Tall Women and Weight

I am between 5'8 and 5'9 and currently 157. The lowest I have been in my recent memory is 142 before I was married or had kids. I was not able to maintain that. I am currently shooting for 152, then will see where to go from there. (was almost 180 this year, so decided to kick things into gear!) Edited to say that I have already changed my ticker to 145. Good to have a stretch goal??? :-

I'm 6 feet tall, with long legs, a short torso, and broad shoulders. I've settled on a goal weight of 160lbs to start with, as that's the high end of the range of weights recommended for my height, although I think I'll end up going for 150-155 in the end. I started out at 220lbs, I am now around 178.

I've come to accept that even when I reach my goal weight I'm not going to fit into a lot of things just due to the fact that nature built me like a Lincoln Log set on two foam pool noodles, but when you're this tall you have to roll with the punches. You can lose weight, but you can't lose inches. I think in the end it's fine to settle at whatever healthy weight looks and feels best to you, whether it's 145 or 165.

Do your best and keep on making it you guys.

One of the positives about being tall (6'0"), is that I "hide" my weight very well. At 240 lbs, (YIKES!) most people wouldn't ever guess that much. However, I also have a very large frame, so if I lose 30 pounds no one notices either. And dropping 30 pounds means that I only go down 1 pant size. So being tall definitely has it's benefits and frustrations. Anyway, my goal weight for my height and frame is 175 lbs. Some women this height are okay in the 140's, but I know I would look like a skeleton.

Also, yesterday was my first day on MFP, and I could REALLY use some support. I've NEVER learned healthy eating habits, and I have no idea what I'm doing at a gym. Where do I start? I'm tired of feeling fat. Any advice is welcome!!

Congratulations on getting started! I found reading these message boards gave me some great advice. Good luck on your journey.

I am 5'9", hour-glass shape, and currently fluctuating between 152-156. My goal weight is 145ish. I started out (not on MFP) at an all-time high of 211 and I was wearing size 18 pants that were getting tight. I now wear between a 10 and a 12, depending on the style and shirts are anywhere between a medium and x-large depending on the style. I found it really interesting to see what size people are wearing who are similar in height and weight. We are all so different!

I certainly empathize with those who were talking about how much weight it took to lose before there was any noticeable difference. It took a 30 pound loss for anyone (including me) to tell I had lost anything. On the flip side, a 20 pound weight gain is barely noticeable, but that can be a catch-22. You can fool yourself into thinking "oh these 20 pounds aren't so bad. I don't need to lose that." However those 20 pounds "magically" turn into 40 pounds and so on and so on until you're faced with a substantial weight gain which translates into a substantial weight loss. I can't do that to myself again (this is the 2nd time in my adult life I've lost 50+ pounds).

Hi ladies, so glad to see this board. I am 6' 2" and have no idea where I want my goal weight to land. I was thinking 180, but from all I have read, I might not be setting my goal low enough. However, like many have suggested, I will shoot for 180 and decide. I have 35 lbs to get there, so got some time!

I could sure use some support, so anyone that wants, please add me as a friend!

Hey tall ladies.

I'm happy to weigh in with my experience. I am 5'10", my high weight was 287 lbs when I was a size 22 (maybe even 24 but I refused to size up). My lowest weight was 183 lbs and I was a size 12. I ended up regaining weight and at 225 I was size 16. I am now weighing in at 203lbs and am a size 14. I am personally aiming for 170, then I will re-evaluate my goals and work on body composition.

I have not gotten to this stage myself but based on everything I've read - there does come a point when continuing to lose doesn't necessarily help you look any healthier. That's when lifting and changing your body composition really matters. You want to replace the weight of your fat with the weight of those sexy muscles So: focus less on the number but how you look.

I'm a guy, but I'm 6'6" so I can relate. Also, all these tall women getting into shape is pertinent to my interests

Keep it up, ladies! You're looking great, all of you. Especially that one. you know who you are.

You are singing my tune sister! 5'11" too and goal weight #1 is 180lbs.

I call 170lbs my fighting weight. I'll worry about that when I lose this next six...

It used to be when I got up to 180lbs, I'd have to buy size 16 pants, but I'm at 186lbs and I wear size 14. Who really knows? I just have a lot of clothes I spent a lot of money on that I would like to wear again...mostly size 12.

Hey tall ladies.

I'm happy to weigh in with my experience. I am 5'10", my high weight was 287 lbs when I was a size 22 (maybe even 24 but I refused to size up). My lowest weight was 183 lbs and I was a size 12. I ended up regaining weight and at 225 I was size 16. I am now weighing in at 203lbs and am a size 14. I am personally aiming for 170, then I will re-evaluate my goals and work on body composition.

I have not gotten to this stage myself but based on everything I've read - there does come a point when continuing to lose doesn't necessarily help you look any healthier. That's when lifting and changing your body composition really matters. You want to replace the weight of your fat with the weight of those sexy muscles So: focus less on the number but how you look.

Your first two sentences caught my attention - that could EASILY be me. By chance, do you have any pics of what you looked like at other sizes? Feel free to add me as a friend :flowerforyou:

I'm 5'9" and started at 184 with a goal of 165, but one of my doctors told me to shoot for 155, which I thought was impossible. Sure enough, I got to 165 and realized I could lose more. Now I'm at 157 and thinking I could perhaps go down to 150. Personal low as an adult is 147 but that was when I was hyperthyroid and I felt awful and had no muscle. I bought size 8 pants the other day which I think is some sort of crazy miracle--I NEVER thought I'd wear a single-digit size in pants.

All depends on how much muscle you put in and how your weight is distributed, so I totally agree with the others who say to set a first goal and then reassess once you get there.

Don't really understand le question, but your build also factors into your goal weight. Not by too much (unless you have Elephant Man syndrome), but to a certain small extent.
Height is not the one and only determining factor.
You should measure your body fat percentage as that's a better marker for most. Mine is 25.6%, aiming for 24%.
Also take your measurements, specifically around your waist as too much fat there increases the likelihood of certain diseases.
The health limit is supposedly half your height in inches, but that's not the aesthetic measurement.

Edit: I'm 6'2 and 208lbs, aiming for 190.

Im 6ft and currently weigh about 187 lbs and aiming to lose 20 lbs.
i have large feet/hands and a decent build but im quite narrow, so this extra weight looks odd on me.

Im 6' in low 180's.
I kind of agree with the snarky big bone vs small bone comment earlier.
165 would be very healthy and it would be manageable to maintain. My BmI is just in the average zone now but I definitely need to loose at least 15pds to become less fatty & jiggly. That would make me healthy thin not skinny gross.

Fun Board to see all the differences in opinion. Specially the shorty's thinkin their tall ha ha.

I am 5"11 a size 4 and 140 lbs and before you all say that is too thin I have a VERY tiny frame and my doctor is happy with my weight so so am I.

I totally get this. I"m also 5'11" and was most comfortable in the 135-140 weight range (thus my goal weight below). Just because we're tall doesn't mean we are also large framed, we can be small framed just like short women can!

I am 5'9", 34, and I don't remember the last time I was in Onederland. I started again on this journey again at 285 and down to 255. I set my goal to 200 because I wanted somewhere "to go," once I get there, I will evaluate it again because I have no clue how I will look, what size I will wear, etc.

I, too, am one of those girls that "hid the weight" well. My sister wears the same size as me, but is only 5'4", so things look very different on here than me, and she has been jealous the last couple years when we would go clothes shopping together. We have this tendecy to throw clothes over the walls in the fitting rooms. Because of my extra height, if something was long enough, it usually looks better on me. She would get so mad. But when we compared real numbers, my weight has always been much higher than hers, hence - clothes look better on me, but her weight is less.

I'm 5'8" and my highest was 210/215. I'm at 188 today. 3 years ago I was down to 160. I'm shooting for 165. I do have a large frame work. It's an everyday work in progress. Some days are definitely better than others.