A tale of perspective-taking in maintenance & regain

I use this website http://www.halls.md/body-mass-index/bmi.htm. It factors in age and sex as well as height and weight. Obviously the BMI number is the same, but as we age it is commonly thought that a few extra pounds are helpful if a serious illness happens. Being that I am 56, I really felt like I was at risk being as underweight as I was.

I love that link Martha... thanks for sharing ... I put my age in and love the percentile that I am in ... I am bookmarking this ... THANKS!!!

Good for you!  It's definitely a mind trip to see where things go the first few years.  Like Laura, year 2-3 was by far the most challenging to work through emotionally and physically. 

You've done excellent just stay the course.  You'll look back in a year or two and be so proud of the hard work you've done (as proud or prouder than you feel now).

Hi there Ms. Farris!  I am so happy to see your post here.  I am just over three years out and have struggled with the very issue you mention here.  I have regained though.  At my lowest, I was 152, which for my frame, was quite small.  I hover around one 180 now. I would be fine weighing in at about 165. I am an avid runner with good 10k (52 mins) and half marathon times (1:47ish).   The problem is that I don't seem to be able to lose weight.  I was just wondering what your average daily calorie count was? Do you adjust up on long run days?  I am not currently training for anything and I feel like this might be a good time to lose some weight. I will look for a new race focus to train for in September (aiming for mid-November race date).  Any tips?  

First, before I answer your question, I gotta say: SWEET JESUS!!! YOU DO A HALF IN 1:47??? I bow to you!!!  Best I ever did was (officially) 2:17:11 .... unofficially, minus the port-a-potty delay, was 2:08:47 running time. 

Ok, so back to the response.... I adjust my calories based on what my Garmin says I burned running. I always run with my HRM and I eat around 1300 cal daily as a base plus whatever extra I earned thru exercise. Truth be told, sometimes a little bit more... Especially if I get a case of the "rungries", which can hit me a couple hours after a really long run. I almost always use a protein shake as recovery and often try to time runs around meals - that way they do dual purpose as recovery from the run and I was gonna eat anyway....

Runner's World often has a good listing of races, and local running stores often have their own races that they promote (and often have training groups for!). I'm a member of my local club - Montgomery County Road Runners - and have done a couple training programs with them and just LOVE IT. They're an affiliate of Road Runners Clubs of America and the camaraderie and support is unmatched! Happy running..... and pray for me, I'm running Marine Corps in October!!

I am having some of the same problems. I am under my goal weight and just want to stay about where I am up or down a pound of two. But so many friends are telling me I look sick..this does not make me feel good at all. I did not want to end up looking sick. But I feel great so I am going to just let those comments go. Congrats on your good fight and you have to be happy with how you look and feel.

Larry, if you feel good and your doctor is cool with your weight, don't worry about "looking sick".  First, people haven't seen you thin before so it is a shock.  Second, around that year mark is when we tend to look like we are walking around in oversized skin suits....around year two, the skin does seem to recover a bit and we don't appear so "baggy". 

I heard a lot of the "you look sick" noise around year one (which was my lowest weight)....then it stopped around 18 months to two years......

Larry it's fairly common for others to make comments early out.  I and others went through it too.  Try not to let those comments affect you.  I believe the majority of us that got below goal initially eventually looked healthier with a couple of lbs of fluctuation once the quick weight loss stopped.  Your body will adjust and look healthier even with no regain (based on experience and reading from others).

Hey Nicole!  I know what you mean.........I struggle when I'm at the higher end of my 10 lb range, but alas, my clothes still fit just fine and I don't feel too heavy. 

All you 120ish lb peeps freak me out!  I NEVER even dreamed of getting that low.........150 was my "goal" but I only got to 157 for a hot minute and then settled in the 165 range.  I do realize I have quite a bit of muscle mass from all the weight training and running......so it is all good!

It is funny how our bodies are so different in how we carry weight.  Nicole, when I saw you at Christmas you were just perfect, so keep doing what you are doing and keep that light burning inside you-you truly are beautiful inside and out!  Come back so we can run again (in winter, not now, you'd burst into flames!!)

Hugs.

Yeah, but Kim, you got perfect boobs, so you have me beat on that.... ha ha ha!!! 

We'll likely be down in AL for Thanksgiving so we'll have to meet up at Herdmont (just so I can drive my in-laws crazy by running on the street to meet you at the park!!)