I am an 18 year old girl , about 5'6". I weight 158 , which is on the heavier side for me . However I am rather curvy , like most of the women in my family.

Recently , I have gained weight since I had time off from switching jobs. ( I work at subway so its all rather healthy food there ) and decided that I needed to loss a few pounds. I set an ideal weight of 145 , which is definately the lighter side for me . Normally I hover around 149lb ,and have always been considered to be thinner by my friends . However , my boyfriend is arguing with me that he thinks I should set my ideal for 140 lb( which he found on some body fat chart or something ). I think that is too light for me , but agree that once I hit 145 I need to tone up a little bit , to look good and to be healthy since my family has a history is health issues .

I need some advice. Is it better for me to set a goal for the weight that I think is most healthy for me , or the weight off a bodyfat chart ? In some cases , arent those posted weights an ideal that leaves the woman looking unhealthy and too thin ? I just need some advice for what makes more sense and possibly how to explain to my boyfriend that a chart is a guidline , and not something to be used as a rule of thumb.

Any advice is welcome. I am trying to do this right and make healthy choices.

I'm sure you and your boyfriend are great people, but the person you need to ask about this is your doctor. I'm sure s/he will have the answer to every question you pose about your weight. They might even tell you that you're fine and don't need to lose weight. If you feel like you want to break a barrier and hit 145, then do it. You'll not significantly overweight, though.