Maintenance Weekly 19th June 2006 - Picking a Goal Weight

[miralin]

Originally Posted by cmcole

How many of us are in that position?
I would guess - many.

I still see myself as "fat"
I still see/feel the spare tire around the middle, even though there are other parts of myself that I am very pleased with (appearance-wise).

I'm the opposite. I look in the mirror and I go "hey, there's a fat girl in my mirror! I'll be doggoned."

I HATE looking at piccies of myself for the same reason -- I don't *feel* fat, I don't have any problem getting around, doing what I enjoy doing, etc. But there is the evidence, sure as can be, and well you can't refute that. Oh yeah, and this belly that hangs around, that has something to do with it too .....

[realruth]

Miralin the differnece comes when you reach a level below what your mind tells you, you are in reality.

I always thought I was about a size 14 (was 24) but had to face the mirror daily and be honest and see I wasn't.
Once I got below a size 14 (currently 10-12) I still think I'm bigger and when I look in a mirror now I cannot for the life of me *see* that smaller person.

I keep thinking I'll have to get someone of a regular 10 size to stand beside me in a photo to really appreciate the smaller me mentally

[miralin]

Hmm that's a good point, Ruth. I hadn't thought about it that way.

Don't get me wrong-- I'm not delusional. I know I'm fat, and I know those are size 20-22 pants I put on every morning, etc. But for knowing that, I don't connect it to my appearance somehow.

[Shadow]

Originally Posted by realruth

Once I got below a size 14 (currently 10-12) I still think I'm bigger and when I look in a mirror now I cannot for the life of me *see* that smaller person.

Exactly!

Originally Posted by realruth

I keep thinking I'll have to get someone of a regular 10 size to stand beside me in a photo to really appreciate the smaller me mentally

Hey, that's a great idea !

[cmcole]

But pictures of me have the effect of making me feel that I look absolutely huge!!

I think, somehow, it's a self esteem problem, as well as a problem with image or imagined image.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/liv...n_page_id=1879

[Mitra]

I've been reading a study that made me think of this thread. It reported that for women between 45 and 56, those who had reached menopause were nearly twice as likely to have asthma as those who hadn't, but for those who had a BMI less than 23 as well as reaching menopause it was four times as likely. As I have a BMI that's a bit under 23 (about 21-22 generally), and have recently started getting asthma, I consider the whole thing grossly unfair.

I also notice that these days my weight is in the 115-120 range, not the 110 that I was at three years ago, when we had this discussion. In spite of all the accumulating evidence that not being too thin is healthier, part of me would still like to be a fashionable weight. I can't imagine why, because I'm not fashionable in any other area of my life .

[SandyHanson]

This brings up something I've been thinking about recently. I have no idea what my "goal" weight is - I've been overweight and downright obese for so long. My plan is to keep on following PPLP and exercising, and when I feel that I'm getting close (clothing size, measurements, etc) I'll calculate my % of body fat and use that to determine where I'm at and how far I need to go. But that brings me to another question I've been meaning to ask. In the PP book, if I remember correctly, it shows a goal body fat % for older women (I just turned 60 - OMG!) as high as 27! That seems so high. And I don't understand why we should be fatter just because we're older. I've tried to look online, and although I find many recommendations, most sites also suggest a higher % for older people, but I've never seen the reason. Do any of you know?

**Edited** I have to admit, I posted after reading the most recent post, but without reading the rest of the thread. It has some possible answers. I'm nowhere near having to make that decision yet, so I'll just keep on keeping on for now. BTW, I'm pretty sure my weight will end up higher than when I was 20 - I'm doing resistance exercises now and building muscles; back then I did very little of that sort of thing.

[Shadow]

Originally Posted by Mitra

I've been reading a study that made me think of this thread. It reported that for women between 45 and 56, those who had reached menopause were nearly twice as likely to have asthma as those who hadn't, but for those who had a BMI less than 23 as well as reaching menopause it was four times as likely. As I have a BMI that's a bit under 23 (about 21-22 generally), and have recently started getting asthma, I consider the whole thing grossly unfair.

Good heavens, that does seem opposite of how it should be, doesn't it ?! Work hard to get healthy and at a good weight and BAM comes Mother Nature to slap you upside the head .

I also notice that these days my weight is in the 115-120 range, not the 110 that I was at three years ago, when we had this discussion. In spite of all the accumulating evidence that not being too thin is healthier, part of me would still like to be a fashionable weight. I can't imagine why, because I'm not fashionable in any other area of my life .

I'm with you there. I don't give a hoot about being fashionable - but by golly, I want that pre-menopause weight back because it's a more "acceptable" number...

[Shadow]

Originally Posted by SandyHanson

I'm nowhere near having to make that decision yet, so I'll just keep on keeping on for now.

Believe me, Sandy, even after hitting maintenance it's still pretty much a case of "keeping on keeping on."

[Mitra]

Originally Posted by SandyHanson

In the PP book, if I remember correctly, it shows a goal body fat % for older women (I just turned 60 - OMG!) as high as 27! That seems so high. And I don't understand why we should be fatter just because we're older. I've tried to look online, and although I find many recommendations, most sites also suggest a higher % for older people, but I've never seen the reason. Do any of you know?

I don't know why the number changes as you get older. As you say, there are some hints - such as speculation that body fat substitutes for some of the missing estrogen - but nothing concrete. I think there's less known about how our bodies work than we sometimes think.

In PP the fat range for women over 60 is 22 - 31%. The WHO numbers go even higher. There's a page on the subject at about (written by Laura Dolson).

It's hard to shake off the "thinner is better" mindset. Most of us probably think that being emaciated isn't healthy, but there really doesn't seem to be a health advantage and may be some disadvantages in being at the lower end of normal.

Shadow, I agree - the principal difference between maintenance and weight loss is that maintenance goes on for longer . Oh, and you don't have the "reward" of watching the numbers go down, and having to buy new clothes .