Do you think everyone has a natural body weight?

ninerbuff

Nope.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
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Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

MinnieInMaine

I do not believe there is a physiological reason for most (and by most, I mean over 95%) people to have more than 20% BF. I am not discounting psychology; just saying that the difficulty is likely not due to some physical wall. It is harder to lose the remaining fat when you get closer to goal.

?? A physiological reason to have more than 20% BF would be consuming enough calories to maintain a BF > 20%.

If you mean there is no physiological reaon most people can't drop their BF below 20%, I suppose that's true. All one needs do is consume less net calories. But that doesn't make it ideal for everyone..

Yes, that is what I meant.

20% may apply to men, but for women, you should amend that to more like 25-31% (average range). Once corrrected, I agree.

Weight alone isn't a complete measure of health, as many topics on this board have addressed before. You can be 150 pounds of flabby lumpiness and be a size12 or you can be 150 pounds of lovely toned muscles and be a size 8. Therefore, it is better to use additional tools like body fat percentage and body measurements to figure out where you should be and how much further you have to go.

For instance, I have about 17 more pounds to lose to get to my inital weight goal but depending on what my BF% is then and how I feel my body looks, I may have more work to do. I may need to lose a bit more weight and focus more on better eating to get my body fat down and LBM up.

Just because you feel comfortable at a certain weight and have a hard time losing those last 20 pounds doesn't mean that's where your body wants to be. It just means you have to make the commitment to work harder and you definitely have to give it more than a month or two to see if it will work. Every change you make takes time to set in. The body doesn't react as quickly as want it to or as quickly as we think it would. You won't lose weight overnight just by quitting soda (not real weight anyway, maybe a bit of water weight) or eating 200 calories less than the day before or hitting the gym for an extra hour. In fact working out more may actually stall your weight loss or make your gain a bit initially as the body's reaction is to retain water and glycogen for muscle healing.

Bottom line - be patient, take care of your health and stop making excuses. Set small very reasonalbe/achievable goals and don't give up!

linnaeus

I am really shocked at the level of misinformation here. Some questions should be saved for educated experts.

https://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/01/magazine/tara-parker-pope-fat-trap.html?_r=2&hp=&pagewanted=all&

Louisa1979

I used to think I did but now I just think its a plateau to break through. Like you I was a size UK 14 (I'm only 5'3) and got down to about 10 st 3 on weight watchers. Then I changed to doing a low carb, high protein diet (Dukan) and lost a further stone. It seemed that a different approach got my body going and I'm a happy and fit size 12 now! When I put on a few pounds then I go back on Dukan and lose it immediately.

MinnieInMaine

I am really shocked at the level of misinformation here. Some questions should be saved for educated experts.

https://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/01/magazine/tara-parker-pope-fat-trap.html?_r=2&hp=&pagewanted=all&

Really? One study should not be the basis of absolute fact. How many times have we seen additional studies lead scientist and medical experts to change their minds. Like eggs used to be the devil because of the big fat/cholesterol scare but now they're a great source of protein and healty fat.

Of course the people in the study regained weight. They were put on a very restrictive diet and not taught how to eat for a long term healthy life. I went through the same thing for many years trying to lose the weight - restricting myself and being miserable and eventually giving up because I was starving and wanted tasty food. Then I figured out that you can eat what you like within reason with healthy portions and healthier ingredients.

nwg74

I am 5' 7" and have been 12 stone 4 pounds / 172 pounds since March. I would like it to go down a bit more but for some reason I cant. I have tried lots of ways to change things and I always end up at 12st 4. I

DawnieB1977

I think that the closer we get to our ideal size/weight the harder it is to lose, and easier to hit a plateau, so I guess that's when you'd start thinking it's your natural body weight.

I was 157lbs last time I weighed myself a few weeks ago and I'm losing weight very slowly now. I wear a UK12 mainly, sometimes 10 in dresses, and I'm wearing clothes I've had for about 11 years, from when I weighed 147. So I know my body is capable of being lighter, although since having children, and getting older, I've changed a bit. My belly is my problem area now, whereas it used to be my hips.

I'm sure I can lose some more, but I know it won't happen overnight. When you get closer to goal it gets harder!

doompop

http://body-improvements.com/resources/eat/

Check out the Starvation Mode and Plateau sections.

NavyKnightAh13

bumping

Senneth12

Yes and no.

I'm 5'9, and I can easily maintain at 150. My body likes this weight. I've maintained it for about five years now, after a weight loss of about 30lbs.

If I watch calories and exercise more I can get down to 140, but my body really doesn't like it. That puts me at about a U.S. size 2-4. I don't look healthy, and I don't feel healthy.

My blood lab results are consistently the best when I'm between 145-155. My A1C is good, fasting glucose is perfect, high HDL levels and low LDL levels, no problems with anemia.

The same isn't true at 140lbs. The highest LDL and lowest HDL cholesterol levels I've ever had have been at 140 lbs, and the only time my triglycerides have been high was at 140. My fasting glucose numbers weren't great, either, and even with iron supplements I stayed borderline anemic.

So I absolutely believe that there is a higher weight that my body prefers to a lower weight. I can change that weight if I work hard enough, but for me, I don't think it's worth it. (It is worth noting that I'm kinda a "special snowflake." I have a rare genetic collagen defect, so my body is just weird).

Deipneus

Really? One study should not be the basis of absolute fact. How many times have we seen additional studies lead scientist and medical experts to change their minds.

No doubt. Tell me what you believe about weight loss and I'll locate a study that says you are right.

willdob3

No, not really. We don't have a natural body weight. Body weight will vary based on many things, including body composition.

People obsess way too much about the scale. It has very little to do with what one looks like.

hrtchoco

I thought my natural body weight is at 115, but I lost 5 lbs, stopped dieting, maintained it for a week so far.

TX_Aggie_Dad

I am nearly mid 30's and I find it really hard to get past the weight I am now compared to 5-6 years ago when I was at my lightest (UK 8 or US 4) - since my wedding just over 7 months ago I have put on nearly 14lbs and I am finding it really hard to lose, yet maintaining this weight isnt an issue (I am now a UK 12 or US 8)

This tends to happen to most married folks. Blame the wedding cake.

jdm_taco

No, but it more difficult to get to and sustain very low bf%