Question:
Goal weight for female 5'6 in height???

My surgeon never gave a goal weight and I'm just curious - for other 5'6 ladies, what is your goal? Also, for those lucky ones already at goal, at what weight to you feel best? Thanks so much!    — Kate G. (posted on November 18, 2003)


November 18, 2003
I am 5'6, my goal was 150, and I currently weigh 145. I really feel better at the 150 mark, but like to stay around 145 so if I go up and down any it is within that 150 pound mark. Good luck
   — Valerie M.

November 18, 2003
I was told that it was best not to go below a BMI of 24, as gastric bypass patients tend to look gaunt at a BMI lower than that. That's just what my Doctor recommended and I'm sure they all have their own oppinion so I would ask on your next appointment. I'm five pounds from goal and am at a BMI of 24.5 and am feeling great!! Good luck! Denise
   — denisel

November 18, 2003
im 5ft 6 and my goal weight is 135, i started at 254 and now im 177 5 months post op as of today. it will really happen this time. good luck. shelly
   — shellypoe

November 18, 2003
Hi Kate. First, let me say I have followed your journey since last November. I remember being so excited when it was finally your turn to go to the losing side. You have done a great job with your tool and I love reading your posts. I am 5'6" and currently weight 150. I carried most of my weight in my mid section (tummy). I wear size 8 right now, and my goal weight is 135. My surgeon is happy with where I am, but I would like to get to the mid to lower end of my BMI. Hope this helps, and best wishes as you continue your journey!
   — PJ M.

November 18, 2003
I am 5'6 and my goal weight is 150. Every chart I see says I should be low 140's but I don't know I am kind of big boned... low 140's might be too low for me.
   — Kara J.

November 18, 2003
Hi, Kate!! Well, I'm 5'6 1/2" and my goal weight is 165 (24 lbs to go--yay!). I always thought to look good that I had to be 125, you know, like the supermodels? (rolls eyes) Anyway, about 10 years ago, I Optifast'ed to 165 and thought I was still way too fat. It wasn't until I put all of my weight back on, and then some, that I realized how crazy I was! So, my self-satisfactory weight is 165. My wish list weight is 150, but if I don't get there, so be it! Hope this helps!
   — Joyce C.

November 18, 2003
Hi Kate. I am 5'5" tall, so we are close. I asked my surgeon the same thing and he was not specific about a number, but did tell me he'd like to see my BMI around 25 or less which means my goal weight should be about 150. I'm not anxious to be lower than that as I will look bad and too skinny.
   — Happy I.

November 18, 2003
I am 5'7 and started at 311 lbs. I am a year and 2 weeks post op and have 5 lbs. to my ultimate goal of 150. I am holding steady at 155 right now, struggling to get those last 5 lbs. off. My bmi is in the normal range, and I feel great, and am wearing a size 12. I'd like to be in a 10, but have a big belly still....yuck. Hugs, Kim S. Open RNY Nov.4/02 (-156)
   — Kim S.

November 18, 2003
I'm 5'7", the surgeon never gave a specific goal. He said that he would be happy somewhere in the neighborhood of 165. I hit that at about 7 mos post op. I am now two years out at at 130-135. My personal goal was a size 10. What weight did I feel best? Honestly, about 145. Best of luck to you. :-)
   — RebeccaP

November 18, 2003
According to the Metropolitan Life Insurance Charts (which is what a lot of surgeon's/facilities use to figure BMI), high weight in the weight range for a woman 5'6" tall is 137 lbs. I know this because I'm 5'6". BTC never told me to get down to 137 lbs., but my own personal goal was 150 lbs. I got down to 152-153 for several months and looked awful! My family thought I was sick and I felt bad and was tired a lot. I didn't try to gain weight, but knew that my eating habits had changed some. I'm back up to 158-159 and feel my absolute best. I feel I look the best too. I look at photos of me when I got down to 152 and I really did look sick...very gaunt. So each person is different, but that's what the chart says. If I weighed 137, I'd look like a skeleton! Good luck to you!
   — Lynette B.

November 18, 2003
Hi, I haven't had my surgery yet, but every calculator I have used has indicated that a medium frame woman 5'6" tall should be at about 130. That is what he surgeon said also.
   — Danyelle K.

November 18, 2003
I am 5'6 with a starting weight of 295. I am 4 weeks and 1 day postop and am down to 255. My dream weight is 150, but I am very muscular and large boned. The lowest weight I have been as an adult was 179lbs 9 yrs ago. As my husband tells me, don't judge your success by the scale, but by how you feel and how you look to your self. Good Luck!
   — Karen K.

November 18, 2003
I have been obese all my life and morbidly obese for the last 20 years. I started at 370 and I am 16 months out. I am thrilled to be at 220 but want to get first under 200 (not since my freshman year in college) and my ultimate goal is 180 which puts me at not obese, just overweight. My surgeon didn't give me a goal weight but agrees with my assessment. I've celebrated small goals as I went. Getting under 300 pounds, getting out of morbid obeseity, becoming merely obese. Best of luck.
   — Sunny S.

November 18, 2003
I can relate...neither my surgeon or primary gave me anything to go by other than 'around 100 pounds'. Then, at six months I pinned down my surgeon's nurse and my primary and they both said that based on my weight loss so far (96 pounds in 6 mo) that I would probably get down to 130-135. I had my surgery on 1/31/03 - started at 274, 5'7" and am now down to 145-ish and a tight size 6. So far, I feel great but, my family thinks I am thin enough. Personally, I would still like to try for 135. I didn't look at your profile but, maybe set 100 pounds as your first goal then see how it goes from there setting new 'mini' goals along the way...you just might surprise yourself...I know I did! Good luck!
   — eaamc

November 18, 2003
I'm 5'7" and have a large frame. My first goal is to be under 200 pounds, which I haven't been for almost 25 years. I got to 203 once on WW! I'm getting close to that, weighing 212 right now. Remembering WAY BACK, when I was in high school, I weighed about 175, looked and felt great! Maybe I'll try for that and see how I feel. I've always been a person who looks like I weigh much less than I do. When I was 260 and working on getting surgery, many people commented that I couldn't possibly weigh enough to have WLS. They thought I weighed about 225. In high school, when I weighed 175, most people thought I weighed about 150. My doctor has not set a goal weight for me, and I'm kind of glad, actually. I think this is a very individual thing, as some goals may be unattainable or undesirable for certain people. I really don't think I'd look good at all at say, 145, but for other women my height, that may be a perfect weight.
   — Carlita




Click Here to Return
×