Is this unreasonable???

My starting weight was 138 lbs. im 5'3-small frame and 20 year old college student. i put all my weight on in college!!!

Currently, im 129 lbs. it took me a little over a month. So i was loosing it pretty fast! i was eating around 1200 cals a day and exercising for 45 minutes monday-friday. Not to mention thanksgiving was super hard. i just took little tid bits of everything :-). Anyway....i want to get to 115 lbs. Everyone thinks im nuts for wanting to be 115 lbs but i dont think its too skinny!!! It is in my range of a "healthy weight" (for a 5'3 person small frame, its 111-124 lbs). I want to be there at the end of january. Is this an unreasonable goal?!? i dont see anything wrong with it.

I've tried to diet many times and never gotten this far!!! i feel great, some of my clothes are starting to fit alot better (i used to be a 7 or a 9...i now fit perfectly into a size 5). So i know this is it and i'm going to continue this!!!  

First, 115# is certainly a healthy wt for someone of 5'3". But, setting a goal of more than 1-2# per week weight loss will probably not only be unrealistic but weight that is lost quickly is 10x more likely to be put back on...quickly. Also, weight loss is always faster in the beginning because you are initially losing alot of water weight, but then it will markedly slow down when you start to get down to the real fat loss. Having lofty goals may end up leaving you disappointed and lead to setting yourself up for failure.

You should be proud of the weight you have lost and focus on continuing with the changes in your diet that can last for a lifetime. Just don't be surprised or discouraged if your weight now plateaus and the weight loss slows down to 1/2-1# per week.  Good luck!

At your age (20) you need to eat more than 1200 calories! Especially if you are exercising. You are going to go into starvation mode and not be able to lose another pound and then you will get discouraged. Hopefully, you haven't already! I understand how wonderful it is to fit into smaller sizes but losing weight and getting healthy isn't a race, it is a life-style!! My suggestion is to eat closer to 2000 calories and start lifting weights (New Rules of Lifting for Women is a great book!).  115 isn't nuts--especially looks great when it is muscle, not skinny fat. I am sure others will calculate your calorie needs more accurately and scientifically and you will get more similar-minded advice. Good luck!

i appriciate the concern. I would never do something to harm myself. I feel i am doing fine!! i eat great. I just eat when im hungry and stop when im not hungry. If i want a snack i'll grab an apple or something. I went to subway and had a turkey sub with baked chips and a diet soda. That is not the diet of an anorexic. For breakfast i had my usual- a bowl of honey nut cheerios with skim milk. I had an apple for a snack when i got hungry. havent had dinner yet.

Diet book i bought suggested ACTIVE women eat between 1,200-1,800 calories per day to loose weight. yes im doing 1,200 calories but its in my target calorie goal still. As long as im there i think its fine right?!? i appreciate the concern for it. I wouldnt do anything to harm myself or make this any harder because it is already hard to have to turn down going to resturants i once loved...thanksgiving was very difficult, christmas is going to be even harder with all the christmas cookies i like to eat like santa clause!! So no, i wouldnt purposly put myself into starvation mode.

Hey there,

While reading this I kept finding myself saying "me too" over and over in my head, lol. I am 5'4, smallish frame, 130lbs, but some days 129. Lol. I'm a college student as well. I, too, started right around 138 pounds, and I also want to weigh 115. It's not unreasonable. I got down to this weight about a year ago and I loved the way I looked. I fit into a size 5 jeans too, sometimes 3, which are both small sizes. But when I was 115 I fit into a size one and it was a really good feeling. I'm trying to eat 1,200 calories a day and I run on the treadmill 45min per day most days a week. I want to reach my goal by the end of January too. CRAZY! Haha. If you'd like to buddy up and talk about recipes, work outs, or anything like that, feel free to write to me. Anyway, don't let anyone tell you 115 is too low. I'm a little taller than you and it was the prefect weight for me, I wish I could have stayed at that weight, but I'm really hoping to get back there. :]

-Adrea 

forgot to mention, when i lost the weight before, i ate 1,000-1,200 calories a day and never felt famished. 2,000 calories is way too many in my opinion. Actually, someone told me to start eating 2,000 to maintain since I was active, and thats when I started gaining weight. I think for people our size is perfect until we get down to 115. Then maybe bump it up to 1,500-1,600 as long as you're still active. I don't understand why people think 1,200 calories is too low for anyone. Dieticians say it's the lowest you can go because it works for some people. It worked for me. As long as you're not feeling weak and sluggish- 1,200 is a good number.

Hope I helped. :]

115 lbs at 5/3 is a perfectly healthy weight for some one with a small frame.

Just remember to focus on WHAT you eat, as well as HOW MUCH; you want the BEST skin, hair, and nails too!

Having glowing skin, healthy nails and lovely hair are all signs of physical beauty and health too,

REMEMBER: calories is a completely INDIVIDUAL THING!

I eat 1800 - 1900 most days and I am 5 ‘ 4 and 111 - 112 lbs and SOME people on this site say I DO NOT EAT ENOUGH!

Ultimately, I have figured out what feels good for my body and I maintain on 1750 - 1850 on days where I only do Pilates, and 2000 on days where I do body pump which is only once a week.

1200 calories may be enough for you to LOSE, but once you want to maintain you are likely to need more, but just do what feels best, if you have a lot of cravings and think about food a lot then your body may need more calories, but if you eat enough food then you will be able to function properly without thinking about eating and food

Keep up the good work, as a personal trainer I think your goals are perfectly reasonable and healthy!

Thanks!!! to all of you. I'm deffinatly glad to hear that. I too have apersonal trainer...well sorta, he is a personal trainer but he is also a good friend of mine and just goes to the gym with me and i get it for free :-) He's told me 110 is the lowest i should be at for my hieght, so 115 isnt unreasonable. it just bugs me when people are like WHAT? your going to weight nothing! im like "No, im going to weigh 115" adurrr

and yes awitta, you have helped!! It's deffinatly great to hear someone is doing the same exact thing i'm doing!! i messaged you about it ;-)

Thanks!!!!

Jen

Hey!  Actually I was in your position about 8 months ago.  I am 5'3" and used to be 130.  Then I worked my way down to 115.  However, I lost my period while losing 2 pounds a week, so I just want to give you a word of caution about that =]

Original Post by jay2daq:

Diet book i bought suggested ACTIVE women eat between 1,200-1,800 calories per day to loose weight. yes im doing 1,200 calories but its in my target calorie goal still. As long as im there i think its fine right?!?

 Wrong.  You may not be getting the nutrients you need if you are an active person.  1200 calories is the bare minimum for a grown, very small, woman to survive - that is to say, keep her organs functioning.

Use the CC tools.  One way to go about it is to first use the Burn Meter to find out what you burn during a day.  Be sure to choose the correct level of activity.  Once you have this number, deduct 500 to 1000 calories a day, never going below 1200.  Count on losing 1 to 2 pounds a week, no more.  This is considered a healthy weight loss.

Since you have only a few pounds to lose it's going to be slower.  Another good strategy is to exercise more.  If you build muscle, that will burn more calories and it will also firm up your body so it looks better.  This may not result in weight loss since a cubic inch of muscle weighs 3 times more than a cubic inch of fat.  So you'll be smaller, just not lighter.

I got all this information from the Advice section.  Click on the tab and read the articles by Experts.  Mary Hartley is our CC nutritionist and she writes articles and the Ask Mary column.  Ask Mary has an archive search for topics that have been discussed.  It's helped me a lot!

Good Luck and stay healthy above all.

Original Post by white_sakura:

Hey!  Actually I was in your position about 8 months ago.  I am 5'3" and used to be 130.  Then I worked my way down to 115.  However, I lost my period while losing 2 pounds a week, so I just want to give you a word of caution about that =]

 HAha!!! Thanks for that advice. Are you happy with the 115??? im 127 now so, im getting there!

Original Post by clairelaine:

Original Post by jay2daq:

Diet book i bought suggested ACTIVE women eat between 1,200-1,800 calories per day to loose weight. yes im doing 1,200 calories but its in my target calorie goal still. As long as im there i think its fine right?!?

 Wrong.  You may not be getting the nutrients you need if you are an active person.  1200 calories is the bare minimum for a grown, very small, woman to survive - that is to say, keep her organs functioning.

Use the CC tools.  One way to go about it is to first use the Burn Meter to find out what you burn during a day.  Be sure to choose the correct level of activity.  Once you have this number, deduct 500 to 1000 calories a day, never going below 1200.  Count on losing 1 to 2 pounds a week, no more.  This is considered a healthy weight loss.

Since you have only a few pounds to lose it's going to be slower.  Another good strategy is to exercise more.  If you build muscle, that will burn more calories and it will also firm up your body so it looks better.  This may not result in weight loss since a cubic inch of muscle weighs 3 times more than a cubic inch of fat.  So you'll be smaller, just not lighter.

I got all this information from the Advice section.  Click on the tab and read the articles by Experts.  Mary Hartley is our CC nutritionist and she writes articles and the Ask Mary column.  Ask Mary has an archive search for topics that have been discussed.  It's helped me a lot!

Good Luck and stay healthy above all.

 I appriate your adivce here adn i'm not trying to argue. But why cant i stick with it if it is working for me?? i'm loosing 1-2 lbs a week! I feel perfectly fine like i eat when im hungry and dont eat when im not. i have a very small body frame. Im naturally supposed to be petite....i'm 5'3 (was 138 lbs-now down to 127). So its working for me. I was kinda more asking along the lines if 115 is "not enough" like people say. i think its a perfectly fine weight to be at. others think im nuts for wanting to loose weight.

5'3 at 115 is totally reasonable.  not skinny at all, it's healthy and realistic.

Original Post by awiita:

forgot to mention, when i lost the weight before, i ate 1,000-1,200 calories a day and never felt famished.

I don't understand why people think 1,200 calories is too low for anyone.

I don' t want to be argumentative or discouraging.  You are doing well and pleased with the results.  That is good.  But may I suggest that the reason you did not maintain once you reached your goal is that you were not eating enough to create/maintain an active metabolism?  Once you started eating more, you gained the weight back.  And you had to eat more, because it is is very difficult to live your life on 1200 calories a day.  If you eat more while you are losing weight, you may lose a little bit slower, but you will keep your metabolism healthy and stoked.  Once you are ready to  maintain, your body will not pack the pounds back on.  Just a thought!  But good luck and keep up the good work.

Original Post by jay2daq:

Original Post by white_sakura:

Hey! Actually I was in your position about 8 months ago. I am 5'3" and used to be 130. Then I worked my way down to 115. However, I lost my period while losing 2 pounds a week, so I just want to give you a word of caution about that =]

HAha!!! Thanks for that advice. Are you happy with the 115??? im 127 now so, im getting there!

Actually, I was able to diet all the way down to 108 at one point, so quite honestly I am not satisfied with my 115 right now. I had to take birth control in order to get my period back, so with that medication I also started to crave and eat a lot at night, which made me gain the 7 pounds in 3 months. Now that I am off the medication though, I think I will try to go back down to 112 so i don't have a huge handful of fat when I grab my stomach XD  Quite honestly, though, it's hard to get back into that dieter's mindset.