How much weight is too much to lose?
yoga105
Posts: 12 Member
I’m trying a new online free program. I put in my stats and my measurements. (I weigh 128 pounds, I am 5’6.) And it says I should lose about 15 pounds. That would put me at 113 pounds. Is that too much to lose or okay? I’ve struggled w weight & food so I don’t always trust my idea of what’s bad or good. Is 112 healthy for my height? Some people say no but I also have friends my height who weigh less than that and are healthy.
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Replies
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It will depend a little bit on body composition - how much bodyfat you have vs how much muscle vs how much other stuff (water, bones, etc).
IMO, 113 is probably going to be too light.2 -
Firstly, don't ever compare yourself to other people when it comes to body shape or weight.
What type of build do you have?
I'm your height and can't imagine weighing that little.10 -
Both 113 and 112 are underweight for your height. Neither one are healthy for you.
What on earth is the program that you're using that tells you that you should be underweight?26 -
As a woman who is also 5'6", I would say that is too light. In fact I personally think your current weight is great, but that is just based on my own preference for being in the 135-140lbs range. What is this program your doing? You should be setting your weight goals, not an external program. If you are unhappy with your body, have you considered recomp rather than weight loss?6
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113 at 5'6" is very skinny. I know it all depends on body fat, shape etc...but I would think 120 is more realistic. Your friends are healthy according to who? I'm not buying it.8
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That doesn't sound right, to me. I'm 5'5", narrowly built (so should be on the lighter side for the height), and accidentally overshot goal weight and hit 116 pounds. (I was 113 briefly earlier in life.) That was very thin, in both cases. Very very thin.
It seems extremely unlikely that your "ideal" weight, at an inch taller, is 112/113. It doesn't matter what your friends weigh, and my guess would be that you're fairly young, so that's not the best time to be assessing the long-term health consequences of a particular body weight. (Very light women are at higher risk of osteoporosis, for example, which can lead to earlier disability and even death via catastrophic falls, once a person is older. The conditions are created earlier, the consequences show up later. There are other health risks of being too thin, besides that.)
Usually online calculators for this sort of thing are nonsense. The one linked below at least uses some commonly-accepted estimating formulas, and has a discussion (read the text below the calculator) of other methods and considerations:
https://www.calculator.net/ideal-weight-calculator.html5 -
What tool did you use to measure bf?1 -
I’m trying a new online free program. I put in my stats and my measurements. (I weigh 128 pounds, I am 5’6.) And it says I should lose about 15 pounds. That would put me at 113 pounds. Is that too much to lose or okay? I’ve struggled w weight & food so I don’t always trust my idea of what’s bad or good. Is 112 healthy for my height? Some people say no but I also have friends my height who weigh less than that and are healthy.
Have you though about recomp rather than weight loss? If you believe your body fat % to be around 25, you could start lifting weights and changing your body composition so you have less fat and more muscle, which will make you look a lot leaner while not really changing your weight. It take time and effort, but IMHO it's well worth it.
Also, take online calculators with a grain of salt. They are for "averages". I have one app that tells me I should weigh 108 lbs. I would literally have to starve myself to reach that. Instead, I'm going for 120-125 (5'3") and fit, and strong. I'll still be in a healthy BMI range. There is a reason we use a range, rather than a spot number. We're all different.2 -
What tool did you use to measure bf?
my scale says it:)1 -
What are you hoping to achieve by losing weight?
Do you want to be able to say you weigh a certain number?
Do you want to be a certain weight compared to your friends or a celebrity or...?
Do you want to look a certain way?
Do you have health concerns that play into this conversation?7 -
First off, 25% is a fine BF % for a woman. Not to say you can't go lower than that if you want, but it's on the higher end of the "average/healthy" range.
Smart scales are not very reliable for measuring BF %, anyway.
For 5'6, 118 lbs is the bottom of the healthy weight range. Under that would be considered underweight. At 128 lbs, you are already on the light side for your height, so you certainly don't "need" to lose any weight if you don't want to. Under no circumstances should an online program be saying you "should" lose 15 lbs, that's just irresponsible.
If you aren't happy with how you look, recomp might be a better idea, this thread explains it:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat/p19 -
What tool did you use to measure bf?
my scale says it:)
Scales that measure body fat percentages are notoriously inaccurate.13 -
What tool did you use to measure bf?
my scale says it:)
Your scale lies like a bad toupee.16 -
Carlos_421 wrote: »
What tool did you use to measure bf?
my scale says it:)
Scales that measure body fat percentages are notoriously inaccurate.
13 -
What tool did you use to measure bf?
my scale says it:)
You should view that as entertainment, not measurement.9 -
I'm 5'6 and don't plan on getting under 1406
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This content has been removed.
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You're currently in the optimal BMI range for your height. You don't need to lose more weight unless you have a clear medical reason to do so. If you want to lose more weight, that's personal preference, but 115 is the lowest end of your optimal BMI range. Anything below that is considered underweight.
My vote is to get rid of both the "online free program" and the body fat scale.6 -
Any site/calculator telling you that being in the underweight BMI range is your optimal weight raises all sorts of red flags. I'm the same height as you and my maintenance range is 120lbs-122lbs. I can't imagine getting any lower than that. OP, have you talked to your doctor and asked them what they think a good weight range is for you?7
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SarahAnne3958 wrote: »Any site/calculator telling you that being in the underweight BMI range is your optimal weight raises all sorts of red flags. I'm the same height as you and my maintenance range is 120lbs-122lbs. I can't imagine getting any lower than that. OP, have you talked to your doctor and asked them what they think a good weight range is for you?
This, especially since you said you already have struggles with weight and food and can't trust your own judgement.4 -
SarahAnne3958 wrote: »Any site/calculator telling you that being in the underweight BMI range is your optimal weight raises all sorts of red flags. I'm the same height as you and my maintenance range is 120lbs-122lbs. I can't imagine getting any lower than that. OP, have you talked to your doctor and asked them what they think a good weight range is for you?
Another vote for getting a reality check for your weight range from your doctor.3 -
If you put an erroneous BMI into a calculator there is a chance it used this information to incorrectly give you a lower than appropriate weight goal.
Also, unless you see your friends actually weigh they may not be reporting their actual results to you. Some people guess at what they weigh.1 -
If you put an erroneous BMI into a calculator there is a chance it used this information to incorrectly give you a lower than appropriate weight goal.
Also, unless you see your friends actually weigh they may not be reporting their actual results to you. Some people guess at what they weigh.
That's a generous interpretation.4 -
I’m trying a new online free program. I put in my stats and my measurements. (I weigh 128 pounds, I am 5’6.) And it says I should lose about 15 pounds. That would put me at 113 pounds. Is that too much to lose or okay? I’ve struggled w weight & food so I don’t always trust my idea of what’s bad or good. Is 112 healthy for my height? Some people say no but I also have friends my height who weigh less than that and are healthy.
You go by what’s healthy and what you like visually on yourself and what makes you happy. I learnt numbers aren’t everything, thought I wanted to be 115lbs but once I reached 124lbs, I’m obsessed with it. Straight fire.2 -
I’m trying a new online free program. I put in my stats and my measurements. (I weigh 128 pounds, I am 5’6.) And it says I should lose about 15 pounds. That would put me at 113 pounds. Is that too much to lose or okay? I’ve struggled w weight & food so I don’t always trust my idea of what’s bad or good. Is 112 healthy for my height? Some people say no but I also have friends my height who weigh less than that and are healthy.
You go by what’s healthy and what you like visually on yourself and what makes you happy. I learnt numbers aren’t everything, thought I wanted to be 115lbs but once I reached 124lbs, I’m obsessed with it. Straight fire.
OP's target weight is in the underweight range for their height.3 -
I think it totally depends on the person. My weight was once almost 130 lbs which is a healthy weight but on my frame it looked heavy and I’ve also been 105 lbs which is too skinny. It also depends on lean muscle mass which others have said but my personal goal is to get up to 115 lbs with muscle. I don’t think I have much muscle but 115 is the lower limit for 5 ft 6 in terms of a ‘healthy’ bmi1
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I'd still like to know where the weight recommendation came from.4
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If you put an erroneous BMI into a calculator there is a chance it used this information to incorrectly give you a lower than appropriate weight goal.
Also, unless you see your friends actually weigh they may not be reporting their actual results to you. Some people guess at what they weigh.
That's a generous interpretation.
I overshot then. I was intending it to be diplomatic not generous.
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