Are they right ???

That depends...161 is still overweight for 5' 7" but not if you have alot of muscle...then 161 might be perfect.

I think you could lose more. Not to be mean. Truthfully though. Id definately go for another 20

BMI is very unreliable as it doesn't take into account how much muscle a person has. For example, we all know David Haye isn't fat, but his BMI would probably be through the roof! Just go by how your clothes fit and how YOU feel!

As your friend i'm sure you won't mind me telling you that you do tend to obsess a bit so try and relax. As long as you are healthy and feel healthy, its all good!

One, don't use BMI for anything except to wipe your *kitten*, it is a outdated, useless scale. Second, it is up to you. Do you feel healthy at your weight? What is your fitness level? Don't get to a certain target because others want you to, unless that is your doctor.

One, don't use BMI for anything except to wipe your *kitten*, it is a outdated, useless scale. Second, it is up to you. Do you feel healthy at your weight? What is your fitness level? Don't get to a certain target because others want you to, unless that is your doctor.

This absolutely!!!!!!!

I agree with the above comments that your friends and family are saying this out of caring. The other problem, however, is the lost ability to recognize what "normal" should look like. Society has gotten so used to seeing larger sizes in people (and pets apparently), that we are losing the ability to recognize healthy weights. It's true for portion sizes too. I've learned a great deal on that front thanks to measuring food, and logging on MFP! So, as long as you're comfortable losing more weight, then go for it. Try to be patient with your loved ones.

Don't worry about what others think, you know your body better than anyone else and you have to do what feels right to you.

I get this too and it sometimes hurts as much as knowing people think you're fat (even though they seem to keep quiet about that). Not sure why people feel it's ok to tell you you are too skinny, but say nothing when you are overweight. I get comments like "you're going to blow away", "enough already, what are you trying to do", "you really don't need to lose anymore".

It's honestly no one else's business. Just smile and say "Thank you" and whatever else feels comfortable to shut them up.

Do what you feel is right for you, as long as it's a healthy goal, what others say doesn't matter.

Your family sound like they have some weight/psychological issues of their own. Most people just don't understand how weight works. I am 5'8", and just finished a cut at 131 lbs. and most people think I am 150-160 at least, and say I look "huge" (which is a function of low body fat+reasonable amount of muscle). If I was pudgy and had no muscle at 160, the same people would say I was too skinny and had issues and should not lose any more weight (this happened all the time when I first started getting in shape, and I was definitely overweight).

Basically, 90% of the population are utterly clueless when it comes to fitness and health, and can be safely ignored. Eat a healthy diet and lift weights 3x per week and you will be fitter and healthier than 90% of people. As a woman, if you do this you don't need to worry about any health issues related to weight loss til you go under 18% body fat or so (for most women 18-22% or so is healthy... most fitness models you see are around 15%). The only real concern is if you go the excessive cardio+not enough protein route and burn through too much lean body mass.

The real question is how fit do you want to be? It only takes 2-3 hours of weights per week, and a consistent diet to get to virtually any reasonable level of fitness over time.

One more piece of advice: judge results by body composition, not weight. Body fat and lean body mass matter a lot more than weight. This is a major failing of many diets, as they overemphasize cardio and underemphasize protein. Losing 10 pounds of muscle and 5 pounds of fat is both bad aesthetically and from a health perspective. The obese can do just about anything and get good results in that regard, but once you are at a healthier weight, preservation of lean body mass becomes more important than rate of fat loss.

You can definitely still lose weight and be healthy.

Also, yes, strength training will give you the best results.

I say do what make you feel happy, but make sure you do it the healthy way.. It's your body, be happy with it..

Go to your doctor, get blood work done and let HIM tell you what is a good and healthy weight for you and go by that.

Good luck!