What is wrong with wanting to be 110lb?

My family has been dogging me about wanting to lose weight lately (specifically my mom and my sister) telling me that I'm anorexic and blah, blah, blah. It got even worse when I told them I wanted to be 110lb (which I have later tabbed it up to 115lb. But I think 112lb would be nice too).

I am almost 18 and 125lb right now with a small body frame. At my highest I was 143lb, but that was over a year and a half ago. I work out daily and try to eat between 1200 and 1400 calories a day.

But seriously, is it so wrong to want to be 110lb? I am a young adult who is unhappy with the way she looks. My father (who actually supports me) says if I am unhappy with the way I am I am the only person who can change myself.

how tall are you?

She's 5'3.

110lbs is within a healthy BMI. If you truly have a small frame, then there's really no problem with weighing 110 or 112 lbs. At all.

However if you have to continue to restrict yourself in order to maintain that weight once you get there, then it's a sign that your body wants to be a little heavier.

So get to your goal if you want, then start eating maintenance calories again, and see how that feels. It's not like it's hard to gain 3 lbs if it turns out you are better off at 115 instead of 112. :P

I am slightly taller than you, about 5 ‘ 5, and I am 112 - 115 lbs; I have been over and under this weight in the past; I am a small frame and after being over weight and under weight, I finally reached my healthy natural weight through simply learning to eat enough food to satisfy me, and to let my body dictate what weight it wants to be.

You have nothing to worry about -  110 - 115 lbs could be a perfectly healthy weight for a small framed women at 5 ‘ 3

If you can eat enough calories for your age/height/activity level and maintain 110 - 115 than that is great; obviously, if you need to starve to be a certain weight than it is better to eat enough and accept a higher weight if that is what your body dictates.

Teenage girls should not go under 1500 cals/day, because the body is still developing up until you reach the age of 21, whether you see it or not.

If you want to maintain the high deficit you should add some more exercise to your routine. Starving yourself is not such a good idea, and maybe it`s the reason why your family is reluctant to have you continue dieting.

trust me, I am NOT starving myself. (most days I hit around 1400 calories.) and if my body wants to be heavier than I want to be, my body wins there. I am not a huge fan of counting calories day after day and when I actually hit my weight I am going to be pretty happy when it's time to maintain. c:

Okay, maybe we should rephrase that.

Starving yourself here is synonym to undereating.

Undereating = Eating under 1500 calories for anyone under 21. No exceptions. You're young. You NEED to eat 1500 to support your body. More then likely more if you're exercise. Search around the forum for the children's BMI calculator for a damn good estimate.

What does this mean?

Up your calories or face HEALTH RISKS that could last you FOR LIFE.

If you're okay with a "set weight" why are you dieting? You should try eating like a normal person, ie no set calorie range like 1200-1400, and eating what you feel like eating for whatever quantity. I believe they call this "intuitive eating". If you do that in combination with exercise, you'll be at a weight that you're comfortable maintaining without any strenuous effort (like 110 lbs might put you at) and you'll be eating normally so there's no big change between what you're eating while you're "losing weight" and what you're eating when you're maintaining.

Your family is concerned.

Mine does it too, it may be a pain in the arse to you, but sometimes they do it with good reason. I think yours has a good reason. Eat more, please.

Personally so long as you are happy and feel healthy I don't think it should be an issue. If you feel like you are healthy and your doctor sees no health concerns I think that  you should pursue your goals and make yourself happy. Health regulations and guidelines are just that, they are the guide lines and just that lines to guide. There will always be standard deviation and people who just don't fit within the range of conventional limits. 

You know what, they (your family) are probably a little bit jealous. Family members get weird when you are trying to lose weight. It's sad to admit, but it turns them competitive, when it should be a supportive atmosphere. 

As long as you are healthy, losing weight correctly, and know your limits, you have every right to lose weight and be happy. Just don't let it turn into something more serious. And it's bee said, but to lose weight effectively, you do need to eat more calories. I'm sure you are resourceful enough to find the correct tools to figure out how much that is. You don't want to lose your hard-earned muscle do you?

Anyway, do it for yourself. Best of luck!

Original Post by failwhale:

Personally so long as you are happy and feel healthy I don't think it should be an issue. If you feel like you are healthy and your doctor sees no health concerns I think that  you should pursue your goals and make yourself happy. Health regulations and guidelines are just that, they are the guide lines and just that lines to guide. There will always be standard deviation and people who just don't fit within the range of conventional limits. 

Completely agree here. I'm a health professional, and as long as your doctor is not concerned, there's no reason for anyone to worry - you should speak to him/her about your plans, and on how you're planning to do it since you're a younger person.

Usually families consider that overeating is eating right, at least mine does.

Original Post by aksnovak:

Original Post by failwhale:

Personally so long as you are happy and feel healthy I don't think it should be an issue. If you feel like you are healthy and your doctor sees no health concerns I think that  you should pursue your goals and make yourself happy. Health regulations and guidelines are just that, they are the guide lines and just that lines to guide. There will always be standard deviation and people who just don't fit within the range of conventional limits. 

Completely agree here. I'm a health professional, and as long as your doctor is not concerned, there's no reason for anyone to worry - you should speak to him/her about your plans, and on how you're planning to do it since you're a younger person.

Usually families consider that overeating is eating right, at least mine does.

everyone in my family is a little overweight ( except my dad who finds eating a sin. I'm not sure why. like I said before, I like to eat!), so I guess it shouldn't surprise me that overeating is eating right.

but thank you for the advice. c: