Healthy weight: My definition or theirs

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  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    Paschen81 wrote: »
    PAV8888 wrote: »
    If you're looking at a couple of years of eating 1200 Calories, yeah, I can see where you might crack

    1200 to 1400 has been my average for 3 years now... Before that I was on the NS program but didn't do well... Blood sugar kept going into the low 50s. Great concepts I need to reapply some of them and get back on track again.... Depression can be a killer for weight loss with me

    OMG I don't know how you do it! 3 long days was my record of sticking with 1200 calories. I walk a lot, around 10kms everyday, plus I'm not short and obviously not sedentary which plays a part.
  • kamarismom
    kamarismom Posts: 50 Member
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    jeanabepositive wrote: »
    I see both sides of this. Losing a lot of weight can really challenge your self-image and not always in a positive way. There is nothing wrong with loving yourself as you are while still working toward your best health. You be you, beautiful! I'd suggest getting to a point where you think you are coming to the end of your journey and have a one on one with a doctor to see what they think about your physical health and risks. If there is one thing I've learned in nursing school, it's that humans exist on a spectrum with variations, but also the norms of measurement are there for a reason, as a guide. Weight loss and loving yourself does not have to be mutually exclusive.

    My goal, personally, is to lose 10 to 15lbs, which would put me just outside the high part of my BMI, but when I've gotten lower in the past, I start to lose my breasts and some of my butt and you know what? Hold up. NO. I won't let them go. When I start getting around 160lbs to 170lbs, I do start to worry, however, because my waist size changes and carrying weight around my midsection indicates a higher risk of heart disease, among other things. So it's worth it to me to stay close to, if not perfectly inside of my BMI range.

    Hope you're doing well and killing it in the mirror today!

    It would be so much easier of we could just control where we want the weight to go. Your right my mid section is the thing I am focusing on the most since it is indicator of certain health issues. So I won't stop until I'm happy with my waist size.
  • brendacs21
    brendacs21 Posts: 180 Member
    edited June 2017
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    I was just thinking of this myself. I am 5'2 and currently 154. According to BMI I am overweight and just very recently left the obese category. The lowest I have ever been (that I can remember ) was 140 which still puts me at overweight, I think according to the charts I should weigh no more than 136. When I did get to 140 I remember people telling me I looked too thin . Yet a still had a rather large amount of extra fat on my stomach. I felt I could stand to lose another 10 lbs but all in the stomach! I would love to be in my weight range, although I wont know what my goal is until I get there.
  • kamarismom
    kamarismom Posts: 50 Member
    edited June 2017
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    That's awesome...keep those in focus. My ultimate goal was to be at a healthy BF% which seemed extremely daunting when I was obese...I didn't know what weight I would be on the scale.



    I think focusing on BF% is a great idea

  • kamarismom
    kamarismom Posts: 50 Member
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    JeromeBarry1 wrote: »
    I chose my goal weight of 160 lb because it was in the middle of the "healthy" BMI for a man of my height. I most recently had that weight 44 years ago. At the time of that choosing, I weighed 272.4, and had held near that weight for 15 years after losing from somewhere above 300 in Y2K. Today, nearly 17 months later, I weigh 170.2. I'm wearing 'Medium' garments, 34" pants and 14.5" shirts. I'm still trying to get to 160. My torso/belly is still saggy and seems to have remaining subcutaneous fat. My body fat ratio was measured hydrostatically a few days ago at 14.3%. I figure that if I lose another 10 lb I'll be close to 10% body fat and that'll be ok with me. My goal range is probably going to be 150-170 lb just because it's so darned easy for me to gain 8 pounds in a day and almost as easy to drop them in 4 days. We're all a work in progress and our opinions of our satisfaction with ourselves are perpetually subject to change.

    OP, would you mind telling us what your definition of 'Healthy weight' is?

    I don't really have a definition healthy weight because it's different for everyone. That's the same to me as people who say all overweight people are lazy which we know if not the case. The better question is what is the defintion of a healthy person
  • kamarismom
    kamarismom Posts: 50 Member
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    TeacupsAndToning wrote: »
    kamarismom wrote: »
    JeromeBarry1 wrote: »
    I chose my goal weight of 160 lb because it was in the middle of the "healthy" BMI for a man of my height. I most recently had that weight 44 years ago. At the time of that choosing, I weighed 272.4, and had held near that weight for 15 years after losing from somewhere above 300 in Y2K. Today, nearly 17 months later, I weigh 170.2. I'm wearing 'Medium' garments, 34" pants and 14.5" shirts. I'm still trying to get to 160. My torso/belly is still saggy and seems to have remaining subcutaneous fat. My body fat ratio was measured hydrostatically a few days ago at 14.3%. I figure that if I lose another 10 lb I'll be close to 10% body fat and that'll be ok with me. My goal range is probably going to be 150-170 lb just because it's so darned easy for me to gain 8 pounds in a day and almost as easy to drop them in 4 days. We're all a work in progress and our opinions of our satisfaction with ourselves are perpetually subject to change.

    OP, would you mind telling us what your definition of 'Healthy weight' is?

    I don't really have a definition healthy weight because it's different for everyone. That's the same to me as people who say all overweight people are lazy which we know if not the case. The better question is what is the definition of a healthy person

    The problem is that that's a hard question to answer in part because generally the more overweight you are the more risk you're at in terms of something going wrong but at the same time, being overweight doesn't necessarily mean that you're not healthy or that you won't continue to be lucky health-wise.

    Hence why the arguments always go back and forth.

    I agree
  • SafioraLinnea
    SafioraLinnea Posts: 628 Member
    edited June 2017
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    My goal is to look and feel healthy and to be a lot stronger. I don't yet fit any of those. I'm 5'3.5" and 172lbs right now. Bmi gives me a range in the 112-136 range (or something like that). I do want to be in the normal range but I don't mind if it's high end. I just want to be smaller, fitter, and feel healthier.

    Frankly, you do you. I agree with several of the previous posters who said that your goal is still very much too heavy and will potentially have health consequences but if you choose to be happy there then power on to your goal.
  • kamarismom
    kamarismom Posts: 50 Member
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    SafioraLinnea wrote: »
    My goal is to look and feel healthy and to be a lot stronger. I don't yet fit any of those. I'm 5'3.5" and 172lbs right now. Bmi gives me a range in the 112-136 range (or something like that). I do want to be in the normal range but I don't mind if it's high end. I just want to be smaller, fitter, and feel healthier.

    Frankly, you do you. I agree with several of the previous posters who said that your goal is still very much too heavy and will potentially have health consequences but if you choose to be happy there then power on to your goal.

    What if you looked and felt healthier 160 and were stronger would you not be happy until fit into category set for you. Not being rude or mean, I truly want to know.
  • Tried30UserNames
    Tried30UserNames Posts: 561 Member
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    I'm 5'5" just like the OP. My ultimate goal is 135-140, but right now, I'm 162.2 and my next goal is 159.9. I'm just concentrating on every few pounds as a goal. I chose my goal because I was that weight a couple of years ago and I looked great. I tried to go thinner than that since I'd been about 10 lbs thinner in college, but this middle aged lady looked awful when I lost more weight. At 135, I wear anything from a size 2 to 6 petite, depending on the brand. Even 5 lbs lower and my face gets drawn and my chest way too bony.

    My sister is my same height. When she's 150 lbs, she looks thinner than I do at 135. We just have different body types. I carry my weight in my thighs and my upper body is tiny. She's got bigger boobs and a less defined waist.

    I think you should get to your first goal and then evaluate if you are happy and healthy there or if you want to lose more.
  • BrunetteRunner87
    BrunetteRunner87 Posts: 591 Member
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    My goal is the middle of the BMI range.
  • PinkCuddleMonster
    PinkCuddleMonster Posts: 37 Member
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    I got my goal based on what I've weighed before coupled with asking close friends that looked good how much they weighed. Also, once you get there you can always change your goal. You might feel great at 220 or you might want to go down to 180.
  • kamarismom
    kamarismom Posts: 50 Member
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    Tried30UserNames wrote: »
    I'm 5'5" just like the OP. My ultimate goal is 135-140, but right now, I'm 162.2 and my next goal is 159.9. I'm just concentrating on every few pounds as a goal. I chose my goal because I was that weight a couple of years ago and I looked great. I tried to go thinner than that since I'd been about 10 lbs thinner in college, but this middle aged lady looked awful when I lost more weight. At 135, I wear anything from a size 2 to 6 petite, depending on the brand. Even 5 lbs lower and my face gets drawn and my chest way too bony.

    My sister is my same height. When she's 150 lbs, she looks thinner than I do at 135. We just have different body types. I carry my weight in my thighs and my upper body is tiny. She's got bigger boobs and a less defined waist.

    I think you should get to your first goal and then evaluate if you are happy and healthy there or if you want to lose more.

    Thank you, that was my point that not everyone carries weight the same way. Everyone seems to think that you should be in this range because of your height but 140 on you could look completely different on me.
  • kamarismom
    kamarismom Posts: 50 Member
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    tomteboda wrote: »
    Why not set your goal to the weight you know you were happy with in the past? You can stay there, or change it later. You have a long way to go anyway, lots of time to revisit the topic. That's what I did. I started at 270, set a goal of 180. I knew I looked good and was happy at 180. It kept me motivated.

    I dropped my goal weight when I was nearly there, and am now 155, but I probably could've lived life perfectly healthy and happy at 180. I had medical conditions that have led me to drop the additional weight. But I think if I'd set my initial goal so low I'd have been discouraged and not viewed it as realistic.

    The important thing is that you're taking charge of your health and getting your weight to a more manageable level. Best wishes!

    That is my plan. Once I get to my goal I will reevaluate to see if I am happy. I guess I gave the impression that once I hit a certain number that would be final.
  • kamarismom
    kamarismom Posts: 50 Member
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    Azdak wrote: »
    Most of ones health benefits come from the first pounds lost, not the last.

    You are doing fantastic, so I would celebrate that, stay the course, and figure out the final goal down the road. It's ultimately your choice.

    Thank you for the encouraging words
  • bbell1985
    bbell1985 Posts: 4,572 Member
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    I saw no problem with striving to get to a proper BMI and weight for my height, but I was also only 30 lbs above that. I can see how it could be daunting if you have a lot to lose, but I don't think anyone should rule it out.

    That said, I'm currently hovering at or just above the healthy weight for a 5'4" women, at 142. But...I'm fit, relatively lean and muscular, so I'm not too concerned. Aesthetically, it's not my favorite look.
  • kamarismom
    kamarismom Posts: 50 Member
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    dragon_girl26 wrote: »
    I thought the same thing when I was obese. I was 241 lbs at 5'6", and I figured I'd be thrilled just to be at 180. I saw the top of the BMI for me (152) as being too skinny.
    Fast forward 3 years later and I'm at 165 lbs. That 152 doesn't seem so skinny anymore as I still have a good amount of body fat. That is currently my new goal, just to say I got there. Once I get there, I'll reevaluate again.
    I agree with people who say to make smaller goals for now. Once you get to 180, your opinion is highly likely to change.

    I set my goals in phases for instance I'm currently 298, my short term goal is 280 followed by midterm goal of 250 and final of 220. At that point I would evaluate and see where I would want to go from there.

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