Does weight matter that much?

SCoil123

When I joined this site my only goal was to lose the 30lb I had gained back in the past year. Previously I'd lost 86lb and didn't want to gain any more back.

As I've been on this journey though I've decided for me that there are other things more important. I'd rather have my goal clothes fit and get my body fat percentage in a healthy range of 25% or below.

When I started strength training at 20lb away from original goal my loss slowed dramatically but, I'm losing more inches and getting stronger. At first I panicked and fixated on my weight loss goal and almost gave up to eat at a larger deficit without building strength just so I could see the scale move. I don't think its good to be so hung up on weight that the other triumphs towards better health get ignored now.

selina884

Agreed - Im less concerned about the scales and more interested in clothes fit.

austinsneeze

You're right, a lot of people gain muscle and don't "lose" weight but the inches drop dramatically, and the body looks more toned

T0M_K

well you can always find bigger clothes. to me its how i look.........naked and the scale.

Mentali

I think part of it is that a lot of people have a lot more to lose, so this isn't nearly as relevant. If you have 100 pounds to lose before you're in the healthy range? Yeah, your weight matters. If you're hovering around normal BMI range, being higher weight but more in shape makes sense as a goal to strive for.

Everyone's at different points, so everyone has different goals. That doesn't make your goal "good" for everyone else, just like their goal isn't "good" for you.

OneWayOnlyCycles

At my age, not that I'm old or anything like that, I am concerned about my joints. I am concerned about the stress that getting out and enjoying the activities I love puts on my joints. The less you weigh, the easier it is to do the things you love!!
Your heart is also a real thing to be concerned about! Yes weight matters. Sure, some people live an active lifestyle, eat healthy and exercise and die young anyhow. WHY USE THAT AS AN EXCUSE!
Diabetes can sneak up on anyone! An overweight person can develop diabetes and then there is no going back!
If you take care of all of the above then your clothes will fit as they are supposed to.
I personally watch the scale. Pounds can creep back so quickly, especially when you are over 40.

Take care my friends!

robininfl

It depends. In your situation, where you continue to get smaller, no, I'd not worry at all, becoming denser and more compact is very healthy.

But for nearly everyone, it takes a healthy weight to get a healthy percentage of body fat, so these goals are complementary, not competing.

Weight, alone, yes is significant, overweight is a health risk. But if you are already a healthy weight and are getting thinner without getting lighter, that, to me, is the best result of all.

zyxst

Weight is a number I can see change daily and is the factor in seeing if I'm "healthy" or not. Doctors don't care that I have muscle definition, can lift 50#, and/or walk 10 miles a day. If my weight number is higher than 136#, I get the OMGDEATHFAT talk.

SueInAz

You have exactly the right perspective. Size and muscle mass matter much more than the number on a scale. Even BMI isn't really a good measurement of health because it's possible to have an "overweight" BMI while having a body fat percentage in the teens (and lower for men); a lot of body builders are like this.

hypodonthaveme

I think it all matters. If I need to reach a certain weight to have a " normal" BMI and to have healthy organs then weight matters. But being normal weight isn't everything. I think you need to be toned some as well to the best of your ability ( depends on age, ailments, etc). I personally am nearing the 60 lbs loss mark and only 9 lbs from my goal. I know I look much better and am in great health according to my Dr. But I also know I need toning. Just not liking some areas. But I won't get hung up on either weight or inches. I am quite happy getting to where I am now. So I think they both matter.

I do feel it's a preference. For me, I needed to get this weight off to be healthy. So that is what I focused more on when I started this journey. My husband is focused on fitting into smaller clothes. So he is focused on inches. We will both reach our goals, but in different ways.

inertiastrength

I aim for a bf% (within reason) When I was 240lbs yeah, it mattered to track progress etc. but not as much as now. I don't really even weigh myself when I'm cutting unless I think something isn't right.

RoxieDawn

It was all bout the weight and the weight number on the scale in number in the beginning.

I think when you have a load you need to get off the body per se so you can see what you look like underneath, the scale helps that process as weight numbers is all you really have.

I think the leaner a person gets or morover to their goal, a person may be looking at body composition or for some its getting into the pair of jean hanging up in the closet, or there really is a spot on number to reach no matter what.

All personal choice, but it was my only indicator at first. but no longer.

cinnag4225

It's entirely possible to be in the overweight bmi range with little negative impact, but once you start pushing the upper range of overweight bmi problems start to arise. Even if you take care of yourself metabolically, excessive weight will still eventually impact your joints. Once the joints start going your tolerance for physical activity will decrease, and in turn make it increasingly difficult to maintain health through diet, particularly as we get older (and for women, there's the issue of breast weight messing with our necks and sleep).

You also have to account for potential situations in the future. Originally my ultimate goal was to reach the 180s, however I hope to have a baby in the next five years, which means I can expect to gain up to 30lbs (accounting for familial history as well as increased likelihood of multiples), so I've had to drop my overall goal to at least the 160s for both my and potential baby's health. For those who intend to pursue serious physical activities, they may have to focus on a higher weight that accounts for necessary muscle mass. Genetics are also important to consider. Someone who is prone to belly fat may need to maintain a lower weight or higher activity level for preventative purposes than someone who distributes fat more evenly.

All that said, health and fitness is a combination of factors, and it sounds like you've reached the point where the importance of weight is balanced more with the other factors. If you're maintaining good dietary and activity habits, there's no harm in shifting your focus away from that last 20lbs (and honestly being able to measure progress via clothing fit is so fun! I discovered last week I've gone down a shirt & dress size at my favorite retailer), just make sure you're checking in from time to time, especially when getting into periods of time where activity levels drop (winter, for example).

Pattycake755

Celebrate your success whether it is weight loss or loss of inches. This is not my first rodeo, so I have been on both sides. People who are obese (i.e. 50lbs+ over a normal weight) tend to be happier about overall weight loss. But it doesn't make them wrong or better! I have noticed that people with a smaller amount of weight to lose tend to feel happier than their heavier counterparts about inches and how their clothes fit. But this doesn't make them wrong or better! I think that is because we are trying to get to a normal healthy weight and in doing so we will have to change wardrobes anyway. lol

I agree with @zyxst and @hypodonthaveme both perspectives are equally important.

"Fat is threatening my life and I want to lose it!"

SCoil123

Thanks everyone. Its nice to see different takes on this and I guess it really comes down to where we are on our journey.

For me I am around 9lb above the healthy weight range set by my doctor, originally my maim goal was to hit the middle of that range, with a bmi of between 26-27, my body fat according to my recent scan is also between 26-27%. With where I'm at my goals make a lot of sense. If I were 40lb away from a healthy range with a bfp above 30% I'd probably still be focused more on the scale.

Pattycake755

Oh I forgot to mention that your perspective for the last 20lbs is great. You should not worry about the scale. I am sure that when you needed to lose 86lbs, you wanted to see the scale move, but now that you are only 20lbs away, strength training and diet will help you to comfortably wear your goal clothes even if it takes a little longer. I am sure someone explained to you that this would happen--the difference between weight loss and fat loss. You are probably still losing fat and it is being replaced with muscle, thus inches loss.

Just know that you are worth working for [strength training] and waiting for [a toned you that will look good in your goal clothes]!

Pattycake755

SCoil123 wrote: »

Thanks everyone. Its nice to see different takes on this and I guess it really comes down to where we are on our journey.

For me I am around 9lb above the healthy weight range set by my doctor, originally my maim goal was to hit the middle of that range, with a bmi of between 26-27, my body fat according to my recent scan is also between 26-27%. With where I'm at my goals make a lot of sense. If I were 40lb away from a healthy range with a bfp above 30% I'd probably still be focused more on the scale.

Absolutely!

Charis50

zyxst wrote: »

Weight is a number I can see change daily and is the factor in seeing if I'm "healthy" or not. Doctors don't care that I have muscle definition, can lift 50#, and/or walk 10 miles a day. If my weight number is higher than 136#, I get the OMGDEATHFAT talk.

Maybe it's time to have the OMGNEWDOC talk.

(Seriously, OMGDEATHFAT is one of the funniest things I've seen all week, and it's been a pretty good week for humor.)

tomteboda

I'm less than 2 lbs from the top of the healthy BMI scale. I personally would be 100% fine with where I am now from a health perspective, but I face a 30% fine on my health insurance if I am overweight at all. So I'm going to lose at least 5 more pounds to remove that risk.

For me, going lower carries significant risk to my emotional health. I had seriously disordered eating and thinking patterns as a teenager.

SCoil123

tomteboda wrote: »

I'm less than 2 lbs from the top of the healthy BMI scale. I personally would be 100% fine with where I am now from a health perspective, but I face a 30% fine on my health insurance if I am overweight at all. So I'm going to lose at least 5 more pounds to remove that risk.

For me, going lower carries significant risk to my emotional health. I had seriously disordered eating and thinking patterns as a teenager.

I had an eating disorder when younger so I'm grateful for my new perspective. I was convinced I needed to be a certain weight to match the other girls, but my frame is a little larger and I'm muscular so it never happened.

I wish you all the best in your recovery and healthier life

Francl27

Yeah I don't think weight is such a big deal at some point. I mean, I gained 5 pounds back (I think?) in the last 2 years, but I've lost inches.

TheGaudyMagpie

I'm in a similar spot. I was about 10 lbs from the healthy weight range but just went back on a med that messes with my water retention. I've been on it before and I know that the fluctuations are going to make me crazy. In two weeks I'll be having a procedure that will take away the need for the med (it's a pain thing and the procedure is a nerve ablation) and I can taper off of it. So for now I've just decided to forget about weight. I've taken up running and I'm tracking to maintenance. I'm going to focus on my running goal for a couple of months, at least until I can taper off the med. My weight is up (med+new exercise program), but my measurements aren't (in fact, my pants are a little baggy). I just have to work on getting my mind off weight because it still has a psychological impact on me.

daniip_la

I think scale weight matters more when you're bigger. I have over 100lbs still to lose, and things like BMI and body fat % have literally no importance to me right now.

But when I start getting close to my arbitrary goal weight, the scale will matter a lot less than how I look/feel. I want to be strong and have some nice muscles. If those goals leave me 10lbs above arbitrary goal weight, so be it. Arbitrary goal weight will be thrown out the window.

TheGaudyMagpie

daniip_la wrote: »

I think scale weight matters more when you're bigger.

I think this is absolutely true. I am generally OK with where I am right now, which makes this a fairly easy decision. The reality is that my extra 10 lbs does not have much of an impact on me and is likely to be largely addressed by increasing lean muscle and going off the med that causes my weight to fluctuate in a couple of months.

Goals definitely change depending on where we are. I'm also 48 years old, so my priorities are also to maintain lean muscle and bone strength. Those things are at least as important to me right now as losing 10 more lbs. So shifting out of deficit to focus on strength and endurance is, again, not that hard of a decision. It's just difficult to look to a different measure of health, when you've focused on weight for so long. I'm still weighing every day, even though I know the number is going to disappoint me and not be a reflection of reality.