46 year old female my doctor said (do you believe him)

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CheatinLil
CheatinLil Posts: 71 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am 5' 7" and currently 162 lbs. I saw my doctor a few months ago and he has known me since I was 19 years old (I will be 46 this year). I was 120 lbs when I met him, and he said "there is no reason you can't be 120 lbs again". Do you believe him? I would like to believe him. l would love to be 150 by July. I'm in this for the long haul. I wouldn't mind being 120 again.
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  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
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    How tall are you?
  • CheatinLil
    CheatinLil Posts: 71 Member
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    5'7" :) Thanks for asking
  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
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    What's your time frame? I think you could do it. Though I myself wouldn't personally want to be that thin. I'd want more muscle, personally. Like, I'd maybe want to be the same SIZE I was at 19, but have more muscle (and therefore weigh a bit more than I did).
  • 4aces61
    4aces61 Posts: 292 Member
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    You can be w/e you want to be. It all depends on how hard you are willing to work for it. It's only 40lbs. That's a reachable # unless you have some physical problems to hinder you. What's your plan so far, do you even have one? That's a place to start.
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
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    I weigh less now than I did when I was 19, but then again I was chubby at 19. I bet you could get close.
  • amyllu
    amyllu Posts: 432 Member
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    I am currently 162 lbs. I saw my doctor a few months ago and he has known me since I was 19 years old (I will be 46 this year). I was 120 lbs when I met him, and he said "there is no reason you can't be 120 lbs again". Do you believe him? I would like to believe him. l would love to be 150 by July. I'm in this for the long haul. I wouldn't mind being 120 again.

    I certainly do believe him and it's entirely up to you how quickly you can get there... after all that's only 42lbs and at just 1lb a week that will be less than a year to achieve it. Also at 46 is a perfect time to really get the weight off before you get any older as then it starts to get a lot harder.
    I'm now 79 and it's taken me since April 2010 to lose 38lbs... that's a looong time by anybodies standards!

    Go to it .. and all the very best to you.. :smile:
  • Alissakae
    Alissakae Posts: 317 Member
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    That's pretty thin at your height. Do you really want to be that weight? I think the best goal is to be where you feel strong and healthy and happy.
  • CheatinLil
    CheatinLil Posts: 71 Member
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    His words just keep ringing in my ear.

    WB, If I put a timeframe on it, it would be Christmas. I may change my mind as I get closer. I would love to be in the 149 range.

    4 Aces, thanks for yur reply. My plan is to use MFP to count calories and try for a consistant deficit which is harder some days than others. I guess I will give it a go :)

    Busy Rae, thanks for your feedback. I hope so! :)
  • CheatinLil
    CheatinLil Posts: 71 Member
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    Thanks Amyllu. I think I am in that "the older, the harder" category now :) I'm not in a hurry, just curious and striving now.

    Alissa, Your right! I want to go for strong and healthy and happy! :) It was just a weird comment he made that stuck with me :)
  • ottermotorcycle
    ottermotorcycle Posts: 654 Member
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    Is 120 pounds not underweight for someone who is 5'7"?

    Do you think you really need to lose 40 pounds?

    Not, is it doable - because anything is doable - but is it necessary? I hate to see people on here struggling to lose the last ten pounds when they are already perfectly healthy and happy with their bodies, just so they can reach that weight that they set for themselves at the beginning. So maybe take it five or ten pounds at a time.
  • 4aces61
    4aces61 Posts: 292 Member
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    Looking at your diary you could use some help. You're over your sodium quite often. Coffee alone just for breakfast is not that great. Peanuts for dinner. You need more balanced meals. If you restrict too much, your body will think you're starving it and slow your metabolism down. Are you getting any exercise? Have a look at my diary for some ideas on a better balance of meal planning. It's working out pretty well for me.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    I guess that depends...when I was 19 I weighed about 145 Lbs...I'd have to burn off a bit more fat at this point and a whole lot of muscle to get to that weight now. I'm definitely not into burning muscle.

    You have to keep your entire body composition in mind...you likely have more muscle now than when you were 19 even if you haven't been doing anything deliberate. Just being overweight and moving that weight is going to build muscle which is why I always claim I was just on a 10 year bulk when I gained weight.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    Is 120 pounds not underweight for someone who is 5'7"?

    Do you think you really need to lose 40 pounds?

    Not, is it doable - because anything is doable - but is it necessary? I hate to see people on here struggling to lose the last ten pounds when they are already perfectly healthy and happy with their bodies, just so they can reach that weight that they set for themselves at the beginning. So maybe take it five or ten pounds at a time.

    Also this^^^^
  • PaytraB
    PaytraB Posts: 2,360 Member
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    That's pretty thin at your height. Do you really want to be that weight? I think the best goal is to be where you feel strong and healthy and happy.

    This.
    You probably could get to 120 lbs again, but where would you feel best? Is it necessary to be that thin? Take it slow for now. Lose, do some strength training and cardio, eat healthy. See where it takes you. You'll know when you've reached a goal and are happy to be there.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    Is 120 pounds not underweight for someone who is 5'7"?

    Do you think you really need to lose 40 pounds?

    Not, is it doable - because anything is doable - but is it necessary? I hate to see people on here struggling to lose the last ten pounds when they are already perfectly healthy and happy with their bodies, just so they can reach that weight that they set for themselves at the beginning. So maybe take it five or ten pounds at a time.

    It's not underweight, but it is very close. BMI would be 18.8.

    It's certainly possible, but it's not possible to have much muscle and be 120 lbs at 5'7". 120 lbs on your 46 yo frame is probably not going to look as good as it did at 19. You will not have that natural firmness that comes with youth, and you couldn't have much muscle and weigh that little. While it is possible to get there, you may not like it once you do.
  • SandraJN
    SandraJN Posts: 305 Member
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    Just remember your skin isn't 19 anymore and your face may not look as attractive at that weight as it did then! I'm 5'2" and think I would look haggard at 120 now that I am 61. My face will tell me when it's enough.
  • MsJulesRenee
    MsJulesRenee Posts: 1,180 Member
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    Concentrate on your measurements, not weight! Just because you weigh a certain weight doesn't mean that you are healthy. If you are routinely working out I'm sure you are gaining muscle as well. Muscle weighs more than fat so be conscience of your weight loss with your muscle gain. Muscular at 120lbs looks a lot different than dieting to be 120lbs.
  • redmondrhonda
    redmondrhonda Posts: 3
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    Yes, I believe it can happen. I've gone from 215 down to 153 over the course of a few years. Each time I plateaued I stopped trying. So I was stuck around 165/170 for a while, then lately shot back up to 187. In December, I began again with a different outlook on why I want to lose weight, what I'm eating, and am working through the plateaus instead of saying "Well, I couldn't possibly get there from here. Here is good enough." It is coming off (33 lbs in 4 months) but it does take a lot more consistent activity on top of diet (what you eat) and calorie intake. It can seem impossible but I can't buy clothes that stay fitted to me for more than a few weeks right now. Such a dilemma! I've adjusted my mindset to get back to my high school weight of 135 and fully expect it to happen by the end of the summer.
  • wen1965
    wen1965 Posts: 6
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    When I was 37 I got down to the weight I was at 19; just because you can, doesn't mean you should! I was gaunt and looked dreadful. I was under a lot of stress at the time and just not eating. 10 years later I had a doctor tell me that I was the right weight simply because he looked at the BMI charts. I'm petite, at a BMI of 22 I could lose a few pounds. What was your doctor's basis for making this statement?

    Having said that if you do it sensibly and you were a mature build at 19 it can be done, I would however aim for the size I was, not the weight. Bodies change over time and you may end up a different weight with the size you were at that age.
  • hill8570
    hill8570 Posts: 1,466 Member
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    Don't know your build, but I'd think 150 would be perfectly OK...120 sounds awfully thin. Even at your current weight I'd think that working on fitness and muscle tone would be a lot bigger bang for the buck than worrying about weight loss.

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