Is this a reasonable weight loss goal or should I now just maintain?

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pianoplaya94
pianoplaya94 Posts: 185 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am 5'6.5 (66.5 inches) and currently about 120 pounds (depends on how much I've eaten / bloated I am... but usually 120). However, my goal is to be around 115 pounds. I was that weight last summer, but then I gained a few pounds over the past year. My measurements haven't really changed and I still wear the same size (0-2 sometimes a 4 on the stores that run really small). I am finding I hit a plateau now... I have been trying to get below 119 for the past 8 or so months. I have lost 25-30 pounds in total (lost 30 pounds from my highest weight ever). Should I work on losing the last 5 pounds or just work on maintaining? Is 115 even a reasonable/healthy goal? By the way, I am 22 years old.

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  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 24,989 Member
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    Have you checked your BMI?

    At your height (quite close to mine), 115 might be just within the underweight range.
  • jmidd97
    jmidd97 Posts: 84 Member
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    Like Machka9, I recommend you check your BMI and be sure that you aren't setting a goal that would put you as underweight.
    Also, maybe take into account your framesize, and body fat percentage when setting your final weight goal. A higher bf% can you make you seem 'flabbier' than someone of the same weight but who has more muscle - so you might not need to lose so much weight, but just need to increase muscle mass.

    Hope that made sense :)
  • neldabg
    neldabg Posts: 1,452 Member
    edited June 2016
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    What's healthy and reasonable for each of us varies greatly, though there are guidelines such as BMI, strength, and body fat percentage ranges that the majority of us should stick to. Personally, I would maintain right now. Losing more weight now would probably do you no good. Your BMI is 19.4, and at 115 lbs your BMI would be 18.6, which is not underweight, but darn near close. A healthy range is 18.5-24.9, and being on the border of either end gives no room for times when you might lose/gain weight. If you effortlessly maintained 115 lbs, I wouldn't think twice about it, but if you've spent eight months working on it,then it's probably best to focus on fulfilling fitness goals such as strength, flexibility, and endurance.
    At the end of the day, it's good to speak to a doctor to see where you should go from here.
  • pianoplaya94
    pianoplaya94 Posts: 185 Member
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    I have checked my BMI and my current BMI is 19.1 and 115 would give me a BMI of about 18.3. So technically I would be "underweight" but I also think I have a small frame (according the the finger-wrist "test"... my fingers overlap when wrapped around my wrist since my wrist is only about 5.5 inches).
  • neldabg
    neldabg Posts: 1,452 Member
    edited June 2016
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    pianoplaya94 wrote: »
    I have checked my BMI and my current BMI is 19.1 and 115 would give me a BMI of about 18.3. So technically I would be "underweight" but I also think I have a small frame (according the the finger-wrist "test"... my fingers overlap when wrapped around my wrist since my wrist is only about 5.5 inches).

    I wouldn't completely rely on that test. A doctor's opinion would still help a great deal. Maybe I made an error somewhere, but when I was overweight, I measured for a medium frame, and now with a BMI of 20, I measure in at a small frame. Similarly, when I was overweight, online calculators put me down as pear shaped and many people told me I could pass for an hourglass figure, but now, my measurements put me as straight shaped.
  • Vegplotter
    Vegplotter Posts: 265 Member
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    You are tall. You are 22. You are never going to be a size 0. Get to the mid weight for your height and sec and try maintenance for at least a year. If after that time you feel you could lose a bit of weight try then, but my guess is that life will have moved on.
  • __leis__
    __leis__ Posts: 100 Member
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    Are you happy with the way you look? If you weigh more but your clothes still fit perhaps you gained a bit of muscle and you don't have much fat to loose at all. If you are happy with how you look I would suggest forgetting about that goal weight because you are already on the low end of the bmi charts. If you aren't happy with the way you look maybe you should concentrate on building some muscle, I can't imagine you're "skinny-fat" at 5'6" and 120 lbs, but if you are, building muscle will certainly help.
  • AuroraGeorge8393
    AuroraGeorge8393 Posts: 100 Member
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    leelou84 wrote: »
    Are you happy with the way you look? If you weigh more but your clothes still fit perhaps you gained a bit of muscle and you don't have much fat to loose at all. If you are happy with how you look I would suggest forgetting about that goal weight because you are already on the low end of the bmi charts. If you aren't happy with the way you look maybe you should concentrate on building some muscle, I can't imagine you're "skinny-fat" at 5'6" and 120 lbs, but if you are, building muscle will certainly help.

    This is excellent advice. I was going to write something similar, but you've put it far better than I could.

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