Advice--how reasonable is my goal weight?

ashiggins

Hi everyone,

I'm a little under 5'7" and 160 pounds, 22 years old. I've weighed between 155 and 163 all through college. I carry my weight pretty evenly, maybe a little extra on my thighs/butt. I'd like to weigh 140lbs, which I haven't weighed since probably late middle school/early high school. I'd like to think that this goal isn't that lofty--yes, it will take a lot of hard work in the gym and religious recording of calories, but it's possible, right?

The reason I ask is that I have that mentality that I have an "athletic body" that won't drop weight easily, if at all. But, I think that this is just an excuse I use because I've never really followed through with a diet/exercise plan before--is there anyone out there that has thought the same, but been successful losing the weight? I think I just need to encouragement that my goal isn't too "out there." It's hard to find people that only have 20ish pounds to lose, usually people want to lose more which is fantastic, but not as helpful for support because the weight loss happens at a different pace.

I'm in my last semester of college, so I'm really focusing on getting the 20 lbs off before I start med school August 1st.
Thanks!
Ally

Gshields42

That's a conversation you really need to be having with your doctor. When you get to that level of detail, that's something that the generalities and statistics we work with on this site doesn't deal with well. It might be fine for you, but someone with a personal knowledge of your situation should help you with that decision.

jowings

Hello There!

I have similar stats (5'7" with a medium frame and I started out at around 150) and I think that it is definitely doable! I am currently between 128-130 and it took about 5 months to lose the weight. I got down to 125 at one point, but I didn't really like how I looked and it is really hard to maintain. I have a pretty fast metabolism, so it is a bit easier for me to drop weight, but I think that you can definitely do it.

Sublog

Hi everyone,

I'm a little under 5'7" and 160 pounds, 22 years old. I've weighed between 155 and 163 all through college. I carry my weight pretty evenly, maybe a little extra on my thighs/butt. I'd like to weigh 140lbs, which I haven't weighed since probably late middle school/early high school. I'd like to think that this goal isn't that lofty--yes, it will take a lot of hard work in the gym and religious recording of calories, but it's possible, right?

The reason I ask is that I have that mentality that I have an "athletic body" that won't drop weight easily, if at all. But, I think that this is just an excuse I use because I've never really followed through with a diet/exercise plan before--is there anyone out there that has thought the same, but been successful losing the weight? I think I just need to encouragement that my goal isn't too "out there." It's hard to find people that only have 20ish pounds to lose, usually people want to lose more which is fantastic, but not as helpful for support because the weight loss happens at a different pace.

I'm in my last semester of college, so I'm really focusing on getting the 20 lbs off before I start med school August 1st.
Thanks!
Ally

Your goal weight is VERY reasonable. You might get down to 140 and realize that you still don't have your dream body. Shoot for 140 and use the mirror as the ultimate guide. Counting calories and working out works 100% of the time if done properly to lose weight. It's all about will power and dedication.

Kenzietea2

according to a chart, 140 would fall under normal for the weight of a 5'7" person. Try to go for a body fat percentage.

ashiggins

Thanks for the comments! I'm around 26% body fat, which I didn't think was too bad considering my curves, but I think 20-22% would be a good goal---hopefully I'll have a success story to share in a few months.