Weight loss confusion

anisamoreland425
anisamoreland425 Posts: 11 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello all! So, I have a little bit of confusion around how much weight I should be losing. About me: I'm a professional dog walker and I do some manual labor on the side, I can lift A LOT and am very strong and fast. I work out A LOT as well. I currently weigh between 214-218, at 5'6'' that qualifies me as way into the obese range. I need to lose weight, but losing around 60lbs would make me look like lizard queen skeletor. I don't look my weight at all because most of it is bulk muscle. My health panels all put me in the athlete range. I'm just really confused about the whole weight thing. My doctor says I need to lose a lot of weight and kind of freaks when he weighs me, but I'm pretty sure he goes by the BMI which I've never been normal with. My psychiatrist says she's not worried about it and I don't need to lose weight. My friends say to just get to 199 for cosmetic sake, but that I look great. The BMI would tell me to be about 60-90 lbs lighter. I am left in a pile of confusion about it all and I don't really know where to set my goals. Suggestions appreciated.

Replies

  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,486 Member
    Why not set a goal of losing 1lb a week and see what you think when you have lost 20 lbs.
    you can stay there if you wish or set yourself anothe goal.
    Maybe making an appointment with a dietitian may help you define your goal.

    Cheers, h.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    Get down to 195. Stay there for a few weeks and see how you feel.
  • BurnWithBarn2015
    BurnWithBarn2015 Posts: 1,026 Member
    You are not going to like me lol

    But you are indeed overweight and looking at your pictures, you are pretty and you are young
    But for sure overweight...i am sorry for being so harsh

    I looked at myself that way.
    And i must say i saw it wrong.

    Now i see how wrong

    But like i said i dont want to be rude or pull you down. And i would say, or rather my suggestion is Lose weight Get into the healthy range even when it is in the higher range and than decide what to do further.

    Another thing...you are young I am 50 and for sure the thing i regret most is that i didnt do this 5 years earlier.

    Good luck OP with whatever you decide to do :)


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  • Orphia
    Orphia Posts: 7,097 Member
    Only one of those people is a doctor. I'd go by what the doctor says.

    You can use these calculators to check, but I'm sure he's right.

    http://health.bizcalcs.com/Calculator.asp?Calc=Frame-Size-Wrist

    http://www.calculator.net/ideal-weight-calculator.html
  • mustardnchips
    mustardnchips Posts: 22 Member
    I'm 5ft2 and working, once again at losing my extra weight. My doctor used to tell me that i should be 8 stone, however after i pointed out that my stats (then) were 36inch hips and 26 in waist, he agreed that 10stone3lbs was what was healthy for me. I have been lower than that, but i looked gaunt.

    However i'm over that weight at the moment and trying to get back down there. What im trying to say is the goal weight the doctor gives may not be completely right for you, but until you lose the weight and find where is right for you, you don't know. As others have said, aim for 20lbs and then reassess when you reach that goal.
  • Eliz_99
    Eliz_99 Posts: 85 Member
    I wouldn't worry about the goal so much and just start losing 1-2lbs per week and see how you feel after you've lost 30lbs. I am 5'6" and wouldn't feel healthy at 200lbs.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    edited October 2015
    anisamoreland425 wrote: »
    Hello all! So, I have a little bit of confusion around how much weight I should be losing. About me: I'm a professional dog walker and I do some manual labor on the side, I can lift A LOT and am very strong and fast. I work out A LOT as well. I currently weigh between 214-218, at 5'6'' that qualifies me as way into the obese range. I need to lose weight, but losing around 60lbs would make me look like lizard queen skeletor. I don't look my weight at all because most of it is bulk muscle. My health panels all put me in the athlete range. I'm just really confused about the whole weight thing. My doctor says I need to lose a lot of weight and kind of freaks when he weighs me, but I'm pretty sure he goes by the BMI which I've never been normal with. My psychiatrist says she's not worried about it and I don't need to lose weight. My friends say to just get to 199 for cosmetic sake, but that I look great. The BMI would tell me to be about 60-90 lbs lighter. I am left in a pile of confusion about it all and I don't really know where to set my goals. Suggestions appreciated.

    Great

    You're active with good musculature and great bloods that's an excellent start

    And you aren't aspiring to be skeletor

    The question is what do you want to do within that range of skeletor and obese?

    If you want an objective opinion I agree that looking at your pictures you look like a beautiful young woman, and you also look like you fit in the obese classification that your BMI shows you to be in

    Do you want to lose body fat?
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    edited October 2015
    Friends are wonderful and say nice things to us...but that's why we cannot trust them! If we were 500 pounds, they'd be telling us we looked good.

    Next time you see the psychiatrist, ask her if it is her medical opinion that you are in a healthy weight range. She may be speaking from a psychiatric/mind perspective and not as a medical person. It is very hard when two different doctors say two different things! You might need a third opinion. You could ask one of the nurses in the regular doctor's office. :)

    BMI has flaws. It doesn't account for pregnant women, the elderly, the very muscular...but it's a pretty good gauge for the rest of us. 214 lbs at 5'6" is very heavy. Not as heavy as I started, lol, but it's up there. If you want to be your healthiest and feel your best, you should lose some of that weight.

    I wouldn't worry about setting a final goal number right now. Heck, I'm down over 90 pounds and still haven't picked mine! You can start losing without knowing where you're going to stop.

    MFP needs you to enter some weight, though, doesn't it? Can you just pick a number somewhere in the healthy ("normal") BMI range? Even at the top of the normal section...just pick one that you like and enter it. You can adjust later, when you have a better idea of what you'll want to weigh.

    Take some pics of yourself in a bathing suit or bra and undies. Not to post! Just for you to have. When you're done, you may very well want them. I didn't take any and really wish I'd taken a pic every three months or so. I'd love to have that to look at now. Pics also help you see the changes. Since you see yourself every day, the changes are so tiny that they don't register very much. You cannot see your loss. Pics of how you looked thirty pounds ago will help. Plus, you will have before and afters. How great is that?! (Very.)

    Congratulations on taking the first step of your journey! :)
  • yesimpson
    yesimpson Posts: 1,372 Member
    It's great that you are so active and fit, and your friends are right, you do look good (you're pretty and judging from your photos, smile a lot and are fun to be around). But carrying extra weight to the tune of 60-90lbs is not good for the body in the long run. True, BMI is not the be all and end all for everyone, but for most of us who are not professional athletes to be in the obese range is something to think about. Be honest with yourself - is that really all going to be down to muscle? I'm glad you're not aiming to be super skinny, but if you say you've never been 'normal' on the BMI scale, how do you know you'll look horrific 40-50lbs lighter? If your doctor is concerned, it would probably be wise to give that proper consideration.

    Maybe try setting yourself to a small deficit each week (so as not to really impact your lifestyle too much, and if you're very active, you need a much higher calorie goal than someone sedentary) and see how you feel after losing a stone or so? If you hate it, you are in total control of your body, so you just stop there or go back to your usual way of operating. If you notice any positive changes, you can re-evaluate your goal and continue losing if you wish.
  • xX_PhoenixRising_Xx
    xX_PhoenixRising_Xx Posts: 623 Member
    BurnWithBarn2015 wrote: »
    You are not going to like me lol

    But you are indeed overweight and looking at your pictures, you are pretty and you are young
    But for sure overweight...i am sorry for being so harsh

    I looked at myself that way.
    And i must say i saw it wrong.

    Now i see how wrong

    You are young and beautiful but I do agree with Barn - I also deluded myself about my weight and how I looked, and that eventually led to 329 lbs. I was around your weight until I had children, and then it just kept going up.

    The question is, do I look like Lizard Queen Skeletor to you now? I'm also very strong, I've been lifting heavy for 3 years, and I'm quick and fast. I can run 5km. My bloods are perfect, my BP is normal (but then they always were, even at 329), resting HR is around 42. I've been checked by a cardiologist and he's very happy, it's low because I'm fit and healthy and I've lost so much weight. I'm also still overweight, 5'7 and 173 lbs which puts my BMI at 27. In Australian sizes I'm an 8 - 10 (American 4 - 6). Yes, I have plenty of muscle but I also still have fat. I'm quite sure that at the lower end of my healthy weight range I'd look like a walking stick, but I'm currently 14 lbs over the top end and I'm far from a skeleton. The thing is, I didn't know what I'd look like either as I lost weight. The good thing is that you can lose a bit at a time and see how you look and feel and then take it from there :)
  • anisamoreland425
    anisamoreland425 Posts: 11 Member
    I actually do like you. I appreciate the honesty. To the one commenter, a psychiatrist is indeed a doctor. To everyone else, I appreciate the honesty and support. I don't do well with body shaming and I'm really glad no one did any of that. I have come up with the answer to make my goal 30 lbs at first and then add on another 30 lbs depending on what my waist hips and neck say about it. I have already lost an inch off all three measurements plus around 6 lbs and I agree that I'm doing a lot better. I eat too much, that's the big problem. I am a hungry hungry lady. I have considerably reduced what I've been eating and adding a lot more vegetables. I think I'll get to the 30 lbs goal in around 6 months.
  • yesimpson
    yesimpson Posts: 1,372 Member
    Good luck OP!

  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,486 Member
    That sound really good @anisamoreland425

    Make sure you use a digital food scale to weigh all your food and liquid measuring spoons and cups for liquids.

    Eat to the calorie goal MFP has given you, and eat back 50-75%of your exercise calories ( MFP tends to overestimate).

    Cheers, h.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,089 Member
    edited October 2015
    Orphia wrote: »
    Only one of those people is a doctor. I'd go by what the doctor says.

    You can use these calculators to check, but I'm sure he's right.

    http://health.bizcalcs.com/Calculator.asp?Calc=Frame-Size-Wrist

    http://www.calculator.net/ideal-weight-calculator.html

    Actually, two of those people are doctors. A psychiatrist is a medical doctor.
    The doctors are giving the OP conflicting advice.

    OP, you say:
    I need to lose weight, but losing around 60lbs would make me look like lizard queen skeletor. I don't look my weight at all because most of it is bulk muscle. My health panels all put me in the athlete range. I'm just really confused about the whole weight thing. My doctor says I need to lose a lot of weight and kind of freaks when he weighs me, but I'm pretty sure he goes by the BMI which I've never been normal with. My psychiatrist says she's not worried about it and I don't need to lose weight.

    When you say your health panels put you in the athlete range, does that include BF%, which is probably the best thing to look at if you feel that you are heavily muscled and thus an outlier for whom the BMI calculations are not a good assessment? At your age, excess weight may not yet have taken a toll on other health indicators (blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar), especially since you're so active.

    Since you believe you need to lose weight, why not pick a number like 15 or 20 lbs, lose it, and see how you feel? I don't see how that could hurt your health, even if you don't need to lose it.

    **Sorry, I hadn't read all the comments before posting, and didn't see that the OP herself had made the point about a psychiatrist being a doctor and that she had settled on a goal.

    Best wishes on your goals, Anna.
  • karrrbear
    karrrbear Posts: 3 Member
    Hi All,

    Well been following Weight Watcher and hitting the gym 6 times a week for an hour of cardio (elliptical and treadmill inclined) and saw a 3 lbs increase. Meanwhile I saw the Dr. and he wants me to get on a 900 calorie diet? Does that seem right. I showed him my diet journal and exercise journal and he still thinks that I need to cut my calories and increase my workout? I am afraid that if I do the 900 calorie diet and increase my workout to 2 a days then my body will react negatively due to the deficit. Right now I have this week planned out for a 1200 calorie diet, but what are some thoughts on cutting down to 900 calories? Doesn't your body start to store at one point and all the exercise will be for me time instead of weight loss.

    Any thoughts on this?

    Just FYI I should lose around 60 lbs but think that would be too much and am aiming for 40 lbs.
  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
    karrrbear wrote: »
    Hi All,

    Well been following Weight Watcher and hitting the gym 6 times a week for an hour of cardio (elliptical and treadmill inclined) and saw a 3 lbs increase. Meanwhile I saw the Dr. and he wants me to get on a 900 calorie diet? Does that seem right. I showed him my diet journal and exercise journal and he still thinks that I need to cut my calories and increase my workout? I am afraid that if I do the 900 calorie diet and increase my workout to 2 a days then my body will react negatively due to the deficit. Right now I have this week planned out for a 1200 calorie diet, but what are some thoughts on cutting down to 900 calories? Doesn't your body start to store at one point and all the exercise will be for me time instead of weight loss.

    Any thoughts on this?

    Just FYI I should lose around 60 lbs but think that would be too much and am aiming for 40 lbs.

    @karrrbear

    I suggest starting your own thread asking this. It will get more attention, and can be focused strictly on your concerns. Include height, weight, age, and how long you have been doing this. Are you logging here or on WW?

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