Is anyone on maintenance that isn't even that skinny?

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Replies

  • ALG775
    ALG775 Posts: 247 Member
    I am almost at maintenance, and I think I'll stop around BMI 26. I want to be able to eat lots at maintenance. Nice to hear of fellow MFPers who aren’t necessarily going to the low end of their BMI. Good to have a range!
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    I'm in maintenance. I got tiny, then purposely bulked to try gain muscle over the winter. I tried to cut the fat but went through a lot of personal stress besides getting obsessed and weird with food. So...maybe I failed. But here I am. It's time for me to focus on getting mentally and physically healthy, which doesn't meant chasing a low body fat % at the very moment.

  • veggiecanner
    veggiecanner Posts: 137 Member
    I took a weight loss vacation. and now I'm loosing weight at a higher calorie rate than before. March 1st I couldn't take it any more so I started going to maintanace. i added 100 calories a week till i quit loosing. I only got to 1600 calories, up from 1200. ( I lost weight during this time) I stayed there for about 3 week s.Then I also added 200 a day for exercise ( during this time I finally really quit loosing),after 6-8 weeks I started reducing calories. I only had to cut by 100 calories a day for 2 weeks and I started loosing. I have lost 1 1/2 pounds in about 12 days. I'm going to stick with this till I loose my last 10 pounds. Maybe the next 6 weeks or so. Then I'll start working On finding my true maintanace calories again.
  • amyk0202
    amyk0202 Posts: 666 Member
    I'm in maintenance. I'm 44, 5' 2.5" & 144.5 lbs--so about 6 lbs still in the "overweight" BMI category. I was aiming for 150 lbs, but lost a little more when I was still bumping my calories up to maintenance. I like where I am now. My doctor likes where I am now. The calories I get to eat at this weight are workable for me. I don't like to exercise & I maintain on a pretty low number (1430) compared to many women around my height. If I got any thinner, I wouldn't be able to eat much at all.
  • areallycoolstory
    areallycoolstory Posts: 1,680 Member
    gramarye wrote: »
    I plan to maintain at around 180* and I'm 5'2". I like my body now, and while I had set my new goal lower than that (165), I never intend to get to a point where I'm skinny/lean/fit/whatever the acceptable word is for "small." It's just not a priority for me.
    ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

    (* It was my first goal, and where the trend looks to take me. I'm taking time off for maintenance regardless of my weight at the end of July.)

    you and i are in the same boat. i am 5'3, and my original goal was 165. however, i really like the way I look now. I am considering maintaining at 175, with a range of 5lbs on either side.
  • aqualeo1
    aqualeo1 Posts: 331 Member
    Me? I think, maybe?
  • localgrr
    localgrr Posts: 99 Member
    Wow nice stories everyone. Sorry I didn't mean to mis-use the word "skinny" I'm not sure what's the right work. Damn most people on this thread have a lower BMI than me though ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I just like that food too much, always will :)
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    Hey, there's nothing wrong with enjoying food, its one of the best pleasures in life :smile: its all about finding a way to enjoy it in the right amounts so we maintain our weight at our own happy place.
  • lizzy_satellite
    lizzy_satellite Posts: 112 Member
    I'm 44, 5'3" currently 131.5. Measurements-wise that puts me exactly in a UK8 down to my hipbones, and it's south of there that things go literally pear-shaped. So although I'm really happy with my size generally, there's no way anyone with functioning eyes who saw me undressed could refer to my lower body as 'skinny' (as well as the thighs I'm also genetically blessed with wide calf muscles which also still have a significant fat covering). I'm eating enough to have slowed my losses to well under a 1/2lb per week, and switching to thinking about how to start recomping - if I keep on doing what I've been doing, driving down my overall bf% enough to make a significant difference to my lower body would make me a lot less happy with my top half.
  • llbrixon
    llbrixon Posts: 964 Member
    5'6" 61 yrs.old, at present I am weighing 166. I have lost 33 pounds. I have decided to set my goal for 155-160 this time instead of 145-150.
  • JayRuby84
    JayRuby84 Posts: 557 Member
    I went a little nutso doing intermittent fasting, lost weight but also my mind lol. Back to eating normal and lifting as heavy as possible. I'm at about 160 I think, give or take a couple pounds. My goal was 145, then 150 and now? I'm good for now. :)
  • KareninLux
    KareninLux Posts: 1,413 Member
    RaeBeeBaby wrote: »
    I'm 5'5", age 56 and currently maintaining between 155-157. I had set my original goal at 155 and reached that about 6 months ago, then decided to go for 145 to get to a "normal" BMI. However, I really struggled to get below the 155 so am currently accepting where I'm at and working on fitness goals rather than weight loss. I exercise 5-6 days a week (cardio, strength and flexibility) and am eating between 1600 and 1800 calories a day. Not a lot for maintenance with daily exercise, but it appears I don't need as many calories at my age.

    ETA: I don't mind the word "skinny" at all. The few times someone has called me skinny has made my day! LOL

    Sounds like me - 49 yoa, 155 lbs currently. Going to try to get close to 145... we will see how it goes!!
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    I'm maintaining. Have been for eons (but have to work at it with menopause). Not skinny. Didn't aim for skinny.
  • robingmurphy
    robingmurphy Posts: 349 Member
    Francl27 wrote: »
    I'm 5'5" and 136 pounds right now. Some people call me skinny because I have thin legs and arms but my midsection is definitely not skinny (although all the loose skin is making it hard to know).

    My goal is/was 130 pounds but it's just not been happening and I've been maintaining at 134-136 for 2 years. I'm just too hungry as a whole and not willing to give up things I like just to lose a couple vanity pounds (and I'd have to eat less to maintain that too - can't even imagine that). I mean, I'm still trying to keep a deficit most weeks, but I typically end up wiping it the following week (or during PMS), and my weight just hasn't come down, so... whatever I guess.

    Still struggling with it a bit though and I haven't reached the acceptance stage yet. But what I've been doing seems to work to maintain, so I don't really want to change it anyway.

    This is pretty much where I'm at. 5'5", 136 lbs. My original goal was 125-130, but I'm not sure I'm willing to cut back more at this point. I'm not 100% at acceptance with that, but I'm finding that my brain is reluctant to try to lose more.
  • gramarye
    gramarye Posts: 586 Member
    areallycoolstory wrote: »
    gramarye wrote: »
    I plan to maintain at around 180* and I'm 5'2". I like my body now, and while I had set my new goal lower than that (165), I never intend to get to a point where I'm skinny/lean/fit/whatever the acceptable word is for "small." It's just not a priority for me.
    ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

    (* It was my first goal, and where the trend looks to take me. I'm taking time off for maintenance regardless of my weight at the end of July.)

    you and i are in the same boat. i am 5'3, and my original goal was 165. however, i really like the way I look now. I am considering maintaining at 175, with a range of 5lbs on either side.

    I love running into people with similar goals! :) So many people in this height range plan to get much lower (120 - 130), and I respect that choice -- I just can't relate at all. I could probably drop that far if I really pushed myself, but there would be no point when I know for a fact that I'd never be able to maintain it.
  • dopeysmelly
    dopeysmelly Posts: 1,390 Member
    lyttlewon wrote: »
    I'm not skinny. I'm 5'6" and about 165ish pounds. I'm in the "normal" weight category for my height, if you look at charts/standards. I didn't lose weight because of a need to be skinny. I lost weight because I was suffering from poor health. I'm normal on all of my stats; BP, cholesterol, blood sugar etc, for the first time in 4 years. I lost weight until I hit a place where I was able to feel healthy. I don't think I would feel comfortable dropping another 20 lbs, although I certainly could. Right now I'm comfortable with how I feel and the amount I can eat, and that is what I feel is important.

    This is kinda me. I lost weight for health reasons only. I do think maybe I could lose up to another 10lbs, but I'm not sure it's really worth the effort for vanity reasons.

    I think perhaps this is a matter of how you define "success". For me success was things like getting my cholesterol etc. into the healthy range (still need to work on blood pressure, so that's not "done" yet), being able to run, being able to lift heavy things. It wasn't really defined by a specific target weight - I just set a weight as a way of calculating everything, but it wasn't the end.

    Maybe redefining how you see your own success will help you here.
  • lyttlewon
    lyttlewon Posts: 1,118 Member
    localgrr wrote: »
    Wow nice stories everyone. Sorry I didn't mean to mis-use the word "skinny" I'm not sure what's the right work. Damn most people on this thread have a lower BMI than me though ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I just like that food too much, always will :)

    I don't really think you misused the word. I was 5'6" 116 lbs when I was 17, and that was not a healthy weight for me. I certainly didn't have the body fat percentage I have now. That is what I think of in regards to my "skinny" self, and I really have no desire to get back there. If I dropped my BF% now it would be from lifting heavy. My weight and body comp would look nothing like it did then.
  • jennyonthespot
    jennyonthespot Posts: 98 Member
    I'm not skinny at all. 5'3" 134 lbs. I've been in quasi-maintenance since last summer. I go through long periods of maintenance, then decide to buckle down and lose a tad more. I've hit two goals that I thought were my goal weight, but I still see things I'd like to improve. Eh, I'm a work in progress. I like to eat, so I'm playing this game where I try to increase my TDEE in small ways so I can maintain with higher calories. :D
  • Poweredbycoffee06
    Poweredbycoffee06 Posts: 39 Member
    I am maintaining at 145 to 150 which is on the upper end of "normal" for my height. My goal was not to be skinny. I really just wanted to be able to walk up a flight of stairs without having to ice my knee afterward. I think being fit is a better goal to shoot for.
  • xbowhunter
    xbowhunter Posts: 1,309 Member
    5'7" 155lbs here. I am @ the upper end of my BMI. I can stand to lose 5 more but it will be very gradual & if I stay where I am @ that is good with me... :)
  • workhardtogethard
    workhardtogethard Posts: 49 Member
    Ultimate plan is to lose 30 more lbs. I've been maintaining at the upper end of a normal BMI for several month. Just haven't had that gusto to keep eating low calorie. One day I'll get my mojo back and lose the rest, but for now I'm content at this weight.
  • paulgads82
    paulgads82 Posts: 256 Member
    I'm now trying to maintain. Poor health means it's prudent for me to lose weight very slowly so I periodically take breaks. I'm still over 200lb but it doesn't bother me much.
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
    localgrr wrote: »
    Wow nice stories everyone. Sorry I didn't mean to mis-use the word "skinny" I'm not sure what's the right work. Damn most people on this thread have a lower BMI than me though ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I just like that food too much, always will :)

    There is nothing wrong with the word "skinny", some people just don't like it and feel it has a negative connotation. I just see it as meaning slim or thin, but others think of it as malnourished or sickly.
  • DebSozo
    DebSozo Posts: 2,578 Member
    xbowhunter wrote: »
    5'7" 155lbs here. I am @ the upper end of my BMI. I can stand to lose 5 more but it will be very gradual & if I stay where I am @ that is good with me... :)

    I'm 5'7" and would LOVE to weigh 155. I'm stuck at 165 and have been maintaining this weight for some time. I can't seem to lose the last 10 pounds!
  • rosebette
    rosebette Posts: 1,660 Member
    I'm 5'1" and 120 lbs., so in the midrange of normal BMI, not skinny. I'm older -- 57 -- and for me, maintenance is between 1200-1500 a day, depending on activity level. To lose, I actually have to go below 1200, which is just not sustainable. Also, at my age, to be "skinny" really shows in the face, so I'd rather carry the extra 5 lbs.
  • Kerryatoon
    Kerryatoon Posts: 374 Member
    Oh..thank you every one for this thread and your posts! I'm 5'5" 39 yo and 148 lbs. I started at 173 lbs and I've been eating at 1200 and lost 17 in 3 months. I'm now at the upper end of a "normal" bw and I'm feeling a bit panicky about increasing to 10% deficit or maintenance cals. I'm starting to get weird about food because of the strict deficit I got used to. :/
    My original goal was 129lbs but now I don't really want to get that small. I want to be fit. I recently started increasing my exercise to 4-5x week including circuits and 5x5 progressive lifting. I LOVE working out, now that I'm lighter, and I'm hoping for some recomp. It's hard to make the transition from my obsession with the scale.

    Definitely coming to terms with "redefining how you see your own success" and you ladies inspire me! Thank you to everyone who posted here.. you helped me see it differently!
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