Trying to accept being bigger and healthy.

lilharumaki

I am currently 5’2 and 162 pounds. I recently had bloodwork done at my physical and all of my labs were good (cholesterol and LDL very low, HDL very high) and my calculated cardiac risk ratio was below the average person. However, my BMI right now is technically “obese” and it’s driving me crazy. I don’t want to be obese anymore. But I think because I have a lot of muscle I am naturally bigger, even when I was the smallest I was never able to really go below 140. Is this genetics or will I be able to go under 140 while still keeping my strength? I try to be positive but it’s hard not to obsess about like I’m gross or something...

keke7133

It’s all about how you see yourself. I look at this picture and think you look great! Seriously, 160 looks a hell of a lot better on you than it does on me lol.

lilharumaki

keke7133 wrote: »

It’s all about how you see yourself. I look at this picture and think you look great! Seriously, 160 looks a hell of a lot better on you than it does on me lol.

Thank you, I’m sure you’re a beautiful person on the inside like you are on the outside! 💜 It’s true, I guess it’s all how you feel and if you feel healthy and good. It’s hard not to get caught up in the numbers sometimes I think!

dolliesdaughter

Just be the best you, you can be.

ALZ14

BMI is a terrible way to determine “healthy”, especially for those who are muscular. Try not to let that data point define you or your progress.

PAV8888

You do seem to have a good amount of muscle power, have you been training?

BMI is relative risk of population. Not every point in the range is equally suitable for everyone of a certain height; but most people of a certain height will find their statistically healthiest point somewhere in the range.

This is not all or nothing. You're over stressing.

You don't have to dump all your weight tomorrow.

You don't have to lose all your strength to lose some weight if that makes you feel lighter and stronger

You don't have to be 140, or whatever the number is, in order not to be obese.

You are confirming and validating that you should be aiming for a slow loss not exceeding 0.5lbs to 0.75lbs a week to start and seeing where things go instead of trying to push yourself at 2lbs (this is not a statement that you SHOULD lose weight-it is mentioned in conjunction with goals you have stated in other threads)

Muscle stimulus is the other part of strength retention.

With your schedule... you should be careful to keep changes to a dull roar.

Btw, I would bet on you arm wrestling me!!!!

lilharumaki

PAV8888 wrote: »

You do seem to have a good amount of muscle power, have you been training?

BMI is relative risk of population. Not every point in the range is equally suitable for everyone of a certain height; but most people of a certain height will find their statistically healthiest point somewhere in the range.

This is not all or nothing. You're over stressing.

You don't have to dump all your weight tomorrow.

You don't have to lose all your strength to lose some weight if that makes you feel lighter and stronger

You don't have to be 140, or whatever the number is, in order not to be obese.

You are confirming and validating that you should be aiming for a slow loss not exceeding 0.5lbs to 0.75lbs a week to start and seeing where things go instead of trying to push yourself at 2lbs (this is not a statement that you SHOULD lose weight-it is mentioned in conjunction with goals you have stated in other threads)

Muscle stimulus is the other part of strength retention.

With your schedule... you should be careful to keep changes to a dull roar.

Btw, I would bet on you arm wrestling me!!!!

Thank you so much! I’m sorry, I’ve been a ball of stress lately and seem to be taking it out on this forum!! But thank you, I am a martial artist and I have been since I was 8, i tend to build muscle easily from training!!

Dogmom1978

BMI is nonsense. My husband used to lift a lot. He was very muscular and had 6 pack abs. His BMI score put him at overweight. I use the navy method instead of BMI and calculate body fat.

https://www.wikihow.com/Measure-Body-Fat-Using-the-US-Navy-Method

Try that instead of BMI

psychod787

In your case, i think bmi is not a great indicator. I agree with @PAV8888 , you look good. In fact, if you are ever in n. Florida, I'll be happy to lift with you. 😉

PAV8888

psychod787 wrote: »

In your case, i think bmi is not a great indicator. I agree with @PAV8888 , you look good. In fact, if you are ever in n. Florida, I'll be happy to lift with you. 😉

Be nice Romulus! Plus don't forget that you Floridians are a no-go these days! ETA: I need to learn to read: I though you said you were going to LIFT HER as opposed to lift WITH her, oops!

@lilmakiroll you should probably take a minute and sort through the things that are bothering you and put them in some sort of order before you decide on your next moves.

I would suggest against starting a weight loss attempt without a complete commitment from you to trying to develop a process that will enable you to both lose and maintain your weight long term. This would also require you to prioritize weight management.

Given your new city/new career/long hours/etc I don't know whether you have the head space and desire to set other things aside to do so.

At the same time "letting go" is not a great option for the same reasons. And I don't know about where you are; but I've been mostly negatively impressed with the quality, variety, and caloric levels of hospital cafeteria food that I've encountered. And of the restaurants around four out of the six I've spent some time around...

So some careful consideration needs to be applied in how you move and eat in order to prevent your top overweight but still sub-obese BMI and probably high normal weight energy reserve levels from moving on to becoming a future health concern!

Perhaps finding a way to continue to train would be just as important as continuing to maintain your weight with a slight nod towards very slow weight loss? Have you looked into power-lifting? @quicksylver0922 had a video of a pretty interesting looking @home routines!

In any case, your pic and sub 20lb goal does validate once again the "go slow" barely at a deficit approach. I believe with 20lbs you should not be looking at much faster than 0.5lbs a week!

lilharumaki

Thanks everyone!! I’m going to take your advice! It’s definitely hard to prioritize health once we get really busy with clinicals, but I’m going to do my best to try to keep on top of being healthy so that I can be the healthiest me to help my patients!! I am a medical student and we have learned a lot about the obesity epidemic but I’ve been interested in learning more about how we can look at other factors of health other than just BMI. I am definitely going to keep these things in mind for sure, thank you!

yirara

Hey hun, we seem to have very similar bodies: amazing belly and shoulders/biceps and stronger legs. It's a bodyshape where you don't notice a bit too much weight too easily. I'd love to be a walking, more androgynous stick, but this does have some definite advantages

amusedmonkey

I haven't read the previous replies so I may repeat some things that have already been said.

You can accept your current weight (knowing you're still at a statistically higher risk than if you were smaller). I did. I'm maintaining an overweight weight. My labs are currently good but I'm always on the lookout for any unfavorable changes (especially blood sugar). I like the way I am now, but if the need presents itself I will have to lose a little bit more. BMI matters, but it's only one of several indicators and doesn't mean much in a vacuum.

What do YOU want? Do you like yourself this way? If so, maintain your current weight and be happy. Do you want to lose weight? You can if you want to, it can easily be done by gradual very slow loss until you reach a point you're happy with. You won't lose your strength (or weight for that matter) overnight and wake up much weaker/thinner than you desire. There will be no surprises and you can stop losing at any point.

Do you feel you need to lose weight because BMI says so? If so, evaluate again. What do YOU want?

sijomial

Yes you seem to have a higher than usual amount of muscle.
But you also seem to have a very even fat distribution which helps you to carry your weight well without obvious (from one photo) "problem areas" which others your height and weight might suffer from.

It's not a dichotomy between 162 and 140lbs - plenty of other numbers are available!
Just like weight loss doesn't have to be fast weight loss.
Just like weighing less doesn't have to mean losing strength.
You don't have to set a final goal, you can just choose a direction and periodically reassess (less/same/more?).

You are in a nice place of having many choices and options open to you - time for a serious think about what you want to do now and in the medium to long term.

No you are not "gross" and yes you should be positive about your health results. With an atypical physique please don't fall into the trap of comparisons with others with different physiques - choose to be happy as happiness is part of being healthy too.

cmriverside

I'm an older lady and I have nothing to add to these great comments by some very smart people, but I just want to say I think you're a beautiful woman and I want those clothes. I love that gear!

lilharumaki

cmriverside wrote: »

I'm an older lady and I have nothing to add to these great comments by some very smart people, but I just want to say I think you're a beautiful woman and I want those clothes. I love that gear!

Thank you so much, this made my day! You are truly a beautiful person! 💜 If you’re interested, they are from Stronger Sweden- they make some really nice quality activewear. I like it because their sports bras are reinforced- a girl like me needs heavy duty haha. 😂