vtaggart

According to the BMI chart, I should be between 114.6 and 154.9. I'm a pretty large framed person and I was 112 pounds or so in high school. At that weight and my 5'6" height, it was too thin. I'm guessing that 140 to 150 would be a more realistic goal. My starting weight was 246. That's a loss of 90 to 116 pounds.

I decided that I would aim for a loss of 1 to 2 pounds a week so I'm not stressing too much. With that in mind, I set a 1 year loss of 52 pounds. So, that's how I came up with 194 by 3/12/12. After that year is up, I'll see how I'm doing and go from there. If I hit the goal early, I can always reevaluate.

Mel-Mc

Currently mine is set at 135. I had one doctor tell me 112 or less and the dietician tell me 170 and my other doctor waffle and never give me a number (he also refused to look me in the eye when discussing my weight) so I chose a number in the middle. I'm seeing a new doctor in a few hours so I'll have another totally random number to add to the pile.

wannabefitgrl

almeeker, I wanted to ask how you deal with the body getting smaller but still having those stubborn areas. I was down to 145 last summer and still had so much extra on my thighs and back of my hips (just above the butt). It's only a problem with swimsuits really because they fit so tight that I end up with a muffin top, even though I was relatively thin (for me) and pretty in shape. It just made me feel like I needed to lose so much more weight, but looking back at pictures, my face seems so thin (almost too thin really). I've put on a few pounds and in general think I look a bit better with a few more pounds, but my hip/thigh problem hasn't exactly gone away! Just wondering how you and other people deal with that and whether I should just learn to love those parts and get over it!

strangeways88

Two words: swimsuit separates! You know, the ones where you can buy the top and bottom separately and in the size you need. If your local stores don't have these, there are many internet retailers who offer such products. Or if you buy a one piece, buy it to fit the bottom and have the top part taken in at the tailors. God knows we pay too much for swimwear to have it fit like crap.

cjohnson728

I have been in the same boat. I am going to be a pear shape as long as I live, no matter how much weight I lose. I agree with the separates for swimsuits (last year I ordered a bikini with a medium bottom and an extra small top, I sure did), but I know that's not the impetus behind your post in and of itself.

I was reading a book last year in which the author stated that she had always coveted the slender, willowy shape but had to come to grips with it not being realistic. I had to do the same thing. As attractive as that was, being 5'2", I was never going to be leggy and "willowy"! I had to accept it. It's hard. But now I look at my shape the same way I do my height. I can't change it, no matter what I do (but I can be a smaller version of that shape), so I have to find ways to embrace it. I've toned up the muscles in my legs, so even if my bottom half is bigger than I'd like, it's not unattractive. Also, lifting weights has broadened my shoulders a bit, so I look more balanced.

Also, keep reminding yourself that people who put on weight in their hips and thighs don't have as much health risk as those who gain around the middle. I saw an article a while back about it even being healthier to have some lower padding and figured that, with that train of thought, I would live forever!

pixiedust7976

I picked my goal weight based on a couple of things. All throughout high school, I was between 100- 110 pounds. I was at that time 5'4". That weight was too little on me. I always had wide hips though, or as they say child bearing hips, but that was the biggest part of me. Well, after I met my future husband around 17, I went up and stayed at 120. That was ideal because I didn't look like a bag of bones and you could see the hourglass figure. Then of course 2 kids later and several years of not eating correctly i went up to 205 and that was my heaviest. As I aged I shrank down an inch so no I am 5'3". My husband doesn't want me to be too skinny so I figure 120 would be perfect.

Aldisss

There is nothing special in it..
I just checked my fitness level on BMI and found that i am fat and would be normal i would lose my 28lbs weight...
SO i set a diet plan and started running in the morning.

almeeker

Are we twins? I'm at 147 now, and I definitely look much better than I did at 224.6, but I don't look anything like I did the last time I weighed 147, however that was 15 years and 3 babies ago. You are so dead on with the face thing, I've always had chubby cheeks (both sets really), but now I have almost no fanny and my face is very clearly showing my Native American heritage, I have a very long face regardless but now my cheek bones are very pronounced as is my square jaw. Before I always looked more like Princess Leah, even at 118 lbs.

In answer to the thunder thigh question, right now I'm focusing a lot on lower body exercises and on lots of cardio. I'm genetically prone to large legs, and being short I never had any expectations of looking long and willowy, so my best bet is to keep losing the fat and work on toning and strengthening so ultimately I hope to replace "jiggle" with "definition". I feel like I'm working toward "a curvier version of Tinkerbell with legs like the paper boy".

When I was in college I worked as a seamstress in a bridal/formal wear salon. I did numerous fittings on formal gowns for women in various beauty pageants. Anyway to make a long story short I altered several gowns for a woman that was crowned Miss Michigan and later on Miss America. Her body was seriously perfection, and she complained about it just the same as every other woman I had ever met. And that's when I said to myself "Oh good grief, if she can't be happy, there ain't no happy to be had". From that day forward I've looked at it differently, I decided not to be miserable over what I have, it is what it is, the only thing I can do is to keep working to improve it. Also keep in mind there is a difference between "big" and "fat". Imagine if you will, two men standing side by side, they weigh exactly the same amount, one guy is Mr. Universe and the other man is Homer Simpson. Which one do you want to see naked?

I have never prescribed much to the school of mix & match swim suits, my mother bought me one and I swear every time I wore it there was plenty of concern that I was going to lose part of it. I wear my suit to swim, not lay on the beach, and ever since that horrible suit from mom, I like the top and bottom to be securely affixed to one another. It's a real pain in the behind trying to find a DD cup in a size 8 suit, so I may have to investigate this separates idea a little more. But for now I'm sticking to the one piece.