Reaching the lowest weight you've ever been - Question for those who are thin for the first time

thecubanskiier · February 2017

Hi Everyone!

I wanted to ask the community at large a question about going below the lowest weight you've ever been. I've been overweight my entire adult life, basically since childhood. I've fluctuated between being "overweight" (at 160) and just being on the heavier side of normal for my height (140 - which looks pretty heavy on me), but I've never actually managed to be THIN. Now, I'm aiming for a UGW of 125, which seems somewhat daunting and impossible. Right now, my life is more stable than it's ever been, I love my job and my relationships and my housing situation, so I've never been better situated to tackle this lofty goal, but I'm having trouble wrapping my brain around that number, having always thought of myself as "big boned" and "hefty". Sometimes I wonder if my body can even GET to 125, having been at least 15 pounds above that basically forever.

So tell me, have any of you out there lost weight to the point that you were the lowest you've ever been? What did you do to break through that "set point"? I'm especially asking ladies in their late 20's/early 30's.

Also, feel free to add me! I'm always looking for more friends.

pariskathryn · February 2017

I once got down to 155...I've been 170 or higher since I started weighing myself at 14. Getting there was much easier than staying there, honestly, because what I was doing (watching my calories) was working. I was so excited and decided have a cheat meal or two to celebrate it and before I knew it-- six months of cheat meals later-- I was almost back to my starting weight. This time I'm aiming for 130 and also can't quite imagine it, so I'm curious what others have to say.

DezYaoified · February 2017

The lowest i remember being since i got to 5'3" was when i was 15yo i am now 29yo. I was 125 pounds size 9 pants and my hip bones pocked out. Dunno if i want to, or even could, get to that weight again but i sure want to try lol. I would love to be able to say i am the same size i was a 15 by the time im 30

KatyBell164 · February 2017

I got smaller than my high school weight - my motivation was I luckily have a mom who keeps everything and she had my prom dresses and I used them at motivation - working to get back there after 2 babies now!

bnovak226 · February 2017

We're in a similar situation:
I'm 5'3 SW was 172 (after my second baby) most of my life I have been in the 150's as long as I can remember. Before the holidays I hit my lowest ever 142!!! I have put back on 3lb

ladyreva78 · February 2017

I'm 3kg away from the thinnest I've ever been as an adult and even that is still solidly in the 'overweight' range. I'm aiming for solidly in the 'normal' range.

I used to believe the stories about me being big-boned and large framed and that I simply would never be 'thin'. It wasn't genetically possible for me.

Let's put that into a bit of perspective. Last year I bought a Fitbit. I measured my wrist and came up with a solid 20cm. See. Proves it. I'm big-boned. 20kg lost later I had to buy a new Fitbit. So I went to measure my wrist again. 16cm. My thumb and index now overlap when I hold my wrist. They used to be oceans away from meeting. So I guess... I'm not big-boned after all.

Oddly enough, last time I was that thin, my wrists also looked impossibly big (I didn't take measurements back then so I don't know, but I couldn't wear most bracelets comfortable. This makes me think... I still own one of the ones from back then. I'll put it on and check tonight if that impression is correct).

That 65kg I'm aiming for used to look so impossible. Now. Now it looks like a simple matter of regularly and consistently eating less than my body needs to sustain itself. I don't mean by a large amount even 100cals per day works. I don't care if it takes 1 month, 1 year or 10 years to reach that weight. But I know that with persistence I'll make it.

thecubanskiier · February 2017

Thank you all for your responses, you're all totally awesome! Obviously, I believe I can do it (It's all CICO, amiright?) but I have this sinking feeling that weight loss is going to get SO much harder now that I'm pushing past my body's "set point". :P No more lazy half-assing things.....

PaulaS1220 · February 2017

I have been plugging away at finally losing all the weight I wanted for over a year now (400 something day streak on MFP). I hit my lowest ever adult weight right before Christmas and have maintained since. I'd like to drop a few more, but I'm still thrilled to be where I am now. It's taken commitment and a new found love of running helped, too. I know everyone says this, but honestly, if I can do it, anyone can do!

If stats matter, I'm 47 years old, 5'3" and 121 lbs.

tracypreiss · February 2017

When I was at my lowest years ago it was very hard to maintain so now I am getting to a weight that I feel comfortable and can maintain long term. I believe we all have that ideal weight that our bodies feel and look good at. Doesn't matter about charts etc.

maybe1pe · February 2017

I'm at around the lowest I've been since I was 19/20.

I definitely want to lose more (I still weigh 193) but even in high school when I was very active and very strong I was 175... so I am definitely starting to get apprehensive about being able to push lower than that point... I have a "goal weight" but I think I'm going to aim for more of a size and body comfort... I don't want to push myself too low and have it be unsustainable. I'd honestly rather weigh more and be stronger like I was in high school... so we will see how it goes in the next couple of months.

bbell1985 · February 2017

I don't know if I really believe in "set points", maybe a range that a particular body is comfortable in-for whatever reason.

Anyway, I was overweight my whole life. I wanted to get down to 125-128 to get lean enough to bulk (put some muscle on properly!). I'll be honest...I could barely make it. It hurt. My fat intake was low, I lost my libido. But I was very lean and lifting heavy. I am more informed now and would do it differently.

Once I got that small I thought I was still fat. It wasn't until I gained the weight back and looked at the pictures of when I was 127/128 I saw how thin I was. When I bulked my body just wanted to put that fat back on so badly. I've never been able to get thin again...I got a taste of being very slim too, so this has been difficult.

cwolfman13 · February 2017

thecubanskiier wrote: »

Thank you all for your responses, you're all totally awesome! Obviously, I believe I can do it (It's all CICO, amiright?) but I have this sinking feeling that weight loss is going to get SO much harder now that I'm pushing past my body's "set point". :P No more lazy half-assing things.....

I think you just need to evaluate as you go along and take into account BF%, muscle mass, etc...not just weight.

My lowest adult weight was 140 Lbs and I was stick thin. I ultimately got to 220 Lbs at my highest weight. When I started losing I figured 155-160 would probably be good as I remember being in that range when I was in my 20s and being pretty happy with it.

Turns out that while I was getting fat, I was also putting on some muscle mass. As I cut, I pretty soon realized that 155-160 wasn't really realistic without burning muscle mass in addition to fat.

<<<180ish in that pic and around 12% BF...I could go lower, but that's a pretty comfortable place to be. I've gotten down to 175 and I was very lean and it was difficult to maintain that level of leanness...much below that and I'm looking at sub 8% and at 42, maintaining that would be a ridiculous amount of work and a nazi diet, so it isn't happening. And like I said...155-160 I would have to burn up quite a bit of muscle mass...and I'm not huge by any standard.

scjl132 · February 2017

I am a little older than the age group you are targeting, I am 62. However, I am at the lowest weight I have ever been in my adult life. I am 5'4" and weigh between 117-119. I started at 201. I think I last weighed that in junior high. So yes, it is possible no matter what your age.

STEVE142142 · February 2017

Started this journey January 1st 2016. My weight was 288 pounds my current weight is approximately 208 pounds. I'm a male 6 foot 4.
I set a crazy goal of losing 30 pounds by March 31st period hit 250 that seems so easy to do I said another crazier goal I said what happens if I hit 2:30 I used to weigh that in high school. Set that goal for August and I actually hit it somewhere around June. Had an even crazier idea what would happen if I hit 2:20 I said let me try it may take a couple months I actually hit that goal. At that point I was totally happy where I was and I started maintenance totally screwed maintenance up lost another 12 pounds.

I was one of those people who always said I got to slow metabolism a big boned blah blah blah blah blah blah. It's just a mental Journey you're going on period once you make the decision it's probably one of the easiest things you do if you approach this like an education. Educate yourself about food and nutrition and your body. There is no such thing as a set point period it's a simple matter of eating less calories than your body Burns it may take longer for some people than others but as long as you keep up the process it will work and you will hit your goal no matter how crazy that goal is.

My one last suggestion to you is don't be focused so much on a number but more how you feel or look. If you do any kind of strength training which in my opinion is very important you could hit 135 or even 140 and still look better then you do at 120 without any strength training

there are plenty of posts on the success story and Fitness and exercise boards where you see girls who are heavier than you think but they look a lot thinner due to strength training

hollyberry6182 · February 2017

I always look at the number 120-140 and think "wow! That's really small!" My lowest last year was 154lbs and at that point, you could see my ribs and my hip bones were sticking out. I don't think I was very comfortable looking like that.
I'm female, 5'7" and broad framed. My friends thought I was looking around 130lbs at that point and couldn't believe I was much heavier. They all weigh about 130lbs and so they were just using their own image.

I put on a load of weight again and I'm now sitting at 166lbs. Ideally I think I should be at around 160lbs to feel good about myself again, but I'm not really looking at a number. I'm looking at how my clothes fit and how I feel about myself when I look in a mirror. X

LEAS86 · February 2017

I am currently the lightest I have been for 9 years at 153lbs - I am finally back to my pre 1st baby weight (I was 22 at the time!). Part of me thought I'd never do it, part of me still isn't totally sure how maintainable it is...but I'm here and actually, having found a way of eating that works for me, it hasn't been too difficult. Who knew?!

My initial GW was 156, UGW for now is 150, I'm 5'10" ish and broad, and I'll see how I feel when I get there. I need to work on adding some muscle and losing some flab, but that will be a longer term plan.

The key for me was working out the best foods to eat to keep me feeling full, while staying within my calorie range. I set my initial goal weight thinking I'd never do better, that I was just made to be in the 11stone bracket. The big game changer was reaching that goal without fighting myself and feeling like I was permanently on a diet. Now I try not to get too tied up with what the scale says, if it goes up by an lb here or there, I trust the process and keep going.

Best of luck to you

Barbonica · February 2017

Six years ago I was 224, having been between 190+ for most of my adult life. My goal was 180. Didn't really think I would hit it. Changed my eating drastically, but didn't count calories. Just started eating things that were actively good for me all the time, but things I also liked. Dropped to 195 in about 9 months. Hung out there for a while, then reduced intake a little, and dropped to 180. Hung out there for a while then found mfp and dropped to 160. Been between 160-170 for a couple of years. BMI normal for me would be 153, but I am a power lifter and haven't focused on dropping to that weight. Maybe this coming year. I exercised the whole time, but have been lifting heavy for only about 4 years, an about to do my third pl meet. When I was stable weight, I was practicing maintenance. I stopped losing weight when CICO met each other...that is, my intake was going down as my body weight decreased. That is important to remember...you can not go back to eating like you did at a much heavier wright. You can do it!

katharmonic · February 2017

I've been thinking a lot about this because I have now reached my goal weight, and it's lower than anything in recorded history

Well, my recorded history does not exist as I always avoided weighing myself but I'm pretty sure I haven't weighed this since pre-teen/early teen years. I remember a couple of times when I was dieting or very active (was on a tennis kick for a while) when I got down to a pretty good weight but it never lasted.

I'm 5'10" and 48 years old. May 2015 I was my highest weight ever at 212 (BMI 30) and that finally horrified me into trying to make major changes (not just go on a diet). I set my expectations low - I definitely bought into being a big-boned person who could never be thin. OK, then forget being thin or any goal weight, I just want to be fitter. So I bought a Fitbit, started tracking everything I did - what I ate, how much I exercised in minutes and miles - and joined challenges. When I started making some progress I got more enthused and added other workouts, eventually starting running and joining a running group.

Now I'm at 155 and my BMI is 22 and I'm in maintenance mode. I'm objectively "thin" - which is crazy to me. I sit and feel my ribs all the time, like have these always been here? This week at work someone told me that I've now gone "right past into skinny". Not sure that was positive but again, it's a whole world view away from where I've always been.

And I know I need to keep up the work that I've been doing, I can't go back to the way I was living. I run 6 days a week and that gives me a lot more calories to play with so I feel really satisfied. I also take way more enjoyment in doing active things and seek them out. I have practiced being a better cook and making things that are tasty and fit within my goals for the most part - but I'm also big into having a treat every day and making sure that I still get the things I really love once in a while like pizza and margaritas and chocolate. For me I enjoy the data of it all and consider myself a single subject longitudinal research design.

So I don't believe in any set point, I think it's our habits and lifestyle we need to break through. Best of luck to you OP in reaching your goals and gaining health.

scjl132 · February 2017

I am quite a bit older than your target age group, I am 62. However, I am at my lowest adult weight. From 201 to 117. I am 5'4". I think I weighed this in about 7th grade. So far not been difficult to maintain. Just goes to show that you're never too old.

geminiswede · February 2017

I'm 5'11, 29, and all through high school and college my real lowest weight was about 240. I've pretty much never been a normal weight other than maybe when I was a small child. After gaining all the way up to 320, I got back down to that range and I broke through it the same way I do with any "plateau", by tightening up my logging and trying to cut an extra 100-200 calories per day if the tightening logging doesn't work. I'm currently down to 210 and still have to get to 179 before I'm at a "normal" weight. I've pretty much never been a normal weight other than maybe when I was a small child.

ElvenToad · February 2017

34, Female, 5'4, and morbidly obese since childhood. Matter of fact I believe when I looked up my BMI for the first time it was off the charts into super morbidly obese range. I started on mfp 3 years ago weighing 268lbs and hit my goal weight about 8 months ago and have been maintaining ever since. Well actually losing very slowly still trying to get my maintenance calories right, currently 125lbs. Definitely the lowest weight I have ever been in my adult life.

I never hit any plateaus or set points along the way, but I also was very accurate with my intake and logging. I would suggest you use a TDEE calculator to get an idea how many calories you would need to maintain at your goal weight of 15lbs less and see if that is a number you are willing to live with. I currently am still losing at 1700 cals per day after losing 143lbs. I'm not willing to eat any less so for me this is the lowest weight I will go. Hope that helps!

Reaching the lowest weight you've ever been - Question for those who are thin for the first time

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