lost too much weight?

derek0311
derek0311 Posts: 31 Member
edited November 24 in Motivation and Support
I'm 33 5'9 and 147 pounds. I started this year off at 215 and have been back and forth between 175 and 215 for the last couple years. In March of this year I had enough and decided to make drastic changes. First I cut out cokes and processed sugars. Then I started walking, exercising, lifting, and finally running. I've lost 68 pounds and now people are telling me I'm too skinny. I have a small frame and I carry extra weight pretty well. My stomach is the last place to get extra pounds unfortunately its also the last place the weight comes off. I still have twelve pounds to go to get to my goal weight. A personal trainer once told me to not focus on the scale but focus on how you feel when you look in the mirror. Well, I feel I still have 12 pounds to lose til I'm happy with how I look. Has anyone else had similar issues? How did you handle them? Any thoughts or suggestions?

Replies

  • Grinder777
    Grinder777 Posts: 21 Member
    Build muscle^^
    I have an BMI of 27 12% bodyfat. For males its usually that u loose 15% muscle mass(average dont want to go into that) of what u have lost, more if u take it off too fast which u did.

    68*0.85=10 Build 10 pounds of muscle which would take you, if you arent a workout nazi 1 year+. Sry thats it, at the end of that year you dont have to ask anyway
  • siluridae
    siluridae Posts: 188 Member
    39% of people worldwide are overweight.
    And 30% of people with a normal BMI are actually obese too.
    People think you are too skinny because they have no idea anymore what a healthy person should look like. There are simply so many fat people that normal people start looking skinny.

    I'd focus more on your looks too, instead of the scale. Aim for a body fat percentage you find aesthetic and that doesn't necessarily mean weighing less.
  • derek0311
    derek0311 Posts: 31 Member
    The problem is I don't want to bulk up I want to lean out cause I want speed and endurance I'm already comfortable lifting two to four times my body weight depending on the lift
  • CardiLuxe
    CardiLuxe Posts: 89 Member
    edited September 2015
    That's what they allllll say!!!!
    That were getting "too skinny".
    Can you see your bones?
    Do you feel healthy?
    Do you still have work to be done?
    I personally think you look good.
    So don't let anyone stop you from reaching your goals until YOU'RE ready to maintain. :)

  • derek0311
    derek0311 Posts: 31 Member
    I agree with you siluridae right now for my height im sitting at the very middle of what my healthy bmi should be (between 18.5 and 29.5). I also agree about building lean muscle like grinder said but I want to lean up before I st art lifting excessively. Grinder you think I took weight off too fast? How so?
  • derek0311
    derek0311 Posts: 31 Member
    I appreciate it cardi. I have 12 pounds to go that's a weight that I'm comfortable with for my height. Like I've said in other post I have a small frame like a wrestler, gymnast, or distance runner so at 147 right now people are guessing my weight at closer to 160. At 135 people guessed my weight closer to 150. It's just the way I put on muscle and how my muscles tone I guess. I still have more work to do. It's funny to we people I work with tell me there doctors say they are at a healthy weight. They can't walk up a flight of stairs without being winded and they have punched extra holes in there belt to accomadate their extra weight gain. I think your right there's so manythat qualify as obese that overweight is the new normal. I'm glad their happy with themselves but for me to be happy I need to be lean and active.
  • Grinder777
    Grinder777 Posts: 21 Member
    Its genetics, I can deadlift 600lbs without much effort. I cant run without even having pains in my knees for 2 miles. The usual 10k would kill me. Aim for what u can physically do. Just like any women cant be a victorias secret model, you probably arent build for running. My 68y old father outrides me at a bike doesnt mean I will stop getting up on one. Just stay within reason...
  • derek0311
    derek0311 Posts: 31 Member
    I gotchya pretty solid advice grinder
  • lynn1982
    lynn1982 Posts: 1,439 Member
    edited September 2015
    As others have said, do you feel that you're "too skinny"? Do you feel healthy? I know you said you have 12 more pounds to go until you are at a weight where you are comfortable for your height. But how do you feel now? How do you think you will feel 12 pounds from now? I only ask these questions because I had people telling me I was too skinny at 110. I am just under 5 feet tall and my goal weight, or so I thought, was 98 pounds (this is a healthy BMI for my height). I got down to 105 and felt scarily skinny with bones showing, etc. I felt healthy in some aspects, but hated how I looked and something as simple as sitting on the bus was painful because my spine stuck out so much... My point is, don't focus too much on the number on the scale...And listen to how you feel, not what others are saying.
  • derek0311
    derek0311 Posts: 31 Member
    Thanks Lynn I feel good right now but I still feel I have some more work to do. My profile pic is my most recent pic. I don't feel to thin I don't feel unhealthy or anything I always have energy I ran over five miles training for a 10k and I feel like I'm ready to run again.
  • Adc7225
    Adc7225 Posts: 1,318 Member
    I ran into a person that I hadn't seen since I started losing weight and his comment to me was 'D said you lost a lot of weight but I didn't think you would be all shriveled up.' I went from 244 at 5'2 to 146 (currently at 157). When I told someone my initial goal weight of 175, they thought I should lower it . . . the same person said I didn't look good at 150, too skinny! I honestly thought my family was going to have an intervention and force feed me - at around 150 lbs.

    I have a few friends that are supportive and probably more that have some sort of negative thoughts - I pretty much know what I want and I am okay with going for it and either those around me will get over it or not. We will never please everyone, but we ultimately responsible for ourselves. Just Do You!
  • lynn1982
    lynn1982 Posts: 1,439 Member
    derek0311 wrote: »
    Thanks Lynn I feel good right now but I still feel I have some more work to do. My profile pic is my most recent pic. I don't feel to thin I don't feel unhealthy or anything I always have energy I ran over five miles training for a 10k and I feel like I'm ready to run again.

    Then I think you have your answer! Don't listen to them - just do what is right for you. I also think most people don't know what a healthy weight actually looks like since so many people are over weight.
  • derek0311
    derek0311 Posts: 31 Member
    I couldn't agree with you more lynn:-)
  • rabe99199
    rabe99199 Posts: 12 Member
    You have a similar story as me. Ive been on a rollercoaster between 175-215 for last 5 years or so. Start quit start quit. at bout 172 and i still consider myself fat even tho im told im not. As for that what everyone else said. Our perceptions of what is normal is out of whack. i read average male bf is around 21%. Just because your below that doesnt mean your too skinny. Just dont like seeing other people be healthy make them feel worse bout themselfs. Keep pushing for your goals and tune out the noise
  • derek0311
    derek0311 Posts: 31 Member
    Thanks rave I appreciate the boost
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,724 Member
    The BMI range is really wide. Any time I see a number like 5'9" 135 lb male, I'm just sure that'll be under weight, but it's not!!
  • derek0311
    derek0311 Posts: 31 Member
    It seems like it should be:-)
  • 20yearsyounger
    20yearsyounger Posts: 1,630 Member
    I stopped at 150lb. I also knew that my stomach was the last thing that would go. However, it took me a little time to get to that point and I had to use my weight at the end of high school to gauge if what I was aiming for was way too low. I am 5lbs heavier than I was then. Definitely stronger and have more endurance.
  • derek0311
    derek0311 Posts: 31 Member
    That's awesome what did you do?
  • 20yearsyounger
    20yearsyounger Posts: 1,630 Member
    I just set the right calorie goal - for me now its about 1950 a day in sedentary mode, do cardio and eat back my calories (because I am maintaining), and add a resistance training component (pushups).
  • derek0311
    derek0311 Posts: 31 Member
    Nice... good work
  • 20yearsyounger
    20yearsyounger Posts: 1,630 Member
    how did you pick how many more pounds you have to lose if you don't mind me asking?
  • derek0311
    derek0311 Posts: 31 Member
    Same as you pretty much. I wrestled in high school and my highest weight I wrestled at as 140. I always thought that I looked and felt my best at between 135 and 140. Even in the Marines I was between 160 and 168 and never felt as fit or as in good of shape as I was in high school. Just need to lose my last 12. I also used the bmi calculator and a waist to height calculator.
  • 20yearsyounger
    20yearsyounger Posts: 1,630 Member
    You know you and your body best. It will come down to what you feel is a natural calorie goal for maintaining versus a forced one that you have too work too hard to keep up.
  • derek0311
    derek0311 Posts: 31 Member
    I've done the back and forth thing before this feels right. I'm not drained, I'm not constantly starving, and the weights staying off which is the best part.
  • 20yearsyounger
    20yearsyounger Posts: 1,630 Member
    well congrats, it will take a little time (those last pounds) I had to stop focusing on the scale and focus more on how I planned to live my life at my new weight. Your trainer is right. Just stay the course.
  • derek0311
    derek0311 Posts: 31 Member
    Thank you so much I appreciate your insight...it's very helpful
  • Aani15
    Aani15 Posts: 172 Member
    I do not want to give you any advice (some responsible people have already contributed a great deal already) but share my story (very relevant here).

    In early 2013 (before I joined gym and still a member for almost 20 months), I thought the way I looked was not acceptable even by my own standards. So I made a plan, plan to start running and do push ups after that.

    I started with 1 km and in three months, I was running 10 miles(almost 15 kilometres)/4 times a week.
    Results: I lost a great deal of weight. I did not have a weigh scale then and I was monitoring my progress through pictures that I was clicking every day. I guess I lost around 7-8 kg (15-17 pounds) in 3 months.
    Everyone around me was impressed and saying I looked great but when I used to see myself in the mirror, I was not happy, I looked terrible because not only I lost body fat but also lost muscle mass (because I was not following any diet plan, just sacrificed chocolates+ice-cream) . I hated the way I looked. It took just another 3 months to put on all the weight back because I discontinued running (as I was unhappy with the results) and piled up even more.

    Then later in 2013, I joined gym. Today I almost have the same weight as I had back then (after losing with running), people tell me I do look okay (sarcasm). But when I see all those muscles in the mirror (and cough* a slight glimpse of my abs), I feel that I have the best body ever and want to lose more weight (lost 11 pounds, 11 to go).
    So it is really about one's own satisfaction than how others perceive our looks.
    Keep it up!
  • derek0311
    derek0311 Posts: 31 Member
    Man that's awesome that's exactly what I needed to hear
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