Wondering what my goal weight should be?

crazyjkgirl

I started my weight loss journey at 172 pounds. I'm a 5' 3" tall female. I'm 19 years old. I was wearing a size 12 women's jean or a size 134 juniors jean when I began.

I'm now around 149 pounds and in a size 8 jean in womens and a size 9 jean in juniors. I can see the weight loss in myself to an amazing extent. Other can certainluy see it as well. According to my original goals, I should still be aiming to lose another 20 pounds. I'm not sure if this is entirely realistic.

I have not been able to loss much weight if any weight at all these past three weeks and I'm folllowing every thing in my diet plan to a t.

What do you guys think? Is a size 8/9 a decent weight to stay at or should I aim to get down to a size 4/5?

lbpw

well everybody is different. what may look good on you may look too thin on somebody else. i am the same height as you and wearing about a size 5 and i am 124 lbs. everybody is telling me i look way too thin. my mom especially would love to see me be 140 again. so i would say if you are happy where you are at and you feel healthy just maintain that.

erickirb

My wife is 5'4" 122 and doesn't look too thin, she feels she is too thin when she gets about 118, she wears a size 3-5, depending on brand. Everyone is different and frame size should be considered. That being said, another 20 pounds is definitely realistic, although the closer you get to your goal weight the slower the weight will come off. Good luck.

Ashia1317

That's up to you! How well do you feel? How comfortable are you?

I'm the same height and about the same weight as you. According to the BMI, I'm over weight. That's probably what bothers me the most and has determined me to lose 15-25 lbs and be down to about 125-130 lbs.

But however comfortable you are in your skin, only you can determine what your goal should be. Congrats on your weight loss!

Ezzie

The person you need to please most is YOU.....if you are happy where you are take a break and learn to maintain, let your body see if this size 'fits'. Then reevaluate later, you may decide to lose more, or not. My other thought would be, how do YOU feel? Do you have the energy and stamina you want?

I would NOT go by insurance charts, magazine articles, or (for the most part) other peoples opinions. Your health care provider might be another source of opinion if he/she actually LOOKS at you and helps you decide..again not just based on 'studies'.

13Swader

Hopefully, one of the reasons you want to be a healthier weight is to avoid other health problems, like high cholesterol, diabetes, high blood pressure etc. Since you are young, you probably haven't had lots of tests for those things, so weight is the cheapest tool you've got. The other posters are right...you've got to choose what's best for you. However, you might want to take a look at your family members health and weight to help you make a decision. Also, look at your lifestyle; if you work out and are trying to build a little muscle, the scale will naturally read a bit higher, so take that into account. My main point is: There are other things to consider than the number on the scale.

Eric is right when he says the closer you get to your goal, the harder it is to get those last pounds off, and there really is a plateau effect, where your body "resets" to your new weight and doesn't burn fat as much. So, if you do want to go a bit further, you may have to pump up your exercise routine to keep losing.

sdirks

Just FYI - don't let the "BMI" bother you. It was invented by a Belgian mathematician in the mid-1800's and was never intended to diagnose obesity. Actually, it's a statistical analysis of population norms from that time period (remember: Industrial Revolution, widespread famine, people were generally shorter, etc.). Most bodybuilders and Olympic athletes clock in at morbidly obese according to the BMI, yet we know they are some of the healthiest individuals around! If you want to compare yourself to a mathematical average, go ahead and reference the BMI--just remember that it's "normal by the numbers," not necessarily what's right for you. Like 13Swader, I also recommend looking at the other women in your family: what height/weight ratio do you find most flattering for them? The same will more than likely flatter you.

It's hard to say what "goal weight" is right for you. My advice is to choose something that would make you happy, like running a marathon, reaching a certain level in martial arts, or having a certain diameter waistline. For me, I used to work in the fashion industry and have a $2,000+ dress that doesn't button all the way. I'm going to stop losing weight when that dress buttons. I don't know how many pounds that is (exactly), and that's comforting for me. I try on the dress once a month and note where it fits better and where I still need work. Find what YOU like & what motivates YOU, then work from that point.