Kind of Down Today

I am kind of disappointed today. I wanted to be at my BMI goal of 169 pounds but just missed it. Oh well, I am sure next weigh-in I will make it. To be honest, I am getting a little nervous about losing more weight as already I am getting kind of skinny. The bones in my body are starting to stick out all over. My ribs are showing and I can almost feel my internal organs when I lay down. If some of the excess skin was gone, I think I would be way under weight and the normal BMI figures do not take that into consideration.

I hope I am not really hurting myself trying to get to this goal at my age. But ill health or not, I am going to try my best. I have never really made my weight goal in my life. I have always stopped just short. This time I am hell bent on doing it. I have a final goal of a few pounds under normal BMI so I have some wiggle room, but if I don’t make that, that will be ok as long as I stay in the normal BMI.

I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel, sure hope it is not a train.

Larry having your goal being a few pounds UNDER normal BMI concerns me. That means it's not normal right? and you say you are already nervous because you believe you are skinny.

BMI doesn't distinguish between fat and muscle. People are also just naturally heavier now than they were 20 years ago. 

Dr. Phil uses two systems that I find helpful. Body Shape Standards and Body Weight Standards.He talks about it in his book the Ultimate Weight Solution pg 26 under "What is your Get-Real Weight"

It's really better to read about it but I'll just post a snippet here: This is taken from his book, I won't put it in quotes in case I make spelling mistakes but it is copied from his book. 

Body Shape standards has to do with waist -to-hip ratio. He talks about weight distribution and where you carry your weight being important in terms of affecting your health.  Paraphrasing - "apple type" /"pear type". -Apple store fat in stomach area - greater risk for heart disease ,diabetes and certain cancers. Pear - store fat around hips and thighs  - at risk for joint problems and obesity.

Calculating the ratio:

-Using a tape measure, measure your waist at the belly-button.

-Measure your hips at their widest point (stand with your feet apart in a relaxed position)

-Divide your waist measurement by your hip measurement to arrive at your waist-to-hip ratio

Ideally, this number should be 0.80 or less if you are a woman; or 0.95 or less if  you are a man.

The Body Weight Standards  is a more realistic table of height-weight tables which you can find in the book.

I think he means he still wants to be in the normal range, just not near the upper limit. For example, I am 5'7". At 159, I reached a normal BMI of 25. My goal is 140, which is still in the normal range.

On second read, I hope that's what Larry meant.

I am preaching to the choir but sometimes setting a goal and maintaining it are two separate issues. If your BMI is within range of your weight then you should be fine, if not won't you struggle to keep your goal weight? Remember you want to be healthy, not sickly. You might want to change your thinking like I am learning to do now. Best of luck!

I just did not want to be that close to the normal range but your points are well taken. I will be happy as long as I can stay at a normal weight, but looking at me, I think I look like I am underweight and others are starting to scare me as they say that they think I am starting to get too skinny. Especially when I am in my bathing suit, my chest bones are sticking out all over. I am going to do the Dr Phil measure, but to be honest, looking at Dr. Phil, he is fat. Thanks for the input however.

As an FYI it's not uncommon to look too skinny early out due to the rapid weight loss.  I personally looked sickly immediately after the weight loss.  When the weight leveled off and the body weight redistributes you'll feel better and look better.

I wouldn't be too concerned as long as your BMI is not considered underweight at the point in the journey you are at.

I originally lost down to a BMI of 21 and looked pretty sickly ...   After about 4-5 years I regained a little and looked waaaay better!  I feel I have a choice - I can diet (aka starve myself)  and be that thin OR I can eat healthily and maintain at my current weight (which is still a normal BMI) ...   I still wear shorts and bikinis at this weight and 50, which is pretty good in my book!

Mine is a lifestyle choice and you may well feel differently when you are 5+ years out.

I also have no problems with you using the word "fat", Larry!   It's what we all were (or still are) and I think it's important to own it!  We all judge people from their pictures but I would rather see a fat girl post a picture and feel happy about herself than a skinny girl posting about how she just "can't see it" (eyeroll)

Larry, why are you always so rude? Why are you always saying people are fat?  You were FAT YOURSELF!! STOP THIS!!!!! STOP!!! 

"I am going to do the Dr Phil measure, but to be honest, looking at Dr. Phil, he is fat"  That is very judgmental.  You are so critical of people.  STOP! You were overweight, you may not know it but think about it, people were probably critical of you as well.  You walked many miles in their shoes when you were overweight.   You do not know their situation.

Please stop.  This is very offensive. Everyone is different. 

why do people assume honesty= rude?

I was fat. I still have excess fat in my waist even though I've gone from a size 24-26 to a size 2. It's reality.

I have a woman at work today who said to me "look at you, you've lost most of the weight in your belly it's almost gone." It wasn't rude it was honest. She doesn't sugar coat it like everyone else who tells me I'm skinny or I look skinny. Sure I'm thinner than I was but I still have a ways to go in the waist area. I was so happy that she saw and wasn't afraid to be honest with exactly what I see and think. Everyone's PC nature had me start to think I was crazy.

While it offends you, many of us have accepted the facts and I worked hard with a therapist to accept the facts, I was fat, I still have excess fat. It's not a judgement it's an observation.