I have been overweight since I was about 9 years old, so I don't have any idea what a good weight would be for my frame. I was 110 pounds when I was 10, and wore size 16 through high school. I'm certainly not small framed-maybe between a medium and large frame size. At 5'4" I have my goal at 140 right now, but I'm really not sure if that's too low? Partially afraid of being too thin, partially have NO idea what to reach for. I know this is not really a big deal-just keep going, and I'll know when I get to a comfortable size. Plus we all wear it differently based on muscle mass, etc. Any suggestions from you veterans?

Rachel in Texas

Valentine's: 220/215/210
Overall: 225/215/140

Hey, Rachel. I set my goal weight by using a combination of BMI and frame size. You can find frame size calculators in the internet. You should measure your wrist circumference or the distance between the two bones in your elbow when you hold your arm up at a 90 degree angle (warning, you will need help doing this one). Then, in the frame calculator you can enter the measurement and your height. This will help you pick a healthy weight. For example, I am 5'6" with a small frame. Many of the hight weight charts say that I should weight between 140 and 155. That is way too much for me because my frame is small.

I think you should just keep shooting for 140 and see how you feel as you get closer.

Jen
175/129/120

Yeah I could use some help in this catagory as well!

I was born 10 pounds 11 ounces, and have been chubby my entire life. As my signature shows, before this WOL I weighed 235 in a size 16, I now weigh 187.4 and fit very comfortably into a size 10 jean.

I have no idea what my goal weight/size is. I know that I am medium to large bone struture, 5'5", I really do not have any waist or hips, very straight, but I do have a rather large rib cage.

Any ideas??

NOT GONNA QUIT!

START-DATE 9/10/03
WEIGHT 235/187.4/160 5'5"
SIZE 16/10/?

Hey there Jestey,
Where do I find frame size calculator on the internet?
From everything I have seen you try to put your thumb and middle finger around your wrist. But your method looks more complete.

Any links to a site that has these?

NOT GONNA QUIT!

START-DATE 9/10/03
WEIGHT 235/187.4/160 5'5"
SIZE 16/10/?

Here's a cool link. http://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/fsz It will ask for both your wrist circumference and your elbow breadth.

Jen
175/129/120

According to a BMI chart I consulted the other day, a healthy range for my height (5'3) is 105-140. That's a big range!

It's all right to pick a weight to aim for. But other things, like how you look in the mirror, how your clothes fit, and how fit you are (muscle tone) mean more than a number on the scale. In fact, fit people (with more muscle) will tend to weigh more than fluffy people of the same height.

Best wishes!

P. S. By the way, I weigh 138 and also wear size 10 jeans, with short legs (petite). Very pear shaped body. So there are a lot of different shapes and weights you can stuff into the same size clothing!

Barb L.
Started Atkins January 2003
162/137/130

Thank you so much! That is a great link, there is a lot of information on there! You are a lifesaver, by the way, it says I have a large frame.

NOT GONNA QUIT!

START-DATE 9/10/03
WEIGHT 235/187.4/160 5'5"
SIZE 16/10/?

Glad to help, Shelley.

Jen
175/129/120

Hi Shelley, I'm 5'4" and weigh 140 (my goal weight) and now wear a size 10. My frame is on the large side and I'm muscular. In my twenties, I weighed 130 and looked pretty thin. At my age (41), I'm pretty happy with where I am now and it's easy to maintain.

Esther

I will just have to see where I end up on this WOL. I have never been any thinner than "chubby". I remember weighing 190 in 9th grade, and probably a size 14. I think that I have an odd shaped body, I really don't follow any of the charts. No one would guess that I weigh 187 right now by looking at me, but I guess that is a good thing.

NOT GONNA QUIT!

START-DATE 9/10/03
WEIGHT 235/187.4/160 5'5"
SIZE 16/10/?

I am 5'0 and put my goal weight at 105. However, I know that at 120 lbs, I will have a good BMI...so I think once I get to 120 lbs, I will see how I feel and how I look and then decide from there how much more I should lose. I currently weigh 131 and am between a size 4 and a size 6...plus I am a small frame...

Sheyla
186/131/105 5'0"
from a size 18 to a size 4/6!
started Atkins January 2002
restarted September 20, 2003

The Lord their God shall save them on that day as the flock of his people. They shall sparkle in his land like jewels in a crown. How ATTRACTIVE and BEAUTIFUL they will be! Zechariah 9:16

I think just doing it until you get to the weight you feel comfortable with is a great idea.

Let me give you my experience. After losing a lot of weight, more than 110 pounds, (doing the diet before), I discovered that the weight hadn't come off evenly. It never does, sadly. You can become too skinny in some places and still be fat in the places that annoy and aggravate you the most. You can keep dieting to get those misplaced pounds off, but it's not necessarily helpful to your overall appearance. So you have to use your best judgment as you get close to what you think is goal.

The preceding observation is true of all diets. The next one is true of low-carbing in particular:

Doing low-carb, it's more difficult to get to a particular goal weight. Now, I know some people might feel defensive about me saying that, but it's just an observation you can take with a grain of salt. Low-carbing is, in a way, a more natural way of eating than calorie-counting or portion-control type diets. Doing low-carb, as the fat comes off your body, your appetite tends to gradually increase until you reach a stasis point where things balance out and you stall for a very long time.

That's why you don't hear too many stories of people who got TOO skinny doing just low-carb. As long as you eat to satisfy your appetite, your body gets veto-power over a weight that it considers too thin.

**************
"Sometimes I think you have to march right in and demand your rights, even if you don't know what your rights are, or who the person is you're talking to. Then on the way out, slam the door."

And don't ever be afraid to change your goal as you progress, either up or down.



BC
172/108/108
Zone since 4/98

I am a bit late in the thread, but I thought I would add a link to a BMI calculator from the NIH website.

http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/bmicalc.htm


They also have some other interesting obesity stuff there, including an "electronic textbook" to educate doctors on how to treat obesity. Not surprisingly, they recomend calorie restriction. It also covers a lot of stuff on the relationship between obesity, heart disease, diabetes and other illnesses. Pretty technical, but worth a look if you have 2 or 3 hours to kill.

Started on 9/20/03
235-->190; 150 goal