HOWEVER, I can still be very healthy as low as 120. Anything below that, IMPO, I would be way too thin. My "stats", as per the weight calculators I've used on the internet, give me a 114-140 lb healthy weight. I'm 5'3 1/2" and have a small to medium frame. I am using 140 as my goal weight, mainly because 6 years ago I was down to 138 (135 was my goal) and I looked/felt fantastic.
My main goal is to be HEALTHY.
2nd goal: to feel good in my clothes,
and 3rdly, to look good.
However, I could be happy at 145
Ditto! I've mentioned before that our stats & goals are basically the same.
To the OP: Your "ideal" depends on you and what you are willing to do to sustain your goal weight. I'm only 5 ft. 3, and my goal weight of 140 is probably a lot higher than the goal weight for some folks my height. However, I've decided that I'm not willing to go any lower because, frankly, it would involve too much sacrifice. I want to be able to eat in a calorie range that is a bit higher, and I don't want to kill myself working out. Heck, if I get to 150 and look & feel good, I may end up staying there. I think you have to weigh the importance of reaching your goal weight (and all that comes with that) and what you'll have to do to sustain it.
ETA: I also think age plays a big factor in determining one's goal weight. It's not only that your metabolism gets lower as you age (making it necessary to lower calories to stay at the same weight), but after a certain age, being thin can make you look older. I find that as I've aged (I'm in my early 40's), my face has gotten thinner. So, when I lose weight, it gets even thinner, which makes me look older---not something I aspire to. What's that old saying: After a certain age, you have to choose between your *ss or your face! I'm settling for a happy medium.
Last edited by lin43; 07-14-2011 at 10:49 AM.
Reason: typos
I having asked this myself over the years the same question! And, I finally started asking myself -
Can you maintain this weight?
How much work will it take to stay at this ideal weight? You know...exercise!
What was the weight you achieved and felt good?
My public health nurse mom used to give off the old government guidelines: 100 pounds for 5', and 5 pounds for each inch after that.
At 6'3", that would put me at 175. The weights you guys are talking about, 103 to 120, sound like starvation rates, but anything under 160 sounds that way to me!!! :P
My public health nurse mom used to give off the old government guidelines: 100 pounds for 5', and 5 pounds for each inch after that.
At 6'3", that would put me at 175. The weights you guys are talking about, 103 to 120, sound like starvation rates, but anything under 160 sounds that way to me!!! :P
I remember this information also. Geezzzzzzzzzzzzz, If I ever got down to the 130 pounds, for 5'6", I think I would look deathly ill. I am going for a more realistic weight this time.
I remember this information also. Geezzzzzzzzzzzzz, If I ever got down to the 130 pounds, for 5'6", I think I would look deathly ill. I am going for a more realistic weight this time.
I thought the same thing, that I would look ill at 5'6" and 130 lbs., but I am 4 lbs. away from that, and I think I look ok. Not great, but I can live with it. I weighed 125 when I graduated from high school almost 30 yrs. ago. For years people told me, "don't ever expect to get back to that weight". Now I wonder, why not? I'm not interested in working my way down to 125, but honestly I think 130 would be just fine, for me.
I don't know. My mom is very skinny, she's 5'8'' (like me) and weighs about 120-125 lbs. I would love to have her slender legs, but a bit more a**, boobs and muscle in general. So I would like to be at 135 someday but it depends. If my thighs shrink a few inches when I'm at 140 I'm good with that. And as long as I can maintain it with a normal diet and exercise!
Was about to start same thread.Very interesting feedback.Looks like "wait and see" is the way I'll go. My last reasonable weight was 144 at 29 y-o and 5'8''.That was 19 years ago(my son's age..) and now I'm 5'7'' and after loosing 31lbs, weight 157. I'm shooting for 150 and have a medium frame.I guess I don't like the uncertainty..but I'm sure I'll get over it!
How are you losing the weight? Are you lifting/doing lots of interval training? I ask because you can look VERY different at the same weight if you are lifting vs. not lifting. It's something you might want to consider too.
I'm a big fan of wait and see. I picked my goal weight because it would make an even 100lb weight loss and it was my weight at high school. I was very active then and was quite happy about my weight. I'm lifting more now, though, so I might be happy sooner, who knows?
BTW, looking here: http://calculators.hpathy.com/body-weight.asp for your height and frame it seems like 103 would be appropriate. I was surprised. I thought I had a smaller frame (couldn't remember my wrist measurement correctly before). It turns out I have a large one and that explains why 140 worked so well for me (according to that 143lbs is my idea weight ).
My goal was 125-130 pounds, which is the ideal weight for being five foot two. However, I have several people tell me "NO!" That that was way way to skinny that I should go for 150 and see how that look and felt and if I felt like I needed more, to go for more.
I can sorts see their point. I have large muscled thighs, a heck of a badonkadonk and god graced me with ample cleavage. So 125 might look way way our of proportion. I would really just be happy to be rid of my belly pouch and flabby arms.
I remember this information also. Geezzzzzzzzzzzzz, If I ever got down to the 130 pounds, for 5'6", I think I would look deathly ill. I am going for a more realistic weight this time.
I was thinking the same thing...wii fit says that I should weigh somewhere around that, but I cannot even imagine. I have a huge frame...I've NEVER been able to wear a woman's wristwatch or bracelet, even before weight was an issue.
167 is my number so far...just a number that is stuck in my head. We'll see if that turns out to be my final goal. Who knows, maybe I'll get there and decide 130 is attainable after all...
I have no numerical goal. I have no idea what I'll look like at 170, 165, 160 - weights I haven't been at since I was a teenager 20 years ago. I'll have to decide when I get there. I figure I'll know when to stop losing weight because either I'll be happy with the way I look, or going lower will be more work than I am able or willing to do.
this is me too. My main goal is to be completely out of having to wear plus sized clothing. I'm top heavy (goblet shaped) with a big differential between my top and bottom half- right now, it's 2X tops and misses 18s, just getting into 16s now. So I may end up something like a 14 on top and an 8 on the bottom? But I have absolutely no idea what weight that would be! So I'm not bothering with a final goal at this point, I'm doing 10% at a time, and then when I've tackled that 4 times, I can still figuring out a bit more realistically how much more I need to lose.
so, to the OP, I'm with the people who say just work towards a number, but figure out whether you've gotten to where you want to be along the way.
I have no idea what my ideal weight is. I set my goal weight based on what my sister, who has a similar body type to mine, weighs. Maybe I will decide to go lower once I hit my goal, but then again, maybe not.
The BMI range for me is 104-140, a pretty broad range if you ask me. So broad I consider it almost useless. I know I want to be within the healthy weight range. Beyond that I am going to go with how I feel, look, and what I am capable of fitness wise in the end. I want to be able to RUN with joy and abandon. When I can do that, I'll be pretty well satisfied
Location: Smack dab in the middle, Newfoundland, Canada
Posts: 668
S/C/G: 203.4/170.4/140.0
Height: 5'0"
I'm five feet tall (on the nose!) and according to my doctor, a healthy weight range for me is anywhere from 102-128 pounds. I have a large frame so my goal weight is 125, which will give me a BMI of 23 (that's at the high end of the BMI scale, but I'm okay with that.) As others have said, BMI is just one indicator of the suitability of an "ideal weight" -- you should also take into account your body fat percentage as well as your waist-to-hip ratio.
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