Calling all tall females!!!

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Do you find that you carry your weight different from your "shorter" friends?

I'm 5'8 and right at 201.5lbs. This puts me into a obese BMI category, therefore I need/want to lose 30lbs or so. I'm also happier at the 165-170lb weight!

But, friends will comment on my goals and say, 30-40 lbs....you'll be nothing! Little do they know what the scale says etc!

Thoughts? Support!!!!

TIA
J
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Replies

  • cantobean
    cantobean Posts: 287 Member
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    Yes!! I also find that if I lose 5-10 pounds, nobody notices (except maybe my husband...or maybe he's just pretending...). It is frustrating at times. People don't realize what a TALL girl looks like at 180, 190, 200...

    Stick with your goals. You know best (and, besides, you've done the math!).
  • pandacutie372
    pandacutie372 Posts: 328 Member
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    Hi! I'm 6' and currently weight like 180. However I'd like to go down into the 160s...My family currently comments that I need to eat more, stop "obsessing", and if I lost any more I'd disappear. I think I have a fat to lose, but I'm not fat.
  • bryttanid
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    I'm 5'11" and definitely have that issue. I told friends I wanted to lose 35 pounds and one of my short friends kept remarking that I couldn't possibly lose that amount of weight and still be healthy (I would be 150 lbs which is where my body likes to be). She didn't believe I weighed almost 190 so I took her to a scale and showed her. She promptly shut up, and apologized because she didn't realize I carried the weight differently.

    Also, the lose 5-10 lbs and no one notices drives me so crazy. It takes so long to see any weight loss when you're taller.
  • 126siany
    126siany Posts: 1,386 Member
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    It's really more to do with percentages of total body weight than pounds. :wink:

    Shorter people have lower healthy weight ranges than do taller people, so each pound is a higher percentage of their healthy weight.
  • aliackerman
    aliackerman Posts: 29 Member
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    Yep, I'm there at 5'9" and I need to lose 100 lbs. It's clear to anyone that I'm overweight, but nobody believes that I have 100 lbs to lose. They think I'm trying to starve myself and get to an unrealistic number. I have to admit though, it is really nice to have all of the height for my weight to distribute through. My mom and sister are both short, as are my aunts, grandma, cousins, and every female on my mom's side of the family, so they really have to watch every single pound, because the difference of a couple of pounds is equivalent to a pants/dress size.
  • jtotheno
    jtotheno Posts: 123 Member
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    5'7'' and 196 (Started at 212= BMI 33!)

    When I tell anyone my BMI is Obese, they never believe me. In a nice hoodie I don't look overweight, but I am also my healthiest at 160-170. I was 129 at my lowest and looked sickly.

    I also have a nice butt (in jeans! LOL NOT in the nude!), with most weight being in the hips/belly area. My thighs are big (27") and pretty much pure muscle as well.. so when the scale tells me I have 74lbs of body fat.. I have no idea where it all could be! haha. Dirty, lying jerk of a scale!

    My mom is 5'2'' and at my weight she looks much larger than me, perfectly round all over. I am glad I am tall!
  • Kel1677
    Kel1677 Posts: 76 Member
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    Yes I also have this problem. I'm 5'9" and 198 lbs. I was 217 and no one even noticed I lost weight. I wanna get to 150-140. I hate the way I carry weight
  • techgal128
    techgal128 Posts: 719 Member
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    I have a big bone structure so it's not that obvious when I lose weight. My smallest pant size at my height will always be a 12. When I was at my heaviest (265 pounds), people were always really surprised and thought I weighed much less.
  • ririkore19
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    I am 5'10 (:

    I started my weight loss journey the ending of last year at 120 kilos (264 pounds) and currently weighing 90 kilos (200 pounds). My BMI is 28.5 and I am considered over weight.

    I tell friends and family I want to lose another 15 kilos (33 pounds), even though I am told by my doctor another 10 kilos (22 pounds) will be enough, I always get the same answer "Your going to fade away" "Don't be too skinny" "Your already a good size don't get any smaller or there will be nothing of you."

    This doesn't put me off the slightest but I am starting to think maybe I see my figure differently from what others see me as. :/

    I wouldn't worry too much about what other people say. I also wouldn't worry too much about what the recommended weight is for your height as you need to consider other factors such as your body shape, bone-frame size and age. Keep doing what you feel is right.

    Good luck with your journey (:
  • Luckee_me
    Luckee_me Posts: 1,426 Member
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    Hi,
    I'm 5'10.
    At around 160 I look really methy.
    I'm shooting for around 180+- when I tell people I still need to lose 40 pounds they tell me I'm crazy!!
    Good luck to you.
  • lakerschick275
    lakerschick275 Posts: 43 Member
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    Hey all!

    I'm 5'10" and have been this tall since 8th grade- I'm now 24. I used to despise being tall but now love it :) My body naturally falls around 135 pounds and I have found when I tell shorter people that I get the response "Oh my god I would have never guessed you weighed that much" It would appear that some people need to be educated on what a healthy weight range is for a specific height.
  • KatyAverill
    KatyAverill Posts: 166 Member
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    I'm 5'8" and 201 as well and I get the same comments. It's very frustrating because, although I might "hide it well" with my height, I still feel the physical strain of being overweight. I feel awful, no energy, my hips and back hurt, etc. I don't even bother telling people how much I want to lose (60+ lbs) because I get comments like "you don't need to lose that much". A year ago I was at 160 and wanted to lose 20-30 more pounds and my family members kept making comments about how I "shouldn't lose any more weight". I feel that weight is personal and everyone knows the best weight for their body.
  • cookiekrunch
    cookiekrunch Posts: 65 Member
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    Oh Yes. I went from 260 to 195 and I am 5'7". I carry most of weight up top (Boobalicious). I am still considered overweight according to BMI. When I tell my shorter friends I need to lose 35 more lbs they look at me and say ," NO, STOP RIGHT NOW". They have nicknamed my Skinny Minny. They still can't believe I am that close to 200 lbs. But I know I'm THIS CLOSE to 200 lbs still.
  • Trollprinzessin
    Trollprinzessin Posts: 7 Member
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    I noticed that too. I'm 180cm (5'10"?) and have to lose about 25kg (55lbs?) in order to get close to the ideal BMI. People are always surprised to hear about my current weight or about how much I want to drop. Usually they're telling me that 5 kg should be enough and I shouldn't lose more. It sometimes is a struggle to make them understand that this is not just about coming down a few sizes in clothing and being able to accept myself when looking in the mirror but mostly about feeling unwell / unhealthy in the current situation.
  • avril2626
    avril2626 Posts: 699 Member
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    there's a group for tall women, and a couple of past discussions about ideal weight for height...interesting. I am 5'10.5", and I started at 204...now181, and my goal is between 140 and 145. I have a small frame (there are tests you can do with your elbow and wrist measurements). I have lost 23 lbs, and pretty much an inch everywhere...it is spread out more...lol. I have gone from a 14 to a size 12, and will end up being an 8 (and the sleeves will all be too short, etc ;) )

    I think that often, no matter what height you are, when you lose weight, there are sometimes those around you who will say that you are getting too thin, or that you shouldn't lose any more weight, even if your BMI is still above what it should be. maybe they are not used to seeing you at a healthy weight, or sometimes they feel threatened or jealous, if they want to get healthier, and are not doing so (unfortunately). I don't think that that is so unique to being tall, but the numbers can be. I figure that I have been lucky that I could carry more weight, and not always show all of it, so I am willing to have to lose more to get where I want to be
  • lukewind
    lukewind Posts: 177 Member
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    It is a common thing that those who are taller tend to carry their weight a bit better. Some also carry it more evenly over their body, this is true for men and women. I started at 559 pounds and I saw another man who was at the same weight as me and we looked drastically different. He was also 7 inches shorter then me so that explained why.

    Your frame and muscle mass can also effect how you carry the weight. There have also been some studies that suggest taller obese people are less likely to get diabetes and other diseases. Still though at a higher risk then a skinny tall person.
  • CindyMarcuzAdams
    CindyMarcuzAdams Posts: 4,006 Member
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    I am 5 feet 10 and currently weigh 213. I am large framed. People would never guess what I weigh. I do weigh heavy.
    My goal I think is 180. I can't even imagine what size I will be when I get there. We are all shaped and sized so differently.
  • liuthail
    liuthail Posts: 4 Member
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    I'm 6'0" and larger framed and no one has ever been able to guess my weight. I routinely look about 40 lbs less than I actually weigh and so when I started piling on the pounds I really didn't notice it. I got up to 230 before finding that I was truly unhappy with how i looked and at 270 I was just a mess. Now I'm about 30 pounds down and that same blessing of a tall, proportionate body means that I absolutely cannot see any difference. It's so damn frustrating.

    The worst part is that even if I get to a healthy weight of 180 I'm unlikely to be less than a size 12-14. Skinny for me will forever be plus-sized and I will never in my life know what it's like to just walk into a store and find something that fits me without effort. I've dreamt of being petite for years and it's taken me a long time to acknowledge that it'll never happen. Luckily I have a broad-shouldered, 6'4" fiance to make me feel tiny and that's enough to make me happy.
  • amflautist
    amflautist Posts: 941 Member
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    Sometimes I wonder if I'm the only 6' female who is does not have a "large frame".
  • kdhamner
    kdhamner Posts: 309 Member
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    I'm 5'8" and currently 217 lbs. I tell my friends I want to lose another 50 pounds or so, and they get all freaked out and say I will be "way too skinny". I will be FAR from way too skinny.