What weight is considered thin for 5'8?

pashllen
pashllen Posts: 14 Member
edited December 1 in Health and Weight Loss
As a female, just curious. Thin? Average? Overweight?
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Replies

  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    It depends on how you are built. I'm 5'9" and I look sickly skinny at 145 pounds, but I look healthy thin at 160 pounds.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    I'm 5"8 and 143lbs is the lowest I'll go. Any lower than that and I start to look gaunt and sickly.
  • pashllen
    pashllen Posts: 14 Member
    I'm 5"8 and 143lbs is the lowest I'll go. Any lower than that and I start to look gaunt and sickly.

    Oh wow :o I guess it just depends on how you're built lol. I'm the same height but 117, I look big when I hit anything over 130
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    edited April 2016
    pashllen wrote: »
    I'm 5"8 and 143lbs is the lowest I'll go. Any lower than that and I start to look gaunt and sickly.

    Oh wow :o I guess it just depends on how you're built lol. I'm the same height but 117, I look big when I hit anything over 130

    Jeebers.. I was 125lbs for a very short amount of time, and I was all skin and bone. My family seriously wanted me to see a doctor about anorexia!
    I was just simply living a very unhealthy lifestyle at that time and wasn't eating much at all.. In other words, I didn't intentionally diet down to such an unhealthy weight.

  • vespiquenn
    vespiquenn Posts: 1,455 Member
    edited April 2016
    5'8 and 117lbs is considered underweight. I'm not really sure what the intention of this question is..
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    vespiquenn wrote: »
    5'8 and 117lbs is considered underweight. I'm not really sure what the intention of this question is..

    I agree

    OP Please don't let peer pressure or those celebrity stick thin models/actresses sway you. Most of them starve themselves to look like that, and aren't healthy role models at all!!
  • veganbaum
    veganbaum Posts: 1,865 Member
    pashllen wrote: »
    I'm 5"8 and 143lbs is the lowest I'll go. Any lower than that and I start to look gaunt and sickly.

    Oh wow :o I guess it just depends on how you're built lol. I'm the same height but 117, I look big when I hit anything over 130

    I'm 5'8" and the last time I weighed around 115-120 was in high school. Looking back at pictures from that time, I was very, very thin and a little bony-looking. I basically looked like a gangly teenager. While BMI isn't everything, it's a good guideline for most of us. Based on BMI, 117 is underweight. I seriously doubt you look big when you are over 130. I'd suggest maybe considering whether your perspective of yourself is skewed.
  • SCoil123
    SCoil123 Posts: 2,111 Member
    Im 5'7" and look healthiest between 145-155 so I aim to be in that range. If I get any smaller I dont look good.
  • elphie754
    elphie754 Posts: 7,574 Member
    5'8 and 117lbs is significantly underweight.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    elphie754 wrote: »
    5'8 and 117lbs is significantly underweight.

    This seems to be the aim for many teenagers these days :(
  • pashllen
    pashllen Posts: 14 Member
    elphie754 wrote: »
    5'8 and 117lbs is significantly underweight.

    This seems to be the aim for many teenagers these days :(

    Yeah I could see that. I get complimented on my thinness & that's sort of my drive to stay that way. Plus, I'm in my teens and lots of girls worry over weight. What would you consider healthy for 5'8 ??

    also, thank you for the replies !! They've been very helpful :)
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    pashllen wrote: »
    elphie754 wrote: »
    5'8 and 117lbs is significantly underweight.

    This seems to be the aim for many teenagers these days :(

    Yeah I could see that. I get complimented on my thinness & that's sort of my drive to stay that way. Plus, I'm in my teens and lots of girls worry over weight. What would you consider healthy for 5'8 ??

    also, thank you for the replies !! They've been very helpful :)

    I can't give you an exact number as we all carry our weight differently. My honest opinion... 135lbs would be the cut off.

  • Bluepegasus
    Bluepegasus Posts: 333 Member
    I'm 5'8", and normally I'm around 140lb. I start to look thin once I go under that, though I am aiming to get to 135lb. When I was in my late teens, the lowest I was was 126 and when I look back at those pics I look scrawny!
  • vespiquenn
    vespiquenn Posts: 1,455 Member
    pashllen wrote: »
    elphie754 wrote: »
    5'8 and 117lbs is significantly underweight.

    This seems to be the aim for many teenagers these days :(

    Yeah I could see that. I get complimented on my thinness & that's sort of my drive to stay that way. Plus, I'm in my teens and lots of girls worry over weight. What would you consider healthy for 5'8 ??

    also, thank you for the replies !! They've been very helpful :)

    First off, how old are you? MFP is for those over 18, and your line of thinking doesn't quite seem at that point.

    The line of thinking of "if everyone jumped off a bridge, would you?" came to mind. You seemed far too concerned of what others think, and I can truly tell you that in a few years, no one is going to care how thin you are. In fact, being significantly underweight brings health risk factors. When facing those, are you truly going to care if people think you're thin? If the answer is yes, get professional help.

    With that, someone at 5'8 should be at about 125, and even that is still teetering on the line of underweight. So you should be looking at about 130.

  • livelovebbg
    livelovebbg Posts: 45 Member
    I'm 5'8" and the last time I was 117lbs I was suffering from anorexia. I'm 130lbs now and feel best around 125, but I find that when I'm consistent with my exercise routine I feel great no matter how much I weigh.
  • veganbaum
    veganbaum Posts: 1,865 Member
    pashllen wrote: »
    elphie754 wrote: »
    5'8 and 117lbs is significantly underweight.

    This seems to be the aim for many teenagers these days :(

    Yeah I could see that. I get complimented on my thinness & that's sort of my drive to stay that way. Plus, I'm in my teens and lots of girls worry over weight. What would you consider healthy for 5'8 ??

    also, thank you for the replies !! They've been very helpful :)

    I agree with Christine (including her opinion regarding the low weight of 135). Every height has a weight range that is generally considered healthy. What is healthy and looks good for each person is going to vary within that range. It's going to vary based on things like hip and shoulder width and percentages of fat and muscle mass, as well as personal preference.

    When I was such a low weight it was not intentional; I was a teenager (around 14/15) and a swimmer at the time. Please do not get stuck on an aesthetic that is unrealistic and unhealthy.
  • tlflag1620
    tlflag1620 Posts: 1,358 Member
    I've been 5' 7.5" since I was 14. I look best between 135-145. Less than 135 and I start looking too bony. Anything over 160 and I look pudgy. I did get down to 110 at one point in my teens - looked like I was on drugs.
  • Jazzykatt
    Jazzykatt Posts: 38 Member
    I'm 5'8" and am most comfortable at 130. I have a small frame and if I get near the 140 range, I lose my waistline.
  • rosecropper
    rosecropper Posts: 340 Member
    Please don't chase a weight goal just to end up all skin & bones with no muscles and messed up hormones.
    Get a body comp scale so you can track fat% and muscle mass instead of pounds.
    I'm 5'8" with a big frame and have ranged from 115-180. Generally 120s-130s works for me, but not because of a number on a scale. It's because I had enough energy, strength, and confidence to live a great life- without the health issues that come from carrying too much fat or not getting enough nutrition.
    When you are strong and fit you will weigh more than when you're rail thin and weak.
  • Tedebearduff
    Tedebearduff Posts: 1,155 Member
    pashllen wrote: »
    As a female, just curious. Thin? Average? Overweight?

    Who cares? go by how you feel and what you look like in the mirror don't aim for a certain number on the scale.
  • DancingJester
    DancingJester Posts: 76 Member
    How old are you? You definitely don't need to lose weight. But if you are 17 or under then people saying that you are hugely underweight are wrong. Don't lose any weight maybe gain a little? but I wouldn't worry about your weight if you feel it's natural. And don't listen to people saying you sound young and immature. People of all ages can gave body image issues. It's normal but don't let it take hold of you. Xx
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  • EmPersson
    EmPersson Posts: 768 Member
    I would say anywhere in the 140s would be healthy for 5'8". That's what I'm aiming for, myself - but more than that, I want to be toned. I originally thought I'd like to get down to 138 (what I was all through high school and college, at 5'7.5"), but I'm not that age anymore, and I don't want to look like a teenager, I want to look like a healthy adult. Go with what works best with your frame, and make sure you keep health topmost in your mind.
  • nineteentwenty
    nineteentwenty Posts: 469 Member
    I am 5'9" and 128, it really does depend on build AND muscle composition. If you're 150lbs of solid muscle, you're going to look firm and fit. If you're 150 lbs of fat, you're going to look chubby.
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