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Trying to work out ideal weight?

105 replies

plaingirly · 24/11/2012 08:26

I am 5'2 (and a 1/4!!) and when I saw the nurse she said my ideal weight was 8 stones 2 pounds.

Soooooo that means I have an awful lot of weight to lose! A scary amount to lose.

I don't know if she worked it out a certain way or if it was a figure just picked out of the air!

I don't really know what other people that are my height actually weigh! I see myself as looking huge but other people never believe how much I weigh.

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talkingnonsense · 24/11/2012 08:31

Oh, there's a good picture graph I'll look for a link! For an idea of weight range there is a bmi table here www.nutriactiva.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/BMI-Chart-eng.png which gives you a range in kilos or lb.

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talkingnonsense · 24/11/2012 08:33

This shows real life people at a variety of weights, if you trust them to have accurate scales!
www.cockeyed.com/photos/bodies/heightweight.html

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plaingirly · 24/11/2012 08:39

According to the second link I must look even bigger than I thought I did!!

Sad

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botandhothered · 24/11/2012 08:45

Mmm! I too am 5'2" weigh 8st 9lb and am easy size 10. Next, marks, size 8. Think she is going for the lower end of the scale. Aim for 9 and a half stones and see how you look then! Good luck!

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Sleepwhenidie · 24/11/2012 08:47

By BMI you could be 9.5 stone and within the healthy range, so that is probably a good target to start with. After that see how you feel, 8st 2 would give you a BMI of 21 which is middle of the healthy range.

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plaingirly · 24/11/2012 08:49

I weighed 13st 2lb last Saturday and wear a size 16. Sad

The nurse was about my height and was bigger than me but was so judgemental!

Is there a way of working out how much weight you have to lose to drop each dress size?

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MegBusset · 24/11/2012 08:49

I am an inch taller than you and 8st 2 would be way too thin for me - I look and feel right (size 8-10) just under 9st up to a few pounds over. I would aim to be healthy and within your ideal BMI range, aim for 9 st 6 and see how you get on :)

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aftereight · 24/11/2012 08:55

I am exactly the same height as you. I have recently gone from 10st to 9st 4 and I feel like it's the right weight for me. Any less and my boobs would start to disappear. I am a size 10.
I have a friend the same height who is 8st 6 and she is tiny, and people regularly comment that her face looks quite drawn.
I have another friend same height who is very very slim and is 9st but big boobs, and the nurse told her to watch her weight and try to lose some - she is already a small size 8!

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ClaudiaSchiffer · 24/11/2012 09:00

How old are you op? I'm fourty something and am your height. In my 20's pre kids I was about that weight. Post kids and aging means that I'm now 58kgs (whatever that is). For me it's a bit heavy but ok. I think 8st 2lbs is pretty light. I agree with the others that 9.6st is a good starting point.

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ClaudiaSchiffer · 24/11/2012 09:02

Oh blimey just worked out that 58kgs is 9.2 st. I would like to be 8.7st.

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plaingirly · 24/11/2012 09:02

I'm 26 - feel about 56 though!

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vodkaanddietirnbru · 24/11/2012 09:13

according to weight watchers the weight range for your height is 109-137lbs so 7st 11lbs - 9st 11lbs. I'd aim for the highest weight first and see if it suits you before dropping down further.

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plaingirly · 24/11/2012 09:18

Thinking it might be less scary to focus on each half stone or stone rather than the huge total amount.

The nurse said I was "designed to be tiny" but I have size 6 feet which I thought were pretty big for my height!

I would like to be a size 10 - not sure what weight that would be. I would love to be able to wear what I want and not just dress to cover up the bits of me I don't like.

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C0smos · 24/11/2012 09:21

I'm 5 ft 3 and weigh 7stone 7, size 8 generally, I have a bit of podge round my waist and a saggy bum so could do with losing another half stone or so, you just have to find a weight that works for you

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WhatLarks · 24/11/2012 09:32

I was advised at Slimming World that 10lb equals one dress size (tho I would have thought that it really depends upon your height)

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anniewoo · 24/11/2012 09:36

CoSmos 5'3'' 7.stone 7 lbs and wants to lose more- faints!!!Grin

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stclemens · 24/11/2012 10:02

Hi I'm slightly shorter (at 5ft1) and am 8st - I would say I am slim but not overly so (and quite podgy round the middle). Im a size 10 but very untoned, could be slimmer and fitter. So I think the nurse is probably right...

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stclemens · 24/11/2012 10:04

Oh and I reckon at 26 you should aim to be quite a bit lighter than me at 46!

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MegBusset · 24/11/2012 10:33

OP nobody is "designed" full stop :)

I think the one thing you can tell from all these responses is that there is no such thing as the right weight for a particular height, so I don't think focusing on one particular weight is that helpful - you may set your target too low, get discouraged and give up.

Far better to concentrate on a healthier lifestyle, you could set a fitness target such as completing a 5k run or swimming 50 lengths, and build up to that whilst adjusting your diet (My Fitness Pal app is great for tracking how much you're eating, or lots of people find a group like Slimming World helpful). See it as a change of lifestyle rather than a diet :)

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BIWI · 24/11/2012 10:39

According to the BMI charts, there is a 20lb range defined as 'healthy' for someone of your height. From 110 - 130lbs.

I'm the same height as you, and am presently 9 stone 6. This means I can easily wear size 12 clothes and mostly fit into size 10s. Some of the size 10 stuff I have is too big! (This is more about how manufacturers decide to make their clothes rather than me!)

Everyone is different; you have a different body composition and, depending on how fit you are, you will have a certain proportion of body fat rather than muscle. It's therefore impossible (and a bit silly) for the nurse to be so specific about the weight you should be. I know I weigh heavier because I'm much fitter than I used to be, and when I reach 9 stone, I think that will probably be the right weight for me.

You haven't said how much you have to lose, or want to lose, but I would suggest that you don't focus on 8 stone 2 as your end point - and aim to lose a half a stone at a time until you are happy with how you look.

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FunBagFreddie · 24/11/2012 11:02

Sorry, but your nurse sunds like a nob. According to BMI you could be up to 10 st and be in the healthy range. I fluctuate between 9st and 9.5 - depending on where I am in my monthly cycle. This means that I can actually fit into some 8's for two weeks of the month and the rest of the time I'm about a size 10. Or a small 12 for the first 3-4 days of my period.

I sort of assume that most women's weight fluctuates according to the TOM.

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Sabriel · 24/11/2012 11:19

I am exactly the same height as you. In my teens and 20s I was 8st 3. Dieting in my late 30s I plateaued at 9 st 10 and looked good at that weight.

Now I'm approaching 50 I have been as heavy as 11st 12 Blush. It is coming off slowly. Ideally I need to get below 10st again. At 8 st 3 I would look gaunt, I'm sure.

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ForkInTheForeheid · 24/11/2012 11:31

I'm the same height as you and at 8 stone 2 people would be enquiring after my health as it's far below MY body's ideal weight. It depends on build, frame, muscle etc. I'm currently just over 9 stone (my ideal is just under 9, but more personal preference than anything else) and I'm a size 10 on paper (a size 8 in lots of shops though). I'm a kind of mesomorph type so naturally quite muscular.

For me, artificial hormones were to blame for years when I wasn't happy with my weight and I struggled to get below 10 stone. I have been pill/implant free for around 18 months and my weight fluctuates very little and my appetite is a lot more stable.

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Meggles76 · 24/11/2012 11:41

I am shorter than you at 5ft and weigh 7 stone 7. I run a lot and so am reasonably toned. I am 36 and have just started to notice that, sometimes, I can look a bit bony across my chest and gaunt. Not attractive!!
I have been heavier. After having DC I went up to 9 stone which was probably too heavy for me. Though I didn't thank the nurse who pointed out I could do with losing a few pounds 10 days after having had DS!!!
Before getting into the running again, I was around 8 stone and that felt fine. Agree with others, take it a half stone at a time and see how you feel.

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plaingirly · 24/11/2012 12:16

I wonder what size I would be if I did follow the nurse's advice and lose 5 stones.

If I am a size 16 (but a big 16 rather than almost a 14) now.

I bet my feet would look huge!!

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