Which Goal Weight? Please Help!

Hello!

I'm pretty new to this site.  Anyway, to make a long story short, I have been seeing a dietitian for a long time.  I have recently lost about 34 lbs. and am at 137.5 lbs.   Oh yes, I forgot to mention that I am female, 32 years old, and I am 5'4" tall.  My dietitian has recommended that I maintain around 135 lbs.  I'm really not happy with this weight.  REALLY not happy.  My self esteem is extremely poor at the moment.  Also, I have done a bit of research on the internet and have come upon several pages that calculate my "ideal" weight to be 120-125 lbs.    That was my goal in the first place. 

So anyway, my question is... should I go with my dietitian and maintain around 135 lbs.  (I'm not too sure if she wants me to maintain that weight FOREVER or just a while), or go with my gut and go for 120-125 lbs. now?  I think I will look and feel MUCH better at the lower weight.  I know I have in the past.

Willlose60

I'm sure others will disagree with me, but I say go with the weight that makes you happiest. 120-125lbs is a very reasonable goal weight at your height. That will give you a very healthy BMI between 20.6-21.5. What size frame do you have? If you have a larger frame, then it probably would be best to stay at the higher end in the BMI range.

But if you're small to medium frame, go for it!

Just curious, have you tried talking to your dietician about wanting to be at a smaller weight? Why is your dietician against you losing more? what are her concerns? If you haven't talked to her about her concerns, then I think you should. At least hear her side of the story.

Anyway, congrats on your weight loss, and good luck on finding your "happy" weight!

135

its a lifestyle.  can u imagine having to eat a certain amoutn, workout, interfere with living life maybe, in order to maintain a weight that is on the lower side of the healthy weight range?

I am 5'6" and currently at 132 with BMI of 21.3 and I'm heading for 128 with BMI of 20.5.  My body is somewhat resistant to getting there as I'm at an acceptable healthy weight already but it is doable.

Since I'm 2" taller than you, I would certainly think that a maintenance weight lower than 135 would be acceptable for you so go for what feels good for you.

Good luck getting there!

I would definitely ask your dietician about it.  She knows more about your body than we do, so would be able to make better recommendations.

If you haven't been doing strength training, you might try that to get a "leaner" look.

According to this site, your ideal wt is 121 and 135 is on the high side of ideal range of 101 - 136.

Your goal may vary for many reasons, including medical. Go for where you feel best and maintain healthy eating.

Only you know your 'ideal weight'. From your profile groups I think the ED recovery is why the nutritionist is recommending the 135 weight for now, talk to her about it.
Good Luck.

Part of the reason your dietician may be suggesting 135 is that, once you lose 10% or so of your start weight, your body starts to 'fight back' making weight loss very difficult.  (This isn't such a problem for the very overweight as bodies generally want to be healthy, but you're at a healthy weight so it'll apply to you.)  Could it be that she wants you to maintain 135 for six months to stabilize your body there?  After doing that, it will be easier to lose the remaining 10-15 pounds.

Most online ideal weight calculators are crap.  All they do is pick the middle healthy BMI for your height - completely ignoring things like bone structure and musculature.  I'd take a dietician's recommendation over an online calculator any day.  It sounds to me like your self esteem issues may be affecting your perception of your body, so I think it would be best to work on those for the next six months while maintaining your weight.  THEN decide whether or not you want to lose the last 10-15 pounds.