I have never been a normal BMI as an adult anyone else ?

[WhatsOccurringNessa]

I am now at BMI 28 and am 54. The last time I was a normal BMI was when I was 17. My weight has been an issue for my whole life for various reasons that I am sure we can all identify with.

My heaviest weight was BMI 46 20 years ago after a very unhappy abusive marriage and I was this weight for quite a few years. I had managed to stay at BMI 36 for quite a few years.

I started MJ in May and it has enabled me to finally lose the weight but it is weird as I have never been this weight as an adult and realise I can reach my goal for the first time ever.

I am delighted and feel great but realise I don’t know what my style is as all my clothing choices were to hide my stomach. I am finding people react very differently also. I am going to restart C25K soon now my hip pain has gone and am very excited about the future.

Is there anyone else in the same boat ? I am so happy with my weight loss and am not complaining at all just interested in the identity change that comes with it and how to navigate that after a lifetime of being overweight.

I'm 32 and I have never had a BMI under 25 as an adult. I've also started MJ and loving it. My BMI is 31 now and I'm hoping to get closer to 25 but don't think I'll ever be under....

Yep. And I had a gastric sleeve and never hit under 25.

Am 26.5 now I think.

I had a gastric band that enabled me to get from 46 to 30 but maintained 30-36 since then until I started MJ.

Never been anywhere near my 'recommended ' weight. Always been overweight. Lost 5st about 5 years ago with intense exercise and diet, taking two years to do it. Only lost 2 dress sizes. Bloody devastating! Went from 18 to 14.
Put the weight back on after injury and menopause.
Gutted!

Yes always been in normal bmi except mid 40s got to 27 so got on it now back to 24. It’s not easy as you age. I don’t eat much exercise a lot still at top of normal bmi.

Me too. Can’t wait to get a normal BMI!

I've been overweight all my life. I was twice the size of all the other kids when I started school at 5.

Me too.

I remember being weighed at school & being 63kg aged 16. So that's normal BMI. I thought I was hideously fat.

I did put on weight after that and I haven't been a normal BMI as an adult.

Top healthy BMI for me would be 75kg. I cannot imagine what that is or what it would be like.

But I'm excited to find out.

I think I had ‘normal’ BMI for a minute in my early 20s. I’d lost weight but stalled out before reaching my goal of course. Since then I’ve yo-yoed further and further away from it. After 3 months of MJ I’m currently at my low weight for my 30s (I’m mid 40s) and with still a way to go to ‘normal’. Not being overweight seems a likely outcome of me being on Mounjaro for a few more months. I feel hopeful I may even make it to the goal that I’ve always had for my weight.

I had a normal BMI for about three years in my early 30s. It was very hard to maintain: I ate 1000-1200 calories a day, very low carb, pretty much zero sugar. I also exercised for a minimum of two hours a day (running, gym classes, weights). I was self-employed and childless at the time so I could just about keep it up, but I can’t see it happening now. I think I’d be happy with around 27.

There seems to be a lot of us. I am very thankful for these treatments to help. We have all tried to manage our weight and not been successful. The narrative needs to change that fat people just need to eat less and move more and it’s all our own fault.

I don't think a 'normal' BMI is normal for me. I did get there in adult life in my 30s on an absolutely insane diet of 700 calories a day which was obviously terrible for my health. I didn't look or feel good, and I was right at the top of the normal BMI range - there was no way I was ever getting any lower. In my 20s I did a stupid shake diet and was at a BMI of maybe 26 on that. I think I'm much better at a BMI of 27 or 28. But I can't think of 25 or below as normal for me when it has taken such drastic and extreme measures for me to get there - and I immediately regained the weight and more when I stopped starving myself of course!

Same age and don't think I have been a healthy BMI ever. I'm hoping that this is the thing that makes the difference.

@SheFellThroughTheIce I will see how I feel at lower BMI but I have a small frame and skinny legs etc so every lb shows and of course maintenance will be the biggest challenge.

Me too! I’m 57 now and don't think I've been a healthy weight since puberty! I do not think bmi is the best way to gauge 'healthy' weight as people have such different builds but I cannot imagine what I would look like even at the top end of range for my height!

I've said it before on here somewhere that I wonder how much of 'who I am' has come from dealing with my weight issues (and other people's reactions) over pretty much my entire life. How different would it have been to have been 'slim'?? 🤷‍♀️

I've been fat since I was 11. I have no idea what I would look like at a "normal weight ".

I’m exactly the same, always in the ‘overweight’ bracket but was happy with how I looked.

Even with my 5stone loss, I only went from obese to very overweight.
I have no idea what im made of, but I have a huge ribcage! Was told this by a radiographer!
Cheers, mate!

I am exactly 10 years older than you but the parallels are astounding. Last time I was slim was around 23 but that was after attending WW for my wedding, last time I was slim without busting a gut was about 17-18
I too have a gastric band which got me down to BMI 32 but I then regained back to 39.7 which is when I started MJ

So far I have lost almost 2 1/2 stone but currently in a frustrating stall and itching to go onwards and upwards downwards

I'm pretty sure I've been obese since childhood. I think I have a sugar addiction and my doctor thinks I have adhd which could contribute.

I've been on mounjaro 3 months now and this is the first time in my adult life that my bmi has been under 30! Honestly I never believed it would happen but I really do think it will now

Can I ask OP, how did your skin fair with your weight loss? <Misses point of thread>.

The only time I've ever had a normal BMI was when I was desperately unhappy, taking party drugs and a borderline eating disorder.

I'm a size 16 atm. BMI of about 33 I think. But I am fit as fuck. Ride my horse 5 times a week for between 45mins to an hour. Muck 2 stables out, do 20k+ steps a day. Eat healthy food probably 80% of the time, loads of veg and lean protein. I'm 46, in perimenopause and genuinely do not give a fuck how I look. I have massive matronly boobs, and a beer belly but a fabulous toned arse, legs and arms. I'd like to lose 2 stone because of health but not because some outdated, population level measure thing tells me I should. I am fat. But much fitter than women half my age and size.

Same, I ate my emotions during an abusive marriage. The last time I was a healthy weight I was 19. I did manage to lose a couple of times, but the change in other people's behaviour towards me freaked me out, so the weight went back on.

It's now seven years since separation from abusive H and just over two years since Absolute. My head is sorted, my self esteem is great, BMI falling slowly and is now 37. I'm in a really good place, so I think I'll be able to cope with the disconnect better this time. At least I know it's something I need to be aware of. I actually like myself and accept my body for what it is, which I think is a big part of it.

This summer I finally hit a normal BMI, Im now a BMI of just over 23. Im in my 50s and had a gastric sleeve

Nurse wants me down a few pounds more which by my calculation would be a BMI of 22.8, I suppose its bang smack in the middle. She said that this leaves you wriggle room in case of a holiday or Christmas or whatever without it creeping into the overweight again.

It has taken me the last 5 months to lose 11 pounds so by my reckoning, its another 3 months work at least to get the final 5 pounds off.

I'm 33, and have never had a normal bmi. I'm only 150cm with huge boobs which I'm sure doesn't help, but I'm a chubster through and through.