Tall Women: How did you choose your maintenance weight.

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  • IsabeausRose
    IsabeausRose Posts: 129 Member
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    tomteboda wrote: »
    IsabeausRose wrote: »
    Well I went to another doctor and she thought there was something wrong with my original doctor's opinion. She said my goal weight was just as healthy as his and it's about not looking to thin, bony, and sickly. She said I should be able to see my hip bones but not extremely sticking out. She said his opinion would have been valid if I had had a history of an eating disorder but I don't.

    In your doctor's defense, the bmi he recommended is considered optimal for women over 40 because the relationship of bmi with morbidity and mortality is a J-shaped curve that goes up dramatically at low weights and high weights. Statistics show that your best shot at longevity is about 22-23 BMI. So the doctor was probably considering that. You also haven't mentioned your frame size.

    Well for my height what I read was that a medium frame size is a wrist that measures between 6.25-6.5 inches. I'm right at 6.5 inches. Some people think I have a medium frame, some people think I have a large frame. But even with a large frame that would put me at the lowest 155 pounds which is only 5 pounds more.
  • JessicaMcB
    JessicaMcB Posts: 1,503 Member
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    I have maintained at 5'10" and 130 for a year now and honestly I came to that decision through a combination of athletic reasoning (competitive long distance running and extra weight do not necessarily marry well) and aesthetic preference (I have no TNA even at obese BMIs so lean it is lol). My doctor has however agreed this is a good weight for me given my lifestyle and all my health markers are excellent.

    You've gotten a second opinion that agrees your goal is reasonable OP so I would forge ahead and see how you feel about things once you get to 160- you don't have to decide everything now :)
  • acmorris77
    acmorris77 Posts: 80 Member
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    I understand your doctor may follow the standard height/weight/BMI charts, but that's really not the way to decide what your weight should be. Does he want you 160 and all muscle? Or, 160 with no muscle...I agree with whomever said to get your body fat/muscle ratio measured and see what they say. I was once 153 with no muscle and I looked like the walking dead even though my weight was considered "healthy".
  • rianneonamission
    rianneonamission Posts: 854 Member
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    I am 5'10" and once weighed 154lbs without muscle and I was unfit and unhealthy. At 166lbs with muscle I am more fit and healthy. However, a BMI chart will tell you I am on the heavy side of healthy and I really should lose some weight, yet before it would have told me I was perfect for my height when I wasn't.

    I would focus on what makes you feel happy and healthy. 150lbs would put you at a BMI of 21, which is perfectly healthy.
  • amtyrell
    amtyrell Posts: 1,449 Member
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    Why not get to 160 and then stop and assess and determine then of you like it or not. You are 174 you have a while before 160.
  • healthhappiness2014
    healthhappiness2014 Posts: 13 Member
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    This is a great question. I am just over 6 feet so it is nice to see a post concerning tall women and weight loss. For those of you who lost weight in your 40s or later, how were you able to get the weight off and keep it off?
  • rainbow198
    rainbow198 Posts: 2,245 Member
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    healthhappiness2014 wrote: »
    This is a great question. I am just over 6 feet so it is nice to see a post concerning tall women and weight loss. For those of you who lost weight in your 40s or later, how were you able to get the weight off and keep it off?

    I'm in my 40's and maintaining very nicely. I do workouts and activities that I enjoy everyday and I figured out a way of eating that leaves satisfied and I don't deprive myself. If I want to bake a small cake from scratch just because I will make it work and I will work for it.

    During my weight loss mode there were a lot of trial and errors, but I eventually figured out what worked for me.

    I just continue with that and keep going, but I eat more so I don't keep losing weight.
  • maggibailey
    maggibailey Posts: 289 Member
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    I'm 5'10 at 143 I liked how I looked but not what it would take to maintain it. At 150 I like how I look at it's easy to be there (or was for a long time before I found a man who loves to cook and likes to feed me). So I'm going back to 150.
  • angmarie28
    angmarie28 Posts: 2,789 Member
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    5'11 and 150lbs is perfectly healthy. that is a healthy BMI. Im 5'7 and was happy at 136
  • All_The_Bacon
    All_The_Bacon Posts: 26 Member
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    KetoZombies wrote: »
    I am 5'11 and I plan to maintain right around 155

    Ditto. Any lower than 150-155 and I start to get issues with my feminine health, no matter what BMI says my healthy range should be.
  • Lynzdee18
    Lynzdee18 Posts: 500 Member
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    Interesting thread!

    I'm 175 cm.... or 5'9" small build

    61 yo

    Last September I was down to 141. Really thin. I felt fine, liked how my tiny clothes fit, but I knew I couldn't maintain that weight for any length of time. It took too much energy and commitment.

    I started running and found I was starving ALL the time, running out of 'gas' on my runs. It was time to eat more. So I began more serious training and weights and ate more protein and added more carbs. I felt better, but over last winter and now this year, I gained about 15 pounds. I feel pudgy....

    Back to serious attention of my intake and I'm down 5 now. Believe I have 5 to go. I think around 145 I'll be able to run, feel and look good, and enjoy my life more. Below that and my friends begin to comment on my looks. :/

  • pookiefatcat
    pookiefatcat Posts: 15 Member
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    I'm 5'11 and aiming for 175lbs. At least at the moment. I have been heavy for a long time and wanted to hit a comfortable place and maintain there for a while before I decide to go further. 175 is the very tippy top of the healthy BMI range for that height. But so much better than 250, which is where I started.

    And I got my first "you are too skinny! Stop losing weight!" from a co-worker today. With 10lbs still to go.
  • Arizona_C
    Arizona_C Posts: 1,476 Member
    edited September 2017
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    Hi, I'm 5'9 1/2 and currently 128 lbs. I have been lighter and heavier, but this current weight is where I feel at ease and confortable to maintain.

    It is slightly low in termps of BMI, but I have a good amount of body fats and muscle tissue.

    In my opinion, if as you are healthy and feel well in your body, that is what's important. Don't let others put you down with cheap judgements, telling you you are too heavy or too skinny.

    Dare listen to yourself, seek what you feel good with, and ask your doctor for guidance to make sure if you doubt. Eating balanced, sleeping well, taking care of yourself and working out is just as important than a mere number on a scale to determine your health and well being.
  • elm8495
    elm8495 Posts: 2 Member
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    I'm about 5'11" with a broader/muscular build and in my early 20s. Right now I'm one pound away from my halfway goal of 70 pounds lost.

    As a tall woman, friends would always guess I was around 180 lbs. when I was indeed 215+ lbs., and when I'd (sometimes lol) reveal my actual weight, they were shocked and confused at how I could carry weight so well -

    SO fast forward to weighing 249.0 at my heaviest in May 2017, I set my goal to weigh 179.0 lbs to lose exactly 70 lbs., figuring I'll look pretty slender. This is a few pounds higher than suggested BMI, but my frame is naturally more broad and muscular than tall women who could be models. Once I reach that weight, I will adjust if needed.
  • elm8495
    elm8495 Posts: 2 Member
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    pookiefatcat wrote: »
    I'm 5'11 and aiming for 175lbs. At least at the moment. I have been heavy for a long time and wanted to hit a comfortable place and maintain there for a while before I decide to go further. 175 is the very tippy top of the healthy BMI range for that height. But so much better than 250, which is where I started.

    And I got my first "you are too skinny! Stop losing weight!" from a co-worker today. With 10lbs still to go.

    Wow! I just commented and then read your comment - this gives me hope that I chose a reasonable goal! :smile:
  • BootyfulBikerZX10r
    BootyfulBikerZX10r Posts: 72 Member
    edited September 2017
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    Im 5'9 large frame I prefer 200lbs 29% body fat. I feel sexiest at that weight and my spouse hates when I lose my T/A
  • pookiefatcat
    pookiefatcat Posts: 15 Member
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    elm8495 wrote: »
    pookiefatcat wrote: »
    I'm 5'11 and aiming for 175lbs. At least at the moment. I have been heavy for a long time and wanted to hit a comfortable place and maintain there for a while before I decide to go further. 175 is the very tippy top of the healthy BMI range for that height. But so much better than 250, which is where I started.

    And I got my first "you are too skinny! Stop losing weight!" from a co-worker today. With 10lbs still to go.

    Wow! I just commented and then read your comment - this gives me hope that I chose a reasonable goal! :smile:

    Completely reasonable! Nothing wrong with being curvy or even being happy on the higher end of the BMI range.
    I feel like I want to get to know this new body before I push it too far. Maybe this will work for me long-term, maybe not. But it's worth investigating!
  • Skipjack66
    Skipjack66 Posts: 102 Member
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    I am a hair shy of 6' and maintaining at 145. I have a very small frame, with a 4.5" wrist, so I'm happy with this weight. In my twenties before I had my kids I was lighter, but I had a really active job too. Plus I've always exercised my whole life. That menopause thing really did a number on me in my early forties and also a switch to a stressful sedentary job with a long commute. I gained 25 pounds in four years, but it all landed in my stomach. It wasn't evenly spread out or anything, which would have been okay. I looked pregnant actually, so I was really unhappy with my shape.

    I ended up herniating a disc because of inactivity, and then I was a complete physical wreck for over a year. It was all from sitting on my duff over 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. I quit my job and went back to the lifestyle that I'd relied on all through my twenties and thirties that balanced my life with exercise better. I got back into the pool after a 12 year absence and the weight started coming off. Once I added in calorie restriction I lost the 25 pounds, and I'm now the weight I was in my early thirties at 51 years old.

    I feel good, and I'm happy with how I look. I have the "swimmer's body" type with large muscular shoulders and arms, and a small waist and larger "softer" hips and thighs. Some of my weight distribution is genetic, but I do believe a lot is due to the sport I chose that changed my shape over many years.

    Go with the weight that makes you feel good, OP, because weight distribution is different for everyone. You have to like how you look, and feel good and be healthy, no matter whether you're at the top end of the healthy BMI range, or the bottom end (like me). Just watch and see how it goes!
  • rainbow198
    rainbow198 Posts: 2,245 Member
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    pookiefatcat wrote: »
    I'm 5'11 and aiming for 175lbs. At least at the moment. I have been heavy for a long time and wanted to hit a comfortable place and maintain there for a while before I decide to go further. 175 is the very tippy top of the healthy BMI range for that height. But so much better than 250, which is where I started.

    And I got my first "you are too skinny! Stop losing weight!" from a co-worker today. With 10lbs still to go.

    It's very cool to see another woman that's my height, started near the same weight as me/was heavy for a long time and aiming for the same weight as I did. Good luck losing those last 10 pounds.
  • ZhivagosGirl
    ZhivagosGirl Posts: 161 Member
    edited October 2017
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    I'm 5'11" and started the year at 300 lbs so setting a goal of getting to 199 seemed like a good idea. I haven't weighed in the hundreds since I was in Jr. High. I'm down 70 lbs right now and still can't really wrap my head around getting there. A healthy BMI is about 20 lbs less than that so I may re-evaluate once I'm under 200.

    ETA: I'm 49.

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