Should I maintain my weight or is it ok to lose more?

montyc045

I’m a 5’4 female, and I just started using my fitness pal. I was 135 pounds in April, and I’m 120 now. I’m still rather chubby looking, but I’m not sure what a good weight for my height and age is (I’m 18)

Alatariel75

You're on the lower end of a healthy weight for your height - rather than losing more weight, you might want to start with a weight lifting and strength program. Seriously, don't think that it will make you bulky, it really is the way to get rid of that 'chubby' look and get more of the 'toned' look.

sbelletti

Your body, your decision.

Personally, I go by how I look in clothes, how strong I am, and how I feel. As you get close to goal, the scale is less important, especially if you are adding muscle in addition to (or in lieu of) losing fat.

AnnPT77

No one but you can answer that, though the one person you could consider asking is your doctor.

You're at BMI 20.6, on a scale where 18.5 to 24.9 is normal weight. The normal BMI range doesn't fit everyone, but most people (maybe around 80%) will be at a healthy weight somewhere in that range. Some very muscular people might be at a good weight above 24.9. We don't know how muscular you are. Some very lightly built people (narrow pelvis, shoulders, small head, delicate limbs, etc.) might be OK below 18.5, though that's rare. We don't know your build.

Moreover, healthy weight for a given person is always a range, and we have personal choices for aesthetics, or related to our (sub)cultural context. We know nothing about your preferences or culture.

At age 18, you're at a difficult point. I can't speak for you, but at 18, other people's opinions had a lot of effect on me - probably way too much, honestly. At 18, you've probably just recently lost your gazelle-like pre-adolescent maybe-gawky but lovely-in-its-way body, and are growing into full womanhood - also a lovely thing - but maybe not yet 100% there.

That's a lot of personal change to absorb!

If you can - and I know this is asking a lot - it's a good time to think about how you want your life to be, and what body configuration/composition will best support that: Do you prioritize strength, culturally-driven attractiveness (which is a fickle thing!), athletic performance, health? What are your values? What woman do you want to be?

Ask your doctor what's healthy for your build. Ask yourself who you want to be. Pursue that, within the healthy range. If you find your own goals, your own targets, that's better. We can't tell you, your friends can't tell you: It's your path you want to optimize.

LiveOnceBeHappy

Are you really chubby looking or do you look chubby to you? Could you be seeing yourself in a skewed way?

ToriTamura

I’m 5’4 and my starting was 127. I felt great at 114 and now awesome at 110.

kshama2001

LiveOnceBeHappy wrote: »

Are you really chubby looking or do you look chubby to you? Could you be seeing yourself in a skewed way?

I was wondering this as well.

@montyc045 would you be comfortable posting pictures here? If not, ask your doctor or GYN. (If you don't have a GYN, get one.)