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MyFitnessPal Community

Does your body have a natural healthy weight?

_jordy_

I'm just wondering if for most people there is a general 'healthy' weight that can be almost permanently maintained?
For me it's 125. I am able to eat well, work out and maintain this weight My body seems happy there. However, I wish it were lower.
Though it seems when I drop my calories to try and achieve this I am hungry, irritable and just generally cannot maintain and never really lose weight. Maybe a pound or two after 3-4 months.

125 is my no means 'over weight', but I suppose I am just asking if I push myself to say 115 will I ever be able to stay there?

Replies

Showcase_Brodown

If you're referring to a genetically determined "set point," no I don't exactly buy into that. I think there is a healthy range of weights you could be, probably based on body fat percentage. Within that, you can determine your weight by the calories you are eating. It may be difficult to maintain a lower body fat percentage, but it is doable.

nxd10

I have different weights my body sits happily at - 172, 165, 150. It sat there going up and it sat there coming down. Then all of a sudden - BANG! it would move.

geekyjock76

It's more of a set range instead of a single value. Your body, however, will eventually adapt to a certain weight after chronically feeding it the respective caloric intake required to maintain it. This is true for increasing and decreasing body weight mass.

Is there any particular reason why you are set on 115? Why not focus on body composition and other fitness-related metrics instead?

lithezebra

My body likes 120. I can easily get down to 115, but my face looks tired in photos when I lose even a pound or two, and even though I don't care about breast size, I've acquired some really pretty European bras over the years, and I still fill them out if I'm at 120. I look super healthy at 120. At 115 my orbital bones make dark crescents under my eyes.

gigglesinthesun

for me it is about 117 pounds (I am 5ft tall). It is the weight where my normal calories in and my normal calories out (just the daily running around, no regular exercise) match up. It is the weight that I am if I am happy and keep up my activity. I feel comfortable at that weight, I feel I get all my nutrients with my diet then, and I don't feel like I am restricting myself either. I mean clearly last winter they didn't match up and I gained 10 pounds, but I am here now and it is going back to normal pretty easily actually.

betinafrantz

to me is also 125lb haha when Im eating ok and not even exercising I can maintain that, but this year I got way up eating too much at night time... My plan is to go back to 125lb at least.
I wish to be 120 or 115, but I didnt look healthy when I was at that weight and my body looked weird somehow

wild_wild_life

I have a theory that there is a range where your appetite and your body weight match up. I'm 5'4" and have always been around 135 lbs and could sustain it effortlessly. Apparently my natural tendency is to eat enough for a 135 lb me. I got down to 115 lbs and really didn't feel like I was eating enough while maintaining. Certainly not effortlessly. Trying 125 now, verdict is still out...

Also I think it is true that if you have been overweight for a long time and then lose the weight, there are certain hormonal and metabolic factors that seem designed to push the weight back up. Like your body gets used to it and thinks it's what you're "supposed" to weigh.

Jestinia

Having a problem with this, too. I'm by no means underweight, but I even get cold, which I know is common among anorexics and people who have had bariatric surgery. I'm still going to get another ten pounds off before I completely quit, though, even if it takes me another year. If I don't like how I look and feel I can always gain it back. I'm good at that.

SurfyFriend

I believe so. If you still feel too fat, you should workout harder and eat cleaner so muscle is built and fat burned, but the healthy weight is maintained.

If you live in a cold climate, you healthy weight might be higher as you body wants more fat to stay warm.

So many variables.

swhiteism

I feel like I am "supposed" to be around 150. IDK why, but I can't picture myself as any smaller than this and I feel like my body won't let me be. I am 148 now, and have been for about 2 weeks. I was around 155 in high school and was 180 at my highest 4 months ago. I want to be 135. I hope it's all in my head and that I can actually get down to the size I want to be.

sijomial

I've never had a natural weight let alone a natural healthy weight. If anything, normal for me is steady weight gain over time.

Even during the periods where I've been very fit and active (including now) without conscious self-control over food intake I would be fat & fit not lean & fit.

tarayatesgosse

I believe so. As a teen I held steady at 144 and then in college I went up and down by a pound or two (beer weight) but stayed right around 144 and could never go lower. I am 145 now and I bet I am done losing. I am smaller then ever though as I am more toned up but my body is still weighing in at 145. I have always believed what you are talking about though.

_liftnlove

There' a range of healthy weight for each person, not a specifc number. Everyone has a "happy weight"...a weight, or level of leanness that you can maintain while staying in your comfort zone, regarding how you eat and workout. You CAN always push past that though...it just depends on how much you want it, and what you're willing to do to get it.

For me, for now, I'm not willing to sacrifice what it would take to drop a few more bodyfat percentages. I'm happy, healthy, and strong--and I still eat bacon and ice cream and go out to restaurants when I want to. For now, this is where I'm happy, my body is happy, and I feel great. It's all about what you want more--what you REALLY want. Because you ARE capable of just about anything--it's a choice. So just make your choice, own it, and do what it takes to get the job done.

DeirdreGoals

I can maintain at 138 (5'7) easily I am 135 now and want to be 128. I think I have to adjust what I am eating for life to be as low as I want to, and I am OK as long as I keep my jean size. When I lost 30 pounds I purchased all my size 2 jeans, they still fit but I need to kick back off these 5 to 8 I re gained:) We can all do it, just be kind to yourself and enjoy life during the weight loss journey:)

julianadelbosque

I maintained at around 120 for a few years easily. I was never really overweight, but I gained about 5-6 lbs and maintained that easily as well but was uncomfortable with myself. I'm now 115-118 which doesn't seem like a huge difference, but I do feel a lot better. Probably mainly because I'm eating way healthier haha. I think 120 is my easy weight, but I'm hoping to get to around 110 before I start maintenance so that the water and glycogen weight won't take me back up to 120. I'm set to lose .5 a week but haven't been super great about it, so it's a slow but steady process.

Fitfully_me

Seems my body likes the 144-146lb range. Those numbers are definitely healthy for me.

LorinaLynn

I have a theory that there is a range where your appetite and your body weight match up.

This.

I can effortlessly maintain around 140-ish at 5'5 without worrying about or logging my food. I can get down to 130-ish or lower and not feel deprived or anything, but the extra mental and emotional expense isn't worth it for me right now. I get a little overly stressed and obsessive with logging.... it doesn't feel mentally healthy for me.

HeyGoRun

If i keep active my body looks good at 150! True story!
Im 5'4 easy to maintain 150 i did it for so many years and ate what i felt like, No one ever told me i looked fat or out of shape, guess cuz most of my weight is on my hips and butt!

I dont know why i wanna be 130... Im 140 now and feel accomplished, now that im older i gotta keep active to shape or else i lose it.

iorahkwano

I am 5'7". If I eat whatever I want without calorie counting and do not work out, my weight sits comfortably at 141-144lbs.

If I go on a strict non-bread/pasta/cereal diet, I can get into 136-139lbs but it is a tough struggle. 2lbs down, 1lb up, 1lb down, 3lbs up, etc. It does not seem to come naturally no matter how long I keep it up.

I rarely go over 145lbs, I have to bulk or completely throw my life away & try to eat everything in sight (Which is unnatural for me, I'm not very hungry in the morning or afternoon, and can't eat massive portions for all meals).

Hollyhere

I think so. I am 5'8" and can easily maintain my weight at 150. No one would describe me as overweight.

However, my clothes are not fitting as they were when I was younger, so I feel that I am currently carrying more fat
weight. I am aiming for 135 which is fairly lean for me.

In high school I was between 115 and 125. In college, approx. 135.

I do have to be diligent about my intake to lose weight.

RoadsterGirlie

I'm gonna say no - my body doesn't have a set weight. When I was eating crap, I got to be over 200 lbs.

I quit eating crap and track all of my food - I'm now in the mid 120s at 5'9".

If I were to continue eating at 1500 calories or below, I would still lose weight. I could probably diet down to 100 lbs with a BMI around 15 if that's what I really wanted.

I think however, I look best at my current weight and and as even better bonus - I can still eat around 2000 calories a day, go to parties, go to restaurants, and enjoy life.

LaurenAOK

I have experienced something similar. My body cannot seem to happily go below 130, though I would love to be more like 120. I can maintain around 130 with no issues - working out, eating healthy with some treats, and generally enjoying myself. I have gotten down to 125 before but it was a pretty miserable experience. I had to be SO careful about what I ate and I couldn't miss a workout. I don't want to live like that, so I've pretty much accepted that I should aim to stay around 130.

I definitely believe in calories in v. calories out, so I know that I COULD get down to 120 if I just kept counting calories long enough. But the issue is maintaining there. If I ever started eating like I wanted again, I know I'd just jump right back up to 130.

pkw58

Who knows? But I know that it was hard to maintain my weight at 140-145. Now that it is around 128, not so hard. go figure. I am 5'8" and 54 years old.

5n0wbal1

Mine has changed since I've had children. My body was comfortable around the 125 range when I was in the military. I was also doing an hour and a half of exercise a day and barely eating anything because I wasn't hungry very often and didn't have a whole lot of time to eat.

Now, I seem to be comfortable hanging around 140. But I've had two kids, I've been either pregnant or breastfeeding for more than 3 years, and I'm maintaining at roughly 2500 calories a day to keep up my milk supply. Maybe when I stop breastfeeding I can be more restrictive, but for now, if I feel hungry, it means I should eat for the sake of my son.

hannahpistolas

I used to be able to stay between 120-125.

I have never once been overweight in my life, until I got pregnant.

We'll see what it's like when I get back down there.

She_Hulk

Thanks for posting this! I was wondering the same thing.

grrrlface

I eat to maintain 127 lbs quite easily but I'm pushing for more weightloss, more through exercise than food because I like the amount I'm eating now.

_jordy_

Okay. Glad to know I'm not alone in this. I understand that if I dieted I would be able to drop down. I was only really looking to lose weight to show a bit more definition in my muscles. But generally I'm happy at this weight. And I'm working on just become more 'fit' rather than focusing on having a lower number on the scale.
I appreciate everyone chiming in!

bmqbonnie

If I'm pretty active and watching what I eat but still behaving like a fairly normal person, I settle around 150. I have to try pretty damn hard to maintain much under that. When I slack it doesn't take long for me to hit 160. The skinniest I ever got was 125 and that was when I was 16 and had been starving myself for the better part of the year. Now I am 26, 5'5, and 155 lbs. I'd be happy to get down to and stay at 140. The last time I was that light I was extremely active working at a horse barn for 12 hour days and barely had time to eat.

It's annoying, but I figure in the long run when we're all much older I'll be a lot healthier than the ladies that never had to try and could eat whatever they wanted.

macchiatto

I'm 5'7" and 37 years old. As an adult, my weight has tended to yoyo from 139-159. For the most part once I get to 139, I've been able to maintain it without too much effort unless I really start eating more poorly for too long, or do something like get pregnant with twins

However, this summer i got down to 128 and have been trying to figure out what I can maintain. I decided pretty quickly that 130-131 was probably more realistic for me but I've been waffling more in the 132-133.8 range and deciding if I should stay there or try to get back to 130-131. (You wouldn't think a pound or two would make a difference, but somehow it seems to affect how my clothes fit; I think it tends to all go to my stomach.) So ... I don't really know. It also hasn't helped that I had an extremely stressful summer, moved a month ago (and gained 2-3 lbs that week; I was doing better before that) and my husband's brought all kinds of temptations into the house over the past month. I'm still trying to figure out if this is a realistic weight for me to maintain or if it will take too much work to stay here and I should accept 139ish as my happy point. For me, that does make a difference in clothing sizes so I need to figure it out soon before I get rid of all my size 10 clothes!