Is 105 lbs and/or 19% body fat an unrealistic goal?

Yes, that's normal/healthy.

Not at all. I'm 5'0 too and I have been 105lbs with about 17% body fat. I personally think I look better at around 107-108lbs and 20% body fat.

Right now I'm 109lbs and around 22-23% body fat.

Why not? That's my goal.

I'd also consider lifting weights and eating a lot of protein to try and preserve as much lean muscle mass as possible. Really at some point you might realize your scale goal is not lining up with your bf% goal. Sometimes it's worth it to ignore the scale and just work on dropping inches and looking good. AKA, if you preserve muscle, you may weigh more than you expect but actually look leaner than you thought you would at that weight.

I have struggled with weight my whole life until I decided to make a few changes in my eating habits 5 years ago.

I am 5 ft and my highest weight was around 190 lbs......... I KNOW. Then I decided to carefully examine my eating habits in June 2008 and I worked out religiously, I think it was overkill at times (2-a-days) and got down to 116 lbs in March 2009, size 2-3 (never measured my BF% though).

Since then I've been more lax, met my now fiance (gained some love weight), etc and I've been at 130lbs for the last 3ish years. I recently got my body fat percentage measured at my doctors office and it is 25.4%. I used to be obsessed with the ultimate weight of 105 lbs but now I'm leaning towards being under 20% body fat.

Is 105 still realistic? I am 5 feet.... and ultimately I want to lose some of the fat on my *kitten*, thighs, belly, and drop a cup size for my boobs.

Would like to hear your thoughts?

If you are 130lbs with 25% bodyfat, that means a lean mass of 97.5lbs.

If you can maintain that lean mass and get to 20% bodyfat, you will weigh 121lbs.

If you maintain that lean mass and get to 105lbs you will only have 8% bodyfat, which is not realistic.

Aim for 120 first and see where you are with regards to bodyfat, as it is unlikely you will get to 105 without losing muscle if your current bodyfat % is correct.

Aiming for a bodyfat % is a better goal than aiming for a scale number.

Good luck.

^^ This. Makes a lot of sense. The scale can be a lying b@stard! I've been a size 2-4 on 2 different times in my life. One I weighed 118 lbs (skinny fat) - then again when I was 135 (with muscle). I'd much rather be a firm 135 than a jiggly 118. Go by body composition, not by a number on a scale!

i am 5'3 currently 122 lbs and around 17% body fat. i think its more important to have lean muscle, so i say whatever your body fat % goal is- go for it! but weight is just a number on a scale, its the tone and amount of muscle you have on your body that makes all the visual (and healthful) difference. don't stress over the weight, after all muscle weighs more than fat !

^^ what she said !

If you are 130lbs with 25% bodyfat, that means a lean mass of 97.5lbs.

If you can maintain that lean mass and get to 20% bodyfat, you will weigh 121lbs.

If you maintain that lean mass and get to 105lbs you will only have 8% bodyfat, which is not realistic.

Aim for 120 first and see where you are with regards to bodyfat, as it is unlikely you will get to 105 without losing muscle if your current bodyfat % is correct.

Aiming for a bodyfat % is a better goal than aiming for a scale number.

Good luck.

Beat me to the math.

I went through a similar issue wanting to get back to 120 pounds. My lean mass is about 110 pounds. If I kept my lean mass and got to 120, I'd only be 8% bodyfat. That's not going to happen. But I look slimmer now at 135-ish than I did 10 years ago at 120.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/886672-1-5-million-calories-in-775-days

If you are 130lbs with 25% bodyfat, that means a lean mass of 97.5lbs.

If you can maintain that lean mass and get to 20% bodyfat, you will weigh 121lbs.

If you maintain that lean mass and get to 105lbs you will only have 8% bodyfat, which is not realistic.

Aim for 120 first and see where you are with regards to bodyfat, as it is unlikely you will get to 105 without losing muscle if your current bodyfat % is correct.

Aiming for a bodyfat % is a better goal than aiming for a scale number.

Good luck.

Beat me to the math.

I went through a similar issue wanting to get back to 120 pounds. My lean mass is about 110 pounds. If I kept my lean mass and got to 120, I'd only be 8% bodyfat. That's not going to happen. But I look slimmer now at 135-ish than I did 10 years ago at 120.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/886672-1-5-million-calories-in-775-days

OP said "and/or" not "and" so your argument is invalid.

I'm aiming for 105lb lean body mass and 18-20% body fat

oh wait, you mean total weight 105lb....


if you are short with a small frame, then you maybe can achieve this, but based on what's posted earlier in the thread, i.e. that you have about 97lb lean body mass, I can assure you that you do *not* want to be aiming for 105lb total weight. Aim to lower your body fat percentage while preserving all your lean tissue. Starving off 15lb or so lean body mass will not be remotely healthy, nor will you look good, you'll look starved and ill. Scale weight is not what makes you look good, lean body mass plus a low body fat percentage is. Women who have this (i.e. a lot of lean body mass and a low body fat percentage) are frequently taken for being about 20lb lighter than they actually are, because they are slim. What you want at the end of the day is to look good in the mirror, right?? Well ditch the scale weight goal and stick with the body fat percentage goal and pay attention to how you look in the mirror, not the scale weight.