How to Decide On Lowest Maintainable Weight?

I'm 47 and have struggled with my weight since I was a teen, hitting highs of around 160-170 lb. (I'm 5'5") or so when I was 18 or 19, and I'm really doing some soul searching. My goal weight is around 125-130. I've been there a few times, and I always feel and look fantastic at that weight. However.... I've never been at that weight for more than a few months at a time, and it's usually taken some pretty on point calorie counting and diet adherence to get there. I feel like I've spent the last thirty years trying to achieve and maintain it. I really hate to even think this because it feels like giving up on achieving my best self ... but maybe that's just an unrealistic goal for me? With a more moderate amount of effort, I maintain in the 142-145 range, and that feels ok on me, though not as good as 130ish. More than 145 definitely starts feeling pretty bad on my body. I keep feeling like I really should be able to achieve and maintain 130 if I could just cut out the extra eating when I'm not hungry, which I've tried to do for a long time and failed at ... but maybe I should just give up? But then I worry that maybe it's striving for that lower weight which has kept me from getting even heavier than I am.... Maybe if I set my target as maintaining my current weight of 142, my brain would take that as license to eat even more...
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Replies

  • danversk97
    danversk97 Posts: 2 Member
    edited December 2019
    I like to use BMI and then go from there. For me, I prefer to be kind of in the middle of healthy range.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,345 Member
    You are not alone in this. At your height 140-145 sounds about right and if that's the weight that is easier maintained then maybe don't beat yourself up about trying to get lower.
    I'm only 5ft 2 and I got to 125 but it was a struggle to stay there, I'm finding its easier and natural for me to maintain 130-132, and it hasn't even meant any difference to how my clothes fit either. I also get a lot of friends and family telling me I looked to gaunt at 125.

    As others have said, recomp is probably the best way forward - muscle takes up less room than fat :smiley:
  • ellie117
    ellie117 Posts: 293 Member
    I'm 5'5" as well and would love to be able to maintain at 145. My body seems to want to stay in the 150s, and is very stubborn about it. I guess every body is different, but 140-145 is still a great, healthy range to maintain at.
  • StatChicBayes
    StatChicBayes Posts: 343 Member
    edited December 2019
    I am similar to @epangill - 4'11" and currently at 110.6 - which is in the middle of the BMI chart. I was around 105 in my thirties but put on a lot of weight over the last 12 years; starting last Feb I have taken most of it off (health scares). I do a lot of weight training to build muscle so except for some lingering belly fat and fat around the thighs that I am working on, I am pretty happy at this weight based on appearance of most clothes - so highly recommend adding strength training for body recomposition. BTW my daughters are 12 and just around 93 lbs at my height and we wear the same size leggings! Cannot emphasize enough that the scale is not always the best indication of fitness!
  • walktalkdog
    walktalkdog Posts: 102 Member
    epangili wrote: »
    I totally understand your challenge robingmurphy. I'm in the same boat in similar decision. I'm 44 and 4'11". Doctor says I should be 100 lbs but I have not been that weight since junior high 7th grade so can't imagine ever getting there. I maintained my high school weight of 109 till age 34 being active but eating whatever I wanted. But after that age I packed on weight being less active and more stress in life so more emotional overeating. My syblings health scares of almost losing eyesight to diabetes and fatty liver disease jolted me on my weight loss journey. I lost 29lbs since the wake up call so now I hover between 114 to 109 and struggle to see anything closer to the doctor's goal for me. I think as long as I'm in the normal bmi on the Asian American chart then I'm fine with it which starts at 113lbs. However, I am curious to see what I would look like at 100lbs that the doctor says I should be but honestly, I LOVE food too much for socializing, enjoyment, celebrating, comfort, art, etc. My conclusion is bmi/ body composition is more important than actual weight and I want to live it up a little enjoying food in moderation rather than live in restriction. I will revisit and adjust my goal if there's a health issue otherwise I'm content at my hovering range. I love eating so I'm focusing on building some muscle just so I can eat more since muscle burns more calories.

    It sounds to me like you have a healthy attitude and are at a good weight for your height and lifestyle. I'm a little perturbed that you doctor is telling you what you "should" weigh (based on what?), rather than supporting your healthy lifestyle and attitude now and maintaining an appropriate weight.
  • epangili
    epangili Posts: 818 Member
    epangili wrote: »
    I totally understand your challenge robingmurphy. I'm in the same boat in similar decision. I'm 44 and 4'11". Doctor says I should be 100 lbs but I have not been that weight since junior high 7th grade so can't imagine ever getting there. I maintained my high school weight of 109 till age 34 being active but eating whatever I wanted. But after that age I packed on weight being less active and more stress in life so more emotional overeating. My syblings health scares of almost losing eyesight to diabetes and fatty liver disease jolted me on my weight loss journey. I lost 29lbs since the wake up call so now I hover between 114 to 109 and struggle to see anything closer to the doctor's goal for me. I think as long as I'm in the normal bmi on the Asian American chart then I'm fine with it which starts at 113lbs. However, I am curious to see what I would look like at 100lbs that the doctor says I should be but honestly, I LOVE food too much for socializing, enjoyment, celebrating, comfort, art, etc. My conclusion is bmi/ body composition is more important than actual weight and I want to live it up a little enjoying food in moderation rather than live in restriction. I will revisit and adjust my goal if there's a health issue otherwise I'm content at my hovering range. I love eating so I'm focusing on building some muscle just so I can eat more since muscle burns more calories.

    It sounds to me like you have a healthy attitude and are at a good weight for your height and lifestyle. I'm a little perturbed that you doctor is telling you what you "should" weigh (based on what?), rather than supporting your healthy lifestyle and attitude now and maintaining an appropriate weight.

    Thank you for your encouragement and I like to think that about myself as well. I tend to store my excess weight in my abs and doctor says if you sit down and have folds over, then you have some pounds to lose.... My doctor is basing it on the Asian American bmi chart which is slightly different from American bmi chart.

    https://aadi.joslin.org/en/am-i-at-risk/asian-bmi-calculator
  • Thank you for all your advice. There's some really great stuff in here that I'm going to ponder and incorporate into my approach. Overnight, I got a little perspective on my little freak-out here. First, I realized that almost every year at some point I hit a crisis like this - although this is a bigger one. It usually happens in winter. Winter is hard for me - I feel like no matter how hard I work, I end up gaining weight. The treats all around, less exercise, and just a desire to hole up and eat all the carbs while it's cold out all make things a hundred times more difficult. Some years I end up just taking that crisis as a sign I need to give up, stop tracking altogether - and then I end up gaining even more weight and hit a weight level I'm uncomfortable with, then have to work even more to address it in the spring. I don't want to do that. This time, I need to be more moderate. Maybe I just need to set a more manageable goal for the winter? I like the idea of focusing on a recomp. Maybe sticking in that 140-145 range I'm in now and recomping for the next six months is a better and more achievable goal.

    I think you have made some real progress here and it’s a positive thing to focus on manageable goals.

    In terms of lifting and recomp in my experience it’s a very slow process so think in terms of a couple of years of consistent resistance training to see decent results. Many people seem to expect results in 90 days or whatever. For most of us in real life it’s a lot slower.

    Im 5ft 8.5 and recomped for 2 and a half years at 140 pounds. It’s only now I feel like I look remotely like I lift. I’m nit saying that to put you off, just do you don’t get frustrated after your 6 months is up and then stop.