Diet till "healthy weight" or until happy?

[sarah5]

Hmmm I just realised that my goal weight will take me down to a size 12, which is lovely but I am 5'11" and a size 12 always makes me a little too thin (in my opinion) and I find it difficult to maintain. My goal weight would take me into the "healthy weight" range of the charts.

But if I slim down to a weight that I KNOW suits me (normally a size 12-14) but is just into the "overweight" category, is that better? I have ALWAYS been a size 12/14 and I think I would be happy at that weight, I also know that I could maintain pretty easily at that weight.

Should I slim till I'm at the "healthy weight" range of the charts (which I know I would find difficult to maintain) OR be in the just "overweight" section and be able to maintain and will be happy with that?

In other words, how much notice should I take of the charts?

Sorry if this is waffled!

 

[cmacca]

My dilemma also, I know that if I get to a healthly text book weight I will look ill, I am 5'4 and weighed nearly 14 stone and was still in a size 16. The first time the CDC saw me she made me get on the scales again as she thought they were wrong, she always says to me 'I dont know where you hide your weight', but I guess I just must be a heavy build.

 

[pandora]

personnaly i'd go for what makes you happy, if as you say your "ideal" weight is hard to maintain.
my moto is "why go from fat & unhappy to skinny & unhappy " i'd rather be somewhere i can maintain, rather than struggle to stay there, for me that will be 12-14
good luck whatever you choose
xx

 

[Sambucca]

I agree with pandora, and you must remember that BMI is only a guide to healthy weight.

I am still over 14stone and at 5ft 7 am already wearing a size 14. Although my ticker still says I have a way to go, I think I am going to be happy at around 12 - 12st7 which I think will be a BMI of around 28, yet should take me to a comfortable size 12 with plenty of breathing space.

 

[sophia-jo]

go with the size and weight that you know you'll be able to maintain. Size 12/14 is ideal and should be classed as a NORMAL HEALTHY SIZE

xx sj xx

 

[dellymolly]

i think my healthy weight is something like 11st7, i dont want to be that thin! ive lost 6 stone and am wearing a size 16, im really comfortable with that and im gonna start moving up the plans now i think.

if i lose more and mainatin at a size 14 that would be great but its about how i feel and how happy i am wiht how i look, rather than going by the chart.

 

[Frejja]

Hi Sarah

I would just go to your happy weight! I'm 5 10" and to have a BMI of 25 would have to be 12 stone 4lbs. I am aiming for half a stone more than that as I know I am too thin at that weight.

 

[KD]

Definitely with your 'happy' weight, but watch out. The 'near chatterbox' has a nasty habit of rearing it's head and convincing people that their perfect weight is 'now' regardless.

It usually appears at the exact same time as the 'Ive had enough of this diet' chatterbox appears. Odd that

Sometimes we can make the mistake of stopping too soon for the wrong reasons and convince ourselves that it is our happy weight.

I'm really sticking my neck out here. Certainly don't want a load of underweight miserable people hanging about, so I'm not talking about going grossly under what we consider our happy weight, just experimenting a little.

After all, how do you know how you will feel unless you try out different weights?

Again, we are just talking a little under, not masses.

I should add, that remember, once you finish the diet it's harder to get back on. Sometimes it's easier to just stay there that bit longer to check out another 'new slimmer you' before deciding.

Much easier to put those few pounds back on again.

 

[sarah5]

Thanks everyone for your replies, Frejja we obviously have very similar frames.. and like someone else above said, people are always flabbergasted by my weight as I can hide it very well with my height!

I got down to 11 stone 7 lbs last year doing LL and I really was too thin, size 10/12 at my height is not a good look. I could not maintain that frame, then got miserable and put the whole damn lot (and much more) all back on . I am going to go for about 12.5 to 13 stone.. probably down to 12.5 as I know I may put a little back on.

Karion Dieting thanks for your input too, I understand exactly what you are saying!! I most definitely am not stopping now.. my size 14's are way too tight for my liking LOL. I have at least 1.5 stone to go, do not worry my chatterbox is not talking to me yet

 

[fatpossum]

I agree with Karrion - I think it is worth 'trying on the new body' and 'wearing it' for a bit before deciding it isn't right for you.

I aspired only to be a size 14 but look so much better now. Everything seems so much more in proportion and it is lovely to be able to wear smaller sizes. I notice that my frame is very similar to that of my mother (who was a slim little thing) and I love the look of my shoulders and chest area. Hip bones are sublime and I am really glad to have had the opportuity to experience this new body.

I agree that it isn't easy to maintain and I find that it is so easy to slip up. Keeping to a size 10/12 does take effort but I think it's worth it. To be honest I think I should probably be 'wearng' a size 8 body - I still have weight on my stomach, bum and legs and if I can shift this I will definitly drop another dress size.

Unlike much of what is said in the media I think that many of these smaller size models and actresses look great - not the emaciated ones but those who are sizes 8/10. Some of the dinkier size 6's look good to me too because they are clearly short (like me 5' 4" or below) and have small frames (again like me - though I didn't realise that this was the case until I lost weight. I was brought up to believe that I was a 'big-boned girl' when I wasn't!).

So while I don't think we should be slaves to the BMI and Fat Monitor etc, they are useful and I think it can be worth it to challenge our 'comfortable image' of ourselves.

 

[Frejja]

Hi Sarah

I know exactly what you mean, at my skinniest I was 11 stone 10lbs and I was emaciated and it really didn't suit me as I'm naturally very curvy. So I feel at a stone more than that I should be ok...I actually feel I'll be ok at 13 and a half stone but am aiming for 12 stone 10 to give me some leeway! I don't aspire to be a small size in clothes...we tall girls are just built differently i think!

 

[princess23]

re

hey guys, this is a very interesting thread! I too am in a similar situation, I started ss'ing 13 days ago at 12, 1lb and today I am 11, 1lb, I am just a little over 5, 8'' and like some don't know weather to go by the chart or what I think is best. In all honesty I don't know what is best!! My problem area is my belly and that is the reason for doing CD, for it is just fat! lol! I may have only lost a stone so far but the weight has all gone from my thighs and I don't seem to have a bum anymore! lol! I really want to go to 9, 7lb, but I just don't know. I definately don't want to end up with an eating disorder at the end of this!!!! Good luck guys, I say go with what makes you happy xxxx

 

[domino]

Yes, interesting viewpoints from everyone. I'm kind of using my daughter as a guide ~ ok she's 21, my height but a slimmer build and weighs 8st 12lbs, but has gone down to nearly 8st in the past (when personally I thought she looked awful). Even now when I see her in jeans and a skinny T I think to myself that I really wouldn't want to be that slim ~ looks good maybe on a 21yr old fashionista, but less so on a 45+yr old woman and I want to look and feel like a woman (iygwim).

At 5'4" my healthy weight range is between 7.12 to 10.5 ~ so my goal at the moment is say between 9.7 to 9.10. That puts me into a comfortable size 12 and still gives me a bit of shape (not all the shapes I want mind ~ loose belly, saggy boobs etc ~ LOL).

So I suppose my view is whatever makes you look in the mirror and say ~ Yer I'm liking what I see

 

[sarah5]

Hi Sarah

I know exactly what you mean, at my skinniest I was 11 stone 10lbs and I was emaciated and it really didn't suit me as I'm naturally very curvy. So I feel at a stone more than that I should be ok...I actually feel I'll be ok at 13 and a half stone but am aiming for 12 stone 10 to give me some leeway! I don't aspire to be a small size in clothes...we tall girls are just built differently i think!

Frejja exactly ditto here I agree that very tall people have a definite different structure to those shorter. And I also am naturally very curvy and like it that way (as does my hubby).

I agree also with Domino, I like your last statement "whatever makes you look in the mirror and say ~ Yer I'm liking what I see "

All your replies have made me realise for sure not JUST to look at the charts, but also to listen to my body, take a step back and look at myself. I KNOW that I will be happy at a size 12 on top and 12/14 on bottom so I will just wait for that to happen and decide what to do then.

Definitely not stopping now though, feeling so pleased at my losses so far and am eating really well (I'm doing 790) rather than bingeing, etc, so it's done my head the world of good too! Am going to continue 790 for the next couple of weeks then might think about going onto 1000 plan until I reach my goal.

So glad I started this thread