Natural lowest happy weight

blueyegirl0712

So today I was discuss with a friend how I feel like I hit a plateau so she was giving me some advice but she also told me that my body has its natural lowest happy weight. What does everything think of that? Is that true? I have 15 lbs I would like to lose but is there a chance I'll never lose it??

CJ_Holmes

So today I was discuss with a friend how I feel like I hit a plateau so she was giving me some advice but she also told me that my body has its natural lowest happy weight. What does everything think of that? Is that true? I have 15 lbs I would like to lose but is there a chance I'll never lose it??

I don't think "natural lowest happy weight" is a scientific term, lol. I would think the "NLHW" would be the size/shape you are when you feel balanced and are taking good care of yourself without having to devote an excessive amount of time and energy to body maintenance.

I would guess though, that we all have a weight/body we could achieve if we say, had a career as an athlete or stunt double, and a quite different weight/body that we can happily manage given our current life circumstances.

You probably could make changes that would result in losing the 15 pounds, but the effort may not be worth it given your current priorities. It might take more time or sacrifice than you're willing to make. And maybe you would be happier not doing what you'd need to do.

Your "happy weight" might change when say, you have kids, or get a new job as a stunt double.

wiseeliz

I don't know if what your friend said is "true" or not, but I've been considering something similar recently. My original goal was to lose 20 lbs but I recently upped it to 30 lbs (I've lost 11 lbs since I started making lifestyle changes, including using MFP), but really, I've seen a change in how I look, how my clothes fit, and my level of fitness already, and if it turns out that my body doesn't want to cooperate with me on weight loss after a certain point (that "natural lowest happy weight," maybe), I think I'm prepared to accept that.

I pretty much agree with CJMQ. If your body and your brain can agree on your NLHW, then I see no reason to fight that. But if losing that last 15 lbs is really important to you, then make that happen. Good luck!

CristinaL1983

It sounds like what you are referring to is what some people call "set points." It's a place where you are happy with the way you look and so losing weight beyond that becomes a bit of a chore. When you are pretty close to goal, weight loss becomes slower and can seem less rewarding.

IMO, it's a good time to switch to a small deficit and set fitness goals rather than weight loss goals.

I don't think there is a physiological "set point" (until you hit extremely low body fat percentages, like single digit body fat) but is there a psychological set point? Definitely. I seem to be finding them every 10 lbs or so. I lose 10 pounds feel much better about myself, find it more difficult to make myself count calories and log everything accurately. After a little bit, I get back on track.

tomcornhole

I was there when I hit 205 lbs. I got there last July and was happy with how I looked and stayed there through Jan of this year (7 months). I was eating the same and working out the same, just never lost any more weight. I was good with that at the time. Then I decided to see where this could go and started working out a lot more. No weight loss. Tried dropping calories and actually gained weight. Then I got on here and decided to increase my calories. That did the trick. Started losing again and still going. We'll see where this ends up.

So, I was at a happy place at 205 lbs but got bored with it. Made a simple change and now I'll find a new happy place and go with that for a while. Would love to get to 185 lbs and go with that for a while. Maybe do some bulking after that. Haven't tried that yet.

magpie0

You don't stop gaining weight after your body has reached 'a natural highest weight'. If you want it, go for it.

wild_wild_life

I was recently thinking about something similar. I weighed 135 all my adult life and maintained at that weight effortlessly. Then I decided to lose weight and got down to 115 and felt great. Since I stopped logging, I have slowly made my way back up to 130. It's like the amount of food I want to eat is the amount to support a 135 lb me. So do I just relax and accept that my body wants to weigh 135? I think we do have a physiological set point, although it can probably be retrained. I'm not sure what it will take to retrain mine to what my brain thinks is my ideal weight.

BluePHX

My health coach says I'm good at 22% body fat and 138 pounds, but I'm most comfortable at 17-20% body fat and 129-132 lbs. I'm not unhealthy or anything, I'm just different than average I guess. A lot of people are.

blueyegirl0712

Thanks everyone! A lot of good opinions.

BarackMeLikeAHurricane

Sometimes your body finds a weight that it likes and is very stubborn about giving up any more weight. When I hit these points I know I have to be very strict about how much I eat to force it to lose more.

Lind5ay90

If you work hard and push yourself, you'll lose the last 15 pounds. But everyone has their own version of their "skinny" self. My "happy" weight is about 140. At that weight I look thing, healthy, happy, etc. My does thrives at this weight and it takes a lot to gain it back once I DO get to that weight.
If you want to lost 15 pounds, go for it! You'll be able to! It'll take a while, for sure, but you can do it.

jess6741

I'm kind of in the same situation. I think I am going to take a mental break from weight loss for a week or two and then go back to it. As long as you are healthy and happy that's all that matters.

blueyegirl0712

I'm glad to see so many post. I like to hear everyone's thoughts on this.