Height/Weight versus Body Type

lorigrocks
lorigrocks Posts: 123 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am 5'6", 42 yrs old and currently weigh 133.5 lbs. My question is that people seem to be telling me to not lose anymore weight - I'd like to get down to 130lbs., but others are telling me to only go to 135lbs. I know this is in the normal range for my height but there are also others that are the same height as me and weigh less and look great. I am wondering if this has to do with your body type? My body type is straight. Before I had my children I was 120lbs and curvy - but of course that was way back when I was 24 yrs old lol. So I am wondering if it is all about what type of body you have?

Replies

  • trishfit2014
    trishfit2014 Posts: 304 Member
    Do you lift weights? My body type is pear and I have a tiny upper body. I have worked on my shoulders, chest and back and increased their size and look much more proportional all the way around. My waist looks tiny but is probably about the same size as before.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    I am 5 ft 7, 41 years old, weigh 156 wear a size 5/6

    I am an hour glass 38 29 38

    I personally wouldn't go lower than 145...but that puts me at about 17% BF...and that is my limit.
  • dammitjanet0161
    dammitjanet0161 Posts: 319 Member
    I'm 45 and 5'10 with a large frame. My initial goal weight is around 175 or fitting into some key items of clothing that used to fit well - whichever comes first. I don't think I've ever been under 165 as an adult at my slimmest. However I have seen other 5'10 women on here starting out at 168 and wanting to get to 140-145, which could be fine for someone with a naturally slimmer build if they know they don't look too thin when they've been that weight in the past. So yes, I do believe that someone's frame size and body composition can have a bearing on their goal weight.

    However, will just 3lbs really make much of a difference to the way you look and feel?
  • BigT555
    BigT555 Posts: 2,067 Member
    yes it is, i feel like i would have a hard time getting under 180 when i have friends who have been trying to get up to that weight for a couple years. some people just naturally have bigger frames, larger organs, more muscle ect.
  • sunflowerhippi
    sunflowerhippi Posts: 1,099 Member
    It really does matter your body shape. Most people when they see me guess my size / weight very wrong sometimes 20lbs off. A few people at the gym who know how much I lift typically are within 5lbs. How you carry the weight, and how much muscle you have under the fat really do effect end weight / body fat %.

    I am 5"7' with a 6.5" wrist so medium to large frame and at 159 lbs 36-26.5-42 so very pear shaped, but my shoulders since I started lifting are now also 42 giving the illusion of a hourglass figure a bit more.
  • animatorswearbras
    animatorswearbras Posts: 1,001 Member
    I'm 5'5" medium frame and aiming for 125 (so basically the equivalent to your goal if you add or subtract 5 pounds per inch of height) I have an inverted triangle shape and put most of my weight on my stomach neck and face, I do not carry weight well (hourglasses are the best at carrying weight and looking slim and curvy, followed by pears)

    But even if you were a curvier shape your goal is still a healthy weight and 21 BMI. Do whats best for you and how you feel. :)
  • kateangel2312
    kateangel2312 Posts: 242 Member
    I'm 5'5 and 146lbs I lift weights, I'm a medium frame. People always think I'm a lot lighter than an I am and I shouldn't lose anymore weight I'm 33-35-38 not sure of that shape
  • BlueBombers
    BlueBombers Posts: 4,064 Member
    Female

    5'7", 155 lbs

    Size 8-10

    Pear shape
  • lorigrocks
    lorigrocks Posts: 123 Member
    Thank you everyone for all of your replies :-)
    No...I don't lift weights (yet)...I'd like to get started on that though to tone. I do kickboxing for an hour 3 times per week and get a very intense workout - lots of punching and kicking so I know I have gained strength in my arms and legs and can actually feel the muscle that I had never had before lol. Overall I feel really good about myself...but wish I could get rid of the saggy fat on my belly and arms.
    I so wish I could get my hour glass figure back lol...but the first thing to go when I lose weight after having my children is my boobs and butt lol.
  • amyx593
    amyx593 Posts: 211 Member
    Definitely matters. I'm 5'8'' and people are always surprised that I weigh more than I look, since I have a lot of lean muscle. Also, my wrist is just under 6'' so I have a small frame. My body is proportionate, but I can stand to lose 20lbs of fat.
  • kelly_e_montana
    kelly_e_montana Posts: 1,999 Member
    Get your body fat tested and figure out where you want to be that way. Don't worry about the pounds on the scale at this point. Start lifting if you are not already and you will see the definition you desire.

    I have a large frame, am 5'5" and less than 28% body fat. I have 126 pounds of lean mass. I weigh170!!!! So, if I weighed 125 like the same height poster above me, I would be dead. I wear a size 8. I want to get down to 20% body fat and I will be 155 at 20%. I don't want to go any lower than 20%.
  • lorigrocks
    lorigrocks Posts: 123 Member
    Get your body fat tested and figure out where you want to be that way. Don't worry about the pounds on the scale at this point. Start lifting if you are not already and you will see the definition you desire.

    I have a large frame, am 5'5" and less than 28% body fat. I have 126 pounds of lean mass. I weigh170!!!! So, if I weighed 125 like the same height poster above me, I would be dead. I wear a size 8. I want to get down to 20% body fat and I will be 155 at 20%. I don't want to go any lower than 20%.
    How do you get your body fat tested? Can I do it myself?
  • kelly_e_montana
    kelly_e_montana Posts: 1,999 Member
    Not really. Here's a really good article on the different types of body fat testing available and their pros and cons:

    http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/expert.q.a/09/30/body.fat.testing.jampolis/
  • tmaryam
    tmaryam Posts: 289 Member
    I'm 5'6" and 114 lbs and I wear a size 6. (Sometimes 4, sometimes 8, depending on designer.) My measurements are about 36-24-36. So yes, it all depends on body type. I have a musculoskeletal anomaly so I can weigh very little on the scale but have a large percentage of body fat. (Currently 30%-ish.)
  • ali59oc
    ali59oc Posts: 130 Member
    Body type matters quite a bit. I am 5'8", 169 lbs., size 10 pants, size 14/16 top, 40-35-34.5, 6" wrist (small frame). I have no waist, never have. And forget having a nice round tush, I go right from my back to my legs! Every person who has watched me lose these 35 pounds keeps telling me I should stop. They do not believe me when I tell them what I weigh. I want to get out of the "overweight" BMI which will be a few more pounds, but I don't think I'll stop then. Having a small frame, I can feel the fat and want it gone!

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