Healthy Goals -- Introduction

Hi All.
    I currently weigh 142, I'm 5'4". My all-time high was somewhere near 160 (I stopped weighing myself during college, was in a bad relationship, ate too much, and didn't move enough). Now I'm 24 and have been running seriously for year. I  have been maintaining my weight in the 138-142 range for the last year, with some calorie counting and restriction, but also months at a time when I don't think too much about my body.
    Usually, I get plenty of exercise, and I have a dense body type, so I don't think that BMI calculators are particularly accurate when they say that I am "slightly overweight". Right now I'm training for a half marathon, 13.1 miles. So I run 6 days a week and try to fit in weights, etc when I get a chance.
   I'm in this weird place where I don't know what my goals are. I know that I could lose more weight, but friends and family think I look super skinny, and compared to how I was in college, that's true. 20 lbs on a 5'4" frame is significant loss. I also can be obsessive about the counting, have purged a couple times, and don't want to spiral into disordered eating. 
   Anyway, this is all to introduce myself, and say that I might be stopping by here sometimes for motivation and advice. Also, if anyone has any tips on creating healthy goals, let me know.

Thanks,
Imogene

Hi ImoGene!  Welcome to CC. 

It's sounds like you are very active due to the marathon training.  Good Luck on your marathon.  Make sure you give your body a rest though. 

You mentioned that you feel that you could lose more weight but friends and family say you are super skinny... How much more weight were you considering losing? 

The BMI is used as a guidance but if you feel great at 142lbs then I would suggest staying there.  I would concentrate on keeping up with your workouts (since you are training) and make sure you are eating plenty and drinking enough fluids to maintain. 

Congrats on the 20lb weight loss and transistioning into maintenance mode! 

If you feel that you are becoming obsessive with the calorie counting then I would take some time off from it and give yourself a break.  Also, if you are having urges to purge, then please consult your doctor for the appropriate treatment so you do not cause harm to your body.  I think it is great that you are trying to take control over your habits and lifestyle.  Just make sure to keep it healthy. 

As far as healthy goals, it all depends on what you are hoping to achieve?  Share with us what you have in mind and we might be able to be of some help. 

Hi ImoGene!!  I think preparing for a marathon IS a healthy goal, that takes a lot of work.  Just make sure you do it in a healthy way, like making sure you give your body enough calories to be at peak fitness.  There are a lot of tricks you can use, you may want to talk to a nutritionist, or trainer (with experience in nutrition).  They will be able to give you some basic healthy guidelines for maintaining your weight while running. Congrats on the 20 lbs!!  Just remember you are better off listening to yourself not other people when deciding what weight is right for you.  It's up to you if you want to lose more or maintain.

Hi, Imogene!  You remind me a lot of me.  Like you, I've started running, lost weight (though a bit less than you) and don't really need to lose, but am trying to wrap my mind around the fact that the BMI some people around here strive to or reach would be terrible for me.  The truth of the matter is if you're dense (which I take to mean big bones and a lot of muscle), it's a GOOD thing.  It means that your bones won't weaken and your metabolism won't slow nearly as much as you get older.  It means you can lift heavier things, be more active, eat more food, because that muscle is burning it up and demanding more.

It's just a bit hard to keep the healthy goals in mind - I get that point.

It sounds like you're pretty healthy now, with the exception of the obsessive mentality.  Ignore the scale if you really are musclar.  Maybe you want to get your body fat % tested to make sure that what you're carrying is lean and healthy mass (be able to rest assured that it is - I know learning mine really helped me, though I do want to get a more accurate test at some point).  As far as your BMI goes, I plugged it into the calculator, and it's something like 24.4, right?  Which at your age, 24, is slightly overweight.  At mine, 25, it's perfectly healthy.  I don't know why the site cuts off there, but a BMI of 18.5-25 is the healthy range (actually, the healthy range used to be 20-27, but they changed it, though my nutritionist has said that I'm fine anywhere under 27).

Think about inputs, not outputs.  If you're eating healthy (ie basing your diet around whole foods, eating when hungry, stopping when full) and running seriously, odds are you are FINE.  Probably healthier than a lot of people who weigh less than you, and you'll have less trouble maintaining and getting proper nutrition.  Remember that you NEED good food and enough of it to support your fitness goals, which are far healthier than severe calorie restriction.

Like you, I find it easier said than done.  I've never purged, but can get very obessive and sometimes look at tiny-framed women around me and feel like I must be enormous and shouldn't be able to accept myself as is.  But then I remember how far I ran that morning, how far I've come from my initial goal of one mile, and feel better. Most of the time.