Some of us are just not made to be *that* skinny

I'm 5'5" as well and look great at 165. (Currently 191, trying to get back to 165) I am busty with a proportionally big butt to go with. At 165 I look healthy and great in a pair of jeans. I was 118 at my lowest in high school. Literally looked like a stick with boobs. I think your 'ideal weight' is whatever you feel good at. I trust my mirror more than my scale.

Healthy and happy is what matters not some "ideal" body size. 145 at your height is still within the healthy BMI range. I'm sorry you feel you are being pressured to be smaller than you'd like to be, the best advice I can give is to be confident in yourself and be the best *you* you can be.

It seems as though you are taking a sensible look at your options and aiming for what seems to be a more realistic goal. We are all different and while some people who are to the low end of the BMI healthy range look amazing, others look too thin. Similarly some at the top end of the healthy BMI look fabulous and others look a bit chubby. It really is an individual thing. You will know yourself in your heart of hearts, what works best for you. Maybe set a series of smaller goals and when you reach them, you can always revise them (up or down). But don't feel pressured by supposed body or weight ideals. Take it a few pounds at a time and see how you feel. The main thing is you are getting healthier and fitter in the process. )


I am 5ft 4" . My GP and I had a chat about my goal weight when I was having a few MOT checks, and she suggested that I aim for 11 stone (154lb), with the possibility of trying for 10 1/2 stone (148lb) if it feels right, but that that would be the least she wanted me to weigh for my body shape (I am quite busty and have a decent sized bum as well).
That makes sense to me as it is around the weight I was when I was leaving school.

When I told my Dad I was initially aiming for 11 stone, he seemed shocked, saying I should surely be aiming for around 8 stone. Once I stopped laughing, I explained that I don't have the willpower or the body type to pull that off and that I was aiming for long term health he seemed to get it (but I think he thinks I should be the same weight as my mum who has more of a boy figure). I guess other people's expectations can sometimes get in the way of what we know is right for us.

I want to retain my curves but get to a healthy weight. I am content to be at the top end of the healthy range. My long-term goal is to get to this target weight but also to get strong and healthy, so I hope that my muscle mass will increase over the years, but by then I will be relying on how my clothes fit and how I feel rather than just the numbers on the scales.

actually 120-130 for a woman who is 5 ft 5 is on the cusp of being underweight.

The guideline I've always seen: For a woman, 100 lbs for the first 5', plus 5 lbs. for each additional inch. For a man, 106 lbs. for the first 5', plus 6 lbs. for each additional inch. Don't know how it works for people under 5', or the really tall.

According to that formula, a woman 5'5" "should" weigh 125 lbs. The BMR for 120-130 is 20 to 21.6. Underweight doesn't kick in until a BMI less than 18.5. So, no, hardly on the cusp of underweight.

That said, I agree with the OP. I'm 5'5" and look/feel best around 135-140.

<<<<<<I am also 5'5" and when this profile picture was taken, I weighed 125. (I am in the black tank top). I hardly look too skinny. My muscle composition wasn't very developed, so the fat to weight ratio was fairly high. I am trying mightily to ignore the scale (this morning 132) and develop more muscle so that I can look more lean. The number on the scale is just one measurement, if you have nice muscles you will weigh more and look better.

By the way, Cancer and holocaust victims are/were skinny. Go for healthy and forget the scale for a minute.

I'm 5'5" and have weighed, at various times in my life, 115 to 210. I feel my best at 150, so that's what I'm aiming for. Do what works for you. Ignore "society."

I'm almost twice your age and one thing I've learned over my lifetime is that people always have opinions but that doesn't mean you have to listen to them.

Seriously, it sounds like we have a similar body type. I'm descended from generations of big-hipped Irish ladies and look positively bony if I'm at the lower end of a "healthy" weight range. I'm aiming for 135-140 so I have a little wiggle room, mostly because I'm sure I'll gain on my vacation this fall.

Have you heard the term 'skinny fat'? I agree with the poster who said concentrate on Lean Mass and body fat % and the scale number will take care of itself. Oh and don't worry about what other people 'think' you should be. What do you think you should be? And how much effort are you willing to put into to being that?

Totally agree- my cousin just lost her baby weight but had never been slim but always looked good. Whilst she was loosing the baby weight, she decided to loose a bit more- aiming to be on the slimmer side of what she used to be. Before she even got to her goal weight our grandmother told her she looked ill and not to loose any more.

Looking at the how my family is, wide hipped for a start and even with a slight belly no matter what the size (another cousin, always been slim, is a size eight and has the 'lodge podge'), so I doubt I'd be skinny! I'm hoping to be fit and healthy.

At the end of the day, I'd rather be curvy then skinny anyway!