To keep going with weight loss?

[Moreweighttolose]

I've been following SW for almost a year. To date I've lost nearly 6.5 stone. My BMI is currently 26.8; my target atm is to lose another stone which will take my BMI to 24.5.

However...in the last couple of weeks people have started telling me not to lose more weight, to be careful I don't get haggard or drawn, that being too thin is ageing etc.

I really don't think I'm too thin nor that I will be if I lose another stone. Although as I didn't think I was that fat when I was over 18st, I appreciate my perspective is perhaps slightly skewed! I am in my late 40s but I think I look ok for my age, my face is fairly plump so I don't look drawn at all, I'm only just starting to lose my double chin.

I know clothes sizes are not a guide as such but I'm currently a 12-14, 34f/g bust. I do a lot of running/ walking so I have fairly muscly legs.

So WIBU to keep going?

Yes, keep going! Ignore your friends. It's what makes you feel good/happy which is important. And as you point out, your BMI is still above the ideal 25. (It's a rough and ready tool, but one which is a good, general guide)

Well done on your loss so far - 6.5 stone is fantastic

Well done on your weight loss OP! Your looks and shape will have changed a lot and people will be comparing you to what you looked liked before. Getting to a bmi of 24.5 is in the healthy range so nothing too drastic. If you feel you can carry on losing weight then I would until you reach that bmi.

People are pretty rude and outspoken where someone’s weight is concerned and they should think twice about what they say and how it comes across.

... and also, seeing someone else do well and reach their target weight is often a challenge to those who might still be overweight - so you're making them look bad! This is often why people tell those reaching their goal that they're looking too thin.

If you still want to get to your target BMI which seems reasonable then keep going.

Some of the comments you're getting sound really off-colour to me. Are any of these people possibly threatened by your weight loss, or jealous in some way?

Well done OP! Your approach sounds very sensible.

It’s hard to see how you would look “haggard” with a BMI of 26.8. I’d keep going and ignore them.

Wow you're doing brilliantly! Keep at it! Everyone thinks they're an expert where other peoples weight is concerned, but you know what's right for you better than anyone. I've had the same myself, had someone tell me I'd lost too much weight when I was still technically in the obese range!

This really pisses me off. I've lost weight recently too and am getting the same thing as you even though for my height I could probably be two stone lighter again I'll be happy at a 12 with one more stone.

I get people are comparing and it might be a bit of an adjustment but where were these pass remarkable fuckers when I was getting fatter and fatter, not exercising and unhealthy? Oh they have something to say now I am getting slim and more importantly healthy? No thanks, go back to saying nothing about my health thanks very much

They're crabs in a bucket, OP. Keep going.

I would bash on tbh. My family are always telling me not to lose any more, they're genuinely just concerned for my health. But I'm still above ideal weight and have plenty wobbly bits left to shift.

The haggard, you look too thin line usually comes from other women feeling threatened.

Well done Op, fantastic effort and yes, keep going. You'll be so pleased when your bmi is in range.

People are weird about weight loss. My BMI is 22-23 depending on where I am in my cycle and a number of people are constantly telling me I'm underweight, worrying I'm anorexic, watching to see if I eat, etc. Constantly telling me to 'take care of myself' because of how tiny I am. I'm actually quite strong and muscular and wouldn't have the type of muscle tone I do if I was even remotely malnourished but some people really seem to feel very free to be critical of someone who loses weight and develops a healthy body weight under the guise of concern.

I don't know why that is. Some of it might be envy but I think for the most part it's genuine concern coming from a distortion of our perceptions of what bodies are supposed to look like. People tell me I've gotten too skinny when I'm not remotely skinny, I'm just an average weight for my height.

As for your face, people say losing weight ages your face but it's been far from my experience. I don't think that the slight double chin, jowlyness and enveloped cheekbones I had at a bigger weight was remotely youthful. Whereas at a healthy weight my bone structure is more visible and my eyes look bigger, which along with the healthy glow I get from participating in sport, makes me look much more youthful than I did 18 months ago, when I was pushing towards a bmi of 30.

Unfortunately, as a nation we are overweight. Therefore people’s perceptions of what a healthy weight is are massively inaccurate comparatively to medical guidance, in the main.
While their concerns may be well meant, they are likely to be distorted by what is the visual norm on a day to day collective of people, rather than an actual healthy weight.
Keep going until you & your drs are satisfied-no one else’s opinion really matters

Keep going! Sometimes I think people say this out of jealousy!

They really don't sound the kind of people whose views you need to be internalising.

Well done OP: it's hard!

Oh God, people do this all the time and I'm not sure why. It will pass though.

Years ago I lost weight from about a size 18 to a 10-12. I'm 5ft 1 so I in no way looked too thin but lots of people told me I needed to stop and one person said I looked emaciated . No body was ever rude enough to tell me I looked rubbish at a size 18 ( I did - weight doesn't suit me at all).

I dropped to a size 8-10. Which I have maintained ever since. I now have a post baby belly and wobbly thighs but still look alright with my clothes on . As people are used to me at this size I never get any comments any more.

Most of the people saying it are thinner than me.

And yes none of the buggers told me to diet when I was fat! (And needed to be told!)

Ignore any rude comments. Your GP is probably happy with your weight loss & better health.
Congratulations!

For some people, usually women, weight is a competition - nothing more or less. The reasons for this are many and varied, but nevertheless, that's how it is. Being the thinnest makes you the winner, regardless of your state of health and fitness. It's utterly one-dimensional. Someone who is slim, toned with well-defined muscle at say 9 stone will not win the weight contest against the 8 stone flabby couch potato, even though 8 stone flabby looks heavier. It's all about the numbers.

You know you want and need to lose some more weight. You know you are a long long long way from being underweight, emaciated or haggard so just ignore them.

For context, I was seriously ill with a bowel condition 20 years ago and my weight dropped to 7 stone (I'm 5ft 4). My consultant's was a bit meh, said that I was "a bit thin", to stop weighing myself and accept that he would weigh me at every appointment and that he wouldn't take any action at all to intervene unless and until I lost another stone. Think about that - he wasn't going to worry until I weighed 6 stone. I'd hazard a guess that you're nowhere near that and not likely to be.

Well done, keep seeking positive support and you will achieve your goal.

I have to admit I rarely went to my GP even at my fattest. Luckily I've always been fairly healthy. I do have gallstones but they are fine since I've lost weight, no symptoms.

Leno no I am a LONG way from 6st. I'm actually almost twice that weight. I am clearly a very long way from underweight. Or haggard for that matter!

Pleased to see only 1 person thinks I'm BU...must be one of the people who told me to stop losing weight