Is everyone aiming for their goal weight to be within a healthy BMI range?
My BMI 'healthy range' says it's from 7st 10lb to 10st 6lb.
I have ALWAYS been big. And I do want to be healthy, but I cannot imagine being so small. I was aiming for 13 ish stone, and then seeing how I FEEL when I get there. And if I'm happy, that's where I'll stop. I just wondered what other people's thoughts were? I'm quite happy being a bit .. well rounded.. and I wouldn't want to be super slim as I just don't think it would suit me or look right on me :/
Yes, it's the same for me. My ideal weight should be about 8 stone, I will NEVER be 8 stone. After my first week weight loss of 5lb, I'm now 12st 13lb, so I'm aiming to get to 10 stone and see how I feel. Hope weight goes well and you reach the goal your body is comfortable with.
Hi like yourself I am on the big boned side rather than petite so my healthy top range is 10.2 but at 11st I am a size 14 easily and haven't been that for 30 years lol.
So to start with I started at 17.1 after 5 months I am 14.2 this is my phase 1 as I call it to lose 4.5 stone taking me to 12.8 stone. I am ok with that as I know this is a lifetime change.
Hopefully I will get to that and from then I will see how much more I need to lose to feel comfortable and ok with as my aim is at 12.8 to up the exercise to become fitter rather than slimmer. If the pounds continue to fall brilliant😊
I think we all know when we feel ok with ourselves but more importantly when we feel fitter, don't get out of breath easily and can do things which we couldn't do before because of the weight.
There isn't a golden rule this height should be this weight, listen to what your body tells you and how you feel, take small steps and enjoy the benefits of your own hard work along the way.
and well done on such a good weight loss in five months! I think your plan to reach your target and then to up your exercise is a really good one! Maybe I'll adopt a similar approach myself and eventually it'll be less about the numbers and more about fitness
The main thing is to be comfortable in your own skin, so I would say to set mini targets then see how you feel when you get there and keep adjusting till you are happy.
My healthy bmi is the same range as yours. I originally aimed for 10st7, but I'd always been healthily at the upper end of my bmi until suddenly gaining 2 stone to 12st4, which I know doesn't sound especially high, but the weight gain happened very quickly so it felt huge at the time. When I got down to 10st7 I decided to aim for a bit more off to get firmly in the healthy bmi range but I seem to be sticking at 10st0. I think lots of people will advise to set manageable goals and then reassess as you go. This certainly seems to have been the way with me. I think you're right to feel that a number may not define the point when you 'feel' like you've reached your healthy weight. But it's a useful guide...
I agree that we each have to find a weight/size that feels 'right' 😊 I am a small frame and wouldn't look wrong at 8 stone but have never been that weight as an adult 😕 Right now I'm trying to get to 65 kg (10 st 4 lbs) which was my weight when I got married almost 25 years ago, a weight I've not seen since . . I want to fit back into my wedding dress AND STAY THAT WEIGHT . . .
I was surprised initially too when I saw the NHS BMI calculator and realised my healthy weight was between 7st 1 and 9st 11lbs, quite a range and also seemed a long way off when I started trying to lose weight. I used the BMI of 25 as something to aim for though. My BMI is now 23.5, still at the top end of the range. I am not particularly narrow framed, so I cannot imagine what I would look like at 7st, not good! Even at the weight I’ve settled on which makes me a size 12 has brought comments of ‘oh you are looking very skinny, hope you aren’t going to lose any more weight’. I don’t let those comments bother me though as I know I’m much fitter, healthier and happier than when I was 3 stone more and have stayed the same now for a few months. In the end I think you just know when you get to a weight that a) you feel happy with and b) you think you will realistically be able to maintain with a bit of effort, but not too much.
Yes I definitely couldn't imagine being 7 stone! Literally half of the person I am now
People are notorious for telling people they're "too skinny" when they've gone from being over weight to a healthy weight - so I'm glad those words don't bother you as I think it's very unfair of them to say it at all after all the effort you've put into getting to a weight you're healthy/happy with. Congratulations on your weight loss and your ability to maintain!
Hi Sailsalot. Why do people make those negative comments when we try so hard to be fitter and healthier!!! I have had that said to me by several people recently and it is so unfair after all your hard work. Brilliant that you have lost 3 stone and more importantly that you have managed to maintain it as well. So glad those comments don't bother you and I really agree that you need to be at a weight that you are happy with and that you realistically will be able to maintain. Have a good day
Knowing the bmi gives a bit of an idea of what might be expected but like others I've found that to be in the middle of mine I'd look positively anorexic . It's interesting that a lot of trainers don't factor the bmi as part of the goal , largely going on measurements as well as weight. You definitely know when you've reached your ideal weight, both physically and realistically because ultimately we are making a lifestyle change so that we can enjoy life to the full ,so that our weight no longer dominates our lives negatively. The bmi is worked out for a national health reason but we can't all be the same as our body compositions vary so drastically , so personally I'd say when you are happy with your weight and feel that's maintainable stay happy and don't worry unduly about numbers !! Good luck 😀
Same as you re BMI - I'm aiming for somewhere in the middle! Has anyone actually seen human skeletons and made comparisons? Does "big boned " actually exist. That's always been my excuse, but am I kidding myself? My friend is tiny..... but could we be that same weight if we were just bones? Genuinely want to know!!!
This is an interesting point it would be interesting to know!
I think there can be a variation between bones between different people, but I'm not sure how much of a difference it can make, if any - or if we should really be using it as an excuse! I view it as - I am "bigger boned" than some other people, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't be healthier - I think it just effects the way I carry the weight and what weight I feel comfortable at.
I have several friends who are most definitely 'big boned' or something because at the same weight and height as me were wearing clothes 2 or 3 dress sizes smaller!! They are both very fit and active. I also have 'petite' friends who weigh a minuscule 8 stone but also look right. 😊
It's stability I want. THIS TIME I will not yoyo!! I try not to obsess with the scales but it's difficult. A tape measure is my best friend, especially as my weight is STS (or up) but inches coming down 😊😊😊
Growing up, my mother always told me I was big boned when I was worried about being chubby!
I carried this Big Boned idea with me into adulthood.... until eventually in my sixties I have lost the weight, settled at a comfortable BMI of 22.5 (9st 9 and 5ft 5 ) , measured my wrist, forearm etc to calculate my body fat (26%) and Guess What? I am definitely NOT big boned at all !!
I'm not aiming for what is the given ideal weight. I've been there whilst ill and looked as if I had been on hunger strike . It's not for me . I'm aiming for a weight I knowI will be happy at . I'm almost there and this forum is the help I needed to get there.
It's exciting that you're almost there! I find it really inspiring when other people get closer and reach their goals, it makes me feel like my own goals are more achievable!
Good luck with your own efforts and whatever you do don't give up. I had a bad start with 5 weeks and no loss but the encouragement I got from this forum helped me persevere . I had never joined any type of forum before and It has come to be my " go to " source of help . The forum and so many of the members have come to mean so much to me even though they are anonymous.
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