Is it ok to be ok with an overweight number on the scale?

tomteboda wrote: »

Congratulations on your major weight loss. I understand entirely where you're coming from. You've made a huge improvement in your life already, and the most important thing is that you maintain that victory. Is it "ok"? By what metric? As far as I know, you're an adult and you live in a free society. What you want to do with your life is really not anyone else's to determine the value of the trade-offs involved. You don't need our permission, or your doctor's permission.

But here's my experience, and I don't know if this will give you another perspective or not. I'm 5'9" as well, and I started at 270 lbs. I had no clear end goal when I started losing weight, but I remember how much better I felt at 240 than at 270. I did remember being thinner though... and I knew that the extra weight was putting strain on my joints. So I said "well, I'll keep going, at least down to no longer obese". I didn't know if I'd keep going after that, if it'd be worth it. But it wasn't actually that hard. That 500 calories deficit meant I was still getting about 2000 calories a day, which wasn't really depriving myself at all.

By 220 I could feel a difference again. It was easier to walk. Everything hurt less. I didn't realize how much I'd hurt at 270 or 240 until I could look back from 220 and it was illuminating. I guess the reason is that the chronic pain of carrying that excess weight is a constant thing, its easy to just feel like its normal when its not. I kept going, because maintaining that deficit wasn't hard. And because I realized that I could relieve more stress from my back and knees and hips and heart. Just physics going on there... the more you weigh, the more force lands on your joints when you walk.

At 200 I discovered that sleeping was more comfortable. My asthma attacks were less frequent. Walking was even easier. I felt like I looked good again. Not like "oh my gosh look at that girl!" hot but I liked my curvy figure. I was 100% ok with how I looked. And I was just under "obese". My doctor was pretty happy with my progress, and wanted me to know if I maintained that weight I'd already made a great difference. I took stock again, and I realized that maintaining my weight loss at 1 lb/ week still wasn't difficult. Because I could move with less pain and exhaustion, I was moving a lot more than I had previously, and I still got to eat about 2000 calories and continue to lose weight. So I decided to take a chance and keep going, reasoning that if I'd felt better at 240 than 270, and 220 than 240, and at 200 than at 220, it was possible that I might feel better at a relatively non-ambitious 185.

That turned out, for me, to be a marvellous decision. I knew by 190 that 180 was entirely possible, and that I wasn't going to hate how i looked. I wasn't going to need to be obsessive or super-deprived to get there or maintain that weight, that it'd all work out ok.

And 180 felt even better than 200. Hiking was easier. Inclines were no big deal that had been a real challenge before. I could do so much more, and looking back it was absolutely incredible to realize how exhausting carrying around that extra 90 lbs had been. Life was way better at 180 for purely physical reason that had nothing to do with how I looked or how I felt about looking. It was only then that I even contemplated continuing to lose weight. I started re-evaluating every 5 lbs. I dropped to a slow rate of loss (1/2 lb per week) because I really didnt' like going under 2000 calories. For me , it turned out that I was at a very sustainable balance of food & exercise there (10-14k steps / day, 2000 calories). This fit into my life.

So settling in on the lifestyle I could sustain and enjoy really determined where my end weight would be. Which is, oddly enough, a previously unimagined 155-157 lbs maintenance. I never in a million years dreamed that I'd be this weight. I couldn't have possibly wrapped my mind on it at 270, or 240, or even 200 lbs. But I can tell you in retrospect that it's SO much easier to do everything at this weight. Except maybe buy clothes. It turns out that when you drop into size small clothes they're also shorter. C'est la vie. I guess we can't have everything.

This was a long story, but I want to let you know that for me, being larger involved accepting chronic pain and exhaustion as a result of my weight. A direct result of my weight. And I didn't realize how much pain and exhaustion I'd accepted as "normal" for me until I no longer had to live with it. I don't live in your body, but that stress is a matter of biomechanics, and affects everyone who has susbstantial excess weight. A motivated person can work to be strong and active despite the weight, but they're going to put in more work than they would without that extra 20, 40, 60 lbs. There's no getting around it. And for me, in retrospect, well, I wish I'd realized how much easier life was without having to carry that excess weight everywhere.

But I was "OK" at any weight. 270. 240. 220. 200. etc. And so are you. Its just a matter of deciding what is a sustainable life for you. Best wishes.

Bekah7482 wrote: »

is it ok to be ok with an overweight number on the scale?

Bekah7482 wrote: »

It seems like people think that because I have the momentum going that I should ride it out to get as skinny as possible but not everyone has that goal. I am in perfect health, my ability to do physical activities is not hindered (well maybe im not strong enough for a pull up yet) and I maintain a very healthy lifestyle now. I dont see a problem maintaining once i am in a comfortable state.