46 year old female my doctor said (do you believe him)

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  • jfauci
    jfauci Posts: 531 Member
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    Here are my thoughts, for what it's worth. I'm 5'7" and I'm 49 years old. In the last year, I've lost about 30 pounds. My weight fluctuates between 120 and 122. Ideally, I would probably be about 130 or so. I think I set my goal a bit too low and got a bit carried away with the loss. Even if you did want to get to 120, doing it by July is not healthy or necessary.

    I would start eating healthier, watch your macros and get some exercise. Don't focus on being 120 pounds by July - focus on getting healthy and making this a commitment to your health. And, I think your doctor is being unreasonable. 120 pounds for a 5'7" 46 year old is too low. Good luck.
  • fificrazy
    fificrazy Posts: 234
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    He forgot that from the onset of puberty until the age of 25, different parts of your skeleton literally expand- your hips, your ribcage, etc. Your bones finally finish growing and become more dense. Going against your natural set point at your age will pretty much have detrimental effects on your metabolism, bone density- nor should there be any reason you aspire to have a 19 year olds body any more.
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
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    Christmas is 32 weeks away, give or take. I agree with a lot of people on here -- 120 sounds really low for your height. I'm 5'4" and am trying to bulk right now because I look ill at 120.

    However...by Christmas, you can lose between 16 and 32 pounds (0.5 to 1 pound a week). That's absolutely achievable. That would put you somewhere between 130 and 146, which would be right in the middle of the healthy BMI range. I would focus on losing that 0.5 to 1 pound per week, not so much on the end goal.
  • skinnyinnotime
    skinnyinnotime Posts: 4,141 Member
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    That's really low for your height.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
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    My mom was 5' 8" and had 7 kids. She was 128 in her 50s and looked really awesome and quite thin. She could wear anything. So don't worry about getting to 120.

    Yes, but did she gain weight and then lose it to get there? Or did she stay active with 7 kids and never got very overweight? It's a different thing when you have to lose weight, and the corresponding lean body mass that would go with it, when you are heading into menopause and need that bone density for health.
  • Emi1974
    Emi1974 Posts: 522 Member
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    I want to slap him for putting an idea into your head that in the long term might let you feel like a failure if you can't reach that weight

    :mad:
  • GertrudeHorse
    GertrudeHorse Posts: 646 Member
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    My personal feeling is that you should find a weight that you feel happy with. Arbitrary number is just that; arbitrary. There are too many variables to say whether this is a good idea for you personally. Of course it is possible to achieve that weight, but you should ask yourself: 1) is it a healthy weight for me, 2) will I feel happy with my body at that weight, 3) is it a sustainable size for me...also take into account that being very thin when you are older will age you a lot. You aren't 19 any more and a little bit of fat helps fill out the wrinkles :tongue:
  • Athena53
    Athena53 Posts: 717 Member
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    I'm 61 and 5'7". I was at 120 in my 20s but got up o 147 about 4 years ago. I'm now at 131 and pretty darn happy with what I see in the mirror- even naked! I think that dropping and keeping off that last 10 lbs. would be a lot of trouble. More time working out, fewer indulgences in things I enjoy but are bad for me.

    Yes, 120 is possible, but it may not be the best weight for you.
  • mspoopoo
    mspoopoo Posts: 500 Member
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    Doctors say all kind of nutty things. They used to encourage people to smoke too back in the day.

    You know where you look and feel the healthiest and really isn't that what matters, not some number on the scale.

    My doctor said I should drink alcohol and stop taking multi vitamins. I just ignore that nonsense.
  • msbunnie68
    msbunnie68 Posts: 1,894 Member
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    I am your age and height.
    When I first realized my clothes were tight and I needed to lose a bit of weight (I exercise and have done all my life) I discussed it with my doctor at my yearly 5000km checkup LOL.

    She stuck me on the scales, looked at her charts and said "Piffle. You are just fine according to the numbers". But I disagreed and said I didn't feel 'fine'. She said up on the table and I'll have a look whilst we get the other guff out of the way.

    She looked at me naked during examinations we ladies get (yep...yuck) and agreed with me that despite being in 'normal range' for BMI and weight etc etc I was carrying a bit extra and decided I was definitely of the lighter frames variety.

    When I discussed with my doctor what my weightloss goals would be, she suggested that pre-baby weight was probably a little light and that I should probably aim for 5kg heavier than that.

    That's how I set my goal weight. And it has been easier than I thought at my age. I tweak my diet up every few months just to keep on track.

    Oh...my pre-baby weight that I was at for over 10 years with no effort - 49kg (108lbs)

    My current goal weight - 54kg (119lbs)

    Current weight - 55kg (121lbs)

    And I certainly don't look like I would break in a high wind, with haggard drooping witch skin and wrinkles like an elephants bum.
  • brookemart81
    brookemart81 Posts: 62 Member
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    I don't think that's necessarily too low at all. I'm 5'7' and I weighed 125 in college, and that's where I'm aiming to get again. I have a narrow frame and a straight figure (i.e. small boobs and butt) but I definitely didn't look underweight when I was that size. I'd like to get there again, then switch to focusing on weight training and getting strong (ignoring the scale and paying more attention to measurements after that.)
  • KatMicNYC
    KatMicNYC Posts: 20 Member
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    Hi! Uh, 5 foot 7 and 162 is not that bad? What's the problem? I would guess you're a size 8 or 6? So loose 10 pounds you should be ideal. Sure you can be 120, that would put you at an underweight BMI. Maybe your doctor was speaking theoretically, It's just basic mathematics calories consumed minus calories burned. Us humans are odd creatures aren't we. There's not another animal on the planet that seeks out weight loss. Of course weight gain was a huge relatively rare biological advantage for humans, allowing us to survive longs periods of time without food. Few other animals can fatten up the way we do. And the good news is that we are also biologically setup to use it all up in times of famine, unfortunately we have to simulate that. I always felt like my dominant ancestral line were walkers, that we walked all day, doing I don't know what., probably selling stuff, because I love walking, moving and crafty arty stuff. If I were doing what my ancestors did I wouldn't be fat. Unfortunately like most I'm grinding away at a job behind a desk, and feeling too exhausted from the job stress to do anything with the remaining 4 hours of my day before I start all over again. I envy contractors, dog walkers, on their feet all day, being physical. My dog walker is pretty heavy though which I think is odd? I watched the garbage men the other day, the guys were literally running along the side of the truck half of the route, imagine all day long. It's like they're doing a marathon every day, believe me those guys were thin, and they seemed oddly happy too. When people still want to lose weight but they don't' really need to I wonder if what they're really needing is a physical outlet. Like the body keeps telling them, "you've got more fuel here to use up". Good luck!
  • fitandfortyish
    fitandfortyish Posts: 194 Member
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    I'm 5'7" and currently 128....I'm 46. I've been as low as 125 at 20% bf just about a year ago. I'm wouldn't say I looked sickly....just lean. Btw, I do lift.

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