When to start maintaining?

stephchadz
stephchadz Posts: 143 Member
edited November 22 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all! Hoping someone could offer some advice.

I have lost 21 pounds since the end of February and am finally at a healthy BMI for my height (5'4", 140Ibs) but I still would like to lose around 10 more pounds so I can be closer to the middle of "healthy" on the BMI chart.

I guess what I am trying to find out is:
  • Is this going to be realistic and healthy for my body (I've always been on the higher end of healthy on the BMI chart)?
  • Should I adjust my current goals? (1300 calories a day, 1Ib/week loss)

Replies

  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    Hey! I'm 5'4" as well and remember hitting that 140 mark. It's healthy but feels like you can go farther. I'm sitting around 130-133 now. It's definitely healthy for our height. Adjust your goals, yes! Set it to .5 lbs per week and make your way down slowly. Save more muscle, eat a bit more food. Totally worth it.
  • strong_curves
    strong_curves Posts: 2,229 Member
    I'm contemplate this often. I'm in for the responses.
  • stephchadz
    stephchadz Posts: 143 Member
    arditarose wrote: »
    Hey! I'm 5'4" as well and remember hitting that 140 mark. It's healthy but feels like you can go farther. I'm sitting around 130-133 now. It's definitely healthy for our height. Adjust your goals, yes! Set it to .5 lbs per week and make your way down slowly. Save more muscle, eat a bit more food. Totally worth it.

    Thanks for the quick response. Upon adjusting my goals I realized I had my activity level set to sedentary, from back when I first started and didn't exercise much. I go to the gym 3-4 times a week now, so I should probably change it to lightly active. Oops.
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  • galgenstrick
    galgenstrick Posts: 2,086 Member
    It's really up to you. I'm in the low/middle of the BMI chart and feel like I could lose another 10 pounds to really see my abs, however I would be so scrawny that I would just look ridiculous and too skinny with clothes on. I decided I would start gaining some muscle over the next 8-10 months and then cut down again and see if I feel better about getting that low in BF%.

    If your goals are just health related, then you're probably good to maintain. If you are going for looks also, then you might want to go lower, but you can also take a break and recomp for a bit and re evaluate in a couple months.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    stephchadz wrote: »
    arditarose wrote: »
    Hey! I'm 5'4" as well and remember hitting that 140 mark. It's healthy but feels like you can go farther. I'm sitting around 130-133 now. It's definitely healthy for our height. Adjust your goals, yes! Set it to .5 lbs per week and make your way down slowly. Save more muscle, eat a bit more food. Totally worth it.

    Thanks for the quick response. Upon adjusting my goals I realized I had my activity level set to sedentary, from back when I first started and didn't exercise much. I go to the gym 3-4 times a week now, so I should probably change it to lightly active. Oops.

    Well your activity level on MFP should not include exercise, so you're fine. If you're sedentary, fine, you're sedentary. Set yourself to .5 lbs per week, enter your exercise, eat back exercise calories.

    @Caitwn I think the cardio makes the biggest difference. I'm friends with some female lifters at the same height, who have been able to drop lower than me and eat a tiny bit more than me. The difference has been cardio. I do none. I also find it hard to drop below 130 and I think that's partly why. Many 5'4" women get comfortably into the 120s. For me it's like pure torture.
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