Last night I was having a conversation with my friend about my weightloss goals. I told her that I would like to be somewhere between 130-140lbs and she was shocked. I've never been thin, so I don't have any past weight to go by, but I'm 5'4 and I thought that seemed about right. I want to be strong and have muscles and curves, so I'm trying not to aim too low. She acted like I wanted to be a size 2 or something!
She is very encouraging and supportive of my weightloss efforts so I don't think she is trying to sabotage me. However, she and most of my other friends are all at least slightly overweight and so maybe her perception of normal is off.
So, this morning I checked the BMI for 5'4, 130lbs and it is healthy. I don't fully understand the BMI thing, but a lot of people use it as a tool so I thought it might help.
Did anyone else use a BMI calculator to determine their goal? What are some other ways and how did you all decide? Does anyone else think my goal is unreasonable?
I kinda plumped for a weight that I thought would suit me, but then I realised that it might be unrealistic, and my goal is changing almost every day! Do I want to be a size 6 or weigh 154 or be able to lift 100lbs or what? All of them please!
But yes, I do check with the BMI calculator and if you're very muscley then sometimes it can be off, but your goal sounds just right! She's probably jealous that you want to weigh less than her!
I found that I really had no idea until I got closer. Your friend is probably just blown away by the magnitude of what you are trying to do.
You'll figure it out the closer you get.... and your friend will see.
Wouldn't it be great if you were the catalyst that sent a bunch of your friends down to a healthier weight?
I decided to go with 155 because I'm 5'7 and I was at that weight like.. one time in my adult life and it was perfect.
Honestly.. I liked myself at 170 too.. I was a size twelve and that was good enough to get into all my vintage dresses.. and show off my curves. Because if you've got em.. flaunt em
I think your goal is great... you might even get to 140 and stay there.. you never know.. I think as long as you like yourself and your healthy.. thats all that really matters.. and dont worry about what other people say.. I have friends who were overweight and when I lost weight in my teens it was like I was evil and trying to show them up. Hopefully your friend isnt like that..
I think that it sounds like a healthy weight. I haven't used a BMI calculator, but where I work our health insurance pays for a group to come in once a year and give us all a little physical at our office and with that they tell you if you need to lose weight and what your ideal weight would be according to your height and whatever other factors they take into account. I'm 5'11" and they said that my ideal weight would be 152lbs. I am certainly on my way, but have found that even now at 178 lbs. (size 14) I am quite happy. Not happy enough to want to stay here, but far happier than I was at 215!! Go for your goal, but if you find along the way that YOU think you would be happier and/or healthier at a higher weight you can always change your goal. Good Luck!!
I just had a talk with my dr. about this. He suggested I go for 120-125 and let it be 10 pounds either way(115-130 ) I am only (almost) 5 foot tall and he also said BMI's can be false as they don't take into consideration muscle weight as opposed to fat. Good advice I just got was from a nutitionist she said lost pounds do not make you healthy. Feeling good, be comfortable and fitness levels (ie: good cholestrol level, blood work good etc..) are what's important. We have a person here where I work who is soooo thin , but she smokes and has no exercise habits.. She lives on cigs and coffee.. her tests results are horrible. I'd talk to my doctor about a good weight. I have a friend who just took off 100 lbs only thru diet changes and exercise and her BMI is too high but she is at a good weight and has curvy curves (as she says) but can wear a bikini with no flab- she is very, very, very toned.
Keep going!
I'm 5' tall and my goal is 130-140. But, I am compact with have lots of muscle and a large frame (hey, the doctor says so too .)
When you get closer to your goals, you can always adjust your expecations.
I've found that friends, especially heavy friends, don't really have a good idea of what a healthy weight is for other people. Go with what you know for yourself.
At 5'4" I think you have picked a great goal weight. I'm 5'7" and my goal now at my age (old) is 150. I'm 165 right now and I look fine,but in pictures I can see that with 15 more pounds gone, I would look better. Also that would put me in the normal BMI range for 'normal'. I do agree with whoever above said that if you work out alot those BMI scales might be alittle off (I do workout alot, therefore have alot of muscle).
I think your friend is either jealous or is clueless about what is healthy. Either way it doesn't matter, you are the one to decide and no one else!
I think your goal is reasonable. Just be flexible as you go and pay closer attention to how you look and feel than what the scale says. You may find that you are perfectly happy at 150 or you may decide that you'd feel better at 125. Shoot for what you think is about right and then evaluate yourself once you are almost there.
I agree with whoever said that your friend is probably just overwhelmed by what you are trying to accomplish. Losing weight is hard and unless you are ready as little as 10 pounds can seem impossible. You are obviously motivated and want to succeed (and have already!) so 70 pounds probably isn't as intimidating to you as it might seem to her.
I think your goal is great, because it's the same as mine! I'm also 5'4". I had the opposite reaction talking to people though -- I told my mom my goal was 130 and she was like "That's it? You don't want to lose more?"
Anyway, 130 is right in the middle of the healthy BMI range, which is why I picked it. I'm happier with my body every day lately. At 141, I can fit into size 8 jeans, and after all this working out my health has never been better. I'm keeping my goal at 130 for now, but my real goal is "whenever I think I am the right size." It might be at 135, it might be at 125, I don't know. Even if I never lose another pound, I am waaaay better off now than I was at 185!
130-140lbs is so NOT a size 2.. Well depending on ur height it could be... But ud have to be way over 5'6. I am 5'6 and I used to be about 140 my senior year of high school and I was a size 5-7!! So that is totally not true... It does depend on the person however. But I am cuban, so I have curbs!! I also worked out so I was getting fit.. My goal is to be 120. And even then I dont even think I'll reach a size 2.. I have the cuban booty!!
I think your goal is reasonable, but if you are a bit higher, take your muscle mass into consideration. I'm about 5'5" or a bit taller & when I weigh in at 135 lbs. I usually wear a size 6 or 8...it all depends how the clothes are cut, (I have a few 4s) and where your weight is distributed. As you get smaller, you're going to lose at a slower rate, so it might take another 3-4-5 months to get the last few lbs. gone.
I think you have to reavulate as you go along. I am 5'1" and I set my goal at 110. When I got to 115 I decided that was low enough. To loose any more I would be between sizes and have to loose down too much to fit in another size. So I'm happy with my weight now, and I'm on the low/milldle range of the index. When you start getting close to your goal, start to really look at how you look and feel.
I just picked mine because it was a nice round number to lose and it was under a BMI of 25 (I'm 5'9). If I get there and feel I can lose more, I might try. But to be honest, I don't know whether I'll make it that far. I'd rather go on clothes sizes than weight or BMI alone, and I'm wearing far smaller clothes than I expected to be in at this size, so if I get down to even smaller sizes and feel happy with the way I look at say 175 I'm not going to get all worked up about those last 15. I've never been thin so I don't know exactly what I'm aiming for, everything is guess work.
I'll see what happens, I just wanted some sort of number to put on my ticker!
Am I crazy? How did you decide?
.) 
