This article is from the Diet FAQ, by Claudia McCreary cookignnewsletter@chef.net with numerous contributions by others.
Remember that your weight is just a small part of the whole picture. Other,
more valid, indicators of your fitness level are:
* How do you feel--energetic or wiped out?
* Do you have good muscle tone, or are you flabby? *¨ Are you able to walk
up a few flights of stairs without panting?
* Are you able to accomplish the daily tasks that you want/need to do?
If you've been overweight since childhood or adolescence, you may not even
know what a "good" weight for you would be. Setting a goal of a normal body
fat percentage (see "Is using body fat percentage a good way to tell whether
I'm overweight?") or a certain clothing size is probably more realistic than
aiming for a specific weight, but even here you should use your common
sense. Most women would love to wear size 6 (or smaller) clothes, even those
whose large frames make this a totally unrealistic and unhealthy goal for
them.
 
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