I'm 17 and wanting to reach 110lbs but I'm not sure if this is the right target for me. Targets confuse me - can someone help??

I'm 17, 5'5" and 'medium boned' you know in that test where you put your fingers around your wrist to see how big your bone structure is. Well, I was thinking, my best friend is 108lbs and 5'6" and I was wondering if I could get down to 110 lbs (a loss of around 50lbs!). However, last time I tried this I went a little nuts and stopped eating and had to go see doctors because my body started going crazy. But if I began again and did everything the healthy way is 110lbs acceptable for my height and structure? Weight targets confuse me so much; I have no idea what realistic goal I should set myself. Please help!

Your friend is way underweight, her BMI is 17.4 and a healthy BMI is from 19 to 25.  If you were at 110 lbs your BMI would be 18.3, still underweight.  A minimum healthy weight for you is 115 lbs (BMI 19) and a max healthy weight of 150 (BMI 25).  To figure out BMI take your weight divide it by your height (in inches) squared and then multiply by 703.  so if you weighed 160 and are 5'5 you do (160/(65*65))*703 to figure out your bmi.

I agree with the above.   A good weight for someone 5'6" and medium-framed is 130-140lbs.  At 108lbs your friend is underweight and it would be silly to try to copy her.

If you want to lose weight without going nuts start by getting a better diet rather than slashing your intake.  Swap fizzy drinks for water, for example.  Snack on fruit rather than biscuits.   Add that to at least half an hour of exercise a day and you'll probably see a difference.

Thank you! I only ever drink water anyway and I've just started exercising too so hopefully I'll see some good outcomes soon! I'll try and aim for around 130 lbs now.

Woah...who knew maths was involved in weight loss : )

Thank you for your help, I'll make sure to aim for a healthier weight perhaps around 130 - 135 lbs.

just curious - when you "went crazy and starved yourself and had to go to shrink", were you diagnosed with anorexia, or was it written off as a symptom of something else? how underweight were you? and ask yourself - are the feelings of motivation i have now similar to the feelings i had then? it's not hard to relapse into eating disordered behavior. aiming for a weight goal may be unwise just because of your history (it will get smaller, and smaller, and smaller...) someone else mentioned just try to be healthier, which i agree with - you are not significantly overweight so it is not crucial for you to lose 30-ish lbs right now. if you are going to specifically set out to lose weight, just be really careful, tell people who will keep an eye on you, and if you could get a doctor involved to check up on you, that would be even better.

Especially since at 17 you're still growing and building bone, I would go see a doctor and/or a dietician for advice. BMI is a great guideline, but it's just that. A doctor will be better able to tell you what a healthy weight goal is, along with being able to recommend good ways to get there without slighting yourself nutritionally.

you shouldn't ask people here what target weight is good for you.  only you know that and why don't you just eat healthy and exercise but not overdo it and see where your weight goes and as you are losing evaluate, your body, take a look and ask yourself if that is where you want to be.

110 is too low you'll look like bones.