People telling you not to lose any more vs Dr's advice

So i am 5'5 3/4 inches and have dropped down to about 168 lbs. I am fitting into size 10/12's and size medium tops.  I recently went to see my PCP to discuss a doable goal weight.  I want a healthy BMI rather than just saying, "Hey I look better than I used to, this'll do." He said I should be around 145 and that will give me a few pounds to play with if I have a bad exercise/eating week or something.

I have a family member that recently said I didn't need to lose any more weight. She was apalled that my dr would say I did.  A neighbor just told me I look skinny and that if I lost another 20+ lbs I would look extremely sick and unhealthy.   Here's my question:

How much weight (no pun intended, lol) should I give to opinion of friends/family vs my Dr and the healthy BMI suggestion.  I don't want to stay in the overweight category I want to be in a category with the least amount of health risks.  At the same time, maybe they are right about losing another 20 lbs. Maybe I would look best only losing another 10 or 15 lbs.  

Perhaps, and I'm leaning this way, friends and family members are so used to seeing me be so extremely heavy that of course this weight looks super skinny to them and they can't imagine me being thinner. 

I feel great at the weight I'm at but DEFINITELY want to lose at least another 10 as I want to easily be in SINGLE DIGIT sizes!!!!  I had no problem with the goal being set at 145 and I don' t think I'll have too much trouble reaching it, but now I'm second guessing who I should listen to.  Thoughts?

I would listen to my doctor before I listen to people with no medical training.

For one thing, they don't know where that last 20 pounds would come from. You might look thinner, but it might come from areas of the body that they can't really see.

Something else to think about is that your friends and neighbors are adjusting to the way you look now, so to them you probably do look really thin.

Having said that, there's nothing wrong with getting down another 10 or 15 pounds and then making a decision. You'll probably be able to answer this for yourself at that point.

Ultimately, it has to be what you feel best with.

Keep up the great work!

I'm the same height, my goal was 140, I'm 138 now and will probably lose a couple more. Listen to your doctor, and aim for a healthy bmi, go a little lower for bounce back. Tell concerned people thank you for your concern but I will be listening to my doctor. Or just tell them you aren't losing any more and keep losing. I think with weight loss it is common to start looking thin in the face, but over time things shift around and you won't look too thin anymore. That is what happened with me, I lost from the top down. 145 sounds like a good goal to me, it does not sound too thin.

 I'm 5'4 248 now and my goal is 130. One of my reasons is the same as yours, when I was 150 my normal weight I was in 10-12. I have always wanted to be a single digit and in the normal body weight range. So my goal is to get there. My surgery is July 10th!!!!

It's your life - it's your body - do what the hell you want to do as long as you're staying healthy.

I'm the same height. My surgeon set a goal of 131, which I weighed when I was 12. I'm setting my goal at 135, which puts me safely in a normal BMI. I'm at 161 right now and my weight loss is now extremely slow. I don't know if I'll make it to 135 or not; if I do, it will take some time. I just don't lose as quickly as others. But I'm comfortable with myself right now and will only be happier if I lose more of my fat.

I am 5'7" and now weigh 185. I am a size 10 on the bottom and an XL (12-14?) on top with a 40DD bra. I am not losing any more weight, against my doctors wishes, because I would only lose it in the bottom half of my body! I might get down to an 8 or even a 6, but my upper body would still be an XL. This, in my mind, is not a good look and not what I am going for. I have a couple of friends who are the same height as me, and weigh 30-40 pounds less, and are wear bigger pants! It is such an individual thing. Listen to your body, but more importantly, listen to your internal knowledge.

I am 5'8" and 190.  I wear size 12 bottom and xl top.  I hope to get down to 160lb.  That would be in a normal BMI range which is my goal.

VSG 4-2-12

Im somewhere between 5'7" and 5'8"... my goal is 130 lbs.... going thru medical history, thats the last healthy non-pregnant weight I was....

Listen to your doctor.  I think a lot of people especially friends/family that have been around "big" you for quite some time....get used to that image of you.

Then I think you look EXTRA small to them because of their perception.  Just go by what your doctor thinks is a healthy weight...or hell your own personal goal as long as its not extreme (like a BMI of 16 or something).