Doctor says I should lose 75lbs...!?

BOLO4Hagtha

Keep in mind that bone mass and body structure play a role in what is a healthy weight for your. Most of those charts that trainers/doctors use do not take that into account. If you think 170 is a good weight for your, given your height and body structure, then you should stop there.

mandie0378

I'm also 5'9 and at my healthiest I was between 170 - 180. Sounds like the doctor is using that BMI crap. I remember how thing I was at 145, not to mention 115.

aejbx4x7s

I'm also 5'9 and currently weigh about 142 with a GW of 135. That said, I have a VERY small frame and at 143 do not look like you did at 170. One of my good friends is also about 5'9, but has a bigger frame than I do. When she is at 145 or 150, she still looks thinner and more fit than I am at the same weight. From your picture, it seems like 170 is a healthy and attractive weight for you.

Dtho5159

id look into finding a new doctor... My first doctor wanted me to be 125... I haven't been 125 since middle school lol. My new dr that Ive had now for 4 years wants me to be 180-190 but Im aiming for a little lower than that. He told me Id still be overweight at 180 but he knows Im built a little larger and couldn't pull off 125.

mystic_elegance

Everyones bodies are different, the doctors cant fit everyone into their size/weight chart. I am one those people who dont fit into the chart on account of my natural body shape and large breasts, chart says I should be 145 pounds but my doctor agress that is too low for me. What really matters is what you personally think and feel. If at 175 you are healthy and feel great then go with 175. When people look at you they dont see a number they see you, try not to get caught up on the numbers. Good luck to you

jsapninz

id look into finding a new doctor... My first doctor wanted me to be 125... I haven't been 125 since middle school lol. My new dr that Ive had now for 4 years wants me to be 180-190 but Im aiming for a little lower than that. He told me Id still be overweight at 180 but he knows Im built a little larger and couldn't pull off 125.

Nothing like only listening to people who say what you want to hear. :noway:

jsapninz

Your doctor is silly.
Go for 175 if you want. This is not about your doctor, it's about you. You know where you are healthy.

America is country full of people who are literally EATING THEMSELVES TO DEATH.

Yes, indeed, don't listen to an educated person who is trying to council you on your health. LISTEN TO YOURSELF, AND DO WHAT FEELS GOOD. :explode: :noway:

I live in Montana, but you must be from the Great State of DENIAL.

jeremysherriff

I too had concerns when I was told I needed to be in the 140's (I'm 220 and 5'7). When I spoke with my primary, he said BMI is a terrible way to come up with a goal weight. Instead, focus on your body fat percentage. Aim for 25%. When you get there, you may be 160, 170 or 180. You just don't know until you get closer.

100% agree with this, especially for women. 200% if you haven't had kids yet, body fat plays a huge part in being overall health. 22-25% BF is perfect. Guys can use the BMI numbers without too much issue, but not women IMHO.

Cindym82

I am almost 5'11 and my goal weight is 170-180. I think being 5'9 a goal of 150 is reasonable but I think 175 is a great personal goal! You have to do best with how you feel at that weight and how easy it is to maintain. Good Luck!!!

I understand that the numbers match up, but I don't think I would look right at 150.

This was me at 170, for reference.

I think it depends more on your frame, you look great in this pic. Maybe just focus on toning when you reach your goal. I'm 5'1 and 128 and one doctor called me obese....yeah ok. I could stand to tone and maybe lose ten lbs but i'm not obese. Now if a nutritionist said I was obese I might listen.

rmac18

I believe that it is more about body fat % than weight. Too much body fat can have health risks but if you have more muscle then you can weigh more and that's a fact. I also have found that it is much easier to set smaller more reasonable goals that you can work towards and hit, feel good and then set a new goal. I find that setting a goal of 15-20 lbs that is some type of milestone (say 200 lbs or 20 lbs lost or something like that) works best. The reward yourself with something and set a new goal. Just get comfortable with the lifestyle of healthy living. I wouldn't worry about the end yet, just start small and then keep going until you are where you want to be and then work on healthy maintenance. That will be a great example for your children. I think it is worth it to have your body fat checked periodically as well as measurements. When your clothes don't fit then that often tells you more than your scale.

iplayoutside19

Your doctor is silly.
Go for 175 if you want. This is not about your doctor, it's about you. You know where you are healthy.

America is country full of people who are literally EATING THEMSELVES TO DEATH.

Yes, indeed, don't listen to an educated person who is trying to council you on your health. LISTEN TO YOURSELF, AND DO WHAT FEELS GOOD. :explode: :noway:

I live in Montana, but you must be from the Great State of DENIAL.

If all the Doctor did is flip open a BMI Chart and throw out a weight based on height, how is that educated? That's what my old Doctor did, I fired him. I can look that up on the internet.

I'm still not in a healthy BMI, but all my periphery vitals are beyond healthy (Resting HR, BP, blood sugar). My new Doctor is ok with that. I'm not completely OK with that, I think i can be better. But I am not blindly following a persons advice because they're "educated". After all, have you seen the advice Dr Oz gives out?

runningfromzombies

Focus on body fat % rather than weight. Based on the picture of you at 175, you might have more muscle mass than the average person at that weight, which makes you look like you weigh less. So take measurements, see how you feel, and don't worry too much about the scale! (Though, for reference, I'm an inch shorter than you and weigh 150 pounds right now, and I feel like I've still got at least ten pounds to go. I reckon you'd look rockin' at 150. :flowerforyou:)

kalynn06

I would try not to worry too much about a number (I know easy to say right?) Instead, focus on what you and the doctor agree on; your need to lose some weight to avoid health risks. After all, there is no way to bypass 170 on your way to 150, so just focus on cutting body fat in order to get healthier. If you get to 170 with a healthy BF% then revisit the issue with your doctor as regards health risks and decide then whether or not you need to cut more weight.

runningfromzombies

Your doctor is silly.
Go for 175 if you want. This is not about your doctor, it's about you. You know where you are healthy.

America is country full of people who are literally EATING THEMSELVES TO DEATH.

Yes, indeed, don't listen to an educated person who is trying to council you on your health. LISTEN TO YOURSELF, AND DO WHAT FEELS GOOD. :explode: :noway:

I live in Montana, but you must be from the Great State of DENIAL.

I agree that 150 is a good weight for that doctor to suggest. However, we don't know if he factored in body composition in asking the OP to lose 75 pounds. I'm sure that if she reached 175 and was in a healthy body fat % range, he wouldn't ask her to lose another twenty-five. Doctors are awesome and educated, but at the same time, he can't necessarily predict what would be the perfect ideal weight for the OP, and it's good that she has a reference point at 175, where she knows she looked pretty damn good.

Chill out a bit, grumpy pants.

bjs06

Find a weight where YOU feel healthy. This isn't about what your doctor says (ultimately when you reach a healthy weight he will be the professional and know if you are there are not), or your husband or your family - its about YOU and how YOU feel about your health and weight. That being said, some women feel healthy and sexy when they are over weight so you do need the medical opinion to know for sure. But you need to listen to your own body. If you reach 175 and you are eating with amazing habits and exercising a ton and you feel like if you lose any more weight it will be unhealthy - then maintain there.

I'm 5'8 and originally was going from anywhere between 150-170 depending on how I felt at 170 then 160 etc. I realize now that I could probably pull off 140 after seeing other girls my height at that weight. It's also about build - if you are built larger, you can pull off 175 better than someone built tiny could. Just go with it. Work hard and when you arrive, you will arrive!

wingednotes

I'm so sensitive to other people's thoughts, so I understand where you might be coming from. But that being said, these people are not living in your body, only you are. You'll know when you are comfortable. Accept that others are most likely just trying to be helpful, and then shut them out and do what you think is best for your body.

Troy67

I agree with what pretty much everyone is saying. I went from 336 to my maintenance weight of 170. My trainer and doctor actually agree that I'm doing great and to just tone up and not lose any more. But the wellness/insurance program at work strictly goes by BMI and they say I should weigh 137-159. People who do not understand body fat versus BMI and make suggestions strictly on BMI should shut it. LOL
Your picture at 170 looks amazing. I would definitely follow everyone elses advice here and check body fat, consult trainer/nutritionist, etc and forget what the doctor thinks.

momof3and3

Rule of thumb for woman's weight...medium frame: At 5', weigh about 100 lbs...for every inch over 5', add 5 lbs...so at 5'9", you are looking at 145lbs...

than +/-- 10lbs for small-large frame...so your range is anywhere from 135-155lbs...

to find your frame size measure your wrist...6" med frame...more than 6, large frame, smaller than 6 small frame...

Cindym82

Rule of thumb for woman's weight...medium frame: At 5', weigh about 100 lbs...for every inch over 5', add 5 lbs...so at 5'9", you are looking at 145lbs...

than +/-- 10lbs for small-large frame...so your range is anywhere from 135-155lbs...

to find your frame size measure your wrist...6" med frame...more than 6, large frame, smaller than 6 small frame...

this made me sad cause according to that I should be 95lbs. Damn 33 more lbs to go

aheartbeatsos

150 doesn't seem too farfetched for your height.
I'm 5'10 and my goal is 150.
I chose that number because it's the middle of the acceptable range (150-165lbs) for my height and frame.
Using one of the thousands of calculators online you'll find that they mostly suggest a healthy weight range of between 145-160lbs for a 5'9 woman with a medium frame.
However, you don't need to listen to anybody Stop when you are comfortable with both your health and your appearance

amymeenieminymo

I would shoot for what you are comfortable with (175 sounds good) and when you get there you can reassess and determine if you want/should lose more.

BMI charts say I should be around 115-125 because I am short. Well I am also muscular and solid....I would be absolutely sick if I weight even 125. My original goal was 150 but I felt very good at 165 so that's what I am shooting for again.

Sometimes we don't realize how much weight really is....when I was told I needed to lose 60 pounds I was shocked, I didn't think I need to lose that much, but in reality I did. But at the same time charts and BMI do not take into account your muscle mass and overall body make up. It's important to meet somewhere in the middle of what you think and what the charts say and of course tweeking along the way.

AZackery

Don't listen to your doctor. If you feel comfortable at 175 or even 170, aim for that number. I'm 5ft1" and my doctor wanted me to get down to 101 pounds. I told my doctor that I'm not getting down to that weight and that I would be anorexic if I did. I know my body and what weight is good for me. The biggest I ever was, before I've started gaining weight was 125 pounds. It took me 4 years to get up to 145 pounds. I don't even want to get down to 125 pounds or 145 pounds. I have a body fat goal that I'm aiming for. I don't focus on scale weight. I don't care about my scale weight. I'm focus on my body fat percentage, pounds of fat and inches loss. Scale weight loss and Fat loss aren't the same thing. I'm aiming to lose fat and when I lose the amount that will get me down to my body fat percentage number, I will look thin, but still will be classified as being obese on the BMI chart and I'm okay with that. I don't focus on the BMI chart either. I want to be healthy according to the Body Fat Chart. The fat on my body is what will cause health problems, not the scale weight number on my scale.

BeautyFromPain

Your doctor is silly.
Go for 175 if you want. This is not about your doctor, it's about you. You know where you are healthy.

America is country full of people who are literally EATING THEMSELVES TO DEATH.

Yes, indeed, don't listen to an educated person who is trying to council you on your health. LISTEN TO YOURSELF, AND DO WHAT FEELS GOOD. :explode: :noway:

I live in Montana, but you must be from the Great State of DENIAL.

No need to be so rude.

*reported

Sublog

I updated my main photo today to a full body shot, so you can get an idea of what I look like.

I weigh 224 pounds, and a doctor recently suggested a goal weight of around 150 for me. I feel like that's a bit too low for me. I'm 5'9", and at my healthiest, and most fit, I was 170. I haven't been 150 since age 13. I don't know what to do, or what to aim for. As of now, I've set my sights on 175, I feel like that's fair.

I'm confused on this whole thing, because my family is screaming at me that 25 pounds is enough, my husband says I'm fine the way I am (though he supports me, fully.), and my doctor is telling me that I'm becoming significantly obese, and 150 is a healthy weight. I'm just confused. Help?

150 is a healthy weight for 5'9 woman.

Fact is many people are de-sensitized to what people should weigh because everyone is overweight.

12skipafew99100

Why don't you just get the first 25 to 50 off and see how you look and feel. Why grewl over it until you get there.

glennstoudt

Set 3 goals. First to get under 200. That should be the easy one. Next, goal 175. You seem committed to that one, so it seems very likely you will get there. Then ,see how you look and feel. Keep that 150 goal out there. No doubt your doctor is hedging. He says 150, you get to some other number close by and everyone wins. Setting interim goals worked well for me. Having to set new goals (and they absolutely must have a timetable, by such and such a date) is a great feeling. You will love it. Good luck.

Heaven71

Yeah you look excellent at 170, maybe just keep going and then ask the Doc to reevaluate you at 170.

purpleipod

According to a BMI chart your healthy weight at 5'9 is 125-169. Doesn't seem like 150 is too low to me, but 170 is barely over as well.

baycat107

The Dr. is probably using some outdated chart, which doesn't allow for frame size or muscular builds. I am 5'8" and I have always been at the top of those charts for my weight. When I was young and weighed 145, I had a friend who also was 5' 8" and weighed 145. Except I wore a size 10-12 and she was a size 16. But I was athletic while she was a couch potato. It made me realize that, (and I have heard since) that muscle is denser than fat. And so muscular people weigh more. 165 is pretty comfortable for me. Good luck!

susannamarie

Agree w/everyone else who said that you should get to 175 and see how you look/feel and how your body fat % is there.