I know it's not all about the number.. but..

NicoWoodruff

I have a question for the hive mind:

BMI charts say that for my small to medium frame at 4'11" tall I can be healthy at anywhere from 98 pounds to 128 pounds... I wonder..

For many years when I was in my early twenties I was between 110 and 115 and that was a healthy weight for me.. although at the time I would have said I was "fat" can you imagine? LOL.

These days I start feeling positively skinny at around 131 or 132 and I'm getting close (within 5 pounds) of that goal.. to be back where I was the last time I felt skinny that way before I gained weight. And then it's going to be all about the maintenance.. Last time I was at 131/132 I felt great and like I could fit into all my medium and skinny 12P clothes and that's a goal that I'm starting to get close to being back to.

But I'm wondering where I will actually want to stop losing to focus on the maintain. I'm sure I'll figure it out when I get there.. but I'm completely gobsmack that some charts say I could be as low as 98 pounds.. I think I'd be skin and bones there.

My sense is to see how I feel at 130 and then see maybe 128 or 125 (which is where I've set my goal on my ticker, at 125) Although in some ways I'm curious to see how I'd feel back at my old weight of 115 (or even 120 since some charts say I should be a little heavier now that I'm older.) Even 110 could be interesting but I doubt I'll try too hard to get under that.

Any thoughts?

And don't bother to tell me "it's not about the number" because I generally know that but it to me the number is an interesting way to monitor how my body feels at a particular weight. So I try to pay attention to the number without getting wigged out about it. It keeps me from having the scale start creeping back up to watch the number also.

Thanks in advance for your replies!


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sineadangele1

the part ere you said you'd think you'd look like skin and bones at 98 lbs.....not necessarily. my best friend was 5'2" and 98 lbs for the longest time and she looked perfectly healthy. it all depends on your body i guess. when you get down to where you wanna be, you'll know.

AdAstra47

This is where you have to remember that the charts and rules are only GUIDELINES. Like the Pirates' Code...

Seriously, everyone's body is different. People have different levels of musculature, different bone densities, different natural metabolisms. I, too, thought I was fat in high school, though I now realize I was very healthy back then. But I inherited a large frame, large bosom, and I'm naturally very muscular so I was *never* going to be rail-skinny like my friends. No matter what some chart says.

Just listen to your body. If you try to lose too much, you can become tired & weak & depressed. If you get to your goal, and you find that you are at a level where you're happy & energetic and can maintain it easily, then I'd say you chose your goal wisely.

Good luck to you!

ElizabethRoad

but I'm completely gobsmack that some charts say I could be as low as 98 pounds.. I think I'd be skin and bones there.

The chart doesn't mean to say that 98 is a healthy weight for you personally. It means that some people at your height can be healthy at 98.

NicoWoodruff

Great answers and thanks, still interested in hearing other's thoughts too. And yea I know at least from the charts that anything *under* 98 would be definitely underweight for me. So I doubt I'll do anything that extreme.

At least I know when I was younger 110 was fine and even felt a little pudgy to me then so I know I can likely go at least that far or further without problems. I'll just keep seeing how I feel as the scale goes down and stop when it feels right. I don't think I've ever actually been underweight so unlikely to happen now lol.

NicoWoodruff

Realized it's actually nice to even be having to wonder "where to stop" :happy: