Is it possible for me to weigh less than 150lbs?

graysmom2005
graysmom2005 Posts: 1,882 Member
edited September 28 in Health and Weight Loss
I see all these people who are my height 5ft 6, and weigh 140, 130 something. I think for my body the low 140's, mid 130's would be perfect and healthy. My body has been stuck at 150 for well over a year. It's like my body wasn't capable. Granted I have more muscle from teaching Body Pump, but STILL. Even my doctor said 150 something was a touch high for my height. If I keep up this "eating more" experiment, is it possible for me to actually start going down...because no matter how much I watched what I ate..no matter how much I taught....it wouldn't budge. Ever.

Replies

  • Hernandezedw
    Hernandezedw Posts: 284
    Check your body fat %. If it's about 22ish, I wouldn't worry about it. Over 25%, there is room to lose weight.
  • gaeljo
    gaeljo Posts: 223 Member
    Go vegetarian for 1 month and see what happens. Go vegan and the weight will melt off fast. I became a vegetarian a year ago and recently a vegan. I did a total harsh reboot on my life. I also became a triathlete and I do not miss dairy or meat whatsoever. Start out small, go meatless 1 day a week. I bet you'll be amazed at how quickly the stubborn pounds come off.
  • LauraMarie37
    LauraMarie37 Posts: 283 Member
    You know, I have the same issue as you, but just a little taller (and a little higher number). Since joining MFP, I've actually been eating more to make it to their recommended daily number for me - and I've FINALLY started losing weight again!

    Though remember that in the end, weight is just a number, and it's about how healthy you are and how comfortable you are in your body. And 5'6", 150 pounds can look different on different people - especially since you have a lot of muscle.
  • Clew
    Clew Posts: 910 Member
    I believe there is a HUGE sliding scale for body weight. I am 5'7" and my dream goal weight is 165. I too am muscular and I look great at 165 (if I say so myself :D) even though on paper it sounds overweight. If you like the way you look and feel at 150, who cares what a chart says? :flowerforyou:
  • ChelseaRW
    ChelseaRW Posts: 366 Member
    Let me say...Your body is rockin'! You have amazing muscle definition in those arms..and if that is just a glimpse of the rest of you..then you may have trouble with that much muscle. The only thing is maybe your diet which I know nothing about. I think you can definitely hit 130 . I am guessing you mostly strength train so maybe more cardio mixed in and a change in your diet which once again I know nothing about! LOL. I think I would talk to a nutritionist or personal trainers vs. the doctor on this one. You look incredibly healthy at your current weight and this is more about what YOU want to accomplish. Keep rockin' it girl!
  • Angiebug1969
    Angiebug1969 Posts: 152
    I struggle with this too... and there are days when I "want" to throw my hands up & quit, but I don't.

    I got my weight down to about 148lbs a couple of years ago, but it's creeped back up to hover at 160! I've been dieting since January, and trained for & finished a full marathon in May... and my weight is still stuck right where it's been for months! It's frustrating, but I continue to do what I do.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    You look absolutely RIPPED in those photos. If the rest of your body looks like your arms, I don't see how you can possibly have any fat to lose.

    Can you drop some more pounds? Probably, but at the expense of your muscles.
  • Angiebug1969
    Angiebug1969 Posts: 152
    I don't necessarily agree with the vegan diet philosophy. Yes it's a very healthy choice... and honestly I believe everyone should skip the meat a day or two... or three... each week. But I think becoming a triathlete says a lot about weight loss!!

    I'm not vegan, however, I have many days (yesterday included) in which I don't have dairy or meat... and I'm a marathoner as well. I still struggle with weight. I'm not a soda drinker, or munch candy or junk. So for those of us who seem to fight off every ounce of body weight, it's terribly frustrating!

    There simply are no easy answers.
  • shaunshaikh
    shaunshaikh Posts: 616 Member
    Check your body fat %. If it's about 22ish, I wouldn't worry about it. Over 25%, there is room to lose weight.
    What he said.
  • tinareet
    tinareet Posts: 126
    OMG hunni, you have muscles!!!!! I'm jealous. I have the same problem my weigh wont budge, but i defo have a higher body fat than you, im soft(everywhere LOL) But maybe get your body fat measured, you may have a low body fat and therefore because its low your body doesnt want to lose anymore fat(which is essential for your body to keep you alive) Or maybe try incorporate 1 -2 sessions of cardio a week along with what you are already doing and you may lose a little.good luck hunni.xxx
  • cammons
    cammons Posts: 126 Member
    Several years ago I got down to 130 pounds (the high end of normal for my height of 5'2") and I looked sickly...at 140 I looked better and was still a size four but officially I was slightly overweight according to those BMI calculators that only factor in height and weight. For me, the ideal place is somewhere between 140 and 150 as that is a comfortable place, especially when I'm running long distances. Of course, I can watch people at the gym work out and build muscle, if I wasn't so damn muscular I bet I could be comfortable at the lower weights, but at 140 I sure as heck wouldn't be as small as I was.

    Sometimes I think we need to disconnect from the absolute number on the scale, it is not the only measure of our fitness....there is so much more to it than that. Check with the folks at your gym, they should be able to measure your body fat with either a handheld device or those little pincher things, that might give you another way of looking at your current weight.
  • graysmom2005
    graysmom2005 Posts: 1,882 Member
    OMG hunni, you have muscles!!!!! I'm jealous. I have the same problem my weigh wont budge, but i defo have a higher body fat than you, im soft(everywhere LOL) But maybe get your body fat measured, you may have a low body fat and therefore because its low your body doesnt want to lose anymore fat(which is essential for your body to keep you alive) Or maybe try incorporate 1 -2 sessions of cardio a week along with what you are already doing and you may lose a little.good luck hunni.xxx

    Thanks! :-) I teach spinning though so extra cardio is hard to fit in. LOL! Today I teach 105 minutes of spinning. Haha!
  • lesliemk
    lesliemk Posts: 382 Member
    You look great and you have muscle! I'd probably go more with how your clothes fit and feel versus worrying about what the scale says. But as someone else mentioned body fat % is important too.

    I'm 5'5" and 145... my goal weight is 130/135, but I'm going based on who I look and feel. Strength training doesn't allow you to get stick thin that's for sure! And EAT! Whenever I stall out or hit a plateau... cleaning up my eating and eating more has always worked to move past those roadblocks!
  • kieva626
    kieva626 Posts: 191 Member
    u have a great body, id say get your body fat percentage and go from there instead. I have the same issue I'm not quite 5'3 and cant get any lower than 130 and although it seems heavy for my height I'm constantly hearing how small I am.
  • Barneystinson
    Barneystinson Posts: 1,357 Member
    u have a great body, id say get your body fat percentage and go from there instead. I have the same issue I'm not quite 5'3 and cant get any lower than 130 and although it seems heavy for my height I'm constantly hearing how small I am.

    I'm 5'0" and at 131, I'm thinking I should REALLY just throw out the scale and focus more on body composition at this point. It's extremely frustrating being short and being within healthy measurements but NOT an ideal weight :mad:
  • michalita
    michalita Posts: 27
    Depends on your frame and body type, honestly. I'm 5'6", and 150 was where I started when I joined MFP. I have a thin frame, however, and 150 was definitely too fluffy. The weight came off pretty easily, further confirming that 150 was too high for me. I agree with others that if your body fat percentage is good, you don't really have to worry about the number.
  • thumper44
    thumper44 Posts: 1,464 Member
    You look absolutely RIPPED in those photos. If the rest of your body looks like your arms, I don't see how you can possibly have any fat to lose.

    Can you drop some more pounds? Probably, but at the expense of your muscles.

    ^^^^^^

    Totally agree. She is now in a spot where BF% should be the measurement to use instead of number on the scale.
  • gaeljo
    gaeljo Posts: 223 Member
    You'd think being a triathlete would help me drop weight but that is not true. The extra cortisol level increases prevent me from losing as fast as most. I just got off a 2 lb loss for the entire month of May. Typically I lose 2-4 lbs a month and that is it. I've found that eating whole foods, fruits, grains and vegetarian proteins has been the ticket to great health, energy and increased fitness. I recently started moving towards a vegan diet, which sounds extreme, but not as extreme as it was moving from omnivore to vegetarian. I'm finding the transition pretty easy. Anyway, I also found that dairy products really helped me hold onto weight, not shed it. Just sharing my success.

    Keep in mind, 1 year ago to the day I was 40 lbs heavier than I am right now, I could not run an entire 5K race and had just become a vegetarian by a week or 2. I found success and am sharing it. Here I am today, 59 lbs thin, no longer overweiht or obese, and I've completed 3 triathlons and qualified for nationals. I know what I'm talking about.

    Read the book, The China Study. It'll change your world for the positive.
  • graysmom2005
    graysmom2005 Posts: 1,882 Member
    The cortisol thing is interesting. I teach spin a lot and my classes are super intense. i wonder if that's hurting me in the end?
  • ladybugz_247
    ladybugz_247 Posts: 120
    I want your arms. haha you look amazing!
  • graysmom2005
    graysmom2005 Posts: 1,882 Member
    I want your arms. haha you look amazing!

    Thank you! *blush* My husband calls them man arms...he hates them. LOL! But I work my BUTT off at the gym, so i don't want to just look thin...I want to look like I put some WORK in to it. :-D Do you have Body Pump at your gym? I attribute it all to that program. I now teach it.
  • gaeljo
    gaeljo Posts: 223 Member
    Oh no, it isn't a bad thing to have your cortisol levels increase. Higher cortisol protects your joints, so that is good. But people who think that working out for 2 hours straight makes you lose more than someone who works out for 30 is incorrect. So, here it is, I eat anywhere from 1900-2500 calories (more if I do a race) and I work out 2 hours a day, approximately. Sometimes less, sometimes more, but I average 2 hours 6 days a week. You'd think the weight would fall off, NOPE. The harder you work, your body produces more cortisol to protect your joints, and cortisol also makes your body hold onto fat. So my weight loss is the same rate of speed as someone who eats say 1400-1600 calories and works out 20-30 minutes a day 4 days a week. So why do I do this? Because I LOVE triathlon! LOL. Hope this helps.
  • Hollycat
    Hollycat Posts: 372
    Holy jumpin'! What muscles you have graysmom! If you are in that great a shape, just push that doctor out the window. Muscles weigh more than fat but take up a lot less room and the 'averages' charts simply don't take that into account. My sister-in-law is built like you and is about 5'6" at 150 pounds. She is in incredible shape. She LOOKS like most of the 130 pound women I know, but is way more fit and toned. Check your BF% and start measuring yourself by that number, rather than what the scale says. I just don't think the scale number applies to you anymore. You are gorgeous! When I grow up, I want to look just like you!

    Hollycat
    :flowerforyou:
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