Has any 5'6, 5'7 woman gone from 170 to 115?

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So, I just used the BMR and BMI tools on this site (just discovered it) and it said

Your BMI is: 26.1
Target weight range: 114.6 - 154.9 lbs

My goal is 135 because it just seems...well...realistic. To be honest, I never considered it possible to weigh less than 130 (I played softball for 10 years. I am a burly woman despite it being almost a decade later).

If you've done this, how did you do it? What did you eat, how did you exercise, and how much did you have to sacrifice to achieve it? How long did it take? More importantly, do you have any muscle at all or are you lean?

Should I change my goal to the 120s? I know 135 is a good weight, but I'm so used to being super easy on myself so now I don't trust my set goals :/

Replies

  • tracker1412
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    I'm around 5'5.5" and went from 170 to 135 in about 5-6 months. All I really did is take the baby for a walk a couple times a week, occasionally play my Wii and really monitor what I ate. I tried to stick to 1200 calories per day even if my allowance was higher. It worked well, but I don't have a lot of strength yet... I was recovering from a difficult pregnancy and even more difficult delivery, so I am just getting back into strength training. I think 135 is a great goal to start with because it is an attainable goal... once you get to 135 you can reset your goals. Hope this helps.
  • McKayMachina
    McKayMachina Posts: 2,670 Member
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    115 sounds way too thin. I'm only 5'2" and my ultimate goal is 120 or so. I was 110-125 in HS and 120/125ish was the perfect range. I'd imagine someone 5" taller would look really unhealthy at 115.

    Can you make new fitness goals instead of weight goals to challenge yourself?
  • voodoomoocow
    voodoomoocow Posts: 60 Member
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    Thanks for answering! You both are right, I should stick with 135 and see how I look and feel. If there's room for improvement, I'll think of a new goal weight. I think if i achieved 115, I'd have no muscle left.

    I just imagined being 135 in April and I made myself giddy..I hope I get to feel that. How long were the walks you went on, tracker1412?

    I think my fitness goals shall be...fold in half while touching my toes (yoga style), able to run for a solid 30 minutes without walking or stopping, and for the love of all that is sacred, strengthen my back so I stop herniating my discs.
  • knittern
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    I have to say that I am 5'4" and there is no way that I could weigh even 120.
    I do not have a large bone structure, but I am curvy and have broad shoulders.
    I don't follow what some chart says, because the proportion of fat to muscle
    mass and bone density can vary so much from one person to the next.
    My weight goal is to be between 145-150. Keep your original
    weight goal and when you reach it, you can re-evaluate:smile:

    oh and my sis is 5'6" and she has weights 115-120 and you can see
    every bone in her body!
  • voodoomoocow
    voodoomoocow Posts: 60 Member
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    Ahh no! I don't want to be bony!! Ok so I guess 115 is for like....people with no muscles who are still healthy. I'll stick with 135 for now.
  • carolinegeorgia
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    I'm 5.7", used to weight 178lbs, now weight 122lbs, I walk a lot, took up running for a while, did 30 day Shred, do Wii stuff now and again, went to the gym for a bit, swimming now and again, whatever I feel like doing really, walking is always there, I ate 1200 cals plus, took 2 years on an off :smile:
  • I'm 5'6 and my end goal is between 132/135 even this may be a bit too small. I don't possibly think I would look right as low as 115, let alone my body be able to get that small.
  • Black_Swan
    Black_Swan Posts: 770 Member
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    Hello!
    I am 5´6.5´´ tall.
    My highest weight was about 163lbs.
    Then I lost to 134lbs but without exercise, and because I went back to my old habits it crept up to 143lbs (what I used to consider my "natural weight" and what I have weighted usually most of the time).
    Then I started using MFP and because everyone here is so freaking active and exercising, I started too... that was in January. Now I am 124.5lbs, but it was a long and uneven journey!
    I try to eat healthy and natural food around 80% of the time, 20% is actually pizza, cookies and chocolates and I dont feel too guilty, haha.
    I started running in March and I was able to run for 4 minutes straight... now I can run for over an hour without stopping. Signing up for a race helped me a lot with motivation.
    Also I do strength training at the gym.
    I started at 1200cals, then I upped to 1450, then to 1800, now I am back at 1400 (but breaking the rules very often, hehe).
    Good luck!
  • voodoomoocow
    voodoomoocow Posts: 60 Member
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    I think I'm disheartened because when I think about the brief moment when i was 145, my thighs were still HUGE! My thighs are probably the most insecure aspect of my body and I'd love to shed them. I can't imagine another 10lbs would make them not huge. It's just a concern.
  • Lyadeia
    Lyadeia Posts: 4,603 Member
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    I am 5'5" tall and look all mushy and fat at 135 pounds. My goal is between 115-120 pounds. I lift heavy weights 3 days a week and do cardio 5 days a week. I eat around 1500 calories or so, 45% protein, 35% carbs, 20% fat.

    But everyone's body is different. And technically, I don't even go by weight on the scale. I have a body fat % that I am aiming for, which is 12% because I want to compete in figure competitions (I want around 17-18% otherwise). Using a calculator I found on Tom Venuto's website, my weight will most likely be around 115-120 when I get there, but I don't even know. I do know that I was at 20% body fat when I weighed 126 pounds a couple years ago, and I was wearing a loose size 6. You couldn't see any ab muscle at all, though, so I can definitely see myself at 115 after stripping off the body fat.

    But I think 135 is a great goal. I would keep that goal if I were you, and when you get there, you can then decide if you want to set another goal or just maintain.
  • hlouisej
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    Hiya,
    A few years ago I went from 180 to 132ish in the space of about 18 months just by eating carefully and working out. I'm 5'5 by the way. I seemed to plateau at 132 and never went any lower. I didn't consider myself as skinny at that time. I wasn't focusing on building muscle mass just losing weight. I started here at 149 and am down 8lb. I would like to get back to 132 and maybe lower. I'll probably rethink it when I get to 132. 115 seems very low.
  • melzteach
    melzteach Posts: 550 Member
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    I'm 5'6" and was 177. I originally had my goal at 135 but at 153 the weight seems to be coming off a lot more slowly than before. I changed my goal to 145. I can still see a few areas with fat and/or loose skin I want to to work on. So right now I'm focusing that and not as much on the scale; although I do still pay attention to that number a little bit.
  • amycal
    amycal Posts: 646 Member
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    My daughter is 5'6" and about 115 and has gorgeous muscle definition but she is also only 17 and has never had to lose weight. I think it is smaller than most people who are 5'6 -5'7 need to weight to look good. I am also 5'6" I was around 130 before getting married and having kids and I felt thin. My initial happy goal is 140 but if I get down to 130 again I will be ecstatic! I am 47 though and have been overweight about 15 years.
  • beckylou66
    beckylou66 Posts: 103 Member
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    Hey.. I'm 5'6.5" and my goal is 155 at this point ... I started at 202, have been at 170-173 for months (purposely) and soon I'm gonna get serious again and move on to 155. I may reevalulate that goal once I get there, I'm not happy with my body at this point at all, I feel a ton better than I did 30 lbs ago, but realize I have a ways to go. I don't ever remember a time that I've weighed less than 145 and that was in my teens, I've always been kinda med-lg build and played softball as well so I understand the thighs (lol) I didn't play as long as you but I can always pick out a sb player by her thighs. ;) Anyway, good luck to you. maybe add me and we can do this journey together

    becky
  • Amber82479
    Amber82479 Posts: 629 Member
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    I'm 5'7" and I would never, ever try to get down to 115lbs! 130 would also be my lowest goal weight.
  • chickybuns
    chickybuns Posts: 1,037 Member
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    I am about 5'8" and would also never want to be 115, but I also have a bigger frame, and when I was around 130 was a size 9. My goal weight now is 150 because I feel I look good at that weight. At 130 I was scrawny.
  • smairi
    smairi Posts: 10
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    I am 36 and 5'7. My highest non pregnant weight was 172 and I looked hefty. My lowest was 139. 139 looked good but not quite good enough. I think 115 would be quite scrawny on me.

    I am quite fit (a yoga teacher), so 139 was a comfortable size 8. I wouldn't mind being a 6! I am currently 155 and a size 10 and aiming for 135 and that size 6.

    For me, weight training and yoga are essential and keep me looking good, even at a higher weight than I would like. If you can't get to a studio, I can recommend some great 'active yoga' DVDs that you could use at home.

    When you find a weight that feels good, you'll know. Trust yourself when you get there...
  • PJilly
    PJilly Posts: 21,740 Member
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    So, I just used the BMR and BMI tools on this site (just discovered it) and it said

    Your BMI is: 26.1
    Target weight range: 114.6 - 154.9 lbs

    My goal is 135 because it just seems...well...realistic. To be honest, I never considered it possible to weigh less than 130 (I played softball for 10 years. I am a burly woman despite it being almost a decade later).

    If you've done this, how did you do it? What did you eat, how did you exercise, and how much did you have to sacrifice to achieve it? How long did it take? More importantly, do you have any muscle at all or are you lean?

    Should I change my goal to the 120s? I know 135 is a good weight, but I'm so used to being super easy on myself so now I don't trust my set goals :/
    I haven't gone to 115, but I'm 5' 6" (well, 5' 5.5"), and I started out at 169, with a goal of 145 pounds. That took about seven months, working out six days a week with Slim in 6, eating 1700–1800 calories a day. I decided to keep losing and set another goal for 140. That felt great, so I decided to move my goal to 135. I got down as low as 136–137, but I realized I went from feeling strong and vibrant to feeling thin and scrawny. It's funny how just a few pounds can make a big difference, so you may need to get very close to your goal before you can hone in on what your goal should be. For me 135 feels too low and 145 feels too high. I'm now above my goal weight by a few pounds again and am working to get back to just under 140.
  • welcomenuts
    welcomenuts Posts: 119 Member
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    I'm 5'7" and my highest weight was 170 something.
    I'm currently 157 and this is where my body loves to stay. It doesn't want to be another weight. I have been stuck here every time I gain and lose.
    So my first goal is just 150. Then I will see what happens, I have to convince my body that it will be okay! :laugh:
    Ultimately, between 135-140 seems like the best weight for me. I did go down to 129 once before (was a very unhealthy diet) and people were worried.
    I'm a German girl with great curves, no matter how many pounds I lose.
    I'm trying to stay away from the scale for a while. I'm focusing on my size 8 jeans that are in my closet. I try them on often to see where i am.
    I need to stop obsessing about a number that no one but myself sees. Everyone sees how my clothes fit. Kwim?