Finally reached my goal weight; what is the best way to keep it?

Every summer for the past 4-5 years I've tried eating healthier and exercising more to get down to my dream weight; the closest I ever got within those summers was 117 lbs. Long story short the past 2 months I mistook some medications and ended up with severe nausea. (Nausea and weakness so bad I almost had to be hospitalized.)

 

Now I'm happily at 108 lbs. (I love the autumn/Christmas season, so I've always tried to get in great shape over the summer for that time of the year.)

 

I mean, 2 months of severe nausea with zero exercise and boom, I'm at my dream weight! But every summer for the past 4-5 years I ran/power-walked on the treadmill, did yoga, and I only managed to get down to 117?

 

Since I lost it so quickly I'm afraid that I will gain it back so quickly as well. I'm also a little worried that I"ll eventually develop an eating disorder as a result. (Obviously, I don't want that to happen.)

 

But once I got my meds straightened out (and have followed some healthy tips that I read in Alicia Silverstone's book The Kind Diet---i.e., stop eating once I feel full, don't eat 3 hours before bedtime) I seem to be keeping it off fine.

 

Thanks for reading; tips/feedback greatly appreciated!

What is your height? I am only asking because 108 seems quite low to me, however if you are under 5'3-5'4 I guess it's standard.

 

You most likely will gain some of the weight back as you lost it due to sickness. I find everybody has a healthy weight for their body type and height and it's not worth starving yourself to stay at a low number. However the best way to keep weight off is always in the diet. I have cut off dairy and most carbs and found I dropped it like that. I actually hated it lol because of my body type I prefer to have my curves back, but eating clean made me shed my weight like crazy.. Realistically if you are working out and burning calaories you need a high protein diet and eating even MORE than you normally would, which yes causes weight gain but of course it's muscle mass. Your body will prob look amazing but you def will gain weight..however if it's all about the number on the scale for you than minimal workouts and no sweets or carbs!

Likewise wondering how tall you are. Also, especially if you're now underweight, from a health perspective I'm not liking how the weight loss happened. I think you owe it to yourself to speak with a medical professional about any particulars.

I can offer you this: The ideal weight chart for diabetic women is:

 

5'0 - 105

5'1 - 110

5'2 - 115

5'3 - 130

5'4 - 135

5'5 - 140

5'6 - 145

5'7 - 150 *

 

*just keep adding 5 lbs per inch.

 

Of course, other weight charts are all over the place.

 

When you're not eating, you tend too lose both water and fat, And if you don't have much fat on you, you lose muscle mass. So that's why a lot of people add back at least 5 lbs quickly after being sick. Bring back the exercises in your life and try to be thrifty in your eating. Those are the best things you can do to get an ideal weight and keep it. And keep in mind, because of lower estrogen and testosterone being secreted as you get older, it can be more difficult to take weight off.

yikes. . .recheck average BMI statistics.

I am 5'8 and 130. 125 is ideal for me but I am small boned.

Based on this I ought to be 155. No, no.

And your age is a factor as well.

 

I agree, you will bounce back some, but if you adhere to lifestyle change, you can manage it.

Lean protein, veg's, fruits. Low on carbs and no sugar. Mild to moderate exercise. Just walking daily helps.

Changing your lifestyle is the biggest thing you can do.

 

Take your lunch to work instead of buying fast food.

Take a walk after dinner each night. Do the dishes and then go for a walk. This is a very big tip so please follow it.

Be mindful of your grocery shopping habits. If you don't buy it you won't eat it.

Figure out what you were doing/eating that wasn't working. Do you snack a lot? What are your portion sizes? Do you drink soda? Alcohol? How often do you eat out?

 

There are several small changes you can make to tweak your life so you have a healthy intake, exercise and still enjoy food and drink.

 

Lost

I would like to say congratulations for reaching your goal weight! But I think 108 is too low for you. Your efforts after 5 years got you no lower than 117, and you only got to this weight because you were on a medication that made you ill. If 108 is not a weight that is natural for your body type and metabolism, I don't think you can maintain it without developing an eating disorder.

Drink water, eat a good breakfast and four protein snacks throughout the day, don't eat after 7pm, low resistance/high reps exercise, and cardio.

 

If you're doing all of that and still gain weight, then 108 probably is too low for you. You have to be pretty darn small to only weigh 108.

I am 5'3". I first got my period when I was 13; I weighed 110 until I was 17, where I let myself go and ate everything I wanted. I ended up at 130. (Even though doctors never said to lose weight, everyone agreed I looked terrible at 130.)

 

I live this weight, and I don't think I'll develop an eating disorder. I love walking and I don't eat red meat/dairy that much anymore at all. (As I mentioned, Alicia's book really opened my eyes to healthy eating.)

I can offer you this: The ideal weight chart for diabetic women is:

 

5'0 - 105

5'1 - 110

5'2 - 115

5'3 - 130

5'4 - 135

5'5 - 140

5'6 - 145

5'7 - 150 *

 

The idea that there is some universal "ideal weight" by hight is super problematic and furthers disordered eating.

 

OP: if 117 is your weight when you are eating healthy and getting exercise then it is a perfectly healthy weight. If it take sickness and starvation to get you to 108 then it isn't a healthy weight for you. If you are worried about disordered eating STOP weighing yourself. 117 for your height is well with in a healthy weight range.

 

I live this weight)

 

I meant love. Lol

I'm 5'3" as well, and have never weighed anymore than 110. My thoughts are as long as you stay at a certain weight, eat healthy, exercise, and have no serious health issues, this is where your weight is meant to be, (imo).

 

In short, I'd take it day by day, avoid starving yourself and see where you are within the time frame of approximately 6 mo-1 year.

Figure out what you were doing/eating that wasn't working. Do you snack a lot? What are your portion sizes? Do you drink soda? Alcohol? How often do you eat out?

Let's see...at the beginning of summer 2010 my weight ballooned out to 130. (The big wake-up call was when a woman at my job back then asked if I was pregnant.) I then went on a strict diet---no fries, no fried/buffalo chicken, no dessert, stop when feel full, and go on the treadmill for 1 hour, then do my 45 minute yoga DVD. I did that everyday that summer and lost 11 lbs as a result.

 

I guess the reasons the past 4-5 summers never became as successful as that one is because I didn't work out/eat as strictly as I did. (The past few summers I was stuck at 120. Thinking about it, when I got to 117 it was because I was working harder on the treadmill.)

 

I'm a teetotaler; I don't drink alcohol at all. (Or even soda; I tried soda as a kid and hated it. I tried alcohol twice in my early 20s and became drunk both times. After the second time, I said "never again!")

 

Thanks for all the feedback! Greatly appreciated!

I can offer you this: The ideal weight chart for diabetic women is:

 

5'0 - 105

5'1 - 110

5'2 - 115

5'3 - 130

5'4 - 135

5'5 - 140

5'6 - 145

5'7 - 150 *

 

*just keep adding 5 lbs per inch.

 

Of course, other weight charts are all over the place.

 

I'm not diabetic, but this feels wrong to me. I'm 6' and have been since I was young, like prepubescent. According to this chart I should weigh 175. Once puberty struck and did its worst, I have never been lower than 190...and I was downright slim at that weight. Very little excess body fat, only curves in the appropriate places. If I tried to lose a further 15 pounds, I would have been practically skeletal and would probably have lost all my muscle mass. Where did you source your info?

 

OP, congratulations on hitting your goal weight. Unfortunately, it's not going to stay there since you got there by being so ill. Try focusing on losing inches instead of weight, and you might find a difference. Muscle weighs more than fat, and depending on the type of exercise you're doing you may be adding muscle mass and toning your body while still losing fat and inches, but your weight won't reflect that.

Your ideal weight is of little consequence really. Your BMI is a better gauge so get it checked and see what it is. Humans come in all different sizes and shapes and carry fat and muscle differently. Over time we have become accustomed to people being heavier and now that is considered "normal". Look at old pictures at about the end of world war 2 and see what society looked like back then. People were not slimmer because they were starving or had eating disorders, they were slimmer because there was no fast food, almost zero prepared meals/food and life moved at a slower pace with less stress.

 

It sounds like you eat pretty healthy now and don't have bad eating habits like soda so just add walking after dinner and be mindful of what you buy when shopping. Many of us fall off the healthy eating wagon when we get busy so find some good quick meals you can prepare when you don't have time once in a while instead of doing the easy thing like ordering a pizza.

 

If you think about a life with 80% healthy intake and 20% indulgence you should be able to have a pretty stable weight with a decent BMI and feel comfortable in your own skin. Going overboard on anything causes problems so don't get fanatical about all this but try and make it a lifestyle not a diet. Once it becomes your new normal it will feel effortless.

 

A visit to your doctor for a complete physical might be in order once you have a few months of your new lifestyle under your belt. That way they can check for vitamins and mineral, hormone levels and other key factors to make sure what you are doing is right for your body.

 

Good luck

Lost

Your BMI is a better gauge so get it checked and see what it is. Humans come in all different sizes and shapes and carry fat and muscle differently.

 

Actually, I just had a body composition scan last week and the analyst told me that BMI is BS!!

 

But I agree, people come in all shapes and sizes, and "normal" is a wide range.

Actually, I just had a body composition scan last week and the analyst told me that BMI is BS!!

 

But I agree, people come in all shapes and sizes, and "normal" is a wide range.

It can be. BMI is largely tailored to a relatively inactive population. Basically, it doesn't bank on having really gained any muscle from physical activity. It's not complete BS, just moreso if you happen to touch a dumbbell a couple times a week and put some effort into your fitness. It does hurt to use as an empirical method in cases such as mine, where I'm bordering overweight despite being pretty damn lean if I don't say so myself, and for the OP, where it sounds like, given the method of her weightloss, her body most likely sacrificed healthy and more dense lean muscle tissue. So as underweight as she is given her height, it's likely even worse than if she were in fact the anorexic person hitting the treadmill three hours a day archetype.

 

At this point, I do consider it irresponsible to offer real advice other than to see a physician and dietitian.

I'm just under 5"3 and 105-107 but for a long time I was more like 113. Highest I ever was other than pregnant was 121 when I was on a horrid birth control pill in my early 20s. I am 5 pounds or more less now than my pre pregnancy eight and am almost 51. How I do it - very active almost every day,do cardio every single day, and I stopped nibbling between meals with a few exceptions - I'll have one dried fig or a plain rice cake and st night I have a small snack before bed. I am very in tune with my hunger and fullness cues -which took years- and in the last 7 months I've nearly doubled my water intake - and I stopped drinking diet soda some years ago - maybe I have one every two or three months. I drink water and sparkling water and one tovtwo cups of coffee per day. And I have good genetics on my side.

My suggestions are - as much water as possible, limit snacking and increase exercise. Good luck !

The percentage of fat is a good gauge of where you are health wise. Most people forget that the fat they see on the outside is also matched on the inside around your organs.

 

Check out the fat percentage of the ripped people you see in movies or magazines. There level is actually to low but that is where they get the definition they are looking for. Of course that isn't how they look all the time. Many train for each event of photo shoot.

 

A healthy balance that keeps excess fat off your body is pretty doable for everyone but you do need some way of gauging where to stop and what is actually healthy.

 

Lost