Does your body have a natural healthy weight?

popsicklestar

I believe in "set points" because I've experienced them myself. I'm 5'7''. If I just workout regularly and eat whatever I want intuitively, vaguely trying to eat mostly healthy, I will weigh around 160. Right now, I've been counting calories and being vigilant about my diet since January, and have gotten down to 140. Maintaining 140 requires me still being vigilant, but I can have occasional treats and meals out and drinks with friends sometimes. I would like to be between 130 and 135, but I am really struggling to get there. Apparently, it's going to take a lot of deprivation. I once got down to 128, but I didn't do it healthily, and I didn't have any muscle.

jennifer_417

I'm not really sure, but here's a thought: instead of focusing on the number on the scale, try strength training and focusing on body composition. You can look awesome without the scale ever moving.

bananasyousay

I suppose you could say that. I've always been pretty slender (but not too thin) without a lot of purposeful exercise or having to closely monitor what I eat. I would always just eat 3 meals a day, snack if I was hungry, and I didn't really count calories but I ate fairly normally I'd say. I gained about 30 pounds and got a little chubby due to an over-eating habit that developed out of the blue. In addition to eating a surplus of (unhealthy) calories, I was also really sedentary, and not conscious about what that would cause, so I gained weight. I've since lost it and decided to try and monitor my eating habits by eating healthy to prevent any weight gain and so far it's working and I'm maintaining my weight.

tigerblue

I do think there is a set point. But I think it goes up as you age! Right now my body would easily maintain at 140, but since I am just over 5 ft 2 inches, that would be overweight for me. I am currently at 124 and fighting hard to get back to 115, with very little progress being made. My hunger does not match my slim body! I got down to 112 a couple of years ago, and I felt like that was as low as i should go, but now I cant get back there. Without truly being hungry (I am talking eating about 1100 cals a day!)

I would love to be able to maintain on a calorie number that would allow me to enjoy treats from time to time, eating out, an occaisional glass of winte, etc. But unfortunately that does not seem to be possible for short women over 40! I seem to maintain at 1500-1600 calories a day, and that is just enough to not feel starved or deprived, but not enough to treat yourself, unless you plan carefully ahead and restrict another meal. That is what I do--if I know we are having a celebration or going out, I eat about 200 cals for breakfast and 200 cals for lunch. Then I can have a moderate dinner (or eat at a party). If I dont cave in at 3 pm and eat the sofa!!

Majda1234

I do believe there is a set point. I believe your body knows the best when to send hunger signals and of course everyone should respond to them. In my opiion a natural set point is the one where you maintin weight efortlessly, eating all food groups, no restrictions etc. By avoiding hunger signals, by restricting you can loose weight but the weight you get to won't be efortlessly maintained and you will, in a way still be deprieving your body.

I am in recovry from anorexia and these are some things that i have learned. Many people believe hunger is something that should be avoided. I believe everyone has a different set point, someone is meant to be overweight because the body is happiest at that point. It knows when is the right time to send signals. Someone is meant to be naturally slim and generally doesn't have many cravings or experiences hnger signals.

Your body sends intense hunger signals ( that many eople avoid, without even noticing) if it isn't at happy weight because it wants to get you there because that is where it feels the best. That's just my opinion and my ED's team.

wild_wild_life

^^ what you said reminded me of research that has showed that if the mother is dieting or food restricted in pregnancy, the baby is more likley to develop obesity. The theory is that the fetus gets signals that food is in short supply so will be more prone to storing fat to counter this.

This article discusses something similar but seems more focused on the carb intake of the mother.

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/pregnant-mothers-diet-linked-to-child-obesity-study-2270283.html

sloth3toes

Bump.... because this is the thread I was looking for, previously.

CMB1979

I've been stuck around 180-183 for 2 years now. My goal is 165. I eat at a deficit and should lose 1lb/week but never do.

I hope my body has only plateaued for a crazy long time.

learnerdriver

I believe that there is a set point, but it can be adjusted (its a bugger though to do) by changing routines.

Majda1234

Well yes by changing routines you can loose weight and maintain but it doesn't mean the set point is changed mainly because you still have to restrict to maintain, by counting calories or lowering portions, by deprieving your body and mind. There is a difference between a set point and maintainance with restrictions. By changing your routines to healthier ones you are making healthy lifestyle changes but it has nothing with set point, it is about health. If you are restricting yourself and deprieving your body even the slighted your body notices and as time passes it sends more stronger signals for you to eat because it wants to get back a stable weight, the one that your body (not necessarly you) feels comfortable in.

Of course you can loose and maintain but my opinion is you should let your body be at the happy weight itself. Eat when you are hungry, no deprieving your mind and body. I am all for healthy lifestyle and routines but of course everything in moderation.

Why i came to believe that this is the case is that when i came down to a BMI of 15 and decided to recover i must've eaten 8 000 calories every single day, my body was deprieved and i was never satisfied and hungry all the time, both physically and mentally and as i was getting to my pre ED weight my hunger diminished more and more. I reached a slightly higher than my pre ED weight and over time got back to my pre ED weight as my hunger and apettite stabilized. Now it fluctates a few pounds up and down but i know my set point, respect all my hunger signals. Even the mental ones and do not deprieve myself and therefore i believe everyone ha a set point. At the beginning i though i was just going to eat 10 000 for the rest of my life and become obeese but our bodies and smart and they want to keep you at the most healthiest weight for them.

daniellemm1

bump because I've been curious about this myself.

admegamo

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?

Actually a couple doctors wrote a book called Best Weight my friend/co-worker/nutritionist/diabetic educator gave it to me. She received it by going to a seminar that they spoke at.

It's teaches other physicians how to approach and properly teach patients to lose weight without falling into unsupportive or false information pits.

What it talks about is teaching patients how to reach their "Best Weight" which is not a one size fits all category. It's important to be healthy and happy but even if you lose a bunch of weight, if you are not eating at a limit your are comfortable with or eating foods that you are not able to with joy for the rest of your life, you will gain it back and possibly plus some.

For you, 125 may be your best weight. Sure you may wish to be lower but there is nothing wrong with maintaining 125 as long as you're able to do while being comfortable/happy with the lifestyle that is keeping you there.

SassetG

I call it my "happy weight." Mine is 155lbs. I am 5'4

alpine1994

It has been relatively easy to maintain between 141-144 at 5'8". I got to 139 for a couple of weeks but it was significantly harder to maintain it. Could be just in my head that I was "in the 130s" but either way, my happy place is 141-144

tigerblue

I think maintaining a "happy weight" is quite possible for taller folks, because on someone 5`8", 140-145 is probably a slim attractive weight and can be maintained by eating moderately say 2000 calories for light activity.

But 144 lbs on my frame (between 5`2 and 5`3") it is overweight. A comparable BMI for me would be maintaining 120 lbs. To do that I would have to eat at about 1500 or probably less. (I maintain 124 eating about 1700 and exercising pretty vigorously 5 or 6 days a week for 30-45 minutes. I run and do strength training, so I am not a couch potato) When you get down to eating around 1500-1600 calories or below, hunger is no longer a good indicator of the need for food, or at least not for me. Because I am pretty much hungry all the time. I think that is just the way it is when you are short and small framed. (and well past 40).

I would love to be able to maintain a healthy moderately slim body on 2000 calories, but in no time at all I would be back up to the overweight category.

I am actually struggling mentally quite a bit with all this right now, since I know what I have to do to make this happen, but I am trying to keep myself motivated to do it for the long haul. It is hard knowing that unless I make very healthy choices I will be hungry (or at least want more, which is not exactly the same thing!) I know it is important for health, as my blood pressure dropped from beginning to need medication to absolutely normal with my 40 lb. weight loss. And I feel so much better now. Plus, I dont want to have to buy more clothes! Really,if it was just vanity at this point I would let it go. But I know that is not the healthy option.

Seesawboomerang

135-140 lbs is really easy for me to maintain, without paying too much attention to calories in vs calories out (I'm 5'8" age 42).

In my 20s I struggled to gain beyond 125-130 lbs. I seemed to stick there no matter what I ate.

I feel like I'm at my best physically at around 130 lbs but it takes more considered effort nowadays to achieve that.

ETA I eat anywhere between 1600-2500 calories on any given day. Exercise usually comes out at ~300 cals but I'm irregular (some days no workouts, some days major energy spends)

rawhidenadz

217 and 157 have been my two big "set points." When i was heavier my body just naturally liked to stay around 217 and wouldn't budge unless i made a conscious effort.

After I lost weight, I realized that I maintain 157 very easily for some reason. It was pretty annoying because 157 is on the high end of a normal BMI for my height, and I know that I'm healthy at that weight, but I really want/wanted to get down to the 140-145 range but every time I worked my way under 150, I'd rebound and keep overeating until I made my way back to that weight

So now I think a more realistic goal that I can maintain (with some effort) is 150. I'm really happy with myself appearance wise when I'm around there. Seven pounds makes a really big difference at that point for my body.

sijomial

I've been stuck around 180-183 for 2 years now. My goal is 165. I eat at a deficit and should lose 1lb/week but never do.
I hope my body has only plateaued for a crazy long time.

You're clearly not at a deficit - your profile gives you the clue why not...

I like the food but have only a vague idea what I'm eating 50% of the time.

Know what you are eating and then you can lose the weight.

pinkpolkadots25

Mine seems to be ~125. This is much smaller than I was when I began (270) so it felt "too small" for a while... but it's been really easy to maintain. 120? Not so much. I'm pleased with how my clothes fit and how I feel, so that seems more important.

katmccoy34

I sit easily around 130 and I am 5'4". I have gotten under but have had to work really hard, but when I gain weight, I lose easily back to this point. I was about 130 and then got pregnant and gained 50 pounds, and lost back to 130 afterward.

Iwishyouwell

I've had a large enough weight span to have run into two distinct set points.

My body loved the 270s. I lost from a high of 320 easily but stayed in the 270's for a year and a half. Even with adding a lot of extra exercise, experimenting with different levels of calories, and macros, my body stayed pretty steady. I'd overeat for awhile, dip into the 280s, but very, very swiftly fall back into the 270s. And I'd lose into the 260s but inevitably pretty quickly end up right back in the 270s. Eventually adding IFing broke through that...

And when I was in my upper 180s/190s that was pretty easy to maintain, did so for years. It took A LOT of Haagen Dazs dulce de leche ice cream and iced lemon pound cake, eaten consistently almost every single night, for months and months, to set me on a regain path from there. And it took a ton of sweets, a newly sedentary life, and a few years to get me to 320.

Now I'm aiming for a goal weight of 160 lbs (I'm a man), so we'll see how that goes.

servilia

I'm 5'9" and the place I maintain easily without any effort is in the 140-145 range and it's a good look for me. I got down to 130 before my pregnancy but I really had to push it to get there.

lina011

mine is between 150 - 163 ish i was around i 145 pounds before bubs but i was working out hardcore, had a gym membership/time , now i sit comfortable at 163pounds working out 5 days a wk, moderatly eating reasonable lol yeh maybe" and keeping up with my very hypo 1 yr old (seriously i do not have the time or money to be making myself thin again, i proberly could get myself down too 145 again but will i stay there " i think not!!!

corgicake

The idea that bodies want to be healthy has been proving to be real for me. The catch to that is that this means listening to only your body, as opposed to billboards and the like. Mind you, this means that you can use the sale sheet to buy a cheap variety of food - but what it doesn't mean is ordering a "meal" at McDonald's because there's a price break for buying more food. I decided to flip into maintenance and cut advertisements from my diet and the scale did its intial spike from getting to start stashing carbs... and then it started to drop again, probably because my body is still bigger than it wants to be.