accepting yourself at a higher weight

cheryldumais

I originally got down to 143 in 2016. I'm currently 155. I'm 5'5" tall and 63 years old. I originally maintained without issue the first year. 2019 was a tough year. I quit vaping in May and a couple months after that the weight gain started. I'm still fighting to get back down but honestly not sure if it will ever happen. My maintenance calories before exercise are about 1350. If I end up staying where I am I can live with that but my concern is that I'll continue gaining. Right now I'm trying to get back under 150. I started vaping again but not sure if I will continue. So many things affect our weight. My medication has been adjusted a couple of times which affects me too. Hang in there and just keep an eye on your weight. The main thing is to not give up and gain it all back.

middlehaitch

Apologies for a slight detour.

@cheryldumais, I thought about you, and vaping, the other week.

We were in the pub talking to a guy who had just opened a vape shop. He sells regular, low, and no nicotine products, in all kinds of weird and wonderful flavours too.

I can’t remember from the thread you posted a short while ago if you vape nicotine. In case you do, I wondered if you could do a step down to low then no nicotine vaping.

Cheers, h.

pjwrt

I know that below 160 is not healthy for me. I lose energy and get sleepy and lazy.
Calories=energy and for me to be juiced means 160-162. I know the rule is to not freak until 5 pounds over target, but for me, it's 2 pounds.

Evamutt

cheryldumais wrote: »

I originally got down to 143 in 2016. I'm currently 155. I'm 5'5" tall and 63 years old. I originally maintained without issue the first year. 2019 was a tough year. I quit vaping in May and a couple months after that the weight gain started. I'm still fighting to get back down but honestly not sure if it will ever happen. My maintenance calories before exercise are about 1350. If I end up staying where I am I can live with that but my concern is that I'll continue gaining. Right now I'm trying to get back under 150. I started vaping again but not sure if I will continue. So many things affect our weight. My medication has been adjusted a couple of times which affects me too. Hang in there and just keep an eye on your weight. The main thing is to not give up and gain it all back.

I'm a bit similar, I lost 50lbs & kept it off for over a year without much problem, then I quit smoking & started vaping, I do 3mg nicotine but it's just the habit of doing something with my hands/mouth, but still gained 10 lbs which =up one pant size. I gained it back in April & I just recently lost 2 lbs but don't know if I can get back to 148 but really want to, but not enough to eat 1200 cal/day

dydn11402

HoneyBadger155 wrote: »

FluffyKitty987 wrote: »

Mouse_Potato wrote: »

rheddmobile wrote: »

Mouse_Potato wrote: »

whmscll wrote: »

It’s not waist size that matters, but waist-to-hip ratio. Divide your waist measurement by your hip measurement. A ratio of .8 and above for women and 1 and above for men put them at higher risk for some serious health conditions.

I have never understood this test. My waist and hips shrink and grow proportionally. When I was overweight the ratio was .8 and now that I'm at a BMI of ~20 my hip to waist ratio is still .8. It isn't going to change without surgery. Does this mean I will be at risk regardless of my weight?

Waist to hip ratio is a proxy for visceral fat. It’s the visceral fat (fat in your abdomen wrapped around your organs) which is the real health factor. If you are prone to carrying your weight here, you will usually have a higher hip to waist ratio, but it’s not the ratio as such which matters. Some people have narrow hips and are straight waisted and have a normal amount of visceral fat.

Sorry. I was not clear. I understand the theory behind the equation. I'm just not so sure I agree with where they draw the line. I have very narrow hips and a very short torso. The smallest my waist has been (as an adult) was 27" and that's when I was 18 and weighing ~95 pounds. It's currently 28" which gives me the .8 ratio with my 35" hips.

I definitely don’t think measurements of waist size or hip size is for everyone. Maybe it works for some people. The smallest my waist ever was was 29 inches & I was skeletal at that point (my ribs & spine clearly visible, sticking out). ☠️💀 That’s why I don’t rely on these kinds of methods to determine my health. I’m now at 30 inches but with a lot more muscle. 😃💪💖

Much like BMI, it's a guide and nothing more. I'm another one with a very short torso - there is literally barely a finger width between my illiac crest and my lower ribs. Even at my skinniest, I had no curves and no waist to speak of. Straight as a board here LOL

this is me too. no matter whether overweight or not, i always have a 3-4 inch difference between my waist and hips. i also can barely fit a finger between my hipbone and the bottom of my ribs. i really have no waist. every time i read about this risk factor, i wonder if it applies to me.

corinasue1143

I’m tall. I never heard of measuring from your hipbone to your ribs, but mine is 8 fingers. Lol! Yep, it takes all of them.
When I was thinner there was about 15” difference between my waist and hips. I didn’t realize that difference had anything to do with health. It sure made it hard to find pants that fit! Lol

cheryldumais

middlehaitch wrote: »

Apologies for a slight detour.

@cheryldumais, I thought about you, and vaping, the other week.

We were in the pub talking to a guy who had just opened a vape shop. He sells regular, low, and no nicotine products, in all kinds of weird and wonderful flavours too.

I can’t remember from the thread you posted a short while ago if you vape nicotine. In case you do, I wondered if you could do a step down to low then no nicotine vaping.

Cheers, h.

Thanks @middlehaitch I am already at the lowest nicotine level. I quit from May to October but because of the weight gain I started again. Stupid, I know. I'm now dealing with thyroid issues, I was overmedicated which has caused some sleep and mood issues. The fun never ends. Right now I'm trying to slow my vaping again and will be taking my time cutting it out as restarting had absolutely no effect on my weight. Figures, lol. I can't understand how I gained weight being over medicated which is really scary but I'm wondering about edema. My blood pressure was through the roof as well. Thanks for the thoughts though, I appreciate it.

gypsykit1

brenn24179 wrote: »

I am 5'4. I got down to 156 lbs and seen it once on the scales. I have had my weight off for a year and a half. I always go up to 160, so I am just accepting it. I wear small clothes , sz 8 and 10s for some reason. I tried all summer to get down but maybe this is where I should be or maybe it is because I want to eat more. As long as I dont gain more, I can accept this. ANy of ya had to accept a larger number on the scales?

gypsykit1

I wish I could accept my weight a little higher. I just want to be how I was when I was thinnest but that involved so much restriction.

janetgris

brenn24179 wrote: »

I am 5'4. I got down to 156 lbs and seen it once on the scales. I have had my weight off for a year and a half. I always go up to 160, so I am just accepting it. I wear small clothes , sz 8 and 10s for some reason. I tried all summer to get down but maybe this is where I should be or maybe it is because I want to eat more. As long as I dont gain more, I can accept this. ANy of ya had to accept a larger number on the scales?

Oh my gosh, I feel you! 2 years ago I saw 144 on the scale. And for the last 2 years I've been chasing it. I fluctuate between 146-150. I'm down from 214, by the way. My brain tells me that is still great and I should be proud and happy. But I just can not accept it. I want to see 144 again and maintain from there. This is my constant struggle. I'm afraid to accept this as my weight, I guess because if I get too comfortable I may gain another 5, or another 5 and I may end up right where I started

eryn0x

gypsykit1 wrote: »

I wish I could accept my weight a little higher. I just want to be how I was when I was thinnest but that involved so much restriction.

first of all i'm nowhere near my thinnest but i agree, it's easy to set that as the goal but why should the goal be that? Fit, focused me of yester-years only attained that number for the blink of an eye, so what right do I have to envy it now?

stephie_nyc

I’m 5’4” and probably about 148 now. I think I look my best below 140 but I’m trying to accept the higher weight because it’s just more maintainable. But I literally have to go to therapy to deal with all this.

middlehaitch

Just wanted to welcome you to MFP @stephie_nyc .
Glad to hear therapy is helping you accept being in the higher 140's. Going by your avitar, it suits you.

Cheers, h

stephie_nyc

middlehaitch wrote: »

Just wanted to welcome you to MFP @stephie_nyc .
Glad to hear therapy is helping you accept being in the higher 140's. Going by your avitar, it suits you.

Cheers, h

Thanks! It’s nice to be back. Still a lot of work to do in therapy but at least i started