Healthy weight range

[larmbruster]

This may belong in the nutrtion seciton, but I have to ask here because I want some opinions! =)

I'm 5'-8" and weigh about 165lbs.
The lowest I've ever been was 150lbs. At that point, I felt like there was still a little room for improvement.....but another 15lbs, and still be healthy?

But my "healthy weight range," according every medical chart I can find, says I should weight between 135 and 150, for a 'normal size frame."
I have to admit, that when I weighed 150, I can't believe that that was the high end! I don't think that I've weighed 135 since maybe middle school either.

Now, I'm not sure I've just been heavy for so long, or well, to be honest, for my entire life... that I can't imagine ever getting down to 135lbs.

Anyone here that maybe WAS in the same boat as me, and now that they weigh lower than they thought the ever would, feel like their new low weight is really comfortable for them?

Let's be honest too, on a 1200 calorie diet, I feel like I'm not eating at all! It's hard to diet, and I give TONS OF CREDIT to anyone that honestly can do it for more than 3 days straight!

 

[mini-natty]

This may belong in the nutrtion seciton, but I have to ask here because I want some opinions! =)

I'm 5'-8" and weigh about 165lbs.
The lowest I've ever been was 150lbs. At that point, I felt like there was still a little room for improvement.....but another 15lbs, and still be healthy?

But my "healthy weight range," according every medical chart I can find, says I should weight between 135 and 150, for a 'normal size frame."
I have to admit, that when I weighed 150, I can't believe that that was the high end! I don't think that I've weighed 135 since maybe middle school either.

Now, I'm not sure I've just been heavy for so long, or well, to be honest, for my entire life... that I can't imagine ever getting down to 135lbs.


Anyone here that maybe WAS in the same boat as me, and now that they weigh lower than they thought the ever would, feel like their new low weight is really comfortable for them?

Let's be honest too, on a 1200 calorie diet, I feel like I'm not eating at all! It's hard to diet, and I give TONS OF CREDIT to anyone that honestly can do it for more than 3 days straight!

I hate the scale AND weight range!!!! AND I hate dieting, sooooo I don't do either!!!

I just focus on how my clothes fit now, how I feel and look in the mirror. I don't like to focus on a "set weight", it makes me angry! Everyone's body is different; some people carry more muscle, some people generally have more fat, some people are thin & lean.

When I was younger and lost weight (I am 5'1 so anything over 125lbs makes me look a bit chubby) I went down to 105!!! But I was not very healthy. I never exercised and my calories were too low to sustain. Now I am in the range of 115-120, and feel really good about that (keep in mind that I am short and small framed). I am not skinny, but a fit-curvy. I try to eat really healthy and I don't obsess about food anymore. I know when my weight creeps up without the aid of a scale, pants don't lie!!! And I know that if I am eating chips at night for 7 days straight, I might have to take it down a few notches in the calorie department. Ever since I stopped looking at a "set number" and let my body determine what was right, I have been much happier

 

[nsaeolian]

I agree. I also am petite and when I was at my "ideal" weight of 105 lbs many moons ago, it was far too low. I got every virus going, I was always cold and mom said my hands looked like claws. I range from 112-115 now and with my fitness better, I look and feel much better. Now if I could tighten up some loose skin in several places....but at 50 that may not happen as it might've at 25.

 

[tralaiven]

This may belong in the nutrtion seciton, but I have to ask here because I want some opinions! =)

I'm 5'-8" and weigh about 165lbs.
The lowest I've ever been was 150lbs. At that point, I felt like there was still a little room for improvement.....but another 15lbs, and still be healthy?

But my "healthy weight range," according every medical chart I can find, says I should weight between 135 and 150, for a 'normal size frame."
I have to admit, that when I weighed 150, I can't believe that that was the high end! I don't think that I've weighed 135 since maybe middle school either.

Now, I'm not sure I've just been heavy for so long, or well, to be honest, for my entire life... that I can't imagine ever getting down to 135lbs.

Anyone here that maybe WAS in the same boat as me, and now that they weigh lower than they thought the ever would, feel like their new low weight is really comfortable for them?

Let's be honest too, on a 1200 calorie diet, I feel like I'm not eating at all! It's hard to diet, and I give TONS OF CREDIT to anyone that honestly can do it for more than 3 days straight!

Hi Larmbruster! I am also tall...5'9". I currently weigh 147(up from a recent 143 ). I work out and lift weights faithfully. And I have to say, I still want to lose about 10 lbs and continue to firm up. I have to say that the weight that I really liked what I looked like was when I was very fit and about 137-138. When I was 165 (and I WAS there last year), I personally felt "yuck". And I just came to the place where I had to do something, because I was only walking and that was getting me nowhere ...So I added weights and went back to my old Cathe dvds. Now, this is just me, I am not making statements concerning you.....

My body type is straight up and down and I carry my weight all over. I still am carrying some "back over hang" and just a bit too much belly for me.

Honestly too, for us tall girls...man I get so hungry...but when I lost the weight I just worked through it and ate healthy whole foods to try and beat it.

 

[SusanMcL]

Excellent question !!! As someone else said, we are all different, but it helps to read about other people's experiences.

I am 66 years old and overweight.. at the moment .. and working on that issue.

I am 5' 6 1/2" tall...

In high school and college I weighed 118.. but that was too thin (I was always outside doing active things and ate whatever I wanted and was still thin)

In my 20s and early 30s I weighed about 125. Still very active outside doing all kinds of active things (tennis, bicycle, swimming, lawn mowing, lots of walking, etc.) That was a good weight for my age at the time.

In my late 30s and early 40s, I weighed about 135 and I was very comfortable at that weight. Not too thin, not too heavy. Still active outside, but not as much.

In the last 20 years, I've gained 45 pounds and now weigh 180 and that's not comfortable AT ALL I had stopped being active and my portions had gotten a lot bigger (a common problem thruout the country).

soooo.. to make a long story short, as I look back at my weight journey, and how I felt at each step along the way, my goal is to get back to 135.

that would be comfortable.... for me...... not too thin.. not too heavy for 5' 6.5 inches.

And I am doing that by choosing healthy foods, working out with Cathe and crew and... cutting down on my portion sizes.....

But in the long run... you are the only one who knows what weight you feel best at.. healthy and fit.

 

[larmbruster]

Thanks everyone, and tracy, thanks for the motivation! It's nice to hear of a story similar to mine... or what I hope it will be!

I know diet is essential, but you're right, you just have to work through it. =)

 

[nikkigiovanni]

I'm 5'9" and I personally don't look or feel good under 150. I can't imagine ever being 135. That just doesn't look good at all on me. Since I've been this height, I've always been at 150 untill I started having children. Right now, I'm working to get back to 150. The range that you stated for 5'8" is correct, but your body type and frame size are also important. I tend to gain weight all over. I'm not bottom or top heavy, but I tend to carry more muscle mass in my legs which makes me heavier while still looking smaller. When people guess my weight, they always guess that I weigh less than I do. I've had nurses at the doctors office to be surprised to see that my weight is higher than what they expected to see on the scale. Another woman my height with skinny legs might look just fine at 135, but for me, when I'm at 150, I look and feel my best. I don't start to feel uncomfortable until I get above 165. The IBW range is a great tool, but you also have to know your body type and what feels best to you.

 

[Repo]

What is your percent body fat? Heatlty range for a women has nothing to do with how tall you are....I'm 5'8" and at my goal body fat(20%) I should weigh 176 pounds.....BMI and height weigh charts say my goal weight is still obese.....

 

[nikkigiovanni]

What is your percent body fat? Heatlty range for a women has nothing to do with how tall you are....I'm 5'8" and at my goal body fat(20%) I should weigh 176 pounds.....BMI and height weigh charts say my goal weight is still obese.....

I agree. Actual body composition is a much better indicator of a healthy body than BMI and IBW.

 

[Trixoo]

I'm 5'8 1/2" and am usually somewhere between 178 and 183. I have weighed much more than this, but my weight's really stable now

I can try to torture my body to some lower weight, but I've learned over the years that this is just where it wants to be. I am larger framed, have good musculature (thanks to Cathe!) and at this weight generally wear a size 10. My size is fine for me, but I have to admit that on an emotional level it really bothers me that I am classified as overweight by the superficial analyses used by many in the medical profession. It doesn't bother me, though, that some women would be horrified to be a size 10...it might not look as good on them as it does me. . Okay, I'd love to know what I would look like in single digit sizes, but that's just not going to happen. When i was in high school I was 145 and STILL wore a size 10...I have no explanation for that...

Oh, and nobody ever guesses my weight right either...I've won some nice prizes for my niece and nephew at carnival "guess the weight" booths.

 

[tralaiven]

I'm 5'8 1/2" and am usually somewhere between 178 and 183. I have weighed much more than this, but my weight's really stable now

I can try to torture my body to some lower weight, but I've learned over the years that this is just where it wants to be. I am larger framed, have good musculature (thanks to Cathe!) and at this weight generally wear a size 10. My size is fine for me, but I have to admit that on an emotional level it really bothers me that I am classified as overweight by the superficial analyses used by many in the medical profession. It doesn't bother me, though, that some women would be horrified to be a size 10...it might not look as good on them as it does me. . Okay, I'd love to know what I would look like in single digit sizes, but that's just not going to happen. When i was in high school I was 145 and STILL wore a size 10...I have no explanation for that...

Oh, and nobody ever guesses my weight right either...I've won some nice prizes for my niece and nephew at carnival "guess the weight" booths.

Wow. I am 5'9" and weigh at least 30 lbs less than you and wear a 6 or 8 (depending), go figure (get it?) If I weighed 178 I would be in at least a 14 and perhaps a 16.

 

[Trixoo]

Wow. I am 5'9" and weigh at least 30 lbs less than you and wear a 6 or 8 (depending), go figure (get it?) If I weighed 178 I would be in at least a 14 and perhaps a 16.

Huh. I am larger framed, but that's a really significant difference. See why I win all the carnival prizes?

 

[geomom]

I am 5' 6 1/2" like a previous poster. For the longest time I was stable at 145 lbs. In my avatar I am about 44 and at that weight. That weight was ok, but I really wanted a more ripped look, hey, I work hard for all that muscle mass, I want to be able to see it! So I recently lost 10 lbs. So down to 135. My muscles definitely show, but I carry a lot of my extra junk in the trunk and now am thinking possibly 130 to get that figure competitor look.

The thing that did the trick for me was logging calories. I personally used myfitnesspal, the Iphone app, which is completely awesome. It only allowed me 1280 calories a day so was quite motivational for me to work out as I, too, cannot just eat 1280 calories a day. I need closer to 1500, so was very motivated to do something, even if it was just walking the dogs, every day.

I should also say that at 48 I am perimenopausal and that is normally a challenging time for women. But for me, with lots of exercise and healthy, but limited, diet, it really wasn't that hard to drop the weight. But the logging for me was KEY. Good luck!

 

[spyrosmom]

I'm 5'8 1/2" and am usually somewhere between 178 and 183. I have weighed much more than this, but my weight's really stable now

I can try to torture my body to some lower weight, but I've learned over the years that this is just where it wants to be. I am larger framed, have good musculature (thanks to Cathe!) and at this weight generally wear a size 10. My size is fine for me, but I have to admit that on an emotional level it really bothers me that I am classified as overweight by the superficial analyses used by many in the medical profession. It doesn't bother me, though, that some women would be horrified to be a size 10...it might not look as good on them as it does me. . Okay, I'd love to know what I would look like in single digit sizes, but that's just not going to happen. When i was in high school I was 145 and STILL wore a size 10...I have no explanation for that...

Oh, and nobody ever guesses my weight right either...I've won some nice prizes for my niece and nephew at carnival "guess the weight" booths.

You sound just like me!! I hit 174 late last summer, when I was marathon training. That was in the final long weeks. If I have to run 40 miles a week, plus lift, plus goodness knows what else I was doing, I don't want to me smaller. I've had people guess my weight as low as 150! Thanks for the flattery, but nope. My high was 270, so I'll take my 178ish, thank you! I carry around a decent amount of muscle for a female, but yes, there's still pudge over it. For the most part I'm happy with the way I look, but there are the days.

It's funny how the scale can screw up your whole day. I've had days where my jeans fit loose and the scale says "nope". The scale can go jump in a lake!

Nan

 

[JeanneMarie]

Huh. I am larger framed, but that's a really significant difference. See why I win all the carnival prizes?

This thread is so interesting to me! I could probably win carnival prizes too, but for the opposite reason.

I weigh a lot less than you would think I do based on my fitness level and good health. Appearance wise... maybe you'd be able to guess closer, not sure.

It always irritates me that ALL the height and weight charts, even ones that narrow it down between men and women, and small/medium/large frames, put me in the "too skinny" category.

I am 5'7" tall, small framed and weigh 115 lbs. Every single chart out there has my minimum weight at a good 10 lbs higher than I am. Oh well. As long as I can do a Cathe workout, run 3 miles a day and have my good health, I'm happy.

 

[Trixoo]

You sound just like me!! I hit 174 late last summer, when I was marathon training. That was in the final long weeks. If I have to run 40 miles a week, plus lift, plus goodness knows what else I was doing, I don't want to me smaller. I've had people guess my weight as low as 150! Thanks for the flattery, but nope. My high was 270, so I'll take my 178ish, thank you! I carry around a decent amount of muscle for a female, but yes, there's still pudge over it. For the most part I'm happy with the way I look, but there are the days.

It's funny how the scale can screw up your whole day. I've had days where my jeans fit loose and the scale says "nope". The scale can go jump in a lake!

Nan

We are very alike! People usually guess my weight around 150, too.

Seriously, nothing I do short of starving myself (below 1000 calories) will result in significant weight loss, and who can keep that up for long...or who would want to? Conversely, I just had to take 2 months off without working out...well, actually without moving hardly at all, so I wasn't burning any extra calories. I was sure I'd gain a bunch of weight, but the scale stayed the same! My body just wants to be this weight. I'm not saying I wouldn't gain weight if I couldn't work out longterm, but just that my body has shown me in many ways where it's happy, so I've tried to learn to be happy with that. I do have some jiggle, but at least it's mostly in the right places!

Having said all that, I am so excited to start LIS to see if it has any affect on my shape...have been reading about what it's done for others' thighs and would love to see some change in mine. I'm trying to work my way back to Cathe. Once I can do CCC, I'll be attacking LIS. Can't wait!

 

[mspina]

I think you just need to experiment a bit and see what "fits" you as a good solid weight to settle on. I'm 5' 9" and weigh 130lbs (down from 142 where I was for a LONG time after simply going vegan over a year ago) and feel very comfortable here. I eat WAY more than 1200 calories though!!!!!! I'm never hungry and feel great - if you are dieting with a low cal diet, I don't see a lot of hope of staying there for long. Make healthy changes and stick with them for the long haul, and with consistency you will see the weight start to fall off and you'll settle into where your body wants to be.

 

[pjlippert]

I have to go on record also and say that I absolutely HATE scales and imposed healthy weight ranges- don't even get me going about the BMI crap. Having said that- I am still somewhat obsessed with the scale (that is an old habit from being sort of anorexic back in my 20's).

But, I look at it this way, we workout- many of us with weights. 1lb of muscle weighs as much as 1lb of fat, but takes up something like 3 x's less space. So, while the scale or the most absurd BMI index says we are "overweight" or "obese" I don't agree. Think of the professional body-builders (men are mostly what I am referring to). If you took their height & body weight alone- they would most likely fall into the "obese" or 'morbidly obese" category- despite having VERY low body fat percentages.

ITA with the how your pants fit & I also throw into account medical stats such as blood-pressure, blood counts such as cholesterol (not totally a lifestyle thing), HDL, LDL, etc.. When I lost that 10% of body weight last year I was able to get off of one of the BP meds I was on.

Okay- I'll hop off my soap box now.

There is my 2 cents... ya get whatcha pay for!

Pam