At what weight can I stop losing weight?

Finally! Lost 46 pounds. The excitement is fresh. Hearing compliments make you want to keep going. You are happy and feel good about yourself.

Then the gossip starts. Is s/he sick? Cancer? Lymphoma? You are too thin. Are you all right? Are you hiding something? These are all questions and statements that you might hear when you lose an extensive amount of weight. And so the big question:  What is the right weight for my height and age. I have been asked this question countless times.

Here are some guidelines that will help you to find your limits.

First, stay away from the Body Mass Index (BMI). It doesn’t give you any valuable information. If you take a lean individual and compare them to an obese one with the same height and weight,both would have the same BMI. So please trash the BMI index as a measurement tool. (I’m giving you this link just to help you prove to yourself that it is worthless!)

Okay. How much should I lose? How much should I weigh? Relax. It will happen by simple lifestyle changes and being consistent in both your activity program and your commitment to eating foods that provide enzymes for your metabolism. Pounds are overall important to see changes in movements when you have been inactive. Does weight give you the entire story? No, because a very thin person can have a high fat body fat percentage. Researchers call them the skinny fat. Thin arms and thin legs but the body stores the fat around the mid section and around the internal organs.

What gives you the best indication how much you should weigh?

This is best analyzed through taking a body fat percentage. The body fat percentage gives you the indication how much adipose fat you have on your body. How does it work? You can buy a body-fat caliper and take measurements at three points (women: triceps, suprilium and thigh men: chest, abdominals and thigh) and compare them every 4 weeks to gauge your progress. From the get-go, these measurements will give you an indication if you fall into the obese, acceptable, fitness, athlete, or essential fat category.

For women, key measurements are: obese 32 percent or higher, acceptable between 25 percent and 31 percent and for fitness 24 percent and 21 percent.

Men have lower measurements. Obese means 25 percent or higher, acceptable between 18 percent and 24 percent and for fitness between 14 percent and 17 percent.

If you have determined your current body fat, you can calculate your leaner body weight. Just take your body weight and multiply it by your current body fat percentage. This will give you your total body fat in pounds.

Then, take your body fat in pounds and subtract it from your body weight. This number will give you your lean body weight in pounds. Voila, now we can get to work.

Take your lean body weight in pounds and multiply it by the percentage, which you would like, could or should accomplish. This will give you your body weight.

How can I do this with real numbers?

Easy! Here is a mathematical example from a female, age 50, five foot five inches tall:

Body weight: 151 pounds

Body fat: 29 percent

Body fat in pounds: 151 x 29%= 43.79

Lean body weight: 151 – 43.79 = 107.21

Goal 21 percent body fat: 135.71 pounds.

The trick is to know your body fat. As soon as you have this number, you can establish baselines about where you should be.

But keep in mind that this weight does not represent the gain in muscle weight that you build during exercise. Watch this happening when body fat percentage is calculated with out the consideration of muscle gain at the Biggest Loser. Often you hear: “I have done anything I can and have followed the instructions and yet I did not lose as much as anticipated.”

Stay focused,

Stefan

Your Weight loss Longevity Coach.

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