All you 5'8" ladies

Hi, thanks for starting this discussion! I have been dying to ask the very same question!
I'm 5'8" and aiming for a goal of 140 lbs. When I was 20 years old, I had mono and went from 175 lbs to 145 lbs in 3 weeks (effective weight loss but not at all recommended :sick: lol). At my recovery checkup, my doctor said my weight was ideal but I needed to convert 10 lbs of it to lean muscle since being sick took away a good amount of what muscle I had to begin with. She advised me not to drop below 135 lbs because I do have a "mediumish" build though the bmi charts say a 5'8" woman can be 129 safely (her words to describe my curvy-yet-thinner frame -- my hips and shoulders are medium guidelines but ankles and wrists meet small guidelines:ohwell: ). This way, I have a satisfactory weight for me to reach, give or take 5 lbs.
In high school, I averaged 170-175 lbs, and I never tried to lose but never seemed to gain, although I was a little overweight. I'm now 30 and have yo-yoed my weight from having 2 pregnancies. My heaviest was 236 lbs after my first delivery and when I got down to 160, I got pregnant again but only went up to 220 after delivery. I was down to 170 after that at one point but have since climbed up to 202, my current wieght.
I hope this helps someone gain perspective, but I feel better already from reading the other posts and sharing my weight history.

Bump.

5.8.5 here...slowly shrinking with age, and I just turned 29 so I'm sure I'll be losing more! *sigh!* :laugh:

Currently hovering between 154-157. Started MFP at about 174 after 2 kiddos. I thought 150 would be my number but as I get closer to that I realize I still have room to lose some more and/or add some muscle. I'd like to see 145 on the scale but if I could lose some thigh and some post-baby belly and the number on the scale didn't move, I'd be fine with that!! :drinker:

I am 5'8.5" and am hovering around 145. Currently, my goal is to get down to 135, but ultimately, 130 sounds very pleasing as well. I have a relatively small bone structure, so I honestly think my body would be okay a bit lower than 130, but I am not going to push it. I love being tall.

I LOVE seeing this thread and (1) all of those short people who are like "Omg you're above 130!?! If I ever got to 130 I would hate myself!!!" can just go away, and (2) it's amazing the range of weights different bodies can be at the same height and ALL of them look healthy, fit, and beautiful! I have seen everything from 115 to 180 as goal weights for us 5'8"ish women - and I bet we will all end up looking strong and beautiful! Yay us!

I also have to share a story about goal weights and how it's ridiculous to choose an arbitrary number. One of the companies I apprenticed for was directed by a crazy woman who became director in the 80s, when anorexia was HUGE in the dance community. She made it her rule then that none of her female dancers could be more than 115 pounds (and she makes all of them weigh in, in front of her and in front of each other, wearing nothing but a leotard, every Friday). And, shockingly, she has to keep hiring shorter and shorter dancers each year...

Down right CRAZY!!

155 to 160 is a good weight for me. I have a large frame and anything else is hard for me to maintain. Years ago I was that weight and I wore a size 9/10. I would have to almost starve myself to weigh under 155 pounds.

Currently my holy cow I'll be thrilled number is 180. I've got a large frame, and have been overweight since childhood, so it's a lofty goal, but one I'm looking forward to meeting. Even right now at still being above 300, I'm wearing a size 22 pant. So I'm curious to see what I can get down to (while building muscle).

Hi everyone! It made my day to see this thread :happy: I've had so many people tell me that just because I'm 5'8" that I'm supposed to be heavier. I think they're just trying to make me feel better LOL I have quite a small frame like a lot of you have been saying (narrow shoulders/hips, small feet and hands) and when I was at my most active and healthy I was a steady 125lbs but over the last year I allowed myself to get in a major funk after getting laid off and an ugly break up and I am now 165lbs. My goal is to lose the 40 but I am being realistic about it and realize that I am almost 30 now and if I get to 130lbs and I feel good there I may stop.

BTW I am very new to MFP and am glad to add friends, especially people in the same sort of situation

hello everyone! hope you dont mind someone a bit younger joining in on this. I am almost 17 years old and about to start my junior year of highschool. I am about 5"7.5' and weigh around 170lbs. For about a year now I have been bacck and forth in my weight. I have been 157 although my goal has always been to be 140 or less. Dieting in high school just seems to be so much of a challenge and im hoping to find some good help with MFP... My family is very encouraging but my friends are more the oppoaite. They constatly tell me I do not need to lose any weight and are very firm in the belief that my weight is mostly in my chest area ( I do have a natural size 36 H, which is not all it cracks up to be, I promise). My main problem is that I can not seem to stick with the diet. I find myself eating foods I know are not good for me even though I know they wont help. I have tried tons of methods for my weight loss suchas group competitions, bribery from my parents, gym, zumba dance, etc. Nothing I seem to try really works out. Overall.my body size is about normal, excluding my..uh?. generous chest. I was just looking for advise anyone might be able to offer. Thanks for listening, and congratulations to all with their success and efforts in the long hard weight loss journey.
Sincerely, Rachel L. R.

Rachel, welcome! High school is not nearly as fun as pretty much everything else afterwards, so don't stress too much about what your friends think now! (Easier said than done, I know...)

At 16, your body is still doing so many different things that I wouldn't worry about dieting. Instead, think about hiw you can make each meal healthier. Is there a way to add vegetables? Whole grains instead of white grains? Grilled instead of fried? For example, if you and your friends are out for pizza, see if you can get some sort of veggies on the pizza and/or whole wheat crust. These kinds of changes help you eat better calories and build a foundation that makes it easier to stick to fitness challenges!

Also, can you find a physical activity that you like (soccer, dancing, running, swimming, whatever) and set fitness goals for yourself? Like, if you can currently swim freestyle really well, can you get someone to teach you the backstroke and/or can you make your time for one lap faster?

These kinds of things to concentrate on are way more important than a number on a scale - which, as you can see from this post, can look very different on different bodies!

I'm 5'8 and currently 145 lbs. I guess I have a medium frame and all of my weight seems to be in my hips, butt, and thighs. My goal weight is 125...but I would be happy at 130 lbs. As long as I'm toned and healthy, that's all that really counts.

I am 5'7, and currently weigh 172 pounds. (Starting weight 182.) I would like to see myself at 145 pounds, first and foremost, and go from there if I'm still not satisfied. I'm big boned, and pretty curvy. My waist is about 30 inches, and my butt/hips are 43! Talk about Kardashian. Yikes. :P I have really muscular legs because I run and bike a lot, but my ARMS are all flab, and I have a nice little belly pooch. Anywho, hope to see this change in the near future!!

If anyone would like to add me, feel free! We can continue our journey together since we are all in similar boats

I'm 5'8,5" and aiming for around 165-170, which has been healthy for me before; that includes being fit so having some muscle weight. I'm not sure about my frame...maybe medium.

im 5'8, but my goal weight is around 150- 160. that would be healthy for me i think seeing as im an athlete. ive been playing soccer since i was 7 so after 15 years and i have alot of muscle especially in the legs (like most people who play sports). i am at 178 now so about 20-25 pounds to go. i dont want to be too skinny, but i would like to be toned and strong. good luck=)

Exactly what she said.....