healthy weight?

I'm 5'7, and my weight fluctuates between 128.5 and 132. I most often weigh in at 128.5. I used the BMI tool, which says i am at 20 (healthy weight). but when I look at myself, I don't really see myself as "healthy weight" I have a pretty flat stomach, but my bum and thighs are flabby, and i have love-handles. I don't want to lose anymore weight, because i do not want to become unhealthy,but i certainly want to get rid of these overly-flabby areas. any suggestions on what i should do?

i'd just like to add that I am physically active, I play soccer fieldhockey and rugby. right now im going to the gym for around 45 mins- hours on Tuesday, Thursday Saturday, and I have rugby practise from an hour monday through friday, and on saturday and sundays i try to take long walk with my dog, or do aerobic dancing for atleas thalf an hour.

the E word...Exercise. :  ) the other E word...Enjoy! :  )

OH! I just got your second post...so what IS the problem? Your perception???

You could try toning your muscles with strength training, resistance training and pilates. You can do target exercises for your legs like squats, lunges, wall-sits, step climbing, dead-lifts (all of these are in the exercise section on CC), etc.  Walking can tone your legs too, especially your calves and hamstrings. If you see yourself going down on the scale, try increasing your intake a little bit.

 Hope this helps!

 

Don't do so much cardio, it burns fat which is good but you dont have a lot to burn. Do some wieght training on machines at the gym. particularly on your legs if those are what you're unhappy with. I know people say you can't spot reduce but if you tone a specific part of your body with exercises that target that particular muscle you will be firmer and less wobbily I promise. I hated my inner thighs so i started to doing exercises that target them and I notice them smoother and firmer within weeks.

you have to realize that a healthy body has fat on it. >_<

Original Post by joanne811:

you have to realize that a healthy body has fat on it. >_<

theres nothing wrong with toning either

thanks everyone:) and yes, i know a healthy body has fat on it. precisley why i said i dont want to LOSE any weight. my problem is I have a few areas that have EXCESS fat; not just a little, but noticable, and i more or less wanted to make it more muscle mass, but i exercise alot and haven't noticed any changes. So I was asking what exactly i could do to make it less flabby..

sublime and treenut, thank you. I'll try some of those exercises, and hopefully it works! Want to get rid of that excess fat before summertime! I actually have very muscular, sculpted calves. its my upper/inner thighs, but and love handles that need work. I guess thats what i get from years of pigging out on too many sweets!

I am no where near as fit as you are, but I've heard that flabbiness is as much as what you eat as how you excercise.  Women's Health has a book, called the abs diet for women.  There are different options, but if you are physically fit it has an option for what you eat and excercise to become more toned.  I know men who have done the men's health version of this with great success.  They state that they do not feel deprived. 

How you look at certain weights depends a lot on your frame as well as your muscle tone. I am the same height as you, and I look way too skinny at your weight, perhaps because I have a medium to large frame. I agree with some of the posts above; it helps very much to do spot training and toning exercises. I find that pilates is extremely good for strengthening the core. Weight training is great because load-bearing exercise also increases your bone health. Because you are caucasian (at least judging by the picture!) and possibly have a smaller frame, it is especially good for you to do weight training because it reduces your heightened risk of developing osteoporosis.

 Healthy bodies do have fat, but I agree with sublimelife087 that toning can never hurt you. Just make sure you get plenty of protein in your diet to sustain your energy and also give your muscles lots of amino acid building blocks to work with. Also like treenut18 said, it's important to adjust your calorie intake so your weight doesn't do down. Although a BMI of under 20 is safe for a woman, 20 is a happy medium in the range that is healthy for your height! You could, however, have your BMI professionally measured in a water tank, because that provides a more accurate view of your actual fat mass. 

 Anyway, long reply, but I hope something in here helps!

Were you by any chance ever much heavier before? Pregnancies? It may just be that you have looser skin in those areas. My upper arms and stomach look fat to me, but it's not because those areas have any more fat than the rest of my body, it's because there's a lot of extra skin, so it kind of hangs and looks jiggly. You can get plastic surgery to fix it, but I'm not sure if I want to.

Original Post by sublimelife087:

Original Post by joanne811:

you have to realize that a healthy body has fat on it. >_<

theres nothing wrong with toning either

There is something wrong with using the term toning incorrectly.  Muscle tone is the continuous and partial contraction of muscles, not how your muscles look.

It may also be that you're 15 and still turning into a woman, and are not used to the new way your hormones are causing the little fat you have to be distributed.

Original Post by jackeetbs:

I'm 5'7, and my weight fluctuates between 128.5 and 132. I most often weigh in at 128.5. I used the BMI tool, which says i am at 20 (healthy weight). but when I look at myself, I don't really see myself as "healthy weight" I have a pretty flat stomach, but my bum and thighs are flabby, and i have love-handles. I don't want to lose anymore weight, because i do not want to become unhealthy,but i certainly want to get rid of these overly-flabby areas. any suggestions on what i should do?

First of all, stop using BMI as in indicator whether your over or under weight.  Melkor (the moderator of the fitness forum) has something like 10% bodyfat but his BMI puts him at overweight of obese.

If you want to get rid of your flab you need to burn fat, you can't control where the fat comes off from, everyone stores fat in different places and loses fat from different places.  Your other option is to increase your muscle mass so that the fat is stretched over a larger surface, since your a woman it will be extremely hard to put on any significant muscle mass, so your best bet is to stick with the burning fat option.

The most efficeint way to burn fat (after a proper diet) is weight lifting, you can google "T-nation, hierarchy of fatloss" for an explanation.  Stick to free weights if it is an option, machines don't work your stabilzer muscles making your work out less efficient and can force you into un-natural movements which can lead to joint injuries.

At your weight and with the amount of exercise you do, you really don't have to worry about your body... it sounds like you need a dose of healthy self-love rather than a diet and exercise campaign. As a woman, your body is MEANT to have a bit of jiggle on the hips and derriere - it's quite possible that your 'saddle bags' are only in your imagination and nobody else could find them without a magnifying glass and a sign saying 'LOOK HERE!' Your body is still changing shape, and it's going to keep on gradually changing for the next decade or so.

Hello everyone. I consider myself alot healthier then I was only 2 months ago, I do Tae Bo 6 days a week, I rotate the DVD workouts but only rest for one day. I love the feeling that I get after a workout. My BMI (which I dont really believe in) is 20. My Total Body Fat is 18, I weight 118 and wear a size 2, I feel like however that I could go down about 3 more pounds as a buffer. I try to stick to a 1,000 calorie diet and take in alot of protein for my workouts. I think that everyone has a different shape and bone structure and 118 on my may be too heavy or too light for someone else that is the same height as me. I say if your BP is good, and your Cholesterol is Good, then you are in better shape then alot of people! keep working, keep going and keep feeling great!

I would recommend more strength training. Maybe get a personal trainer so he/she can give you the proper strength training exercises for your specific target areas.

Good luck!