Have any of you reached this point yet? As Dr Phil describes it:

"Get real weight . . . means a healthy and realistic weight at which you are happy and truly at peace with your size, and a weight that is stable because you have taken control of every factor in your life that keeps it there."

The more I read that, the more I realize that I am at my get real weight. Although I am 8 lbs heavier than what my signature says (thanks to a new scale), I have been bouncing around that weight (within a 5 lb range) for around 9 months now (other than my vacation disaster of gaining 13 lbs but was able to knock off 9 of it within a week...I know I won't ever do that again!) And it's finally sinking in that that is my get real weight.

I am sitting 20 lbs heavier than my original goal yet am wearing comfortable size 1's and 2's - and 0's depending on the manufacturer. Losing 10 more lbs would be nice, but I know it won't change anything. It will just change the numbers on the scale. It won't change my happiness. It won't change my success. It just won't change anything. Period. So I figure that if it wants to come off, it will within its own time without me having to strive or go strict or really deprive myself to get there.

I am sure there are doctors out there who would see my height -5 ft tall - and my weight - 125 lbs - and tell me that I need to more within my weight range to be healthy, but to me, those charts are unrealistic. They focus too much on the numbers and not body composition. As I told someone, I'd rather weigh 125 lbs and be 15% body fat than weigh 115 lbs and be 30% body fat.

Sheyla

I know there are some people out there that would say at 5' you should be 100...no ifs ands or buts. That's a crock. If you are in 1's and 2's I thin kthat would be wonderful for a petite woman as you are. I have a friend that is 5'8" and has tried for years to get to and stay at 125. She now sits between 130 and 135 and she obsesses over every little thing. For someone like that there is no "get real weight" and that is sad.

For me I am guessing at my goal weight simply because I have not been that weight since grade school and my body has changed so much since then that I have really never been that weight in my mind. So if I get to a weight that I feel comfortable and am no longer at risk for health problems then that will definitely be my "get real weight".

Boy, do I ever have to get to the library and check out some Dr. Phil books!

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Noël


Worry doesn't empty tomorrow of its sorrows, it empties today of its strengths.

I may well be at my get real weight or close, but I don't think so...I so effortlessly maintained 130something until I got pregnant the first time so I konow 130+ is possible. I was much younger and all, but I do think a few more should come off with some more work...I am actually shrinking some again...though not on the scale...though I show down 3 ont he scale in the nurses office at school, I don't show down at all at home...SO, not sure. I do intend to work at this a while longer anyway. I am however at a size I am comfortable, I would like to be in a more healthy body fat percantage before I stop.

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Lori

232/190/130
My other journal http://www.lowcarbeating.com/bb/showthread.php?t=1130

You're right, of course - it's just a number, a reflection of some statistical "average".

How could anyone possibly argue with 15% body fat? Go much lower than that and you might stop having menstrual periods.

Those weight charts usually are not taking into consideration a major factor - whether one's natural build is

-ectomorphic (stick-figure, with longer bones and less muscle mass),
-mezomorphic (hourglass figure, broad shoulders, small waist, and muscular), or
-endomorphic (apple figure, narrow shoulders, larger abodomen and waist, small hands and feet, less muscle mass)

,,,and, let us not even get into a a lot of relatively unknown factors like differences in internal organs, bone density, and hydration.

I read last year that if you compare the height and weight of many super fit Olympic-level athletes with standard weight charts, they fall into the "obese" category. And that's despite being very lean and muscular.

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~~~Teelbee
Back to GOAL!!!
start weight: 176/goal range: 137-134/now: 138
Reached goal in Aug. 2003 - 4rd year of maintenance.

According to this site, my "ideal" weight is between 111 and 146. I used that chart to set my goal at 145. That may or may not be realistic. When I was in my early 20s, I was 112 for about a year. I was MUCH too thin and people around me often commented about how I needed to put on a few pounds.

My guess is that my "get real weight" is probably closer to 160. This is the weight my doctor said he'd like me to reach. Well, that was my former doc. I changed insurance and had to change doctors. I saw this new one three times in 2004 and he's not said a word about my weight.


EDIT: Whooops...I forgot to put the link to "this site" that gives the "ideal weight" for women: http://www.halls.md/ideal-weight/body.htm

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Melissa

I don't think we have one specific "get real" weight.

We go through plateaus. Our body says for a while, "This is your get real weight. So, get real!" Either you get used to it or you get frustrated and do dumb things that destabilize your weight-loss plan.

But the cool thing is, if you stick to your guns, your body changes its mind after a while!

This is really trite advice, but one of the best things you can do to lose weight is just RELAX. Keep doing things right and be comfortable with where you are RIGHT NOW because it's probably a damn sight better than where you started. Enjoy it.

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**************
"And so, in my State of the—my State of the Union—or state—my speech to the nation, whatever you want to call it, speech to the nation—I asked Americans to give 4,000 years—4,000 hours over the next—the rest of your life—of service to America. That's what I asked—4,000 hours."

Doc: I think you are probably right. At least, I hope you're right. I've been eating on plan for a month and have lost just two pounds. It's discouraging....but I'm not giving up. Now, I'm waiting for my body to decide that it's ready to lose again.

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Melissa

Sheyla, this portion of Dr.Phil's book is the part my group is studying/discussing now. As you know, the good doctor is referring to weight goals that are realistically attainable. On page 26 of "The Ultimate Weight Solution" he says we must "take stock of who we are and how we are physically and genetically configured".

He goes on to address the different ways we can come to a conclusion about what our "get-real" weight is.
I am looking forward to going through the study of this book again. This time with a fresh approach.

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"Relax" was the very word I was saying to myself just now when the scale didn't move--for two weeks. There's so much more to LC than that--so many more benefits for me! So...onward.

Actually, this past week, I sent my internist some information about an alternative thyroid therapy that interests me. He probably thinks I'm a little nuts, considering that I'm healthier than the average bear, and my weight is currently within a satisfactory range. But hey, if I don't pay attention to the details, who will?

Now, back to our regularly-scheduled, nutritious low-carb breakfast. Thank you, Dr. Phil.

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Barb L.
Atkins since Jan 2003
Maintenance as of 4/05


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