I am 5'8, my frame is medium, and I'm like 195 lbs, give or take. How much do I need to lose?

here is an ideal body weight calculator
http://pediatrics.about.com/cs/growt...l_ibw_calc.htm

That really depends on you. Based on my weight, docs and all charts will say I should be around 135 but I really have no desire to be that small. Some know way ahead what their target weight is and some say they will just lose until it feels right. If you have a small frame, charts will tell you that you can be as much as 139, 167 if you have a large frame. You really have to make the ultimate decision though.

An adult who is 195 pounds and is 5 feet 8 inches tall has a body mass index of 29.7.

Warning! An adult with a body mass index between 25 and 29.9 is considered to be overweight.

Your ideal body weight would be at a BMI of 25 or below, and so would be about 163 pounds.

This is just a guideline. It is not written in stone.

I did the calculations from the web site and this is quote from it

Tyra Banks is no different then the rest of us. Have you seen her lately? She has DEFINITELY packed on a few pounds, more then a few in fact and she's the first one to admit it. She's still gorgeous of course. But it just goes to show you that even a super model can gain weight.

hi melanie

i don't think that anyone can tell you exactly the weight you should be - especially in this forum. without seeing you in context it is difficult and would be irresponsible.

Here is a good chart to use

a good way to start would be go for the upper end of the BMI scale as an initial goal - for you that would be 153lbs (assuming my calculations are correct @ 67 inches tall).

you may find you get to 160 and are quite happy with your weight and clothing size. you also may find that at 153 you would like to lose a little more. don't take the BMI chart as gospel - use it as a guide.

Thank you everyone for the responses! I figured it up and I could initially lose 30 lbs to look much better than I do now. It's rather motivating, because 30 lbs doesn't sound like *that* much. It doesn't seem like it would take that long, maybe 3 months?? If I'm still not satisfied with the results, I'll go on to 40 lbs, maybe even 50. Depending on what looks right for me. I found something on another site saying that my ideal body weight could be between 154-165 lbs, so I think 30 lbs will be a good start initially.

I agree, Tyra's packed on some lbs. Still looks great though! I wouldn't mind being her size even with the extra lbs.

Anyone have any tips on how many calories I should be consuming a day to lose ?

here are a few again you may need to ajust for yourself it is just s guidline

http://nutrition.about.com/library/b...tion_guide.htm

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cal...lator/NU00598/

http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/

the last one has a few calculators like your waist to hips ratio which is supposed to be more important than bmi.I hope this helps

1200-1300- for a strict diet and usually for a regiment for no or very light exercies
1400-1500-for moderate weight loss, and good if you work out
1600-1800-for slower weight loss, and a good diet if you work out A LOT

I try to stay around 1500 calories. But don't be afraid to pick one try it for a while and if its not working move the number up or down. I've known a lot of folks that start out at 1200 calories and arent losing anything then when they upped their intake to 1400 or 1500 they started dropping the weight!

Hope this helps!

That's because the body needs calories in order to survive - if you lower your calories too much (like below 1200) your body goes into starvation mode and retains everything it can.

I personally stay between 1400-1600 calories a day. It's really trial and error, figuring out how much you need to eat to get enough calories, not be hungry, and still lose weight, and it may need to be adjusted as you lose. But you can do it!

Thank you guys for the links and and advice. It was a bit confusing but I basically figured out I need anywhere between 1800-2300 calories a day. 2300 sounds like quite a lot actually, I don't even think I eat that much. I know that as my weight starts coming off, I will have to decrease the amount of calories I consume. And modify it according to amount of physical activity, and stuff.

Wow, it is really motivating seeing everyone's weight loss tickers. If you guys can do it so can I! Congrats to you all.

Good Luck! Just remember it may take a while but it will pay off. The slower u lose it(1-2 pounds /week) the easier it is to keep off.

Thanks! Wow, 41lbs lost! Congrats! Would you mind telling me how you did it? Like, just like sample of what you did, amount of exercise/calories and sorts of things that you ate? And what duration of time did it take for you to lose the 41lbs?

I'd be so grateful if you could tell me how you did it and anyone else who's lost, please share as well.

Melanie-Its taken me a year to loose 25 lbs. i'm the same height as you and started out close to the same weight. My original plan was 1 lb. a week until goal, and it happened at that rate or faster for the first 2.5 months, then slowed down quite a bit. Then I realized, it took me 4 years to put it on, its unreasonable to expect it to take 4 months to take it off (gaining is quite a bit easier for me than loosing ) I'm happy with my pace, and like Canadian mom said, the slower you loose, the less likely you are to put it back on. I lost by walking 2 miles most days of the week and counting Weight watchers points (basically calorie counting, but it also considers fat grams and fiber). Also, I quit eating fast food and starting eating out at restraunts only 1 time per week (saved tons of $$$ too!).
Whats your plan so far?

Thanks for the other sites. I had found one of them before, that's why I switched my goal weight from 145 to 160. If I got down to 145 I would look sick. heh. Anyone know any good recipe websites? Or good exercise ideas at home? I used to go to Curves, but financially I can't do that anymore..It really works going there though. I got down to 187 before. Was SO close. Oh, well. I'll do it again!! Plus MORE!