'ideal' weight for 5 ft tall female?

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  • AmerH
    AmerH Posts: 40 Member
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    I have no idea what the actual "ideal" weight is for a woman our height (I'm 5 feet on the nose and it took me 23 years to get there, thank you very much.)

    What I *do* know, though, is that the "recommended" weight I have been quoted over and over and over by Weight Watchers, by BMI charts, and (initially) by my own doctor is not a place I am willing to go. That weight? 125 pounds. I am 160 pounds right now and am looking to lose another 10-15 pounds. And that....is IT. I cannot even *imagine* being 125 pounds. The smallest I have ever been is 140, and I think I looked too skinny then (and that was with weight training 4 times a week.) When I went to see my doctor after reaching 140 pounds, she didn't believe I weighed that much until she weighed me herself, and then even she agreed that 125 would be much too low for me.

    I said all that to say this: no one really knows what an "ideal weight" is. The attitude I'm talking at this point is that my ideal weight is a weight that I am comfortable at -- and most importantly, a weight that I am able to maintain without depriving myself or having to kill myself at the gym. I want to be able to maintain this for the rest of my life, and no chart can tell me where I "should" be, because no chart knows me the way I do.

    Don't stress out about "ideal" weights. You'll know when you've reached where you need to be.

    Exactly!
  • gigglesinthesun
    gigglesinthesun Posts: 860 Member
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    I have no idea what the actual "ideal" weight is for a woman our height (I'm 5 feet on the nose and it took me 23 years to get there, thank you very much.)

    What I *do* know, though, is that the "recommended" weight I have been quoted over and over and over by Weight Watchers, by BMI charts, and (initially) by my own doctor is not a place I am willing to go. That weight? 125 pounds. I am 160 pounds right now and am looking to lose another 10-15 pounds. And that....is IT. I cannot even *imagine* being 125 pounds. The smallest I have ever been is 140, and I think I looked too skinny then (and that was with weight training 4 times a week.) When I went to see my doctor after reaching 140 pounds, she didn't believe I weighed that much until she weighed me herself, and then even she agreed that 125 would be much too low for me.

    I said all that to say this: no one really knows what an "ideal weight" is. The attitude I'm talking at this point is that my ideal weight is a weight that I am comfortable at -- and most importantly, a weight that I am able to maintain without depriving myself or having to kill myself at the gym. I want to be able to maintain this for the rest of my life, and no chart can tell me where I "should" be, because no chart knows me the way I do.

    Don't stress out about "ideal" weights. You'll know when you've reached where you need to be.

    Do you have a low body fat percentage then?

    I would be interested in seeing a picture, because I am 5 ft and at 140 I looked horrendously overweight. I suppose as long as your waist to height ration is okay, it doesn't matter. It would be interesting to see how different short people carry their weight.

    My body fat, when it was last calculated, was 24%. As for a picture......well, here you go. Me at 140. They were both taken on the same day -- May 9, 2012, the day I became a WW Lifetime member (in the first picture, the pants I'm holding are the ones I wore to my first WW meeting).

    Oh, and since you mentioned it, my waist-to-hip ratio at 140 pounds was 0.7 -- it's 0.8 now.

    292288_644625449598_2135956272_n_zpsdff0fc70.jpg

    525543_629601362988_940543548_n_zpsaa7d3390.jpg

    see, this is just not fair at all. I at that weight looked massive ... with double chin and all :laugh:
  • MichMunchkin
    MichMunchkin Posts: 94 Member
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    I have no idea what the actual "ideal" weight is for a woman our height (I'm 5 feet on the nose and it took me 23 years to get there, thank you very much.)

    What I *do* know, though, is that the "recommended" weight I have been quoted over and over and over by Weight Watchers, by BMI charts, and (initially) by my own doctor is not a place I am willing to go. That weight? 125 pounds. I am 160 pounds right now and am looking to lose another 10-15 pounds. And that....is IT. I cannot even *imagine* being 125 pounds. The smallest I have ever been is 140, and I think I looked too skinny then (and that was with weight training 4 times a week.) When I went to see my doctor after reaching 140 pounds, she didn't believe I weighed that much until she weighed me herself, and then even she agreed that 125 would be much too low for me.

    I said all that to say this: no one really knows what an "ideal weight" is. The attitude I'm talking at this point is that my ideal weight is a weight that I am comfortable at -- and most importantly, a weight that I am able to maintain without depriving myself or having to kill myself at the gym. I want to be able to maintain this for the rest of my life, and no chart can tell me where I "should" be, because no chart knows me the way I do.

    Don't stress out about "ideal" weights. You'll know when you've reached where you need to be.

    Do you have a low body fat percentage then?

    I would be interested in seeing a picture, because I am 5 ft and at 140 I looked horrendously overweight. I suppose as long as your waist to height ration is okay, it doesn't matter. It would be interesting to see how different short people carry their weight.

    My body fat, when it was last calculated, was 24%. As for a picture......well, here you go. Me at 140. They were both taken on the same day -- May 9, 2012, the day I became a WW Lifetime member (in the first picture, the pants I'm holding are the ones I wore to my first WW meeting).

    Oh, and since you mentioned it, my waist-to-hip ratio at 140 pounds was 0.7 -- it's 0.8 now.

    292288_644625449598_2135956272_n_zpsdff0fc70.jpg

    525543_629601362988_940543548_n_zpsaa7d3390.jpg

    see, this is just not fair at all. I at that weight looked massive ... with double chin and all :laugh:

    I don't know what it is, why I can look smaller at a higher weight. I know some people will say it was the weight training, but no, that's not it. I'm sure it *helped*, but my mother is the same way, and she's never picked up a barbell in her life. Genetics, I suppose.

    If you've never checked it out, I highly recommend having a look at My Body Gallery: http://www.mybodygallery.com/ It shows how women who are the same height can carry different amounts of weight VERY uniquely. There are women on there who are 5 feet and as high as160 pounds who look absolutely FABULOUS.
  • jeanettearcher1
    jeanettearcher1 Posts: 1 Member
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    i am 5 foot on the dot and weigh 140. im wouldnt say im obese but i just took my bmi and it said im at 31%. I have always been an upside down pear. alot of ppl say i need to grow a booty but i cant help it. i am comfortable at 140 since my husband still loves me, just cat get the 90lb girl i was out of my head. Granted i was 17 then and 35 now.
  • anedley
    anedley Posts: 13
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    There's is small, medium and large framed. I'm 5 ft and medium framed so 110-112 should be my weight. Wrap your pointer finger and thumb around your wrist if they touch your small framed (106-110 pounds) if they almost touch your medium framed (110-112 pounds and if they aren't even close to touching large framed (113-116 pounds)
  • anedley
    anedley Posts: 13
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    Last year I weighed 112 now I weigh 147 ugh. But 112 I looked great suited my height and body. I would like to be 110
  • Rebecca_Fe
    Rebecca_Fe Posts: 4
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    I'm 5'1. I was pudgy at 125. I'm 115 now and I still have a pooch but it's not so bad now. This is the weight I have been most of my life. I've been 110 also. I thought I looked ok, no muscle though, just real petite. I would like to be towards the lower end of my AVERAGE BMI which the lowest it can be is 100 without me being underweight. So whenever my abs start appearing is the weight I want to stay at. Since I do not see them now, I am going to keep trying to trim fat and gain muscle until I do! So again, that's the weight I want to be at. I may end up staying at 115 or gaining, who knows. That's fine, just want my abs.
  • JL2513
    JL2513 Posts: 867 Member
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    I'm 5 ft tall and my goal weight is 108 lbs. I was aiming for 113 initially, but decided it was a bit higher than I liked and I'm already seeing quite a difference as I drop further and further down from 113. It'll be different for everyone. I remember I was around 113 when I started high school and had been pretty happy with my weight then, so that was my ballpark figure.

    I have a feeling my belly still won't be completely flat at my goal weight and that's okay- I did expect some fine tuning would still be needed. I'm going to be very happy at 108 and will stop dropping weight then. My focus will be on gaining muscle mass and toning up afterwards.
  • loriq41
    loriq41 Posts: 479 Member
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    I am at 123 now and hope to get to 115...I have not been close to that weight in decades..ha ha..but if I recall, the lowest I ever was is 106 lbs and I could not maintain that to save my life..plus I was young and at the time thought I was fat in my size 2 jeans...lol
  • xilka
    xilka Posts: 308 Member
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    I'm 5'0ft and 115lbs.
    My goal is 110.

    I've weighed 90lbs in the past but I felt too light and weak.
    I feel a lot stronger as I am now.
  • Lleldiranne
    Lleldiranne Posts: 5,516 Member
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    The ideal is going to vary depending on a lot of things - what look you like, how much muscle you have, etc.

    I am 5 feet tall. Unlike most of the other women around our height who posted, I tend to be happier at the upper end of the range. I am about 127 right now, with around 26% body fat. I am satisfied with my weight, and wear mostly size 4-6. I would like to decrease my body fat % a bit (aiming for about 22% right now), and if that comes with a decrease in scale weight, that's great, but if not, I would be perfectly fine (that would mean increasing muscle, which would be awesome). My husband likes how I look, and I have some curves (although my body type would be "square" :laugh: ) I supposed I could get down to the 115, 107, etc, but I just don't want to … I like food too much, and so having the muscle and slightly higher weight allows me to eat more!

    The ideal weight for you should be where you feel great, are happy with how you look and how your clothes fit, and where you have energy and can live life without constantly worrying about every bite you put in your mouth. (Not saying you shouldn't track, or at least pay attention, in maintenance, but if you're afraid to go out to dinner once in a while, or Thanksgiving feast throws you into a panic because you might gain a bit, I'd say you need to reevaluate)
  • MichMunchkin
    MichMunchkin Posts: 94 Member
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    There's is small, medium and large framed. I'm 5 ft and medium framed so 110-112 should be my weight. Wrap your pointer finger and thumb around your wrist if they touch your small framed (106-110 pounds) if they almost touch your medium framed (110-112 pounds and if they aren't even close to touching large framed (113-116 pounds)

    Ehhh, that's not even totally accurate, either. If I do that, my index finger and my thumb touch, but I am definitely large-framed. Every single "body frame calculator" I have ever plugged my wrist measurement into (my wrist is 6 inches around) gives me the exact same result: large-framed.
  • mrsamanda86
    mrsamanda86 Posts: 869 Member
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    As you've seen so far, even for people of the exact same height, perfect weight isn't a one size fits all. I'm 4'11, and as of last month's check in I was 150 pounds and 26.8% BF. Right now I'm 143 and will be getting my bf% measured again probably next week. I'm more focused on getting to around 20-22% BF, not worried quite as much about how much I'll weigh when I get there, although I'm assuming I'll probably end up towards the upper end of "healthy weight" for my height, somewhere between 120-130. I would have to get really unhealthy and sick to ever see 100. The smallest I've ever been since reaching 4'11 was when I was about 18/19, I weighed 118 but didn't have any major muscle to speak of, was just skinny(size 5). I'm looking to hopefully get into a size 6 by the time I'm at goal weight, but really I just want to make myself stronger, get into a healthy bf%, and feel good. I don't have small legs or tiny little arms or anything, I'm just not built that way, nor do I personally want to be. I want thick strong legs and decent arms that can lift :love: oh yeah!
  • MichMunchkin
    MichMunchkin Posts: 94 Member
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    OK, first thing "Big boned" does not exist.

    "Large-framed" does, though. And that makes a difference.
  • Mommyof3la
    Mommyof3la Posts: 1 Member
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    I agree it depends on many things, I was 117 my lowest 2 years ago and was a size 7! It was mainly my butt and thighs not stomach. But a year after I gained about 13 lbs from the depo shot and was a sz 9. now I'm up to 170 because of the mirena. I was always a medium my mom just lost about 20lbs she was 145 and size 9 she's now 125 size 5 and shirts are xs-s . I couldnt fit a 5 at 117lbs. She's about 3 1/2 inches taller than me I'm 5ft. So it sometimes isn't really weight amount it's many factors I want to be back at 120 or size 7 which ever one comes first.
  • MichelleLaree13
    MichelleLaree13 Posts: 865 Member
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    I am about 5'1" and I have always found myself really happy around 125 lbs. When I go to the gym and/or workout everyday, I can get down to 125 lbs, look toned without looking too muscular and feel good about the way I look.
  • haroon_awan
    haroon_awan Posts: 1,208 Member
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    It is much more accurate to focus on the range of ideal weight, rather than an ideal weight on its own.

    http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/healthy-living/Pages/height-weight-chart.aspx
  • teamAmelia
    teamAmelia Posts: 1,247 Member
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    http://www.webmd.com/diet/calc-bmi-plus

    OK, first thing "Big boned" does not exist.

    "Large-framed" does, though. And that makes a difference.
    QFT, and this is touched on in the link that I posted.
  • emilyyyrussell
    emilyyyrussell Posts: 11 Member
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    im 5'1" and 92.5 pounds. i am very petite though, so i dont LOOK super skinny. i am slim, but i still have a lot of fat on me (i think my bf% is around 23%). your ideal weight is whatever you look your damn best at! stuff the scale and stuff bmi! as long as you are eating healthy and enjoying treats in moderation, and exercising throughout the week you are the best you can be and no one can tell you your ideal weight. you are unique and special, your ideal weight may be vastly different for other people 5ft tall. :)
  • MickeyBoo
    MickeyBoo Posts: 196 Member
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    My mum is 5'0 and regardless of age when she weighs 50kg (110pds) she is at her happiest with her weight and shape.

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