Your Comfortable Weight

Domineer
Domineer Posts: 239 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey All,

I was wondering, what weight do you think is suitable for yourself? I know we have these BMI charts and other weight standards society tries to tell us to live by in order to be healthy, but what do you think fits you? My ticker says I have 11 more lbs to lose. This would put me at 220 lbs. I'm 5'10 and I feel great for the first time in years. I'm at a point where I can ignore the BMI chart and focus on toning and muscle building. Please feel free to contribute to this thread.

Replies

  • SweatLikeDog
    SweatLikeDog Posts: 318 Member
    BMI is weak because it doesn't distinguish muscle from fat. 220 solid muscle and 220 solid fat have the same BMI. Check your percent body fat. Ideal is 12 to 15 percent. Use calipers.
  • GatorDeb1
    GatorDeb1 Posts: 245 Member
    Per my BMI my normal weight is 107.5 - 145 (5"4"). I feel comfortable at 112-117 (my lowest has been 112 so I don't know how I'd feel at 107.5-112). I'm at 119 lbs right now trying to get to 115 lbs.

    Once I start going over 120 lbs I "feel them." At 130+ lbs I REALLY feel it and start feeling sluggish. Once I hit 120 lbs and below I start feeling light.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
    "Healthy" BMI for me (23, female, 5'7) is apparently 110-159lbs.

    If I'm at a higher body fat % then 130-140 is more comfortable (at 145, I still wanted to lose some weight, so I'd probably have been happy at 130). With a higher lean body mass now, I'm assuming 150-165 will make me feel comfortable. I'm about 1-1.5 sizes larger than I'd like to be, so I doubt I need to lose more than 20lbs to get there.

    ETA current comfort goal would put me at the same dress size I was when I was 145lbs, although probably will fit different in the *kitten* and thighs as they are more muscular since I gained weight.
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
    I want to get to 140, which puts me comfortably in the middle of the "healthy" weight range of my height.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    I'm 5'-10" and happy in the 168-172 range. Which I am currently at.
  • maasha81
    maasha81 Posts: 733 Member
    I'm 5'4" female and I'm comfortable at 112- 115lbs. This is where I'm at right now and have been maintaining for last 6 months or so.
  • LauraFouhse
    LauraFouhse Posts: 115
    I'm 5'6" and currently 140 and feel awesome.
    Interesting observation I made comfortable weight. When I weighed 150lb after losing from 170lb, I felt awesome... so much energy. However, during my years of yo-yo dieting... when I had lost weight to goal (140lb) and then was back on the upswing, 150lb felt horrible.. fat and sluggish.

    So.. my big "a-ha" is that 150lb when I'm exercising and eating healthy feels wayyyyyyyyyyyyy different than when I'm 150lb and not taking care of myself.
  • EuroDivas
    EuroDivas Posts: 93 Member
    I think the BMI chart should be some what of a guide but not used as fact. There are so many factors which must be taken into consideration when determining weight including where you live. I think the best measure is how you feel about yourself.

    I am 5´6" (1.70m) and want to go down to about 125lb roughly 57kg. I am currently at 62 or 136lbs and it is not my comfort weight because if I were to yo-yo by a few pounds then I am again overweight. This was what happened the last time. At my current weight, I do not have a big enough buffer for weight swings. Also - with my last health check, I was at about 61kg and my fat% was still not where it should be. I need to seriously gain some muscle.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I don't really go by the number on the scale...it is pretty arbitrary and representative of many thing, only one of which is fat. I'm far more concerned with BF% and body composition than I am some arbitrary number on the scale.

    Right now I'm at abut 18%-19% BF or so and I've been maintaining that for about 16 months...I'm pretty happy with this and it's easy to maintain...but every once in awhile I get a wild hair and go for about 15%...which I can do, but it's much more difficult to maintain that leanness.
  • _lyndseybrooke_
    _lyndseybrooke_ Posts: 2,561 Member
    My healthy BMI range is 112-149. I started off at 155 lbs and am now just over 125 lbs. 125 is my goal weight. I haven't been below 125 lbs since I was a kid and I haven't been at my current weight since I was 17 (almost 8 years ago).

    I feel okay where I am now. I'd like more muscle and a little less fat, but I'm happy with the number on the scale. Now I'm way more focused on what I see in the mirror.
  • MelsAuntie
    MelsAuntie Posts: 2,833 Member
    I'm perfectly happy at size 10 or 12, whatever weight that is, I don't bother with weighing myself. No idea what my BMI is and don't care since I'm active and healthy.
  • higgins8283801
    higgins8283801 Posts: 844 Member
    I'm short so my weight guideline is 105-132. I'm aiming for 135. After 2 kids I don't think my hips would allow me to get below 132 anyway. Before my first I weighed 102, after I stayed 128 second son and and after his birth I stayed 138 for the longest time then ballooned up to 171. So 135 is my target.
  • williams969
    williams969 Posts: 2,528 Member
    I'm at 143lbs, 5'6", size 8 (*this* close to size 6). I think it's a good weight for me (healthy range is typically 117-155 per BMI), but I'd really like to lose just 5-7 more or recomp to lower my body fat. My ticker reflects a goal of 135, but that is my "bottom" number. Any lighter than that, I'm thinking I'll have sacrificed too much lean mass (I ain't giving up that for nuthin').

    I've got a whole closet of size 6 clothing going unused (older, but classic and vintage styles-sigh), and I'm not ready to donate it all just yet :wink:
  • WickedPineapple
    WickedPineapple Posts: 698 Member
    Hey All,

    I was wondering, what weight do you think is suitable for yourself? I know we have these BMI charts and other weight standards society tries to tell us to live by in order to be healthy, but what do you think fits you? My ticker says I have 11 more lbs to lose. This would put me at 220 lbs. I'm 5'10 and I feel great for the first time in years. I'm at a point where I can ignore the BMI chart and focus on toning and muscle building. Please feel free to contribute to this thread.

    This is an interesting topic. I used to think that a size 8/10, anywhere from 150-160 lbs was suitable for me (for reference, I'm 5'1", healthy BMI is 98-132 lbs). Since I've been an adult (18), my weight was typically in this 150-160 range. I'd felt 'my best' physically at 150 lbs after a hardcore summer class (hiking in the Rockies). However, these things are very subjective ('suitable weight', feeling your 'best', etc.). I was overweight and still am a bit. I just thought I was meant to be that weight and was perfectly satisfied there. I had low/normal BP, cholesterol, triglycerides, etc. with no physical problems or diseases. It took me years to even consider I could even get below this weight. I'm now 135 lbs and have a new 'feeling my best' baseline.

    The BMI scale is very generic, so I wouldn't use it as an end-all, be-all. But you also have to be brutally honest with yourself.
  • Domineer
    Domineer Posts: 239 Member
    Hey All,

    I was wondering, what weight do you think is suitable for yourself? I know we have these BMI charts and other weight standards society tries to tell us to live by in order to be healthy, but what do you think fits you? My ticker says I have 11 more lbs to lose. This would put me at 220 lbs. I'm 5'10 and I feel great for the first time in years. I'm at a point where I can ignore the BMI chart and focus on toning and muscle building. Please feel free to contribute to this thread.

    This is an interesting topic. I used to think that a size 8/10, anywhere from 150-160 lbs was suitable for me (for reference, I'm 5'1", healthy BMI is 98-132 lbs). Since I've been an adult (18), my weight was typically in this 150-160 range. I'd felt 'my best' physically at 150 lbs after a hardcore summer class (hiking in the Rockies). However, these things are very subjective ('suitable weight', feeling your 'best', etc.). I was overweight and still am a bit. I just thought I was meant to be that weight and was perfectly satisfied there. I had low/normal BP, cholesterol, triglycerides, etc. with no physical problems or diseases. It took me years to even consider I could even get below this weight. I'm now 135 lbs and have a new 'feeling my best' baseline.

    The BMI scale is very generic, so I wouldn't use it as an end-all, be-all. But you also have to be brutally honest with yourself.

    Love that response! Being brutally honest is hard when it comes to yourself but is needed.
  • Snip8241
    Snip8241 Posts: 767 Member
    I am 5 feet tall. Right now I weigh 149. Bmi is 29.1

    My comfortable weight is 120. I'd like to be 110.
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
    BMI is based on averages so yes it wont be perfect for everyone. It is designed as a guide a reference point to be used in conjunction with other things including common sense. IMO a lot of the BMI nay sayers miss this point or are finding a way to kid themselves that they are not over weight when in fact they are

    BMI wont fit everyone no system that used averages will people will fall outside the bounds but as a person above said you need to be brutally honest with yourself. Use BMI along with weight and even BF% (which is normally pretty inaccurate unless you get a dexa, yes even calipers). These are all guides but in the end the main two thing you should be using is some common sense and some honesty because without these any numbers you use are meaningless
  • CLM1227
    CLM1227 Posts: 61 Member
    BMI puts me between 115-150 for normal. I feel very happy between 150-160 and don't plan on losing more past 150. But we'll see when we get there. If the lbs will come off, I'll accept them... but I likely won't be pushing those lbs off. I actually have a BF % goal and it is 22 - 25%.
  • CLM1227
    CLM1227 Posts: 61 Member
    IMO a lot of the BMI nay sayers miss this point or are finding a way to kid themselves that they are not over weight when in fact they are

    Your comment does not take into consideration medical advise dispensed in an aggressive manner by medical doctors and when government policy is informed by BMI.

    People have a reasons to have issues with it.

    The only thing I've seen that has any kind of a negating effect on BMI is the waist to hip ratio.
  • merfhur
    merfhur Posts: 53 Member
    My current goal weight is 140lbs which will put me around the middle of my healthy BMI, I'm 5lbs off that and when I get there I'm going to see how I feel and if I'm still not happy I'll try and get to 133lbs which is still healthy for my height (5ft 7).
  • rosebette
    rosebette Posts: 1,660 Member
    I'm 5'1.5" so my BMI is between 98 and 132. I'm older and shrinking, so I used to be 5'2" -- which sucks because now I am "fatter" at a lower weight. I weigh 120 now but would like to be around 115. I'm kind of stocky, muscular (used to be "skinny fat.") I never looked good at the low end of the range and typically would get sick below 110. I;ve been as high as 140 - I tend to put on weight proportionately, so when I get heavier, people can't tell. At the higher weight, I had a lot more joint pain -- you would think that happens to people who are seriously obese, but even 10-20 lbs. can make a difference.

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