Less than ideal?

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azulita
azulita Posts: 14
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi, I'm 21 years old and about to reach my old goal weight 109 lbs which is a BMI of 22 for a woman that is 4'11" tall. Even though I've lost nearly 25 lbs, no one can really tell a difference in me, not even myself :frown: Even though I've lost pant sizes my thighs are still a large as always, and I have a tummy pouch. When I say alright, I'll try to lose 10 more pounds and go to 99 (BMI of 20), people give me a hard time :noway:

QUESTION: HOW MUCH LESS UNDER THE IDEAL BMI OF 22, CAN A PERSON GO YET STILL BE REALLY HEALTHY???
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  • Lyadeia
    Lyadeia Posts: 4,603 Member
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    BMI is not really the best measure of how you are doing. Have you had your body fat tracked at all? Body fat percentage is a much better indicator of success, because bodybuilders with very low body fat can have very high BMI's...and that would be insanely misleading, to say the least.

    My goal is to get to the high end of body fat percentage for women, which is about 17%. I have no idea what my BMI will be when I get there, and quite frankly, I don't care. I just know that with that bf%, I will be lean and have plenty of muscle to boot. :flowerforyou:
  • Cytherea
    Cytherea Posts: 515 Member
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    Sometimes it is really hard to see differences in yourself, and other people may not notice if they see you every day. Have you tried making up a before and after picture? Just find a picture of yourself before you lost weight, and put it next to a recent picture since you have. That might help you to put things in perspective. :wink:

    Maybe instead of focusing on losing more weight once you hit your goal, work on toning up and getting fit. If you end up losing more weight, great! If not, then you'll be in better shape and maybe some of your problem areas will go away.
  • saj9291113
    saj9291113 Posts: 65
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    I don't know much about BMI to say if 22 is good/bad. But as Lyadeia went towards(sorta), it could be that your thighs are big because you have put muscle there. Changing your flab(if you had any!) to muscle can change your numbers... good and bad. Looking at the photo you have up, I wouldn't say you have large thighs. You might just believe you are and have a little body dysmophia. That's when you preceive something is wrong with your body when there isn't. I work with two woman in my office. Both are Olive oil type bodies... both complain that they are getting fat (or one says she is getting back fat). I want to slap the crap out of them, but I know what's really going on.
  • azulita
    azulita Posts: 14
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    Yeah, I dance classical ballet / pointe 2 hours a day Monday through Friday. I do get stressed over not having "ballerina legs." My thighs touch all the way together from crotch to knees, but "ballerina legs" have a very very visable space between their thighs. Perhaps I should stop comparing myself to the other girls, after all, I can do everything they can do.

    Losing 19% of my body weight is probably more than enough. I'll see what my body fat is soon and go from there. Maybe I can do some strength and conditioning for my arms and upper body.
  • pamp1emousse
    pamp1emousse Posts: 282 Member
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    If you're wanting to go by BMI the healthy range is 18.5-25 so you can go down to about 92lbs... but I agree with everyone else - I'd just look at your body and see if you even have much fat to lose. Your frame also plays a part in all that - the low end of the healthy BMI is better for those with a small frame, middle for medium and upper end for a large frame.
    If you're still not happy with your body but you don't think you actually have much fat to lose maybe what you want is to be more toned? I've definitely got those confused before...

    As for people not seeing a difference, I completely empathise! Working that hard and losing that much you definitely would want some acknowledgement. Maybe getting yourself a new outfit, slightly different to one you would have worn before, will help people see the difference? It's hard to tell when you're seeing someone all the time.
  • Kate_UK
    Kate_UK Posts: 1,299 Member
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    My BMI is 22.4. I'm happy with the number but I still had the thighs and belly pouch. I started doing the 30 day shred to try and tone up a bit. I'm on day 19, I've not lost any lbs but I've lost an inch of my belly, my thights look longer and leaner and my arms are looking nicely toned. I'd recommend it to anyone!
  • Dlibo1013
    Dlibo1013 Posts: 883 Member
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    what is 30 day shred?
  • lulabellewoowoo
    lulabellewoowoo Posts: 3,125 Member
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    I lost 20 lb and no one has noticed either, but maybe it is because of them seeing me everyday. Disappointing, but not discouraging.

    My problem area has always been my thighs. All the exercising in the world wasn't doing it. For me, the only thing that worked was weight/fat loss. I had very lean muscles underneath once I was able to do that. So I upped my cardio to get the fat off and lessened my weight lifting until I could get the fat off.

    This is just something that worked for me. I think 14-17% BMI is the range for women who are looking for athletic bodies. But I think if you went down to 20% bmi, as long as you did it in a healthy way, you would probably be safe. Not sure? Always ask your doctor or a nutritionist.

    Great job on the weight loss.
  • Kate_UK
    Kate_UK Posts: 1,299 Member
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    what is 30 day shred?

    Its a dvd by Jillian Michaels. Its only 20 mins a day but its a great workout!
  • Dlibo1013
    Dlibo1013 Posts: 883 Member
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    Thanks and are you up early or up late? What is it 3:30 in Washington?
  • Kate_UK
    Kate_UK Posts: 1,299 Member
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    I'm in the Uk, its 12 O'clock lunch time here!
  • Dlibo1013
    Dlibo1013 Posts: 883 Member
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    oh sorry i thought Wa meant washington.:( So you in Whales? You look great keep up the good work.
  • Kate_UK
    Kate_UK Posts: 1,299 Member
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    Yes, Wales. Thank you for the compliment. Your doing a great job yourself, 67;bs is no mean feat:drinker:
  • Dlibo1013
    Dlibo1013 Posts: 883 Member
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    yeah i am getting there actuall closer to 95, lost over 25 before finding this :-)
  • Kate_UK
    Kate_UK Posts: 1,299 Member
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    Thats fantastic!
  • Dlibo1013
    Dlibo1013 Posts: 883 Member
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    thanks i will get there am not giving up. Sent you a freind request. Be nice to have a friend from Whales :-)
  • BoresEasily
    BoresEasily Posts: 582
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    Strength training would make a big difference. Look into New Rules for Lifting or Starting Strength. If you just want to lose inches and sculpt that's the way to do it. And just in case you're scared of bulking up if you lift heavy weights. Don't be. Because you won't. It's VERY difficult for women to bulk up. You will just sculpt what you have and burn fat. Here's what you will look like if you lift heavy.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjuULPqI-WY
  • TateFTW
    TateFTW Posts: 658 Member
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    Get thee to a weight room!
  • azulita
    azulita Posts: 14
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    Calculated my body fat score and it's at 25%, so that explains the thighs! :blushing: Now on the weight room!!!

    I just need to find a cheap weight room in Valencia, Spain... thats probably gonna be the hardest part :wink:
  • TateFTW
    TateFTW Posts: 658 Member
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    Calculated my body fat score and it's at 25%, so that explains the thighs! :blushing: Now on the weight room!!!

    I just need to find a cheap weight room in Valencia, Spain... thats probably gonna be the hardest part :wink:

    Actually, 25% isn't high for females at all. Bodyfat for females is (and should be) much higher than for males. A male can look fairly healthy (and not even that shredded) at a bodyfat percentage that would kill a female. The solution is still most certainly hitting the weights. My wife has always had larger thighs and upper arms, so it took me forever to get her in the gym. Now she's finally starting to see the new shape forming. Her legs look sick. Even though her leg muscles have grown and become much stronger, her upper thighs haven't grown at all and now look proportionate. Same thing for her arms. She's also proud because she can squat 100+ lbs going all the way down. She's also benching 85+. Not to shabby for a 115 lb girl who's been training for about 7 month.

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