Not Sure where I fit in

countcurt

cwolfman13 wrote: »

I can drop to 12%, but it takes a bit more discipline on my part in regards to restricting some things I would otherwise not restrict, but it's pretty doable. Below that is really friggin' hard for me...I pretty much have to be a diet and exercise nazi and avoid fun...granted I'm 43.

Personally, I don't put much stock into set point theory...I think it mostly comes down to what you're willing to do or not do from a lifestyle standpoint, relative leanness, genetics, and age.

This.

Sometimes we forget that just because we can attain a certain weight doesn't mean we can maintain it.

Rusty740

I don't mean this in a mean spirited way, but I want to tell you the truth. You are overweight and you do have a higher risk of health problems as a result and you are totally capable about doing something about it and you can still have curves and be healthy. Let's not confuse "curves" with "I'm ok within being unhealthy because I don't think I can do it". You CAN and should do it and I'm disappointed nobody has really been blunt with you on this post.

Now about your set-points. There is a reputable theory called the set-point theory that thinks our bodys like to be at a certain body fat %, personally it makes total sense, but Mike Israetel at Temple University thinks that set-points can be changed when we stay at a certain weight for a period of time. It sounds to me like there are hormonal or other mechanisms that take a long time to change, then when they do, they exert pressure to stay at the same weight. Anyhow, my guess is that at some point in your past you spent a long period of time around 183 lbs.

I see that you've tried to lose 2 lbs per week and been successful, that's great, well done, but it's really hard to maintain this type of deficit. I'd turn into a zombie and want to eat my kids after awhile. The point is, by reducing your deficit to 1 or 0.5 lbs per week and tracking the hell out of it, you will be both successful at losing weight and happy doing it.

I'm really sorry to be a bit harsh, but I just thought it was needed. You can do it, you're body will fight you back, but you are in control.

ALG775

Any weight you lose and keep off will help you improve your health-even if you don't meet the "magical" normal bmi.
Why not stay where you are for now and see what happens with your recomp.
You can always decide to lose more later if you like.

kokonani

So if everyone has a set point, I wonder what mine is. I am trying to maintain at 115 lbs, but I keep losing eating 1600-1900 calories. I am at 113lbs now, 5'4". So my set point is that low? Set point sounds like BS to me.. CICO sometimes seems that way also.. I think it's a bunch of factors that affect everybody differently..

AudreyJDuke

I've been reading about set points so this is very interesting. Thanks!

kellywrae

Actually Set Ponit is biology and has been researched and peer reviewed as such. Read Secrets From the Eating Lab: The Science of Weight Loss... by Traci Mann PhD. She is the Dr. That heads up the University of Minnesota's Health and Eating Lab. Or Google The Mann Lab. Her studies are all done scientifically and peer reviewed. The information is enlightening.

LillysMomma09

Rusty740 wrote: »

I don't mean this in a mean spirited way, but I want to tell you the truth. You are overweight and you do have a higher risk of health problems as a result and you are totally capable about doing something about it and you can still have curves and be healthy. Let's not confuse "curves" with "I'm ok within being unhealthy because I don't think I can do it". You CAN and should do it and I'm disappointed nobody has really been blunt with you on this post.

Now about your set-points. There is a reputable theory called the set-point theory that thinks our bodys like to be at a certain body fat %, personally it makes total sense, but Mike Israetel at Temple University thinks that set-points can be changed when we stay at a certain weight for a period of time. It sounds to me like there are hormonal or other mechanisms that take a long time to change, then when they do, they exert pressure to stay at the same weight. Anyhow, my guess is that at some point in your past you spent a long period of time around 183 lbs.

I see that you've tried to lose 2 lbs per week and been successful, that's great, well done, but it's really hard to maintain this type of deficit. I'd turn into a zombie and want to eat my kids after awhile. The point is, by reducing your deficit to 1 or 0.5 lbs per week and tracking the hell out of it, you will be both successful at losing weight and happy doing it.

I'm really sorry to be a bit harsh, but I just thought it was needed. You can do it, you're body will fight you back, but you are in control.

Thank you for telling me the "truth", however I don't feel you can tell someone they are overweight by a number without seeing them for yourself. I do not feel that I'm overweight. I'm more healthy now then I have ever been in my entire life. But again, thank you for telling me the truth.

cwolfman13

dancefit2015 wrote: »

@cwolfman13 I think what you said about hormones fighting to avoid getting too lean goes along with set point. As the set point is meant to be the weight where our bodies function optimally and with all of the important roles fat plays in our bodies, we won't function "optimally" if body fat gets too low.

But your hormones don't really start fighting you in the way I described until you're really lean...for most guys, that's single digit BF%...for women that would be in the teens.

SueSueDio

LillysMomma09 wrote: »

Thank you for telling me the "truth", however I don't feel you can tell someone they are overweight by a number without seeing them for yourself. I do not feel that I'm overweight. I'm more healthy now then I have ever been in my entire life. But again, thank you for telling me the truth.

There's no doubt that you've done great work in getting your weight down and are certainly looking fitter and healthier - and clearly feeling it too! Well done.

I think what @Rusty740 is getting at is the BMI scale. I know that people will say, "But it doesn't apply to everyone!", which is true, but I believe that for a majority of people it's a fairly good indicator of a suitable weight range for one's height. At 183lbs you're near the top of the "overweight" category - I know because I'm also 5'6", and 186lbs would put us into "obese" territory. These may not be words we like, but they are medical terms for what we are at those weights.

For us, 154lbs is the top of the "normal" range for our height - a range which goes down to 115lbs and can still be healthy, so it does take account of smaller/larger frame sizes. I finally reached that point for the first time in May, after nearly 18 months (started at 217lbs), and have managed to maintain 151-154lbs for the past 3 months without creeping back over the "overweight" border. I'd like to lose a bit more, but I'm going to wait until after my birthday to start up my deficit again!

My point is that it can be done. I was over 200lbs for years. I don't particularly believe that the body has a "set point", but it's possible that the mind does. If you're comfortable at your current weight, feel fit and healthy enough to do the things you want to do, and don't feel that you want to restrict your intake any further, by all means stay at this weight for a while and see how it goes. If your doctor is at all concerned about your health, or if you're unable to do the things you want to, then you might wish to consider losing a bit more at some point. The choice is yours!

seltzermint555

I think most doctors would take one look at LillysMomma09 and say "yes, this woman is at a healthy and normal weight" and wouldn't be one tiny bit concerned about the scale and BMI stats in great detail. Just my opinion.

STEVE142142

I congratulations on your success. Weight is a subjective number. If you're lifting you may gain a couple pounds but you'll see a decrease in inches that's what happened to me. At my lowest I was 204 now I'm about 210 and yet the clothes fit the same way.

Like you said if you like what you see in the mirror that's all that matters.

misnomer1

seltzermint555 wrote: »

I think most doctors would take one look at LillysMomma09 and say "yes, this woman is at a healthy and normal weight" and wouldn't be one tiny bit concerned about the scale and BMI stats in great detail. Just my opinion.

maybe, but they will calculate bmi using height and weight and tick the appropriate category if they have to fill up a form.