How do you know if you should stop trying to lose weight ?

Calmzzz

I wanna be 120 pounds. Im 5'6 130 pounds. Any ideas?

Casstevens133

IMHO now!! 5'6 and 130lb ?? You don't need to lose any more - well done for getting where you are

freelancejouster

Get your body fat measured. If it's under 22-25% you're very healthy. (though under 15-18% is starting to be a different kind of unhealthy) Perhaps switch to lifting if you're not comfortable with the shape you are now.

That being said. I'm 5'4.5" and my goal weight is 128 (though if I still have a tummy, I might go to 125-123). When I weighed 114 in high school I looked sickly. Your body likely isn't the same as mine, but I think 130 on 5' 6" is about perfect.

FP4HSharon

Agree w/previous posters who recommended checking your body fat percentage (scales available at stores). But on the percentages, top female athletes get down to 10-18% and still look healthy. But without serious workouts, those levels are hard for us mere mortals to get to. But a healthy normal would be 19-25% for a woman.

notworthstalking

I am below my goal weight and still lost last week. I am trying to eat my calories, and hitting pretty close to my 2040 average a day. So while I am not trying to lose weight , it is still happening. I am also set as active and eat back exercise calories. So at the moment my body is still settling. I can safely lose 5 kilos more, but don't want to. Maybe if you go into maintenance now, and start getting used to eating more and work on other goals , you can see how you feel. My goals involve getting faster on my run/walks and improving my lifts. If I keep getting stronger while still losing, I am not going to stress... For now.

MaraDiaz

I wanna be 120 pounds. Im 5'6 130 pounds. Any ideas?

Depends too much on info we don't have. Like your bone structure and as was already mentioned your current bodyfat percentage. Also you say you want to be 120, is it just because you like the number or because you don't like what you see in the mirror yet? If the former, don't bother losing more, if the latter, lose/work out and tone/do whatever you can do that is healthy to be happier with how you look and/or feel.

LokiOfAsgard

Are you happy? Do you like the way you look?
Forget the scales now, this is the part where you look at yourself and how far you've come. This is the part where you decide if you look happy and healthy and if this is what you want.

You don't like it? What do you want to improve on? More muscle definition? Maybe you do want to get rid of some more extra fat, which is totally okay if you do. This is all on you now.

The only thing to remember is to remain healthy. Healthy=happy

mikejholmes

The number on the scale is just that: a number on a scale. You shouldn't let that define you.

If you want a more informed opinion, pics might be helpful.
Although, I don't think the body fat percentage is a bad idea.

Question though: what is your goal? You admitted that you're not sure what number of pounds you should weigh -- so what is your goal? To look good naked? To run a 10K? To be "healthy"?

nwg74

I am a male 5' 7" and I am going to settle at 12 stone (168 pounds) despite BMI being 26. From going 373 pounds originally, I probably have around 10 pounds of excess skin. I have to take that into consideration and hopefully over a long time, it will tighten more and I might drop a little more. 12 stone was just 3 pounds away and I did go up recently so have to work down to what I was again.

freelancejouster

But a healthy normal would be 19-25% for a woman.

That's exactly what I said, just in different words, hahah.

But on the percentages, top female athletes get down to 10-18% and still look healthy.

I'm just going to mention that just because they look healthy doesn't mean that they are. Below as high as 17% we often lose menstruation and fertility (one is higher than the other, but I forget which). It's not the same for everyone - I heard a story about a doctor's wife who had just gotten pregnant at about 12% body fat recently - but that doesn't mean there not a risk or that a body fat that low is healthy.

lilsassymom

I am currently debating this as well. I am 5'1 and between 115-116 lbs at almost 32 yrs old. I have no idea if I should try to lose more weight or step into maintenance. I am very happy with my body now. I am healthy and fit. I love clothes shopping now. I also love NOT hiding from cameras anymore. I have a much higher self confidence. Showing more skin (bikinis, tank tops) doesn't bother me anymore---I'm not embarrassed. Notice my profile picture .

However, I am also finding it hard to move into that "maintenance" phase. Especially when you see others here on MFP around the same height that weigh less than you, it makes you question wether or not you should lose more weight. It's a tough decision. You just never know how far you should "push" yourself.

I just don't know what to do either---because I know I could probably lose about 5 lbs more, BUT it might be good to have a *little* extra meat on my body. I don't want to look sickly....I think I am just going to try and tone up from here on out. Good Luck with what you decide .

phjorg

ignore the scale, look at the mirror. is your fat free mass and fat mass the proportion you want it to be? if yes, then just maintain, if no, then continue to ignore the scale and eat/exercise the proper way until you get the look you want.

lvtruu1

Hard to say, one thing is that you may never be completely happy no matter what you weight. It is something you just have to work out. If you don't want to keep losing weight just keep upping your calories every few weeks. I've upped mine 800+ calories over the last two months without gaining weight. Just try to be happy, your exact weight isn't all that important, accepting your new body is. I'm still working on that a bit.

FP4HSharon

But a healthy normal would be 19-25% for a woman.

That's exactly what I said, just in different words, hahah.

But on the percentages, top female athletes get down to 10-18% and still look healthy.

I'm just going to mention that just because they look healthy doesn't mean that they are. Below as high as 17% we often lose menstruation and fertility (one is higher than the other, but I forget which). It's not the same for everyone - I heard a story about a doctor's wife who had just gotten pregnant at about 12% body fat recently - but that doesn't mean there not a risk or that a body fat that low is healthy.

Well, the recommendations were from the American Council on Exercise guidelines, so they're not talking about unhealthy athletes. But I agree that if a women loses her period, or starts to have other health problems at a higher percentage, then they should return to the percentage they were healthy at.

lambchoplewis

It is hard to stop wanting to lose as it becomes a habit. Maintenance for me is harder than losing as I used to say no to almost everything and now, I try to have one glass of wine and end up drinking 3 and eating too much. I felt better NOT eating certain things. So...I weigh myself every morning because it reminds me NOT to stuff things into my mouth and to see the 3-4 lb water weight gain from a pig out (or eating things I know are not good for me). I am making sure my trend is NOT up but is stable. It is harder than I thought it would be but... it is worth it.

cmeiron

I think having an *initial* "number"/weight goal is good as a starting point, but ultimately it doesn't mean much; it's also hard to guess what your ideal weight should be if you've never BEEN there, lol (i.e., if you've always been overweight). My initial goal was 140, but when I reached that I saw that I had not attained the level of fitness or the shape that I thought I would achieve by that point. I'm now about 130 (and I'm 5'9"), which is the lowest I've ever been as an adult. Weight is a funny thing, though: I've seen many photos of women the same height (or shorter!) and much heavier than me who have really great physiques. Body frame, muscle mass etc. all play a part in someone's weight and how it looks on one individual's body, so the scale isn't always the best tool for determining if you've reached your goal.

I've stopped caring about the number on the scale now, and I'm now focusing on what I see in the mirror and my fitness. I can see that I'd like to lose some body fat still (I carry most of mine around my hips/butt), I'd like better muscle definition, and I'd like to be stronger - so I'm still eating at a deficit (to tackle the body fat) and I'm working on resistance training to achieve the reshaping and strengthening. At this point I expect the changes to be slow, and the number on the scale may go up or down, I'm not really sure. If you're close to your weight goal, then take some time to reassess your ACTUAL goal - how you want to look and feel - and what you need to do to attain that.

Calmzzz

I'm sorry guys, I should have been more specific. Thanks for the replies though! The thing is, 130 is the only weight I've been. I'm 16, female and I think I'm so close to developing an eating disorder. This is the weight I feel okay in, I get called skinny but I want to be smaller. Help?

cmeiron

I'm sorry guys, I should have been more specific. Thanks for the replies though! The thing is, 130 is the only weight I've been. I'm 16, female and I think I'm so close to developing an eating disorder. This is the weight I feel okay in, I get called skinny but I want to be smaller. Help?

If you think that you're close to developing an ED, then the only thing you need to be thinking about is making an appointment with your family doctor, as soon as possible, to discuss the situation and to develop a healthy plan of action. At your age you don't want to develop unhealthy habits or eating patterns - it will set you up for enormous trouble later in life. Make that appointment, ok? :flowerforyou:

TRMite

talk to your physician about your concerns. if you think you might be close, that means you definitely should talk to an adult with resources that can prevent that maybe from becoming reality. reaching out here is step one, now reach out to an adult who can help you. you'll feel much better I promise.

mikejholmes

I'm sorry guys, I should have been more specific. Thanks for the replies though! The thing is, 130 is the only weight I've been. I'm 16, female and I think I'm so close to developing an eating disorder. This is the weight I feel okay in, I get called skinny but I want to be smaller. Help?

If you think that you're close to developing an ED, then the only thing you need to be thinking about is making an appointment with your family doctor, as soon as possible, to discuss the situation and to develop a healthy plan of action. At your age you don't want to develop unhealthy habits or eating patterns - it will set you up for enormous trouble later in life. Make that appointment, ok? :flowerforyou:

^^ THIS ^^

A side note though -- you can be smaller, without weighing less.
Without a pic, it's hard to be certain, but based on what you've said, your actual weight is just fine.

That said, if you lift heavy while staying the same weight, you'll get smaller, and more defined.
So that's one way to be "smaller", but stay at a healthy weight.

For potential ED issues however, yes, please seek professional help. We can be supportive, but there is only so much we can do.
:flowerforyou: