Ideal body weight??

[Anonymous]

I'm a 34 yr old female, 5 ft, and 130 lbs. I believe I have a medium-large frame. The highest I've ever weighed (besides pregnancy) was 155 lbs Feb. 2022 and I've finally gotten a good weight loss plan for my body and it's been working really well for me. I have a spoon body shape.

I went from a size 14 pants (a little snug) and medium-large top to xs-small tops and size mostly size 6 jeans (though I can squeeze into my size 4 old navy shorts but they feel a touch snug for my comfort).

I'm thinking through my 2023 goal and I'd at least like to get down to 125 lbs so I'm a few lbs under the limit for what's considered overweight but I've looked at some ideal body weight calculators and there's such a range!!

Several calculator's recommend 100-110 lbs but that feels VERY low for my body. I've not been THAT thin since I was a young teen (I think I was around 105-110 lbs when I was 18-19 yrs old). Another one said 116-120 and that seems more realistic.

What do you all use? I want to be healthy and realistic Either way, I'm not real far from any goal.

[Anonymous]

I don’t use a calculator. I’m 5’5” and 125 is my sweet spot. Anything lower ages me and higher than 130 feels heavy. I think aiming for a heathy range BMI should be your goal and if you want to be a little lower for vanity, balance out quality of life/joy of eating and how hard it would be to maintain with whatever your vanity goal is

[Anonymous]

OP you will know you've hit your ideal body weight when you start to feel good in your own skin, and when maintaining that weight is effortless. BMI is is joke.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP you will know you've hit your ideal body weight when you start to feel good in your own skin, and when maintaining that weight is effortless. BMI is is joke.

BMI is like the equivalent of a 10 minute standardized test: If you want to get a quick, consistent way to compare education in different schools, give them all the test. But for a specific student, the judgment of a teacher who works with them daily will be much more useful.

Similarly, BMI is useful for analyzing populations, but you know much more about how you look and feel than your individual BMI can tell you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP you will know you've hit your ideal body weight when you start to feel good in your own skin, and when maintaining that weight is effortless. BMI is is joke.

This! If you have to deny yourself every pleasure in life to lose "the last few pounds." Then it is time to evaluate how much those pounds are worth to you .

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP you will know you've hit your ideal body weight when you start to feel good in your own skin, and when maintaining that weight is effortless. BMI is is joke.

This so much. Only you can determine your ideal body weight. I prefer a little extra weight on me because I love my curves. And anything less than that means no dessert, no sugar etc. Not worth it.

[Anonymous]

OP, only you can know what is right for you. I do not look at a scale or BMI... I just know when my body feels fit and strong and light versus when it feels heavy and lethargic. This is about weight, but it is also about exercise, diet, alcohol, hydration, sleep, outside time, stress...

Interestingly, I feel MUCH BETTER at a very fit 132 than a thin but weak 125. My clothes fit better, I am stronger... all the good things. So don't worry about the scale, focus instead on developing the diet, exercise, and lifestyle habits that make you feel best. You body will transform with those habits.

[Anonymous]

I know when I'm at my ideal weight when my size 4 jeans fit with no muffin top or feeling like one wrong move and I'll burst out of them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know when I'm at my ideal weight when my size 4 jeans fit with no muffin top or feeling like one wrong move and I'll burst out of them.

This is how I tell too. I've been the same size for years and I'm not buying new clothes. So if the clothes are getting a little tight, time to sort it out.

[Anonymous]

If you are a woman, I feel like the BMI range is large enough that if you are over over it- you are overweight

[Anonymous]

Do you have enough energy on a daily basis, OP? If you don't, you could lose a bit of weight by exercising and changing what you eat to see if you have energy to sustain for the day.
If you have an abundance of physical and mental energy, you are in good standing.

[Anonymous]

It really depends. I'm 5'6 and have been anywhere from 118-148 in my adult life. I met my husband when I was 128, and when he saw pics of me at 118, he said he was glad he hadn't met me then because he'd not have been as attracted to me. He really prefers me at around 130. I prefer myself at about 125.

[Anonymous]

Definitely depends on your body shape. For me, also 5’, I carry weight in my middle. It builds up there way before anywhere else, very disproportionately. I can fit into size 6 pants comfortably at 108. Size 4 at 102. It’s all down to my waist.

I can go up by 10 lbs when I am toned, since muscle only helps my spindly hips/thighs/arms/legs and doesn’t impact my torso all that much.

Others who are more pear shaped look proportional at higher weight.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t use a calculator. I’m 5’5” and 125 is my sweet spot. Anything lower ages me and higher than 130 feels heavy. I think aiming for a heathy range BMI should be your goal and if you want to be a little lower for vanity, balance out quality of life/joy of eating and how hard it would be to maintain with whatever your vanity goal is

wow that seems low.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t use a calculator. I’m 5’5” and 125 is my sweet spot. Anything lower ages me and higher than 130 feels heavy. I think aiming for a heathy range BMI should be your goal and if you want to be a little lower for vanity, balance out quality of life/joy of eating and how hard it would be to maintain with whatever your vanity goal is

wow that seems low.

Are you a doctor?