how much weight should i lose?

goodtroyes

i'm 5'5 and and about 143 pounds right now and i don't know how much weight to lose in order to get a flat or a near flat stomach. i don't know if it varies by person

MegaMooseEsq

It absolutely varies by person. That said, you might be looking at more of a fitness issue than a weight issue, given your stats. Losing weight might not be the way to go.

usmcmp

It varies by person. A flat stomach is not about weight, it's about having adequate muscle and low body fat. The more muscle you have the higher your weight can be and still have a flat stomach. If you are not currently doing any form of strength training that's a really good place to start to reach your goal of having a flat stomach.

MichelleLaree13

Have you had your body fat tested? I am shooting for 21% body fat and should be close to a barely there 6 pack. I have 24% body fat now and can already see a bit of abs through my belly fat.

bribucks

Ideal weight is really something only you can decide on. But here are a few things that may help:

- BMI: the first order of business is having a weight within a healthy BMI range. Luckily, you're already there with a current BMI of 23.79. In theory, you could go down as low as 120 and hit the low end of the healthy range, but that actually could look too thin on you, depending on your frame size.

- Frame Size: You can calculate your ideal weight based on your frame size. https://healthyeater.com/ideal-body-weight-calculator This calculator puts you at 120-124 for a small frame, 126-130 for a medium frame, or 135-139 for a large frame.

- Body Compostion: once you decide on an ideal weight, please be aware that this can easily change one you reach it!! Why? Body composition, i.e. Muscle vs fat. This is why body measurements are important - you can weigh 5 lbs more and have a flatter stomach, or 5 lbs less and have a flabbier stomach. It's about more than just the number on the scale.

solovino1

Get yourself a TDEE calculator and plug in your current stats. That will give you your ideal weight. There apps that do it or go here:
https://tdeecalculator.net/

The only hassle with this is that your activity level is an estimate and not very accurate unless you are sedentary. Good place to start though.

rsclause

I say just dial it in and get started. I originally just wanted to get BMI into the normal range but as I was losing I was able to fine tune a bit. I ended up changing my goal downward twice because my goal was actually to be rid of my beer gut. That ended up being a BF of 15%

MichelleLaree13

Bmi isn't terribly reliable for those that work out as it compares height and weight only. Bmi doesn't differentiate between fat and muscle. A woman could be 130 lbs with 30% bf or 18% bf.

kimny72

You are a healthy weight for your height but not at all underweight, so there is no harm in trying to lose another 5 lbs and see if it helps. As others have noted, having a flat stomach also depends on musculature, body fat %, and how you naturally carry your weight. Posture can also affect it (if you slouch it pushes your belly forward) as well as digestion (some people with digestive issues can be bloated enough that their stomach sticks out a bit). I also think a lot of us have lost sight of what a normal, realistic body shape is (including myself in that for sure!).

BMI is a guideline and a great place to start, but not intended to be a hard and fast rule. Once you are in the healthy BMI range, you have to tweak based on your individual makeup from there. (Although I find the current fad of bashing BMI weird, only outliers with a very muscular or athletic build, or uniquely petite body structure will fall outside the very wide guidelines)

This post may help too:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1161603/so-you-want-a-nice-stomach/p1