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Any advice trying to lose weight when you're already "thin"?
porscheMD
Posts: 26 Member
I'm 5'6 and 128 pounds. I'm most comfortable at 115lbs (what I used to be), but I find it very difficult to lose weight when I'm already at a very normal BMI. I eat 1200 calories a day, but do I need to cut down even more? Is it even possible with my BMR to lose 2 pounds a week?
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Replies
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Strength train instead of trying to lose weight. 1200 calories is ridiculous(ly low) at your current weight.16
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I stay away from cardio and do barre classes instead. Is 1200 really low?10
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possible but not healthy.
So... you are most comfortable at 115 but its hard to lose weight at 128? I think your body is telling you otherwise. Maybe 115 has a magic ring to it, and sounds really good, but physically, based on what you just said, your body is more comfortable at a higher weight. Therefore, I don't really understand what you mean by "comfortable".
What is your percent fat? Maybe you need to forget about the number on the scale and start thinking more in terms of muscle vs fat.13 -
the less fat you have to lose, the harder it is to lose, so the more conservative you need to be with your deficit. If your deficit is too aggressive, you will lose lean mass along with the fat, which weakens you, makes your bones less dense and also is likely to make you feel weak and tired and prone to binge eating.... instead, get in the gym and lift weights... the kinds of changes women want to see in their bodies once they're already reasonably thin come from having a lower body fat percentage, rather than from weighing less. So forget weight, focus on reducing your body fat percentage. To do that, you need to do some kind of strength training (could be weights or a progressive programme of bodyweight strength training) and have a small deficit and lose the fat *slowly*... this does far more for improving how you look naked and also losing dress sizes/inches, than trying to be a particular number on the scale. Some women end up heavier, but a smaller dress size, because their bones and muscles are denser, but their body fat levels are actually lower.17
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I stay away from cardio and do barre classes instead. Is 1200 really low?
I think you should think about how you want your body to look instead of trying to reach an arbitrary number on the scale. And yes, 1200 really is that low, for your age, height, and current weight. I doubt you're getting adequate nutrition at the level, but go below it, and you're entering dangerous territory.13 -
Even if it is possible to lose weight, shooting for 2lbs a week is awfully high at 128lbs. If you are exercising regularly and cutting down a huge amount on calories, too, your body may have a harder time losing weight. Have you tried plugging your figures into the myfitnesspal calculators to see what it tells you to be eating? Try changing your expectations to about 1/2 lb per week, adjust eating and exercising to match that, and see what happens for a month or so.9
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hollydubs85 wrote: »Strength train instead of trying to lose weight. 1200 calories is ridiculous(ly low) at your current weight.
QFT. If you're not happy with your body shape, do a recomp. You don't need to lose weight.
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I was in a similar situation about two years ago. I weighed a little more than I ever did and was sedentary but I was still at the lower end of a healthy BMI. Still, I didn't like how I looked or felt. So, I thought I'd eat little and drop 15 lbs and then I'd be good. Well, it worked but I was essentially starving and I got into a mindset where I never looked good enough. I finally started upping my calories after months of binging and mental anguish. I then starting strength training. I'm a little less than my "high" weight but I look and feel better than ever.
My advice is to save yourself the trouble and eat more and lift heavy. You can still do barre or cardio or whatever you like, too.19 -
hollydubs85 wrote: »Strength train instead of trying to lose weight. 1200 calories is ridiculous(ly low) at your current weight.
QFT. If you're not happy with your body shape, do a recomp. You don't need to lose weight.
This. 115 puts you borderline underweight. Toning up through a progressive weight program is probably your best bet. It's going to be nearly impossible at your size to lose two pounds a week anyway.10 -
Strength training did it for me. I am 5'4 and 124lb, and my body shape has changed considerably since I started lifting weights - to the point that I dont want or need to lose any weight.
FYI - I maintain at 1680 (TDEE method)
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I'm 5'6 and 132 lbs and I'm 19% body fat and like a size 2-3. As far as weight goes you're in a great spot. Anytime I've been 115ish I've looked kinda sick. I agree maybe you need to start just worrying about how your body looks and feels instead4
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I'm 5'6 and 128 pounds. I'm most comfortable at 115lbs (what I used to be), but I find it very difficult to lose weight when I'm already at a very normal BMI. I eat 1200 calories a day, but do I need to cut down even more? Is it even possible with my BMR to lose 2 pounds a week?
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat#latest1 -
Op, I'm also 5, ft 6in (and probably quite a bit older than you, based on your profile pic), and I'm working on vanity maintenance pounds right now, and I'm eating 1,350 calories a day. I have my target set for .5lb a week. Anything more than that is just too aggressive at this point.
I've also been down close to your goal weight and it just wasn't sustainable or a good look on me. Like others have said, you might want to look into recomp.2 -
This thread is five years old. Pretty sure she's figured it out by now.
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cmriverside wrote: »This thread is five years old. Pretty sure she's figured it out by now.
Ha, missed that!1 -
cmriverside wrote: »This thread is five years old. Pretty sure she's figured it out by now.
Ha, missed that!
stupid zombie threads! :grumble:4 -
Even though this thread is oId, I was wondering the same thing and am glad it popped up. I'm in the "healthy" range, but I feel like I got a few pounds to lose. I think I will follow others advice and try lifting and putting on muscle. I can't imagine only eating 1200 calories for the rest of my life.9
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1250 is what MFP has given me to lose .5 pound a week. I am 59 and have a desk job. I am 5’4” and 139. Some people need to eat at that level to create a deficit. It is not necessarily “ridiculously low.”9
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Find a nutritionist and a trainer .6
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1250 is what MFP has given me to lose .5 pound a week. I am 59 and have a desk job. I am 5’4” and 139. Some people need to eat at that level to create a deficit. It is not necessarily “ridiculously low.”
This thread is pretty old, but OP is younger than you and does (did?) regular exercise. She also got that goal because she put 2 pounds a week as her goal. I'm not sure why you would think this was a judgement on you because her situation was quite different than yours.
A calorie goal that is "ridiculously low" for one person may be perfectly appropriate for someone in a very different situation.15 -
Hmmm, where on earth did my reply go? I posted it here....1
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Not sure why you feel the need to lose bodyweight. Improving body composition (more muscular appearance, less bodyfat, improved ratio of waist/hips/thigh/shoulders, etc.) on the otherhand does not necessarily translate to weight loss2
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I knew I shouldn’t have posted. That I would just get a bunch of judgement. Done.21
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I knew I shouldn’t have posted. That I would just get a bunch of judgement. Done.
The answer to your original question is no, not without side effects that would generally be viewed as counterproductive.
The answer to your comment above is: "whatevs: there goes another eat nothing till I drop chick. Good luck with that"*
*She can join the sub 1500 dudes in the highly unlikely to succeed via that pathway category...
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I knew I shouldn’t have posted. That I would just get a bunch of judgement. Done.
I think you're reading more than what was said. Your comment got FIVE positive reactions. The user who replied to you is simply saying that you and the OP are different and thus have different caloric needs. Nobody is saying 1250 calories is too low for you, especially if that's the amount that allows you to lose 0.5 lbs a week.6 -
I was in the same boat as you honey - always striving for that “magic” number that made me feel great. I was wrong. Check out my post https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10731805/i-ve-put-on-a-bit-of-weight-couldn-t-be-happier#latest4
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The thread is 5 years old and the OP hasn't signed on since November 2014.4
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I'm 5'6 and 128 pounds. I'm most comfortable at 115lbs (what I used to be), but I find it very difficult to lose weight when I'm already at a very normal BMI. I eat 1200 calories a day, but do I need to cut down even more? Is it even possible with my BMR to lose 2 pounds a week?I'm 5'6 and 128 pounds. I'm most comfortable at 115lbs (what I used to be), but I find it very difficult to lose weight when I'm already at a very normal BMI. I eat 1200 calories a day, but do I need to cut down even more? Is it even possible with my BMR to lose 2 pounds a week?I'm 5'6 and 128 pounds. I'm most comfortable at 115lbs (what I used to be), but I find it very difficult to lose weight when I'm already at a very normal BMI. I eat 1200 calories a day, but do I need to cut down even more? Is it even possible with my BMR to lose 2 pounds a week?
0
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