Is it enough?

[BeachRide]

I'm a 50 year old woman. I've had struggles with my weight for my whole life, culminating in a super-super morbidly obese BMI of over 60 ten years ago. I have gained and lost hundreds of stones through various means, some healthy, some less so.

I'm now for the first time in my adult life, an overweight BMI (27). I've been this weight (give or take a few pounds) for the last year - a miracle in itself, as I'm usually either gaining or losing weight at a fast pace.

Is it enough? Should I keep ploughing on to try and reach that elusive 'healthy' BMI or pause and enjoy where I am now?

It feels a bit like quitting a marathon at the 25 mile mark. Or 10ft below the summit of Everest and trudging back down. But I'm also tired of it being an all-consuming obsession.

Have I done enough?

Take it to numbers. How many calories a day would you need to lose 1lb a week at your current weight? If it’s not too difficult why not try to get in the healthy bracket?

1500kcals would lose 1lb a week. But I'm so sick of counting calories!

I've also probably got around 2 BMI points of loose skin, but the scale doesn't discriminate.

How do you feel? What's your overall health like in terms of blood pressure, cholesterol levels, joints etc? I'm losing weight at the moment and don't think I will push to go below a BMI of 25. I have no need to be slim for superficial reasons and provided that my health markers are good I'm OK with being slightly overweight. It's about finding a balance and being healthy / able to exercise. Struggling to maintain at a lower weight just to fit into a "bracket" is not for me.

Health is okay. No diabetes, cholesterol and BP good. Joints knackered due to carrying so much weight for so long, but still able to walk/swim briskly for an hour. I don't think physically there would be much difference between being 12st and 11st, and I read that actually at my age a BMI of 27 has the best outcome in terms of longevity - higher even than a healthy BMI. As I have 4 small children that's important to me.

It's all in the psychology of whether it's still worth striving for that goal that I've aimed at my whole life.

I'd suggest you keep tracking for the time being just to ensure you maintain. I've also yo-yo dieted over the years on a smaller scale but this time I'm determined that the weight is staying off. I'm quite nervous to actually reach goal weight as I'm sure if I relax it will immediately creep back on. If you can track to ensure you're staying at BMI27 then you'll learn how to eat at maintenance without the need to calorie count. I think that is far more important than getting to healthy BMI.

It's crazy to think that eating two biscuits (100kcals) a day over TDEE puts on 1lb a month, and eating 100kcals fewer loses you 1lb a month. I'm not used to eating like a normal person with normal weight fluctuations and can easily dip into the fast/feast mindset.

It's a miracle my weight has stabilised for a year, so I do seem to know how to keep it steady. I just don't know whether to stop and maintain here, or keep going.

Sorry yes you did say you've maintained for a year, I missed that. Amazing work.
If you're happy then I wouldn't push it further. As you say your excess skin is probably accounting for a lot of extra weight. Do you have any options for getting surgery for the skin? I assume the NHS don't fund it, which is a shame as it would show recognition of how far you've gone to improve your health, presumably lessening your need for further NHS help in the future.

you sound like you have done an incredible job OP.

personally, I’d stay as you are. You are so much healthier at BMI 27 than you were at 30,40,50 etc.

You should be so proud of yourself for what yih have achieved!

You are amazing and you have done/are enough.

I feel your pain with losing and gaining hundreds of pounds. Well done for cracking it.

For the first time in my life I feel like I may have cracked the back of it. Still have 3 stone to go though.

Thank you so much, all of you. You don't get to nearly 30st without having a significant screw-up in your coping mechanisms. Older, wiser and lighter, I do feel I have reached a milestone. I'm going to carry on with what I'm doing, but erring on the side of two fewer biscuits, not more. Hopefully my weight will continue to if not stabilise, but perhaps even drop.

Reaching a healthy BMI used to be a goal to qualify for skin surgery on the NHS, but that's not offered any more. I need to shift my thinking onto a normal relationship with food, exercise and wellbeing, even if that's not at a 'normal' BMI.