@wedemars I’d love to get back to a size 4 ish. I was like 105 in college and I just look so tiny! I spent my entire life as a highly competitive dancer, but the last ten years saw a lot of body changes for me and injuries. I know I won’t ever be 105 again but that’s totally ok. I’ll look bangin at 130. And feel great as well. The thing to remember is that your body is always changing. And your “adult” body in college? Women go through a second major hormonal change in their twenties and again in their mid thirties. That means our bodies are ready for different things too.
Did anybody stop short of their weight loss goals because they realized they liked their body at a higher weight?
- Thread starter wedemars
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winepress777
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@wedemars once you start lifting you can look different at a weight than you did prior to heavy lifting, if that makes sense. i find people are often rather surprised when i tell them how much i weigh, and i attribute that to higher muscle mass. Whatever weight you feel best at is the one you should aim for! And there's nothing wrong with stopping and eating at maintenance, and seeing how you feel down the line. if you want to lose later you can, if you want to bulk later you can, if you want to hang out at 125 for the rest of your life you can haha. there are no rules, that's the awesome part! Party on, lady!
@dmm Amen! I lift heavy and train hard (power lifter). I’m 5’2” and 140 pounds, which puts my BMI in the high end of overweight. I wear a size 6 jean and most people would say I look fit and they usually stare at me with crazy eyes when I tell them my weight. The number on the scale is only a small portion of feeling good and being healthy.
davidhamilton288
New member
@wedemars I'm 5'1" I was told I should be at 100-110lbs. I feel way more comfortable at 120lbs. I did get to 105, and I was always tired, got sick easily, and just wasn't feeling it. I went back to 120-125 range and have so much more energy and rarely get sick anymore. I feel like I look better too.
mateomateus
New member
@wedemars It depends on what your goals are for working out. Clearly one of your goals is strength (since you want to lift heavier.
Is general health also a goal? If so, both your college weight and current weight are within a healthy range. People like to hate on BMI because of the extreme outliers of competitive bodybuilders, but it's still a useful metric. It's a big range and either way both those weights are healthy.
It sounds like aesthetics is also a goal, right? Here's the thing about that: weight trends change a lot. Right now bigger bodies are kind of in style, but that trend will go away in favor of thinner bodies again and then back up, etc. Keep in mind that right now, in a lot of places around the world (not sure if you're American, but this applies elsewhere as well) most people are overweight (outside the healthiest range). So don't compare yourself to other people, or healthy may seem too skinny. Honestly, focusing on being healthy is likely going to keep you at your most attractive.
How do you know which weight is *more* healthy (again, both are in the healthy range)? Base that on how your body has felt (*not looked*) at each weight. Do you tend to have more energy at one weight compared to the other? Does one weight give you more stamina?
Is general health also a goal? If so, both your college weight and current weight are within a healthy range. People like to hate on BMI because of the extreme outliers of competitive bodybuilders, but it's still a useful metric. It's a big range and either way both those weights are healthy.
It sounds like aesthetics is also a goal, right? Here's the thing about that: weight trends change a lot. Right now bigger bodies are kind of in style, but that trend will go away in favor of thinner bodies again and then back up, etc. Keep in mind that right now, in a lot of places around the world (not sure if you're American, but this applies elsewhere as well) most people are overweight (outside the healthiest range). So don't compare yourself to other people, or healthy may seem too skinny. Honestly, focusing on being healthy is likely going to keep you at your most attractive.
How do you know which weight is *more* healthy (again, both are in the healthy range)? Base that on how your body has felt (*not looked*) at each weight. Do you tend to have more energy at one weight compared to the other? Does one weight give you more stamina?
thereseozi
New member
@wedemars I think there are a lot of factors at play here. I cant find anything definitive on growth in the early 20s (college years) but I know for me, I was kind of stickly and lanky until my early-mid 20s. I was around 120-125 at age 18-20, and I look at those pictures now and see how thin I was. I don't think I would look healthy at all if I got back to that weight. A lot of our bodies keep growing and filling out a bit in the early 20s. So I don't think it is unreasonable that your previous low weight no longer seems so realistic.
Also, if you're lifting weight and building muscle mass, you will be a bit more dense (mass wise) than when you weren't. So the difference between 'skinnyfat' 125 lbs and fit, muscular 125 lbs will be visible.
Check out the progress pics sub for people doing re-composition.
Here is one example with only a 4lb difference, but a bigger visual difference:https://np.reddit.com/r/progresspics/comments/813asx/f3250_131lbs_128lbs_4_lbs_15_months_half_way/
and a much more dramatic difference between 1 person, same weight(i assume) different appearance https://np.reddit.com/r/progresspics/comments/8utpld/f2659_185lbs_185lbs_0lbs_6_years_six_year_change/
Also, if you're lifting weight and building muscle mass, you will be a bit more dense (mass wise) than when you weren't. So the difference between 'skinnyfat' 125 lbs and fit, muscular 125 lbs will be visible.
Check out the progress pics sub for people doing re-composition.
Here is one example with only a 4lb difference, but a bigger visual difference:https://np.reddit.com/r/progresspics/comments/813asx/f3250_131lbs_128lbs_4_lbs_15_months_half_way/
and a much more dramatic difference between 1 person, same weight(i assume) different appearance https://np.reddit.com/r/progresspics/comments/8utpld/f2659_185lbs_185lbs_0lbs_6_years_six_year_change/
@wedemars 5.4" 30 years old- I've been powerlifting for a long time and recently bulked from 63 kg to 69 kg and had a real hard time with it mentally at first but after I let the weight settle a bit I kind of love it? I'm so much stronger, my bench is blowing up, my legs are thick, and I can have dessert whenever I want because my TDE is higher. I'm going to maintain here for a while and work in recomp but after trying so hard to stay in my weight class for so long it's such a relief to just go up and embrace it.
@sephsekla You are goals.
@jimmyh214 Powerlifting has truly taught me that my body will reward me if I treat it well instead of trying to starve it (which I did for many years when I was younger). It's a long journey but I'm happy to be here.
lilyqianweiku
New member
kimberly2012
New member
thewalk316
New member
@wedemars It's interesting. I got down to my target weight with the intention of gaining weight again as muscle mass. I've put a little fat on again, but this time round, I'm fine with it, because I can lift like three times heavier than where I started, I can run six times longer than where I started, and I can run about 3min/k faster than where I started. It's like the enjoyment of the activities overrules weight concern, because I gotta eat to keep the muscle I need to do the activities, hah! 
@wedemars Exact same thing happened to me before quarantine! Same height and weight too. Always wanted my “tiny” college body back but once I stared lifting I realized 120-125 is the new 110-115 just with muscle. Now I have an actual butt and nice toned legs. Got a lil thicc with quarantine up to 135 but I’m already bringing that down and I won’t be discouraged by a scale number that’s not in the ‘teens’.