What is a persons ideal weight?

Depends on your goals and body structure.

That said, a lot of people coming down in weight find it difficult to visualize what they'd be at normal weights. Sure you'll look smaller at 161, but unless you're muscular, you may not even be seeing much abs definition. 5'8 161 is not a "gaunt" height/weight combo.

Give yourself a little time to get used to the new you.

My "ultimate" target was 12st 7lbs which I hit last Christmas - this was based on the weight I thought suited me best in the dim and very distant past.
After a while maintaining there I realised a few more pounds off would be better and dropped to 12st 2lbs and stopped there for a while until I decided 12st (168lbs) was probably better.

It's based on lot's of things really, BMI (very top of the normal range), how I look in the mirror, how I feel, energy levels, fitness goals, body fat, fit of clothes.....

You don't have to do it all in one go and it won't do you any harm to have a diet break and maintain for a while until you decide you are happy or want to lose more.

You have to go way past your ideal weight to be your ideal weight anyway. Should be your walk around weight, say if you ate pizza and donuts at the weekend and didn't even go gym, that weight should be your ideal weight.

I'm 5' 9, and even when I got down to 141 I wasn't really that, I trained to that, wedding food and red velvet cake I was 160, a different 160 to when I first got to 160.

It depends a LOT on your body fat percentage, so I'd recommend getting a scale that does that. Someone who is very muscular can be considered overweight, if you go by weight & height alone. Then I'd shoot for a healthy body fat percentage & not worry so much about the weight.

Gary -

Unless you're unusually muscly, a BMI of 22 or so is going to be a good place to start.

My muscly, but naturally thin young adult son is 6'2 and 155 sounds. My more average teenage son is 6'1" and 148.

I agree with what everyone said - when you have lost a bit of weight and look in the mirror you look 'fine' - in fact good. When you lose more you realize you can look better and BE HEALTHIER. It takes a lot to look gaunt. (I'm 5'10', 150, a curvy woman, and definitely NOT gaunt.)

I am now 140.8 and my heights is 5'4 and although I do think that I look decent and shapely at 49, I feel better at 130. So I thought my goal would be about 127 or so ... this way I have some room to play with. My doctor said that is enough! :-( I guess he doesn't feel that at 49 I should be smaller than about 138. HOw does one know? NOTE: I was 180 about for most of my child bearing years and I had 9!!

I am 5'9. When I was 190lb I thought I was 'big boned'. My initial goal was 165lb but once I got there I realised that I was actually a medium-framed woman and could comfortably push to 155lb. Once there I decided to drop to 150lb.
The last 5lb were a mother (forgive the language!) and I only maintained that weight for a year with some extremely disordered eating. Now I find I can maintain my weight at 155-160lb without too much drama and I look comfortably slim, 'toned' and muscular. This is a BMI 23 I believe so bang in the middle of the normal range.
You just have to play with the numbers I think and re-evaluate each goal once you meet it. If you've overshot and are getting too emaciated your body will let you know (believe me).
A small part of me wants to go back to 150lb but I realise that I'm a greedy mare and not ashamed of it, I love exercise and I like having energy to do it. If it means that my abs are not as visible as they once were, tough. I'm fit and healthy and not likely to enter a modelling competition anytime soon.

From the charts I looked at based on height, weight and age 47, 155 to 162 is optimum weight. I am between 5'8 and 5'9. I figured get rid of the fat by getting to the lower number, and if I put on a little muscle weight, I am still in the ideal range.