Your ideal weight might make you look ill ?

ianlikesholidays

Hi
The ideal weight for a male of my height (5'7) is 144 to 159.pounds.
My thoughts are that 20 years ago that weight range would look normal, These days the perception of what is normal is much heavier. (Most people seem to be large to some degree).
So is your final target weight higher, to keep in with what is normal today ??? - or will you risk being asked if you are ill by achieving the ideal weight for your height.
Thanks for your opinion (I'm currently 173 pounds)
Ian.
.

Aneallen2009

My ideal weight is somewhere in the 120 range for my height. There is no way I want to me that light. I would be happy with about 142 with decently muscular arms and legs for a girl. I don't want to be incredibly thin I would rather have the muscle to help raise my burned calories each day to help keep this day burned off more easily

runfatmanrun

When I started at 255 pounds my goal weight was 200 pounds, I am 5'9. Now I have hit 170-ish, a weight I haven't seen since before the 10th grade. It's pretty amazing how what you think is your goal weight may not be where you settle. Some say I am too skinny but I think their mental image of healthy has gotten fatter over the years. I always thought that the generic BMI calculator on here was retarded and completely in left field on it's healthy range for me. Actually, finally there so maybe my mind didn't have it right either. I don't know what my current weight makes me look like to others but I know I like it and I feel great. Everyone is different, I am sure you have heard that plenty of times. Just slowly lose and find a weight that is easy to maintain, no matter where that falls on your ideal scale.

marycmeadows

I don't pay much attention to those ideal weight charts. I think it's really different for every person. I have my goal weight set a bit above what they say is my 'ideal weight'..... I know that I am living a healthier lifestyle than people that are within their 'ideal weight range' so it doesn't really matter to me.

Ezwoldo

I have in the past got down to an ideal weight and people have said I look ill but I think I look lean and feel alot better, I would like to get there again as I don't really care what they say as it is my body and IF and only IF my doctor says I need to increase my weight then I will, till then ill keep doing what I am.

gwenmf

I found this website -- and I think I agree with the medical recommendation - but the higher end of the medical recommendation.

http://www.halls.md/ideal-weight/body.htm

Seriously though, if muscle weighs more than fat, shouldn't we all (including the government regulations that will come into play now) be more concerned with the fat ratio instead?

clarabellesimmo82

At 5'7, I can go to 120lb without being underweight, but anything less than 130lb and I start looking, as my friends put it, like a Bratz doll!

I think it depends on your make up, but I would rather weigh a little more and look healthy, not skinny.

dawson55510

When im around 210LBS less than 10% for my height 5FT 11ins which is still obese going by the bmi chart my family think i look il and dying. Face starts to sink in etc.

alleycat88

My healthy weight range is from 107-144.

At 107, I look sick, hell even at 115 people have asked if I am "eating enough". For myself personally a good healthy and attractive weight is anywhere from 125-130lbs. I know other people my height that look chubby at that weight.

It's a very individual thing, but to answer your original question, yes the lower end of the "ideal weight" range makes me look ill, and the higher end makes me feel uncomfortable in my own skin.

HelloSixty

According to MFP the healthy weight for my height can fluctuate from 48kg (106lbs) to 64.8kg (143lbs) which is a huge range!

I'm in a healthy BMI for my height right now: 162cm (5' 3.5") and 64kg (141lbs) = BMI of 24.7

But my body fat % is too high and still puts me in the obese range so I need to focus on that.
I don't look ill and I don't look healthy/fit either!

I do agree though that our perception of what is normal weight has been changed over recent years. BMI is still a good indicator of health and we need to be more aware of it.

HelloSixty

For myself personally a good healthy and attractive weight is anywhere from 125-130lbs. I know other people my height that look chubby at that weight.

It's a very individual thing, but to answer your original question, yes the lower end of the "ideal weight" range makes me look ill, and the higher end makes me feel uncomfortable in my own skin.

^ This!

Leeanne1974

My ideal weight is about 8 stone. When I had anorexia as a teen i was about 7 and a half stone and you could see my ribs, hipbones etc etc. (there are 14lb in a stone for those who aren't aware).
My perfect for me weight is about 10 stone (140) and that is what I am aiming for...
Many years ago my Father was told by the doc he should weigh about 12 and a half stone. My father was 6ft4 with big strong shoulders, size 12 (UK) feet and with hands like shovels. He went on a massive diet and got down to his target weight... He was almost hospitalised where he became so ill. He had carbuncles on his legs and was like a walking skeleton.
Those weight charts used by a lot of doctors are simply incorrect, do not take into account build.

Swissmiss

This becomes more true as we get older. My ideal weight is probably around 120. I am 27 pounds over that. If I were to get down to 120 I am sure that I would look horrible.

Going4Lean

I am 5'9 and my ideal weight was 160-165.
I have been stuck on 174-182 and people already tell me i look too skinny/unhealthy and lately i kinda agree with them.

mazasmusings

My ideal weight according to the doctors' chart is around 175. Now, even when I was in high school and a competitive swimmer in great shape, I weighed between 185 and 190. I can't imagine how sickly I'd look if I weighed any less than that. I've set a goal of 215 for now because I'd much rather have an attainable goal to reach first, then try to get below 200, thought I've had people tell me at this point, they're not sure how good I'd look below 200.

contingencyplan

According to the BMI chart y ideal weight is under 165 lbs.

According to my Dr, I should be 195-200 lbs.

BMI is worthless.

zozzabubba

I'm actually the other way around, I'm righttt at the bottom of my ideal weight range (5'7 and 120ish lbs), but I don't look at all sickly skinny. I've never had anyone tell me I look too skinny. Maybe it's something to do with the fact that I'm a caucasian, with a caucasian build, living in Asia and surrounded by very petite Asian women, so compared to them I am still relatively large. To be honest, I would even prefer to go to a lower weight purely for vanity, but am not because I'm close to the bottom of the healthy weight range

nataliexxxx

My healthy weight range is 8st 12lb to 11 st 1 lb and my first goal is 10 stone then I will go for 9 stone:)

rce884

I have been steadily gaining for many many years in fact i dont tell how much i want to lose by weight but by age. and i want to be the weight i was when i was 20 which was 175-185 i could go lower but i think that is my goal wieight.

that is quite a bit above my "ideal" weight, but it is ideal for me. personally i cant imagine being that skinny. (oh isnt perception a wonderful thing)

ElizabethRoad

There is no "ideal weight" for everyone of your height.

Koldnomore

In order to look 'healthy' I need to be somewhere around 135 - 140 however I can get to about 180 before I start looking "fat". Most calculations I have seen say I should weigh less but having seen it on me I can give a very hearty "NO". I think it's different for everyone because there aren't many people around who have the same build / bone structure as I do.

I have a very non-typical bone structure for a woman, I'm a rectangle, my under bust, hips and waist are very close in size and always have been, I have wide shoulders and a large bust. Fat collects on me in a very even manner and disperses kind of like a blanket instead of collecting anywhere in large amounts - of course now that I'm into the 200 range it is accumulating more around the front (almost like a beer belly). I'm shaped more like a man than a woman but at least I'm evenly proportioned!

In my adult years I have weighed everywhere from about 130 (at my smallest ) to 235 (at my heaviest) so I have a unique perspective in that I have seen a big range of weights on my frame. At 130, I looked like a skeleton, my face was hollowed out and my legs looked like sticks - I didn't realize how sick I looked.

Deej53

Sadly, most medical professionals use insurance company actuarial tables having data which is more than 50 years old! Generally, these haven't been updated to reflect new information, new science regarding the human body. I'm 5-foot-seven. My mom was 4-foot-eight with a small bone structure. My father, on the other hand, was 6 feet even with large hands and feet-a large bone structure. I have Mom's fingers but everything else comes from Dad. Under 150, even the docs I work with want to do blood work and scans, etc., to make sure I'm healthy, yet will tell me I am--"according to the tables"--overweight! Damned if you do, damned if you don't as the saying goes! Find what works best for YOU, what makes you healthy, looks good to YOU, and to hell with what other people think! Note that "healthy" is the key word here.

kristen6022

My ideal weight is 155 (Female @ 5'11). I'm 145 right now and I think I over did it. At 145 and 5'11 I'm in a 4/6 which I think is too small for my frame and height. My friends tell me I'm bony and I'm losing my curves. I'm trying to get a few pounds back on and then maintain, but it's not as easy as it sounds!

Tat2dDom624

At my height (5' 11") my ideal weight is between 155 and 189. I'm looking to go down to 185 by New Years Eve.

castadiva

I've never been near my so-called 'ideal' weight, according to the BMI, but I do know that my mother, with whom I share an unusually large build, was extremely skinny in her late teens and twenties, and still weighed 20-30lbs more than her so called 'ideal'. Looking at the photos from that period, she looks frail and too thin for her frame. BMI is meant to measure populations, not individuals. It deals in averages. Anyone who is outside those averages is unlikely to fit neatly into the box.

czken

According to the BMI charts, I should be at 195 lb. I started at 305 and am shooting for 240 by Christmas. I'll assess then if I should shot lower but I can't imagine looking healthy at 195.

chellybailey

My "ideal weight" is between 7.5lb and 9.13lb I however will not even be trying to get anywhere near this weight!!

I am aiming to get to around 13.7 - 14 stone. I am a very curvy girl - I have an hourglass figure and for me personally when I weighed around 12 stone I looked awful. Even on the very few pictures i have from that time i feel i look ill.

Its each to their own though and good luck with everyone trying to reach their target weights

sarahrbraun

according to the BMI charts, I should be no more than 136lbs on my 5'2" frame. I haven't seen that since I was 20 years old! I wanted to lose 10lbs when I got pregnant with my oldest...

all that being said, my goal on MFP is set for 10lbs heavier than I *should* be for my height. I don't know if I will get there. Because of the muscle that I am building, my weight loss is slow...but I am wearing clothes that I wore when I was 30lbs lighter. If I get to a size 8, I'll stop--no matter how much I weigh. I would be happy with a size 10 too. The way things are going, I may be 160lbs with a BMI of 29, but wearing a size 8. It would be obscene of me to try to lose 30 more pounds just to fit the stupid charts.

vallemic

My BMI range for my height is 102-128 (I'm only 5'0''). When I started at 161 lbs, my goal was 128 lbs so that I would be considered "healthy". I also thought anything under 120 would look terrible on me. But it's funny how you're perception changes. I hit the 128 and then the 120 and now I'm going for 115 and maybe even keep going after that.

lynnprice

My ideal weight is somewhere in the 120 range for my height. There is no way I want to me that light. I would be happy with about 142 with decently muscular arms and legs for a girl. I don't want to be incredibly thin I would rather have the muscle to help raise my burned calories each day to help keep this day burned off more easily

^^^^ totally this. I agree with the OP, I think the ranges are too low, for me at least. The thought of trying to maintain 120 pounds, when I've not weighed that since I was 12 is TERRIFYING. So, my goals is to be healthy, look hot and feel hot and be of my own. Goofy, but that's what drives me.

hottottie11

My lean body mass is 117 lbs....I'm 5'2'' if I got to the VERY top of my "ideal weight" at 136, I'll be about 13% BF (assuming no muscle loss).