Discouraged by the Number

Idolina_Marie
Idolina_Marie Posts: 18
in Motivation and Support
Hey everyone,

So a little background. In high school I weighed an average of 130-135 pounds (although I looked like I weighed much less). Once I started college, my weight began fluctuating quite a bit, and I've weighed as much as 167 pounds. I am 22 years old and finally down to 140 pounds--22 pounds less than last summer. While this is exciting and I know I should feel accomplished, that number keeps getting me down.

Even at my current 140 pounds, I feel that I look smaller than what I weigh. I am 5'4, size 6 jeans (junior sizing), 29 inch waist. While I'm fairly happy with how my body LOOKS, in the back of my mind it's my goal to weigh 115-120. Even though that is considered a healthy weight for my height, I remember how slender I looked at 130 (I would have looked like bones if I weighed 10-15 less than that!!). So maybe 120 is just not realistic for my body type? I just don't understand why the number is so high...sigh :( I know it's more about how you look and feel than the number on the scale, but it's still discouraging when people my same size weigh MUCH less, and the BMI scale tells you that you are borderline overweight... I know I could definitely be more toned and lose more fat, but almost overweight, seriously??

Help?

Replies

  • dharmster
    dharmster Posts: 6
    Hey body twin! I'm also 5'4" 29" waist and size 6 jean. I currently weigh 143, and know exactly what you mean about the BMI saying we're right at the edge of overweight. It's scary! No one else would think that a size 6 is borderline overweight, but here we are. I have a 14 month old baby and I'm working to get back to my pre-baby weight of 137, but then know that I gained 12 lbs working a desk job before that. So my goal is 125, which is 20 lbs less than my start.

    Way to go losing 22 lbs this year!
    Erin
  • dany_m
    dany_m Posts: 74 Member
    Hey guys, don't give up! The BMI is just a number and it doesn't work for everybody. For example a personal trainer at my gym who has a great body shape and physique is in the 'obese' BMI category, which clearly isn't a good indication of his fitness level indication in his case!
    Check out this lady's pictures, she is living proof that the actual numbers on the scale don't tell you the whole story: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/580019-the-scale-is-a-lying-torture-device-i-m-proof
  • iwantahealthierme13
    iwantahealthierme13 Posts: 337 Member
    "I've been as large as 167", that's not large for 5'4"
  • araxiedyck
    araxiedyck Posts: 127 Member
    22 lbs is a lot lost, congrats...
    I am also 5'4", presently 139 lbs. I have been hovering in the 140's for many years (I'll lose 5 lbs, think I've done great, and start eating more and execising less and then gain the 5 lbs back). Always want to lose weight and be more toned, say a solid size 6 without having to feel that I am squeezing into it. I had a baby last year, and have finally gotten the baby weight off, and now am at 139. I want to still lose a bit, as I have a tummy and want to be more trimmed. I would be happy at 130 or just under, but aiming for 125 total. I do not think it is unrealsitic fore me to get there, and as you know 125 is smack in the middle of healthy BMI for 5'4" (I thought for many years I was 5'6", not sure why, so I was even sadder when I found out how tall I really was and the healthy BMI, as now I am on the heavy/healthy end of it. Even though at this point I am 139, I am smaller than I was at 140 before I had my son, as I started running and yoga, and have been doing that @ 4 times a week. I would love to do more, but work full time and have 2 kids and struggle to make the time to exercise on the days I work....
    now, in regards to your size and weight, you sound smaller than me (I am still in size 8 and they are started to fit loose now) so you can't always go by by just height and weight.
    I am tired so please forgive the rambling---
    You are within your healthy BMI, so I don't want to say you should or you shouldn't lose more weight. You need to do what is right for you. And as you get closer to 120 it will be harder to lose weight. I am alreay finding it hard to get past 139 and the last 2 days have been starving and I shouldn't be (have eaten above my calories). Maybe concentrate on exercise and getting fit as opposed to concentrating on the scale. I would certainly support you and motivate you if you decide to go for the goal weight, I certianly need some encouragement and think it's neat to see those the same height and same goal reach their acheivements and helps motivate me and realize I can do it too...I am just stuck right now and need to get past that, and tomorrow is a new day
  • jordalyssa94
    jordalyssa94 Posts: 45
    "I've been as large as 167", that's not large for 5'4"
    not to be offensive but I hit 165 at 5'5" and tat was my breaking point, I has to do something, and I;m still very unhappy with 131 as a number, so I can understand how the number is stressful
  • Dee_84
    Dee_84 Posts: 431 Member
    I'm also 5'4'', currently 143 lb. I wear a jeans size 4 and that sounds really thin. My problem: I carry all my weight around my upper body, I have wide shoulders, big breasts and a chubby belly.
    I also was struggeling with finding the "perfect" goal weight. I decided to aim for 123 lb. But I'm more into re-shaping my body so if I notice I like my body with 130 lb. I will stop there and go into maintaining.

    Congrats on losing 22 pounds! Great accomplishment!
  • kdeaux1959
    kdeaux1959 Posts: 2,675 Member
    OK... here are some facts to consider... BMI considers 2 things... Height and weight. Here are a couple of very pertinent things that it does NOT consider...

    1. Build... Bone structure IS important... Large bone, small bone, medium bone (I happen to be medium)
    2. Fat ratio... If you are particularly muscular... muscle weighs more than fat... Hence you will weigh more but be more fit sometimes at a point slightly above your weight range... If an NFL lineman were to try to be within his IBW (BMI less than 25) range, it would kill him... He would lose all his fat store which are necessary.
    3. Age... The older you are, the higher the recommended fat stores... (at 22 y-o, this is not a concern for you)

    I recommend... forget the scale.. If you are a trim 140 lbs... it sounds like you are on the right track.. Hit the gym and continue your muscular development and don't worry about the scale. As for me... I technically have a goal of 190 (currently 284 down about 60 lbs) which is the upper end of my BMI)= BUT most likely I will settle a lot closer to 225... Because I am building muscle in the mean time. The number on the scale is important to a point but these other factors must be incorporated as well.
  • Idolina_Marie
    Idolina_Marie Posts: 18
    Thanks everyone for the encouraging comments. It's always nice to get insight from people of the same height and weight (whether current or goal). I too am finding myself at a small plateau. It's been hard for me to budge below 140, which I think is contributing to the number discouragement. I'll lose a pound then gain it right back. It would be nice to sort of be in a group of people with similar goals to help keep each other motivated!! :)
  • Awkward30
    Awkward30 Posts: 1,927 Member
    I think the best way to do it is by body fat %

    I'm 5'3.5" 143 lb and 23.5% body fat, so this means I have 143*(1-0.235) = 109 lb of lean mass, so if I maintained that and weighed 120 lb I would have 11 pounds of fat.
    11/120*100 = 9% body fat.
    Since that is far too low for a female, that is not a realistic goal. I think 18% body fat is a good, lean % so again assuming I maintain my muscle
    Goal weight*(1-0.18) = 109 lb of lean mass to solve for goal weight = 109/(1-0.18) = 133 lb

    So basically, my goal is somewhere around 133 lb!

    I like math! :)
  • mes1119
    mes1119 Posts: 1,082 Member
    I hear ya, I'm a hair under 5'4 and between a size 0-2. I weigh 133 right now...

    Even when I was 150 at my heaviest, and technically "overweight", I was a size 4-6. It goes to show that there really is such a thing as a "large body frame" and a lot to be said about having some muscle mass. Personally I have a 20.5% body fat about 106 pounds of lean body mass. I also have an incredibly large wrist and bone structure, which you can tell from measurements.

    That is why you need to focus on body fat percentage
  • FitLink
    FitLink Posts: 1,317 Member
    Hey everyone,

    So a little background. In high school I weighed an average of 130-135 pounds (although I looked like I weighed much less). Once I started college, my weight began fluctuating quite a bit, and I've weighed as much as 167 pounds. I am 22 years old and finally down to 140 pounds--22 pounds less than last summer. While this is exciting and I know I should feel accomplished, that number keeps getting me down.

    Even at my current 140 pounds, I feel that I look smaller than what I weigh. I am 5'4, size 6 jeans (junior sizing), 29 inch waist. While I'm fairly happy with how my body LOOKS, in the back of my mind it's my goal to weigh 115-120. Even though that is considered a healthy weight for my height, I remember how slender I looked at 130 (I would have looked like bones if I weighed 10-15 less than that!!). So maybe 120 is just not realistic for my body type? I just don't understand why the number is so high...sigh :( I know it's more about how you look and feel than the number on the scale, but it's still discouraging when people my same size weigh MUCH less, and the BMI scale tells you that you are borderline overweight... I know I could definitely be more toned and lose more fat, but almost overweight, seriously??

    Help?

    Well, one thing you have to do is realize that, by BMI, you are NOT "borderline overweight." Your BMI is 24, and you'd need to be 25 to be overweight. You're perfectly within the normal range. If you want to be more "toned," or whatever, work toward that. But go easy on yourself. Who cares what the number is? Really. Seriously.
  • SwimKitty
    SwimKitty Posts: 122 Member
    Please, please ignore BMI numbers. They do not take into consideration muscle, bone, frame size, etc. It looks at height and weight, and nothing else. There are a lot of bodybuilders with low body fat percentages that are in the obese category due to the amount of muscle mass they carry. When I was younger, I weighed 145 pounds at 5'4", wore size 6, 28 inch waist, and had very little body fat. I have a large frame, and was very lean at that weight.

    For more info :

    http://www.ironbodies.com/modules/bmi-indicator/

    http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106268439

    BMI is even more inaccurate for large frames. It is so inaccurate that I never look at it (too bad health and life insurance companies still use it to their advantage). http://www.livestrong.com/article/36520-calculate-accurate-bmi-large-frame/

    Ignore the BMI, measure fat %.

    Edited for redundant statement.
  • Idolina_Marie
    Idolina_Marie Posts: 18
    I think the best way to do it is by body fat %

    I'm 5'3.5" 143 lb and 23.5% body fat, so this means I have 143*(1-0.235) = 109 lb of lean mass, so if I maintained that and weighed 120 lb I would have 11 pounds of fat.
    11/120*100 = 9% body fat.
    Since that is far too low for a female, that is not a realistic goal. I think 18% body fat is a good, lean % so again assuming I maintain my muscle
    Goal weight*(1-0.18) = 109 lb of lean mass to solve for goal weight = 109/(1-0.18) = 133 lb

    So basically, my goal is somewhere around 133 lb!

    I like math! :)

    A poster below you also mentioned body fat percentage-- how did you figure out your exact body fat percentage? Did you go into a clinic to do a test? I would be very interested in finding out my actual body fat percentage and working towards that, instead of just a number! :)
  • jordalyssa94
    jordalyssa94 Posts: 45
    What is a healthy body fat percentage anyways? Or a reasonably trustworthy chart for it?
  • health_guy
    health_guy Posts: 1
    Just remember that because of low height and high muscle tone Tom Cruise is considered overweight by BMI standards. It's a very imperfect number.
  • Meegz84
    Meegz84 Posts: 74
    Chuck those scales out missy and start taking your measurements monthly.. or fortnightly..
    Scales are a waste of space, I jumped on mine the other day just to see and its telling me that I"ve gained 1.3kgs but I don't care as I know that it could be from fluid/bloating or those naughty extras on the weekend.. I know that I work hard at training and that I've dropped two clothing sizes and look great, I don't need a scale to tell me otherwise.. Just my two cents worth :-)
  • Awkward30
    Awkward30 Posts: 1,927 Member
    http://www.healthchecksystems.com/bodyfat.htm has a chart of the body fat ranges. My bf was given the same ranges when he got his teased in a bod pod, so they are accurate.

    Best way to monitor body fat at home is supposedly calipers, but you can do it with circumference measurements at sites like this
    http://www.calculator.net/army-body-fat-calculator.html but I would use a few of them because you can get wildly different numbers. Before I bought my $5 calipers, I pretty much averaged a bunch of measurement based calculatiins and it turned out close to the caliper method
  • SergeantSunshine_reused
    SergeantSunshine_reused Posts: 5,382 Member
    "I've been as large as 167", that's not large for 5'4"
    not to be offensive but I hit 165 at 5'5" and tat was my breaking point, I has to do something, and I;m still very unhappy with 131 as a number, so I can understand how the number is stressful

    I agree. At 145 was mine though. 167 would be very large on my frame

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