5'4" Ladies with Before and After Pics

I LOVE this thread. I love how confident you all seem, and you serve as such an inspiration to me!!!!! Thank you!

@basilin

even if she isnt underweight, her daily goal is 850/650 kcal...

Basilin wrote: »

hilarywilldoit wrote: »

I mean this very kindly, and I don't want you to take this harshly.
But if you are 5'3, then 80 something pounds is severely underweight.
I immediately thought you look like someone who is starving, then when I saw what you weigh I was concerned. But what really worries me is that it says "CW- current weight"..not "GW- goal weight".... which indicates that you wish to lose more. I'm scared for you. Your weight loss is up to you, I debated a long time over whether I should speak up and I wouldn't have said anything except that I'm worried you want to lose even more than that. Wishing you luck and health on your journey.

Everyone is built differently. She looks unusually skinny because the shirt she is wearing is baggy, and I don't know how you could tell from that pic that she is underweight. She doesn't look "gaunt" or anything to me. I'm going to trust she knows what's best for her, and those close to her that know her would speak up if there was a problem.

Great job, by the way, reaching your goals, ithrowconfetti!

I am 5' 3'' am concerned by the photos and the numbers as well. Please make sure you are eating to be healthy. Everyone is built differently. That's true. My goal weight (which I had achieved at one point and then back slid a bit) is 125 pounds. that puts me at the lower end of the BMI chart in America. According to the chart, I could have gone down to 120 and been in the healthy range, but I thought that 125 looked slim and healthy. Regardless of build or clothing, 86 pounds is far, far below what would be considered a healthy weight for your height. Please be careful and maybe think about getting a physical?

TheVirgoddess wrote: »

Basilin wrote: »

hilarywilldoit wrote: »

I mean this very kindly, and I don't want you to take this harshly.
But if you are 5'3, then 80 something pounds is severely underweight.
I immediately thought you look like someone who is starving, then when I saw what you weigh I was concerned. But what really worries me is that it says "CW- current weight"..not "GW- goal weight".... which indicates that you wish to lose more. I'm scared for you. Your weight loss is up to you, I debated a long time over whether I should speak up and I wouldn't have said anything except that I'm worried you want to lose even more than that. Wishing you luck and health on your journey.

Everyone is built differently. She looks unusually skinny because the shirt she is wearing is baggy, and I don't know how you could tell from that pic that she is underweight. She doesn't look "gaunt" or anything to me. I'm going to trust she knows what's best for her, and those close to her that know her would speak up if there was a problem.

Great job, by the way, reaching your goals, ithrowconfetti!

Because at 5'3", 86 pounds is more than 20 pounds underweight, and a real health risk. A healthy weight would be 107-135. So people aren't reaching out to be cruel, but out of genuine concern. Not everyone is lucky enough to have someone to speak up for them.

Well, it sounds like people have "spoken up" enough to her for her to write this in her profile:

"I'm 160cm, and weighed 67 kilograms in 2012. I then decided it was time for me to shed unnecessary weight that could lead to health complications in the future. Fast forward two years later, and I'm now approaching 38 kilograms. Although my BMI is low, doctors have given me a clean bill of health, and I've never been in better shape. I have no ailments or illnesses recorded, such as high cholesterol or diabetes, thankfully."

So, I'm going to trust her beautiful smile and say congrats.

@Basilin

She wrote that in her profile prior to anyone saying anything in this thread. (I know because I looked at her profile immediately after seeing her post and at that time no one had said anything.) Obviously others in her life are also worried.

Some days her food diary shows less than 300 calories consumed. Most days less than 800.

With a weight of just 86lbs at 5ft 3in tall then she's dangerously underweight. Her BMI is 15.2.
Source: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/lose_wt/BMI/bmicalc.htm


Definition of Underweight by BMI - Livestrong.com
According to the World Health Organization, normal weight is considered to be a BMI of 18.5 to 24.99. A BMI of 17 to 18.49 is consider to be mild thinness, 16 to 16.99 is considered to be moderate thinness, and less than 16 is considered to be severe thinness. Because anorexia is defined as having a below normal body weight for height, a BMI below 18.5 would meet the criteria for anorexia.

Basilin wrote: »

Well, it sounds like people have "spoken up" enough to her for her to write this in her profile:

"I'm 160cm, and weighed 67 kilograms in 2012. I then decided it was time for me to shed unnecessary weight that could lead to health complications in the future. Fast forward two years later, and I'm now approaching 38 kilograms. Although my BMI is low, doctors have given me a clean bill of health, and I've never been in better shape. I have no ailments or illnesses recorded, such as high cholesterol or diabetes, thankfully."

So, I'm going to trust her beautiful smile and say congrats.

when i had anorexia and my bmi was 14.5 i had to take blood test every 2 weeks, and everytime the results where perfect, my hair didn't fall out, i felt great; doesn't mean i was healthy

TheVirgoddess wrote: »

I mean this very kindly, and I don't want you to take this harshly.
But if you are 5'3, then 80 something pounds is severely underweight.
I immediately thought you look like someone who is starving, then when I saw what you weigh I was concerned. But what really worries me is that it says "CW- current weight"..not "GW- goal weight".... which indicates that you wish to lose more. I'm scared for you. Your weight loss is up to you, I debated a long time over whether I should speak up and I wouldn't have said anything except that I'm worried you want to lose even more than that. Wishing you luck and health on your journey.

I very much agree.

I totally agree with the opinion, as a matter of fact your face looks like a sickened person. sorry to say.

Hi, all!
Thank you so much for your sincere comments. Perhaps I should have clarified from the get-go, that my current weight wasn't my goal from the start. I aimed to be at a healthier weight than before, and somehow, I just ended up losing a lot more than initially planned. Some of you have said that you're worried I didn't put 86 pounds as my goal weight, but rather my current weight. Simple reason is that 86 wasn't my goal weight at all. Neither is anything lower. I'd like to clarify that I only joined MFP 3 weeks ago, when I was already 90 pounds. This was because I was hoping to track my weight, and ensuring I don't lose too much more, ever since I got my braces 6 months ago. I should have also mentioned from the start that getting braces has compelled me to not be able to eat as well as before. I intentionally left my diary open, so anyone can call me out on any *kitten*, if they deem fit. I should also clarify that because I am new to the site, I do not pay heed to the daily calorie goals I've supposedly set, as I'm trying to get used to eating more again, after getting my braces. Please understand that I log in typically a meal a day, as I do intermittent fasting. I am working my way up to ingesting maintenance calories gradually and will be stricter with my logging in the future. Like I've mentioned in my profile, my doctors have ensured all tests have come back normal, and my only advice from them was to gain a few pounds. Many may have the nagging suspicion that I have an ED, but this is far from the truth. I love food too much, and understand the importance of nutrition for survival. I think on days like 16 October, I ate around 4200 calories at a seafood buffet I went with my family. I managed to get in that much, because I hoarded everything from the dessert section. I hope this shows that I am not against eating enough, but I'd like to do it healthily, not just stuff myself with sweets every day simply to reach a certain calorie goal. I apologise. I didn't mean to promote a seemingly unhealthy lifestyle. I just wanted to share pictures of weight loss to show our fellow ladies that it simply is possible to lose weight after being severely overweight.

Basilin wrote: »

tfhawthorne wrote: »

TheVirgoddess wrote: »

arditarose wrote: »

Before and During. Strength train!

You're adorable.

Why didn't I look like that @ 141 lbs?! *pouts*

That's what I thought! She's gorgeous in both pictures.

Aw thanks guys! You look great too! Most of my fat is in my legs and butt. I have cellulite. I lifted heavy throughout my entire weight loss (since June) and it I think I feel more confident at this weight than I would if I had not been lifting.

Oh. I was basing my stats off Singapore's health standards. Over here, a BMI of 23 is deemed too high. And our height and weight charts differ greatly from what may be found in countries like the US or UK.

I understand. Like I said, I am gradually working my work up. I do not plan on not eating at least 1400 calories daily my whole life.

*regarding ithrowconfetti* after reading some of the negative things people are saying...how would you feel if it was the other way around?? I see plenty of women who are 5'4" and have a goal weight of 145+ pounds (AND THEY DO NOT LIFT WEIGHTS)...since there are many people that seem to use a bmi as a reference for this woman....GUESS WHAT?! 146 pounds is OVERWEIGHT (according to bmi calculators). Imagine if a woman on here posted her goal weight of 145+ .....I doubt anyone would say "Yeah you need to lower that goal because you will be overweight if you stop there" why do people think that thinner people do not take offense to this kind of stuff????? I had a friend in high school who had the same body as ithrowconfetti (currently) and she was HARASSED big time!! "eat a cheeseburger" "you look like a 12 year old boy" "you look anorexic" my poor friend had a crazy metabolism and could not easily gain weight, this girl ate. She literally would go home and cry and say how much she hated her body. Just something to think about!

ithrowconfetti wrote: »

Thank you for your contribution! I can definitely see your side of the story, and I'm sorry that there are many like your friend (I've heard similar stories) who've been unnecessarily abused regarding weight. I think what has made most people concerned here is that my I didn't clarify beforehand that I've not been strict in logging in my calories so far, because I'm relatively new to the site, and also, because I created an MFP account only after I got down to 90 pounds, which wasn't my goal weight at all. Thus, many people believe that my current weight and what has been logged in so far share a causational relationship, i.e., I am at my current weight, solely because I have been eating in this "manner" of ridiculously low calories throughout my weight loss journey. That is of course far from the truth, no matter what some may choose to believe. What hasn't helped, is that I got braces six months ago, and have suffered quite a bit from a loss of appetite. It's not that I haven't stopped eating altogether. It has been getting gradually better, and I am doing my best to up my calorie intake healthily. Thank you so much, Akilah, for speaking out on this and providing a different perspective, because I do agree that many girls who are quite thin, are often assumed to have eating disorders, when other factors may actually be the cause. And to all those who've spoken up regarding how I look really terrible and gaunt (I won't and don't take offence, because it's your opinion, and I'm okay in my own skin), I do appreciate it, because if I saw someone I suspected of having an ED or leading an "unhealthy" lifestyle, I'd want to reach out to him/her too. Once again, my sole intention was to contribute to this forum, which asked for before and after pictures in the hopes of celebrating the goal of weight loss to minimise potential health risks, and I didn't mean to offend anyone or promote a certain lifestyle.

You are a little on the thin side but (a) you appear to have a tiny frame anyway and (b) it's really nobody else's business but yours. As long as you look after yourself and aren't doing yourself any harm (the truth of which, only you can really know).