Which is more important? Weight or size?

For as long as I can remember I have wanted to be 125lbs and size 6.

After realizing that none of my dress pants fit me anymore (size 10), I went shopping today.  I bought two pair of 6's and a pair of 4's!  4!!

I am 38, 5'2" and weight 139... which makes my BMI about 26 which is "slightly overweight".  My measurements are now 37-25-35.

So, do I keep going to reach 125? or stop since I reached size 4/6.  I am afraid of not knowing when to stop... I have been "dieting" all my life and this is the smallest I have ever been!  But, I don't see it in the mirror.  If I didn't see the numbers and only went by the mirror I would think I was still a size 12.

Does your mind ever catch up with reality??  Anyone else feel this way??

I personally believe size is more important than weight. 125 isn't going to look the same on your 5'2 frame as someone else's 5'2 frame. If you're content with your clothing size then just stick with it. It's not about the number on the scale, it's about how you feel. =]

For me personally, size is more important than weight. I've always weighed a lot for the size that I am (ex, 140 lbs on me is a size 4/6 - I am 5'7"). Also muscle weighs more than fat.... I have seen some folks who say that bmi is not really a good indicator of how healthy we are and that it's more about the percentage of fat on our bodies.

And no, I don't think my mind ever catches up with reality!! I know what you mean. I look at photos of myself and know at the time I thought I was heavy, and I look super duper thin. And now that I am a little bigger I don't know that I realize how I really look. It's a very strange thing. My weight bounces around, up and down, quite a bit. Maybe people that are more stable, at the same size for years and years at time, don't have this problem?

Neither weight nor size are important if you don't compare them to your height/frame... so I think you're the one to judge where you feel comfortable!! a BMI of 26 is not a health risk anyway

Original Post by whitetigress:

I am 38, 5'2" and weight 139... which makes my BMI about 26 which is "slightly overweight".  My measurements are now 37-25-35.

 

 Your stats are almost identical to mine other than age.  I'm 27, 5'2" and just got down to 139 and have a BMI of 26. I wish i could find 6s and 4s that I could squeeze into.  I'm only now comfortly fitting into my 8s again.  I think size is relative and currently the fashion market loves to present illusions of self-gratification by dropping the size on the label while maintaining the true dimentions.  I think if you feel health and fit you should stay where you are.  It might also be with your workouts that you have become more toned, resulting in higher weight, but leaner built (which is probably why you can wear a 4 and I can only dream of it right now).  Follow your instinct and trust your own judgement.  I think that matters over size and weight.

In my opinion, strength and energy are worth more than weight and size put together. At least that's what I told the pipsqueak who wanted the 40lb dumbbells I was curling today. :)

Thanks everyone!  I think I will continue doing what I am and not worry about losing... if it happens it happens... if not, no big deal.

feydruss - excellent point!  Even though I am smaller than I have ever been, I am also the strongest (thanks to weight training) and have more energy (thanks to water... and finally eating enough!) than ever before.  And I want to keep it that way!

Hi:

My wife was short like you. She was only 4'11" and she always thought she was overweight. Whe measured 36-24-34 and looked great at 110. Wore a size 2. She was an athelete and an attorney but never satisfied with herself.

You probably look great and don't know it.

Just thought I'd let you know.

"C" (That's my nickname)

If you are worried about numbers affecting your health then the only number you should worry about is body fat percentage. Because muscle weighs more than fat you may be perfectly healthy at a BMI of 26 so long as your body fat percentage is in a healthy range. My freshman year I weighed 155 and wore size 9-11 jeans my senior year (after 4 years of swimming and working out and seeing the fat dissappear)  I weighed 155 and wore size 5-7 jeans. Hope this healps.

P.S. I would kill to be in size 4-6 now. :)

Personally I can't see a difference in myself from being 149lbs a year or two ago to being 118 now, I think this is because the proportions of my body haven't changed, they've just got smaller. I wear a UK size 8 (US size 4) and I know this is a small size but I'm still not happy with my current body shape, there are people who wear one or two sizes bigger than me and look much nicer/slimmer in my opinion, probably because they are taller. I think I'll have to get down to about a UK 6 (US 2) before I'm happy because my arms and legs are so short that they look bigger for even having a small amount of fat. I'm hoping to get down to 105 lbs and a BMI of 20 (I'm 5'1") and I'm not even sure if I'll be satisfied at this weight but I know at least I'm not damaging myself getting there as it's still a healthy weight.

Hmm a bit of both for me. I want to get down to a healthy weight but at the moment I probably have more muscle than I have ever had and I am fitter than I have ever been previously so I dont mind so much that my weight loss is going slowly. I am a size 14 (UK) currently and want to get down to a size 12 (UK). I will never be a size 10 as basically as soon as I hit puberty and got a womanly shape I have been a size 12 even when I was 2 stone lighter purely because I have hips and boobs. So to be comfortable a 12 would be great, with a fit toned body, i'm aiming to be around 140lbs which is slap bang in the middle of healthy weight for my height. I still want my hips and boobs, just want to lose the excess flab!

My weight has been frustratingly stable for about the better part of ten years. I am 5'5" 144 lbs. size 6. My BMI is 23. I am trying to get down to 130 lbs because that is the "desired" weight for my height but everytime I lose it, it springs right back to 144 lbs. This seems to be my magic number and I hate it. When I lose weight, I feel that I am too skinny in my pictures. When I am at my regular weight of 144, I feel that I look fat. I think it is all in your perception regardless. I wish there was a way to learn to have a better perception of yourself.

I'm frustrated as well.  I feel fat regardless of how much I weigh, and it's hard for me to get a good accurate perception of myself.  It takes picture for me to see it.  Is that weird?  I feel like it's unhealthy, but I've been overweight my whole life.  In some ways I feel I look similar at 196 that I did at 242 and I KNOW that isnt' true.  Some days though, fat seems like fat regardless of size, shape, muscle mass etc.  Also...scales are evil.

Is there a good way to measure body fat percentage?

 

- Jill

I'm frustrated as well.  I feel fat regardless of how much I weigh, and it's hard for me to get a good accurate perception of myself.  It takes picture for me to see it.  Is that weird?  I feel like it's unhealthy, but I've been overweight my whole life.  In some ways I feel I look similar at 196 that I did at 242 and I KNOW that isnt' true.  Some days though, fat seems like fat regardless of size, shape, muscle mass etc.  Also...scales are evil.

Is there a good way to measure body fat percentage?

 

- Jill