Does your body have a natural healthy weight?

I have experienced something similar. My body cannot seem to happily go below 130, though I would love to be more like 120. I can maintain around 130 with no issues - working out, eating healthy with some treats, and generally enjoying myself. I have gotten down to 125 before but it was a pretty miserable experience. I had to be SO careful about what I ate and I couldn't miss a workout. I don't want to live like that, so I've pretty much accepted that I should aim to stay around 130.

I definitely believe in calories in v. calories out, so I know that I COULD get down to 120 if I just kept counting calories long enough. But the issue is maintaining there. If I ever started eating like I wanted again, I know I'd just jump right back up to 130.

Mine has changed since I've had children. My body was comfortable around the 125 range when I was in the military. I was also doing an hour and a half of exercise a day and barely eating anything because I wasn't hungry very often and didn't have a whole lot of time to eat.

Now, I seem to be comfortable hanging around 140. But I've had two kids, I've been either pregnant or breastfeeding for more than 3 years, and I'm maintaining at roughly 2500 calories a day to keep up my milk supply. Maybe when I stop breastfeeding I can be more restrictive, but for now, if I feel hungry, it means I should eat for the sake of my son.

Thanks for posting this! I was wondering the same thing.

I'm 5'7" and 37 years old. As an adult, my weight has tended to yoyo from 139-159. For the most part once I get to 139, I've been able to maintain it without too much effort unless I really start eating more poorly for too long, or do something like get pregnant with twins

However, this summer i got down to 128 and have been trying to figure out what I can maintain. I decided pretty quickly that 130-131 was probably more realistic for me but I've been waffling more in the 132-133.8 range and deciding if I should stay there or try to get back to 130-131. (You wouldn't think a pound or two would make a difference, but somehow it seems to affect how my clothes fit; I think it tends to all go to my stomach.) So ... I don't really know. It also hasn't helped that I had an extremely stressful summer, moved a month ago (and gained 2-3 lbs that week; I was doing better before that) and my husband's brought all kinds of temptations into the house over the past month. I'm still trying to figure out if this is a realistic weight for me to maintain or if it will take too much work to stay here and I should accept 139ish as my happy point. For me, that does make a difference in clothing sizes so I need to figure it out soon before I get rid of all my size 10 clothes!

I'm not really sure, but here's a thought: instead of focusing on the number on the scale, try strength training and focusing on body composition. You can look awesome without the scale ever moving.

I do think there is a set point. But I think it goes up as you age! Right now my body would easily maintain at 140, but since I am just over 5 ft 2 inches, that would be overweight for me. I am currently at 124 and fighting hard to get back to 115, with very little progress being made. My hunger does not match my slim body! I got down to 112 a couple of years ago, and I felt like that was as low as i should go, but now I cant get back there. Without truly being hungry (I am talking eating about 1100 cals a day!)

I would love to be able to maintain on a calorie number that would allow me to enjoy treats from time to time, eating out, an occaisional glass of winte, etc. But unfortunately that does not seem to be possible for short women over 40! I seem to maintain at 1500-1600 calories a day, and that is just enough to not feel starved or deprived, but not enough to treat yourself, unless you plan carefully ahead and restrict another meal. That is what I do--if I know we are having a celebration or going out, I eat about 200 cals for breakfast and 200 cals for lunch. Then I can have a moderate dinner (or eat at a party). If I dont cave in at 3 pm and eat the sofa!!

^^ what you said reminded me of research that has showed that if the mother is dieting or food restricted in pregnancy, the baby is more likley to develop obesity. The theory is that the fetus gets signals that food is in short supply so will be more prone to storing fat to counter this.

This article discusses something similar but seems more focused on the carb intake of the mother.

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/pregnant-mothers-diet-linked-to-child-obesity-study-2270283.html

I've been stuck around 180-183 for 2 years now. My goal is 165. I eat at a deficit and should lose 1lb/week but never do.

I hope my body has only plateaued for a crazy long time.

Well yes by changing routines you can loose weight and maintain but it doesn't mean the set point is changed mainly because you still have to restrict to maintain, by counting calories or lowering portions, by deprieving your body and mind. There is a difference between a set point and maintainance with restrictions. By changing your routines to healthier ones you are making healthy lifestyle changes but it has nothing with set point, it is about health. If you are restricting yourself and deprieving your body even the slighted your body notices and as time passes it sends more stronger signals for you to eat because it wants to get back a stable weight, the one that your body (not necessarly you) feels comfortable in.

Of course you can loose and maintain but my opinion is you should let your body be at the happy weight itself. Eat when you are hungry, no deprieving your mind and body. I am all for healthy lifestyle and routines but of course everything in moderation.

Why i came to believe that this is the case is that when i came down to a BMI of 15 and decided to recover i must've eaten 8 000 calories every single day, my body was deprieved and i was never satisfied and hungry all the time, both physically and mentally and as i was getting to my pre ED weight my hunger diminished more and more. I reached a slightly higher than my pre ED weight and over time got back to my pre ED weight as my hunger and apettite stabilized. Now it fluctates a few pounds up and down but i know my set point, respect all my hunger signals. Even the mental ones and do not deprieve myself and therefore i believe everyone ha a set point. At the beginning i though i was just going to eat 10 000 for the rest of my life and become obeese but our bodies and smart and they want to keep you at the most healthiest weight for them.