updating my goal weight

basschick
basschick Posts: 3,502 Member
edited September 26 in Health and Weight Loss
When I joined this site I was at the heaviest I have ever been -- 176 pounds on a small frame standing 5 feet 5 inches tall. I felt huge and like I was walking around in another person's body. From the time I was a little kid up until I graduated college, I was always thin -- at times even underweight -- without dieting or exercising. In college I weighed 125 pounds and wore what would now probably be a size 6 to 8 (sizes have changed so much from the late 80s - early 90s to accommodate an increasing obese population!). When I hit age 25, I started to slowly pack on the pounds every year. I didn't think I would ever get back to my old thin self again. Now after 6 1/2 months of healthy eating and exercise I have lost 31 pounds and at 145, I am 10 pounds away from my stated goal weight. When I look at my body, I'm mostly happy with what I see -- a thin face, thin arms and legs, and I'm even beginning to show some definition in my upper abs. However, I'm still carrying around way too much weight in my lower abs and butt and I don't think a mere 10 pounds is going to make that much of a difference. When I started my weight loss journey 135 pounds seemed like a pie in the sky number, but now that I'm close to that I realize i was selling myself short. I am updating my goal weight to 128 pounds and will be crossing my fingers that my last 17 pounds come off in all the right places!

Replies

  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    I think you might be surprised at what the next 10 pounds will bring. I've noticed more changes in the past 5 pounds than in the first 10-15.

    I saw someone use the analogy once of a roll of paper towels. If you think of each sheet as a pound, it doesn't change much in looks when you take the first ten sheets off the roll. But as you get closer and closer to the core, each sheet goes around further. So removing the first ten sheets, or pounds, doesn't have the same visible impact as removing the last ten.
  • basschick
    basschick Posts: 3,502 Member
    That's a good way of looking at it, LL. I hope it works that way for me! :-)
  • sarahc001
    sarahc001 Posts: 477 Member
    Think of it as a percentage of body weight. Losing 31lbs means you lost about 17.6% of your body weight (kinda weird how that number works, given you started at 176.) Now, at 145, losing 10lbs would mean losing about another 7%. So with each pound you lose, each additional pound is a higher percentage of your current weight. To lose another 17.6% you would only need to lose 25.5lb. I'm NOT saying you should do this; it just gives you an idea of how the numbers work.

    I like the paper towel analogy, btw!
  • pandabrownie
    pandabrownie Posts: 4 Member
    @basschick- That is so awesome and is similar to my story. I'm totally not bragging but I was always a very pretty girl and my young body was effortless. I am 5' 5" and in college, I weighed about 135. At 25, I started packing on the pounds, until I reached 234! It was horrible. My family would look at me with disappointment and say that I used to be so pretty and asked what happened to me. Anyway, I started MFP and am seeing results. I feel hopeful and am inspired by stories like yours. I have lost 7 pounds now and am looking forward to more to come- more weight loss, more healthy living, more happiness, more activity...


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  • basschick
    basschick Posts: 3,502 Member
    Lilparsley, I used to get comments like that too: "You used to always be so thin. what happened?!?" Congrats on the 7 pounds lost. You CAN get that body that you had back in college!
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