Am I the only one who can't tell when I should be done losing?

EricaH7

Okay, so I started on here when I was a weight of 184.4 and wearing size medium shirts size 31 pants
Currently, I weigh 153 and am wearing size small shirts and size 28 pants
I am 5'7
This is the weight I was in high school except in high school I was extremely muscular from all the sports I played. I had a flat stomach and was actually a size 29 pants.
I have been bouncing up and down at this weight for quite awhile now. I like how I look. I think I still could use some improvement because I still have a little pouch on my stomach.
How do I know if this was the weight I was meant to be and can't really go lower, I just need to do strength training or if I should still lose another 14 pounds like my original goal?

EricaH7

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rainbowbow

EricaH7 wrote: »

Okay, so I started on here when I was a weight of 184.4 and wearing size medium shirts size 31 pants
Currently, I weigh 153 and am wearing size small shirts and size 28 pants
I am 5'7
This is the weight I was in high school except in high school I was extremely muscular from all the sports I played. I had a flat stomach and was actually a size 29 pants.
I have been bouncing up and down at this weight for quite awhile now. I like how I look. I think I still could use some improvement because I still have a little pouch on my stomach.
How do I know if this was the weight I was meant to be and can't really go lower, I just need to do strength training or if I should still lose another 14 pounds like my original goal?

Because there is no such thing.

EricaH7

rainbowbow wrote: »

EricaH7 wrote: »

Okay, so I started on here when I was a weight of 184.4 and wearing size medium shirts size 31 pants
Currently, I weigh 153 and am wearing size small shirts and size 28 pants
I am 5'7
This is the weight I was in high school except in high school I was extremely muscular from all the sports I played. I had a flat stomach and was actually a size 29 pants.
I have been bouncing up and down at this weight for quite awhile now. I like how I look. I think I still could use some improvement because I still have a little pouch on my stomach.
How do I know if this was the weight I was meant to be and can't really go lower, I just need to do strength training or if I should still lose another 14 pounds like my original goal?

Because there is no such thing.

But how do you know when it's just strength training you need and not to get leaner?

sbrandt37

Congrats on your weight loss! There really is no weight that you (or anyone else) was meant to be--there is just a weight at which you are healthy and happy.

Your BMI is perfect. If you are happy with how you look and feel, then maintain at your current weight. If you would feel better with a little more weight loss, lose a little more. Or stay at your current weight and work out more. Just don't stress too much about what weight you *should* be, because that is meaningless.

EricaH7

sbrandt37 wrote: »

Congrats on your weight loss! There really is no weight that you (or anyone else) was meant to be--there is just a weight at which you are healthy and happy.

Your BMI is perfect. If you are happy with how you look and feel, then maintain at your current weight. If you would feel better with a little more weight loss, lose a little more. Or stay at your current weight and work out more.

Maybe I am the only one who is like this, but I hate seeing my bmi is 24. I feel like I need to be in the middle of the bmi range to be healthy weight and that the top of the bmi healthy range is still overweight. I think that is why I set a goal to get right to the very middle of the bmi range without really even thinking about the numbers or what I was in high school when I was in such good shape.

huango

What is your goal?
- overall health?
- look good in clothing?
- look good in bikini?
- strong/fast?
- get rid of your "little pouch on my stomach" (which means overall fat reduction)?

Depending on what your goal is, you have different options.

I currently look decent in clothes, but my goal is to look good in a bikini.
That means reducing body fat by reducing calories and strength training.

Another goal is to be able to do 8 pull-ups in a row.
This means gaining strength and reducing weight (easier to have to lift less weight).


Don't focus on the number of the scale.
Think about changing your measurements.

Good luck!

Amanda

EricaH7

huango wrote: »

What is your goal?
- overall health?
- look good in clothing?
- look good in bikini?
- strong/fast?
- get rid of your "little pouch on my stomach" (which means overall fat reduction)?

Depending on what your goal is, you have different options.

I currently look decent in clothes, but my goal is to look good in a bikini.
That means reducing body fat by reducing calories and strength training.

Another goal is to be able to do 8 pull-ups in a row.
This means gaining strength and reducing weight (easier to have to lift less weight).


Don't focus on the number of the scale.
Think about changing your measurements.

Good luck!

Amanda

Can my answer be all of the above? lol I guess I would like to look good and feel good both. I run quite a bit and I have found that as I get leaner my speed does increase so that's an added benefit.

ShammersPink

What you have done already takes you out of the higher risk groups for obesity-related diseases, and you look lovely. If you maintained there, you would probably be perfectly healthy.

However, at BMI24, it's unlikely that it's impossible for you to go lower, and still be healthy, if you prefer a slimmer look. You probably still have a fair amount of body fat, if you have a "pouch".

Just be prepared that it is likely to be slow-going and hard work. Go one BMI unit at a time, and see how you feel.

Samarisa

Correlation is not causation, but it is possible you're worrying about your health when you don't need to be:

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/could-a-few-extra-pounds-help-you-live-longer/

People who are slightly overweight but not obese—as defined by their body mass index (BMI)— tend to live longer than their normal-weight counterparts, according to a new Danish study. But that has not always been the case. In the 1970s, the Danish data show, study subjects with the best chance of living longer tended to have a BMI in the normal range, defined as being between 18.5 and 25. Someone who is 1.65 meters (five feet, four inches) tall and weighs 68 kilograms (150 pounds) would have a BMI of 25.

gabbyo23

Only.you can answer that! I suggest a long walk and some quiet time to think it over.

Personally I also feel more comfortable aiming for the centre of my healthy bmi range...the way I see it I want to be able to gain a few pounds and still be healthy range...obviously I'd wanna lose it but I don't want to be in a situation where a couple of bad days is gonna knock my weight into the overweight section!

spiriteagle99

It's also partly a matter of what is sustainable for you. Are you happy eating the amount of calories you are eating now? If you lose weight, you'll need to be eating fewer in order to maintain that weight. Would you be happy there?

I have twice lost weight to a point that wasn't sustainable. The limited calories left me feeling constantly deprived. I didn't want to spend the rest of my life feeling like I couldn't enjoy food any more. (I also didn't like the bony look I get when I'm thin.) So I gained back a few pounds and decided that I was fine there. I have been within a few pounds of that weight for the past 4 years, until this year, when a foot injury derailed my running for a while. After 6 weeks on MFP, I'm back to that weight.

trwww

In clinical terms, you want to have a BMI of 18.5 - 25 to be in lower risk groups with respect to heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, and malnourishment. You can determine what weight you should be at to have that BMI with tools like https://tdeecalculator.net

Remember these are ranges and you can pick the numbers you feel most comfortable with inside those ranges.