Need some suggessions !!

skngn

Hi,

I am 22, 5.4 " and 131 pounds. I have joined MFP 4 days back and lost one pound successfully :happy: and ppl around tell I look good for my height and body fat, BMI are all normal, actually they were always normal ever since I hae known. Its jus that I don't feel fine with the way I look, its not that I wanna be skinny. I jus dont want someone to look at me and tell " SHED OFF 5 POUNDS AND U WILL BE JUST PERFECT" my frame size is medium and I eat, excercise and live healthy (rare cheat days). I am planning to put off 10 pounds by feb '13, so that my b'day has no embarassing moments.. My requirement says my intake should be 1200kcals everyday, but I don't go beyond 1000 as I feel bloated if I attempt to eat more. Is this healthy eating ? I hope am not running below my nutritional needs.. am I ??

sw- 131
cw - 130 (jus 4 days since I have joined MFP )
GW- 120

Happy shedding,
skngn..

melaniecheeks

What sort of suggestions are you after?

skngn

Hi melaniecheeks,

I have updated my post. do read. and thnx in advance for ur suggestions on my goal ..

melaniecheeks

OK. First, I'm concerned that your goal might be defined by what some unknown person thinks is "perfect". There is no perfect. Are you a dancer or model or something where appearance is very relevant to your career?

Second, you are already at a healthy weight, and you know it. The number on the scale is meaningless, go by how well you look in your clothes. Strength training might be something you want to consider to improve your shape.

Third, 1000 sounds too low as a daily intake, how long have you been doing that?

Oh, and welcome to My Fitness Pal, I hope you'll find lots of advice and support on here

ilovedeadlifts

OK. First, I'm concerned that your goal might be defined by what some unknown person thinks is "perfect". There is no perfect. Are you a dancer or model or something where appearance is very relevant to your career?

Second, you are already at a healthy weight, and you know it. The number on the scale is meaningless, go by how well you look in your clothes. Strength training might be something you want to consider to improve your shape.

Third, 1000 sounds too low as a daily intake, how long have you been doing that?

Oh, and welcome to My Fitness Pal, I hope you'll find lots of advice and support on here

I agree with all of this. Well said.

Too many people get caught up in what the scale says, instead of looking at themselves and seeing if they're healthy, happy with how they look, and able to do the things they want.

skngn

Hi melaniecheeks,

thanks for the reply. Yeah you are right that my scale shows some crazy reading and yeah what bothers is for an average Indian, a women of my height with my weight is kinda plump they call. and someway I was told that I can burst out to any bigger numbers if I dont maintain it right now..

and about the 1000 kcals, i have jus reduced t to 1000 for the past 4 days, before that I was not sure about my calorie intake in numbers but defnitely ate more than what I eat now..

JesterMFP

Yeah, firstly, don't let other people's opinions of you determine your own goals for your body. The fact is, there will always be someone who thinks you are too big, no matter what you weigh, and there will always be someone who thinks you are too skinny. If someone tells you to lose 5 pounds to be perfect, then they are talking rubbish. There is no such thing as "perfection", and chances are, their idea of perfection is vastly different to yours, or to the next person to come around the corner anyway.

Secondly, I seriously doubt that 1200 calories is the optimal amount for you to consume, let alone 1000. So, no, that is not healthy eating. You are almost certainly running below your nutritional needs. You are already a healthy weight, so your body cannot support a very large calorie deficit. You risk losing more muscle mass than is necessary. As a result, you risk being a bigger size at any given weight than you could be. Also, if your body does not get enough energy for a long period of time, and you don't have the fat stores to support it (which you don't), your body will start to reduce non-essential processes, and you might find that there is a negative effect on your hormones, you hair, your skin etc.

Think about what you actually want to achieve with your body. Do you want to look more defined ("toned")? If so, it might be best to do some resistance or strength training. A lot of women have had good success here with getting their bodies to look smaller and firmer, just by lifting weights. They generally eat a lot more than you do at the moment though, and they stop looking at the number on the scale.

JesterMFP

Hi melaniecheeks,

thanks for the reply. Yeah you are right that my scale shows some crazy reading and yeah what bothers is for an average Indian, a women of my height with my weight is kinda plump they call. and someway I was told that I can burst out to any bigger numbers if I dont maintain it right now..

and about the 1000 kcals, i have jus reduced t to 1000 for the past 4 days, before that I was not sure about my calorie intake in numbers but defnitely ate more than what I eat now..

If what you're mostly worried about is future weight gain, then eating very small amounts of food now may actually make things worse in the future. Dieting, and over-restricting calories can have a bad effect on your metabolism. You'd be better off finding out what your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) is - this is the number of calories you need to maintain your weight. If you do want to lose a little, then find that number and eat a little less than that each day (say 10% below). Eating plenty, and regular exercise (if possible including some resistance training) will help you to maintain your healthy weight long-term. Eating very low calories now will not.

skngn

JesterMFP ,

Thanx for the reply.. and yeah First job on this new year is to find out my TDEE. and will make sure I dont run low on my nutritional needs.. :-) and weight training -- am already set to bump in a gym..

Firefox7275

If your Body Mass Index is in the healthy range (19-25) then you should not be seeking to lose weight to take you out of that range. If you feel wobbly get your bodyfat percentage measured, you may need to work on increasing your muscle mass through intense strength training. Starving a healthy weight body is the worst thing you can do, you will lose muscle mass which will make you softer and reduce your metabolism so more prone to gaining fat.