I'm 5'6" SW 183, CW 162, GW 150. I really have more of a size goal. I'd like to be a 6. I'm in a 10 or pretty snug 8 right now.

I'm 5 ft 3, current weight is 169 and aiming for 140

Current weight 130. Goal weight 120

"I'm actually currently in a size 8 and I honestly think the absolute smallest I'd be able to get is a 6 (although women's clothing is sized weird anyway).

But yeah, body fat is definitely the way to go.
I got the results from my bodpod and they were way wonky (think it wasnt calibrated correctly) I'm going to have to rely on Internet calculators and my own measurements I think. My belly button and thigh measurements will probably be my go to measurements."

I was WAY more muscled at 145 than 130. (I was pretty well-muscled at 160 but I was carrying around a nice plump layer of fat.) I think I could maybe get down to a size 6 - maybe - if I ate very clean. But Idk if a 6 would fit over my thighs! At 145, my thighs were actually giant, like 25" while my waist was around 27-28". When I did a caliper test they could only grab fat on the very inside of my thighs...I think it really was solid muscle!

The whole visual effect of being very muscled at 145 was a lot slimmer looking than 130 or 160. My body looked great but I ripped a lot of pants. It was a lot of work staying that cut for that long.

Sidenote: I really tried to get that fit because I was coming up on a trip to China, and everyone I had heard from said that 1) the culture is very open about comments on appearance and 2) they think Americans are very fat. When I got there though, people were fascinated by how muscled I was and called me skinny all the time. I don't think the extremely cut/ripped/in shape female body ideal has reached them yet, since they all just seemed focused on being "slim."

Anyway, it's been really frustrating for me because the body fat calculators online don't seem to work well for me, because even though my frame is very broad and big, my wrists and elbows are thin. Like very thin. I have a long torso, broad shoulders and hips, but thin little arms and calves. So I try to measure progress by inches, but sometimes that doesn't work (see: monster thighs).

ALLCAPSKATIE wrote: »

"I'm actually currently in a size 8 and I honestly think the absolute smallest I'd be able to get is a 6 (although women's clothing is sized weird anyway).

But yeah, body fat is definitely the way to go.
I got the results from my bodpod and they were way wonky (think it wasnt calibrated correctly) I'm going to have to rely on Internet calculators and my own measurements I think. My belly button and thigh measurements will probably be my go to measurements."

I was WAY more muscled at 145 than 130. (I was pretty well-muscled at 160 but I was carrying around a nice plump layer of fat.) I think I could maybe get down to a size 6 - maybe - if I ate very clean. But Idk if a 6 would fit over my thighs! At 145, my thighs were actually giant, like 25" while my waist was around 27-28". When I did a caliper test they could only grab fat on the very inside of my thighs...I think it really was solid muscle!

The whole visual effect of being very muscled at 145 was a lot slimmer looking than 130 or 160. My body looked great but I ripped a lot of pants. It was a lot of work staying that cut for that long.

Sidenote: I really tried to get that fit because I was coming up on a trip to China, and everyone I had heard from said that 1) the culture is very open about comments on appearance and 2) they think Americans are very fat. When I got there though, people were fascinated by how muscled I was and called me skinny all the time. I don't think the extremely cut/ripped/in shape female body ideal has reached them yet, since they all just seemed focused on being "slim."

Anyway, it's been really frustrating for me because the body fat calculators online don't seem to work well for me, because even though my frame is very broad and big, my wrists and elbows are thin. Like very thin. I have a long torso, broad shoulders and hips, but thin little arms and calves. So I try to measure progress by inches, but sometimes that doesn't work (see: monster thighs).

Hahaha! Nice. Maybe I will aim for the 145 goal weight. (I'm essentially you at 160 right now, well-muscled with a fat layer lol)

You are so right about the thighs. I live in leggings and ponte stretch pants. My size 8 pants fit just right at my waist and are snug in my thighs (thank god for the pants with a little stretch). And if I buy juniors clothing - fuhgeddaboutit. I have to buy several sizes up because I have too much leg mass, hahaha. My quads are hard earned though. I wouldn't trade them for anything!

I've heard similar stories about China and certain other asian cultures being very 'open' and critical about weight.
Your story reminds me of my trip to Israel a couple years ago. I went with a study abroad group. I had been lifting heavily for a while at that point and we also had a track athlete with us. Her legs and my arms were often commented on by men. Her legs especially garnered a lot of uncomfortable attention. (They were cut! I was soooo jealous, kinda still am, lol)
On another note, in general, they were a pretty fit society! In particular, Tel Aviv was full of often shirtless men working out on the beach. (Something to do with the required military service, I'm sure.) But like you said about China, I'm not sure the fit woman ideal was a big thing there.

Since body fat calculators don't work, I wonder if the Bodpod or Hydrostatic weighing would be a good method for you?

I'm 5"7', CW 144 GW 130. I'm currently at 28% BF and hoping to get that down to 22%.

5'8". CW 142, GW 125. I have a really small frame and almost no muscle mass so even though there is nothing wrong with my weight I am skinny fat.

I am 5'4", and I've actually hit a plateau. My current weight tends to be around 138 to 141 lbs. I've been on this plateau for more than a month, and I'm just trying to shake it! I don't have a particular goal weight in mind because I'll be happy once I reach 130, 125, 120... But once I reach 120 I'll become less serious about losing weight and focused more on eating clean.

Hi, I'm 5'5" SW 150 CW 146 GW 130. Working on losing body fat while building muscle.

Hello,
I am 5'5" SW 150 CW 144.8 GW 130. Just starting to get serious about a fitness plan. 56 years old recently retired. Want to lose some weight and build muscle and tone.