How do you know if your goal is too thin?

intrepidelephant
intrepidelephant Posts: 100 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm 5'6 136 lbs and about 22% body fat. I'm 34.5-25.5-35.5 right now. I was thinking about getting down to 125 lbs because I'd like to have a waist that's under 25 inches. I have a medium frame, am physically active and am 28 years old. Will I look bad or be unhealthy? I used to weigh 140 lbs and felt chunky. I kind of like that willowy look (Michelle Dockery from Downton Abbey, Mia Wasikowska) but I'm already a C-cup right now so it's probably not in the cards for me

Replies

  • Springfield1970
    Springfield1970 Posts: 1,945 Member
    Go on a slow cut, say 150 under your daily needs.

    I bet you it will only take 2-3lbs fir you to get your waist down an inch.

    Do some weight training to hold on to the muscle.

    Don't mess around with weight loss too much! It sounds like you are gorgeous already.

    Most people would kill to have what you've got already.

    Just learn to maintain and don't get on the Yoyo roller coaster.
  • ekat120
    ekat120 Posts: 407 Member
    I agree with Springfield. I'm the same height/weight/measurements, but with a slightly bigger waist (thanks for the pear shape, Dad!). Going from 140 to 136 took my waist from 27.5 to 27. I'm losing a pound or two a month and assessing as I go. Seems to be working well.
  • intrepidelephant
    intrepidelephant Posts: 100 Member
    But how do I know when I start looking bad? I have a physical job so I burn a lot of calories anyway. Also, I'm kind of sick of being busty.
  • leahraskie
    leahraskie Posts: 260 Member
    You'd really need a pic of yourself, which you could always post in support and ask if others if you look too thin, in a sickly way. PS you're pretty small anyway. I'm 5 foot 130 with a 27 inch waist, I fit into smalls at that size....
  • sentaruu
    sentaruu Posts: 2,206 Member
    But how do I know when I start looking bad? I have a physical job so I burn a lot of calories anyway. Also, I'm kind of sick of being busty.

    the mirror usually works.
  • drbiayasmin
    drbiayasmin Posts: 6 Member
    Ask your close friends to be honest and tell you.

    Also if you weight train then you are less likely to look bad (assuming you are not underweight).
  • Leesha97
    Leesha97 Posts: 11 Member
    From my experience, if your goal is too thin, your body will naturally sort fight back. I think my goal is about five pounds too light to be realistic, because when I got close, I started overeating for no apparent reason. It almost felt out of control. Once I got up to a weight I felt was too heavy but my body apparently likes, the intense hunger went away and I leveled out. So now I have to choose whether to shoot for my goal again or just accept that my current weight is my ideal weight and I'll never be 165 pounds again. My BMI is right in the middle of the normal range right now, so it's just my head telling me to be thinner.
  • riotatme23
    riotatme23 Posts: 56 Member
    I'm 5 7 and hoping to get down to 130 where I was a few years ago. I was a curvy 36, 30, 36 and didn't like myself any smaller than that (I looked bony and had no booty anymore)

    Being an inch shorter I'd imagine the 120-125 range would be fine. Using weights to stay toned will keep your slimmer frame looking healthy and strong.
  • LAT1963
    LAT1963 Posts: 1,375 Member
    Don't try to go below 20% body fat. If your target weight is above that, then you can try for it and see whether it suits you or not. You may find it is too much effort to maintain.
  • bjg2993
    bjg2993 Posts: 107
    That's a good question, and I think as long as you are a healthy weight it's purely a matter of opinion - for example, some of my friends say I look great, others say I've lost too much weight. I'm 5'8 and around 130 (I don't weigh myself often so this is a guesstimate based on my last weigh in and how much I theoretically should have lost since), so 125 seems perfectly reasonable for yourself - from my perspective anyway.

    Best bet is to just keep on going until you're happy, or alternatively until you think you've got too skinny and need to gain a little more. I recommend doing this gradually as it's not a lot to lose. I also recommend doing yoga whilst you go along with this, it seems to have given me a good shape.
  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
    But how do I know when I start looking bad? I have a physical job so I burn a lot of calories anyway. Also, I'm kind of sick of being busty.

    A C cup is not busty. Busty is when you can't buy bras in VS or most department stores because only a few brands make your size and you're going to be paying $75+ for a bra that'll last 9 months if you're lucky. :wink:

    It sounds like Springfield hit the nail on the head - what you are looking for is a body recomp as opposed to weight loss. When you recomp, you do not necessarily lose weight but you change your ratio of muscle to fat. This results in a weight that is usually the same, sometimes higher, but smaller overall measurements.

    Here's an example of a recomp - you certainly do not need to cut your body fat % as low as she has or even add muscle through a bulk/cut cycle like she did, but it shows what eating at a slight deficit and focusing on weight training can do:

    http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/
  • michikade
    michikade Posts: 313 Member
    125lbs at 5'6" is just fine so long as your frame is small enough. Just take it slow and do some weight training along with - that'll probably get you your measurements before losing a few pounds will.

    For interest:

    vV4SXnW.png
  • kelleybean1
    kelleybean1 Posts: 312 Member
    Some of us just don't lose in the boob area, you might be one of those. When I was in college I weighed 106 (5' 4.5") and still wore a 34DD. My bust has stayed pretty much the same over the past 30 years. If I were you, I would celebrate your fantastic figure! Now, go find a mirror, look at yourself and say " Damn I look good!"
  • logg1e
    logg1e Posts: 1,208 Member
    I'm having similar thoughts tonight as some of you. I'm 5ft 6, 9st 8 (that's 134lb) and 34-29-38.

    I'm pondering over making my goal 9st 7 or 9st 5.
    I'm pondering over upping my calories for a taper, or to continue pushing it at 1300 calories for the last couple of weeks of summer.
    I'm wondering whether to return to heavy lifting and start to focus on fitness goals rather than the pounds.

    Decisions, decisions.
  • intrepidelephant
    intrepidelephant Posts: 100 Member

    Best bet is to just keep on going until you're happy, or alternatively until you think you've got too skinny and need to gain a little more. I recommend doing this gradually as it's not a lot to lose. I also recommend doing yoga whilst you go along with this, it seems to have given me a good shape.

    The thing is I have no idea "when I've gotten too skinny". There's doesn't seem to be a cap on "acceptable skinny" or else the cap is somewhere in the underweight range. It looks good in the movies but is impossible and unhealthy in real life. I don't want to be in a position where I have to give up all goodies forevermore and be grouchy and hungry all the time. I was anorexic as a teenager (like 5'3 and 85 lbs.) so I have an endless capacity for dieting.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    Ask the doctor.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    It really depends on your frame. I'm 5'5" and I don't think I could physically go down to a 25 inch waist, even if I was 100 pounds.
  • brower47
    brower47 Posts: 16,356 Member
    The waist measurement will be dependent on genetics, not on your end weight. You could potentially become underweight striving for a physical trait that isn't a part of your genetic makeup, like the thigh gap. Just focus on health instead of some arbitrary physical goal.

    Or you could:

    lose a foolish amount of weight

    get into corseting

    have some ribs surgically removed

    Only one of those is not a terrible idea.
  • Iron_Feline
    Iron_Feline Posts: 10,750 Member
    Do you really think losing 1/2" off your waist will make any difference?

    Will anyone but you know?

    Random number is random.
  • ekat120
    ekat120 Posts: 407 Member
    But how do I know when I start looking bad? I have a physical job so I burn a lot of calories anyway. Also, I'm kind of sick of being busty.

    I think that's why going slowly is good. It gives you a chance to assess as you go and take it a pound at a time. Other than that, I think asking people you trust to be honest or, if you're a masochist, posting pictures here :smile:

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