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Low - 111. Now -114. Set point or maintenance failure?

eso2012
eso2012 Posts: 337 Member
edited February 18 in Goal: Maintaining Weight
I have been trying not to freak out over the few pounds gain, but I am getting curious how much I am supposed to weigh!

I went from 134 to 110.5 in 2.5 years, little pains, just log, exercise etc. In other words, no starvation. BUT I did start with 1200 cal/day....then 1300/day....then 1500/day....so there was some serious cal deficit to kick it off, tapering off to "normal" eating. I am 5'3" BTW.

I did not plan my maintenance per se. But it coincided with a bad period of binge eating relapse, resulting in some pounds gain. Some water, some not.

Now I have settled back down to a good diet/exercise routine for 3-4 weeks - I am around 114.

Can this be my ideal weight? was 111 too low for me? I was more active then, but I was officially "logging to lose weight", which I do not intend to do forever...

Do you allow yourself a range?

Replies

  • acogg
    acogg Posts: 1,870 Member
    Yes, I think a five pound range, especially for an under 50 woman is ideal. Visualize a gallon of water or milk. Not very big or heavy. Yet a gallon of water weighs eight pounds. So a half gallon of water weight is very easily absorbed by the body when needed.
  • eso2012
    eso2012 Posts: 337 Member
    Yes, I think a five pound range, especially for an under 50 woman is ideal. Visualize a gallon of water or milk. Not very big or heavy. Yet a gallon of water weighs eight pounds. So a half gallon of water weight is very easily absorbed by the body when needed.

    Good visual! Thanks.
  • Graelwyn75
    Graelwyn75 Posts: 4,404 Member
    114 Ibs is fine. Maybe your body is simply happier at this weight?
    And sometimes, binge eating can be triggered by striving for a weight that is below a place your body is comfortable at. I have that experience. The lower I went, the harder it became to resist the urges to overeat.
    I would focus more on keeping a healthy, balanced diet and remaining active if I was you. And just monitor your weight and make changes if it continues to rise (unless you aim to build some muscle in which case it would obviously go up a little).
  • eso2012
    eso2012 Posts: 337 Member
    114 Ibs is fine. Maybe your body is simply happier at this weight?
    And sometimes, binge eating can be triggered by striving for a weight that is below a place your body is comfortable at. I have that experience. The lower I went, the harder it became to resist the urges to overeat.
    I would focus more on keeping a healthy, balanced diet and remaining active if I was you. And just monitor your weight and make changes if it continues to rise (unless you aim to build some muscle in which case it would obviously go up a little).

    My body and mind were quite happy at 111...but that was also the time I had NUMBERS in my head all the time, due to tracking cals-in-cals-out! I know that cannot be healthy in the long run.

    Quite a few of us have discussed that tracking can trigger BED.

    THe logical part of me totally knows that I should focus on health, workout etc. The vain/illogical part misses the lower number on the scale! ;)

    Thank you for the reminder.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    111-114 is a weight range. You won't weigh the same every single day. My weight range is 141-143. I love salt, so I expect some retention when I eat more salt.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    Quite a few of us have discussed that tracking can trigger BED.

    I think I know what you're trying to say, but....

    I have a recent past in binge eating (I have not binged since I started tracking a year ago), and a distant past with bulimia,, and tracking has taught me I have control over what I eat, and if I eat it I log it. Binge eating disorders come from an unhealthy relationship with food, and they are triggered by that unhealthy relationship, not by simply logging your food.
  • wjstoj
    wjstoj Posts: 884 Member
    You've weighed basically the same +/1 2 pounds for around a year and a half...sounds like you've got maintenance figured out.
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,619 Member
    We weigh about the same, and I am also 5'3". I don't really look any different when I weigh 111 compared to 114, and my clothes fit the same. Use your clothes and measurements as a guide with the scale as another tool. Its a range, really, you aren't going to weigh the exact same every day. Water weight can fluctuate daily as well as throughout the day. I noticed you made a comment about working on your muscles. Are you strength training? If so, you can eat a little more, build lbm, and gain a little weight. Exercise can also result in some water retention. If you do a slow recomp, you might be able to increase muscle and lose bf%, basically staying around the same weight, but becoming leaner. This is what I do, and I have gained from 110 to 114, but stay lean with a combination of weights and cardio. It depends on your goals.
  • eso2012
    eso2012 Posts: 337 Member
    Quite a few of us have discussed that tracking can trigger BED.

    I think I know what you're trying to say, but....

    I have a recent past in binge eating (I have not binged since I started tracking a year ago), and a distant past with bulimia,, and tracking has taught me I have control over what I eat, and if I eat it I log it. Binge eating disorders come from an unhealthy relationship with food, and they are triggered by that unhealthy relationship, not by simply logging your food.

    Yes, absolutely, I agree! It was a very brief and generic statement I have made.

    BED or any ED runs deep and not a matter of simple tracking or not tracking. People who have attended support groups/formal therapies have also reported conflicting schools of thoughts re: track/not track to manage BED.

    I am in the same boat as you, both in terms of history and attitudes towards logging.
  • eso2012
    eso2012 Posts: 337 Member
    You've weighed basically the same +/1 2 pounds for around a year and a half...sounds like you've got maintenance figured out.

    Wow, I NEVER looked at it this way. I just focused on having reached 111...and now not anymore.

    THANK YOU for a wise reminder!
  • eso2012
    eso2012 Posts: 337 Member
    I found a better way to describe my confusion...

    (1) Am I just using fluctuation or set point as an excuse to not re-lose those pounds?
    (2) Am I too married to the "perfect number" mindset?
  • eso2012
    eso2012 Posts: 337 Member
    We weigh about the same, and I am also 5'3". I don't really look any different when I weigh 111 compared to 114, and my clothes fit the same. Use your clothes and measurements as a guide with the scale as another tool. Its a range, really, you aren't going to weigh the exact same every day. Water weight can fluctuate daily as well as throughout the day. I noticed you made a comment about working on your muscles. Are you strength training? If so, you can eat a little more, build lbm, and gain a little weight. Exercise can also result in some water retention. If you do a slow recomp, you might be able to increase muscle and lose bf%, basically staying around the same weight, but becoming leaner. This is what I do, and I have gained from 110 to 114, but stay lean with a combination of weights and cardio. It depends on your goals.

    Hi there,

    I was about to start a recomp when (a) I had a relapse of 2-months-long binge eating (b) knee injury and flu so reduced workout.

    So, sad to say, the weight gain is not muscle-related. However, it is water-related due to the antibioltic course I am on plus lack of lymphatic drainage (intensive workout).

    I do not weigh myself everyday and when I do, like once a week, it is always in the morning after bathroom.

    Thank you for all the reminders. I thijnk I know the answer but am so married to the "happy number" that I am freaking out ..hence the post.

    Otherwise, I think I am a professional and logical person ;)
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,619 Member
    I know what you mean. What I know logically, and what I actually do, can be very different things!
  • sarafischbach9
    sarafischbach9 Posts: 466 Member
    Yeah, I know! It is frustrating! But 114 lbs isn't that much higher than 111 lbs to put things in perspective. You can probably wear the same clothes and jeans. Could be a tad tighter depending on your body, but definitely wearable. Also I don't think you failed at maintaining.... our bodies have ranges and our weights can go up and down. You could be at 111 randomly in a couple of weeks so who knows?
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    A weight range is good, and not freaking out every time the scale moves up is even better.

    At your height and 114 pounds, you either have a teeny frame or you are underweight. Either way, you don't need to lose any more weight, and I see you are trying to get to 110.
  • sshintaku
    sshintaku Posts: 228 Member
    My goal was 130, and I got down to 128. I gained a couple pounds and freaked out a little, but now I sort of look at it that as long as I am AT 130 or below, I'm ok. If I jump up to 131 or 132 after a night out, I don't freak out but I watch myself more closely for the next few days until I'm back down closer to 129-130.
This discussion has been closed.

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