugar intake along with intermittent fasting and was able to get to my current weight of 207 and stay within a few pounds. At 6'1" and 207 every chart I've read says I'm overweight but I really don't think one size fits all applies when it comes to weight. Other factors come in including frame size and structure. I was trying to get down to 200 but decided to stay between 200 and 210 which seems good for me. Fortunately my doctor agrees with me after many years on the weight loss bandwagon.

This chart shows the ranges but I think there should be an overlap between each of the categories to account for other factors.
--- Are You at a Healthy Weight?: https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/healthdisp/pdf/tipsheets/Are-You-at-a-Healthy-Weight.pdf.

I think this article is a little more realistic and talks about the factors involved.
--- How much should I weigh for my height and age?: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323446.

Just curious if you talked with your doctor to see what they think is a healthy weight for you?

rfherald | @rfherald | Oct 17, 2023

Advice everywhere and inexpensive. One size fits all doesn't . The best advice I received was from my PCP.

jw1 | @jw1 | Oct 17, 2023

According to the medical field your mass BMI is all B.S., they don't take into account for your type of build or anything else, They told me I should weigh 165 LBS at 6' 2" tall. I weight that in the 8th or 9th grades. Right now I am 229, I do CrossFit, exercise 2 hours per day 3-4 times per week. They don't have a clue, don't let them confuse you. Eat healthy, exercise regular. As long as you feel good that is all that matters. Ask yourself one question, when you were in your prime, what did you weigh, that should be your goal.

evillarreal | @evillarreal | Oct 17, 2023

In reply to @johnbishop "@evillarreal, I'm 80 and I have struggled with that question for quite a few years. I've..." + (show)

Congrats John!!! It's good to know that you have conquered. I too am on the same exact journey that you've just traveled. I am part of the way there myself. I've currently lost 50.8 lbs. and have decided to settle at 175 lbs or may have to adjust that after reading all of your information. Me being several inches smaller than you, I will have to set my sites at a lower weight target. I will get there without a problem being on this low-carb diet and backed by apple cider vinegar which for me absolutely KILLS any desire for food. Once I get to my target weight, I will stop the vinegar and fully transition over to the Mediterranean diet. Again, congrats and many thanks for the information. I will study it thoroughly!!!

evillarreal | @evillarreal | Oct 17, 2023

In reply to @rfherald "Advice everywhere and inexpensive. One size fits all doesn't . The best advice I received was..." + (show)

This seems to be the overwhelming consensus. So I think that I will take into consideration what my PCP recommends and other experts on this topic and settle around 175 lbs or thereabouts. Thanks for the encouragement.

evillarreal | @evillarreal | Oct 17, 2023

In reply to @jw1 "According to the medical field your mass BMI is all B.S., they don't take into account..." + (show)

In 2005 I lost 76 lbs, from 256 to 180. I went in for my annual physical and just knowing that I was going to impress my PCP, who by the way put me on a low-carb diet, looked at me and with a stern face, said, you are overweight! Wow, talk about an eye opener. This was the funny part: he said that I need to hit my TARGET WEIGHT! I don't even remember what he said after that, I was really disappointed. I think the lowest that I got to was about 170 and stopped there. I hope to settle in at around 175 or so. I forgot to mention that this time one of my goals is to totally flatten my stomach. I gain most of my weight in the gut and it looks like I am carrying a watermelon under my shirt. So, thanks for the info and it looks like I am starting to agree with views such as yours to help me hit my TARGET WEIGHT. Whatever that might be. Sincerely, Ernest Villarreal, Euless, Tx.