Loving my body at age 43.

kwardklinck · March 2010

Even though I'm 5 pounds from my goal, I just keep marvelling at how small I feel. I am 10 pounds heavier than I was in my 20s and early 30s but I can't help noticing how small and toned my arms are. I don't think they've ever looked like this. When I was doing Pilates yesterday, I really got a look at my legs and couldn't believe how muscular and small they look. I still have that small pocket of fat on each of my inner thighs. They've been there since I had my kids and I'm not sure what I can do about them. I'm going to keep going with the exercise and hope they will shrink if not disappear altogether. I am however, starting to rethink my goals. If I'm muscular, will I just weigh more? My hips and waist are nice and small. I can see that inches have disappeared since starting MFP. An ideal weight calculator said I should be 5 pounds less but when I was at my "ideal" weight before I wasn't toned. I already wear the same size that I did back then. Could it be that my muscle tone could keep me from reaching my goal? If that's the case, I'll take the muscles over a number on the scale.

StarryEyedGirl · March 2010

That's AWESOME!

kltobin2010 · March 2010

Way to go! So glad you are happy with what you accompished and the outcome of all that hard work!
I agree, I would def take the muscle tone over the number on the scale!
Great job!!!!! :happy:

Stormidaiz · March 2010

Absolutely you will weigh more if you are muscular. And the big bonus...muscle burns more calories that fat! So if you are the same size...I would say call it GOAL if you are where you want to be as far as size. As a 42 year old woman myself, I am aware that at this age you can not let yourself get too small as it will age you. I am so happy for you! Congrats!

Lisa0711 · March 2010

I would take muscle any day too! I actually have a lot of muscle myself. According to the weight charts and all, I'm still obese. But using a body fat analyzer, I'm around 29% body fat... which means that I'm overweight, not obese. However, based on my weight, I'm still 10-15 pounds away from being out of the obese zone.

Really all that matters is how you feel. If you feel comfortable, and you're happy with your body, I'd say you've reached your goal! Don't worry about the numbers! Congrats!

JJRunning · March 2010

Congrats! I'd take toned over numbers any day! P.S What's the ideal weight calculator?

kwardklinck · March 2010

It's something that I found online when I googled "What is my ideal weight"

Яaquel · March 2010

Great Job =]

x86pgmer · March 2010

Sounds like you have reached a good weight. Congratulations! According to Wikipedia, "The BMI gives particularly inaccurate information with regard to individuals with above-average lean muscle mass, classifying such individuals as "overweight" or "obese" despite the fact that their body fat percentage would indicate they are in excellent physical condition."

If you are wanting a definite answer, measuring body fat rather than weight is much more accurate. I am fortunate that my fitness center offers hydrostatic weighing (most accurate aside from high tech, high dollar DEXA scan), but not everyone has access to that. There are a few other ways to measure body fat and you can check that out here:

http://www.ehow.com/how_4852907_measure-body-fat-accurately.html

Also be aware that the hand held analizers have been known to over esimate body fat in women by as much as 50%, so trust your eyes over even that number

kwardklinck · March 2010

If I did it correctly, my body fat is at 18.9. I'm nearly smack in the middle of the healthy range for my BMI. I'm at the top of the ideal weight range for my height and age and small frame. I think I'm going to just work on feeding my body correctly and building muscle at this point. Thank you for your help.

Loving my body at age 43.

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