Sometimes a stall in your weight loss is just a sign that
you need to shake things up. Other times, however, it could be your body’s way
of telling you that it’s pretty happy right where it is, thank you very much.
The fact is, a healthy weight doesn’t always look the
same as what you see on TV, in fitness magazines, or even in pictures of
yourself from 15 or 20 years ago, says registered dietician Jennifer McDaniel.
If your weight goals are based off those kinds of cues, it can be tough to know
when you’ve reached your sweet spot.
So how can you
tell? Consider these five important signs. If any of them seem familiar, you
might already be at your happy weight.
YOU’D NEED A TEAM OF PROS
TO HELP YOU HIT YOUR GOAL WEIGHT.
It’s no secret that metabolism starts
to slow down with age, which makes it harder to lose weight. So even though you
might have been a certain size when you were younger, it might not be the right
size for you now.
“Many times when I ask my
clients the last time they were at their ‘goal’ weight, they say high school or
on their wedding day. Which often, was years ago,” says McDaniel. And yeah,
getting to that weight might still be possible. “But the amount of effort and
energy to achieve it and stay there might not be sustainable,” she says.
Of course, there’s no rule
saying that your goal weight at age 40 or 50 has to be X amount of pounds more
than what it was at age 20 or 30. But if it seems like you’d need a personal
chef, a personal trainer, and hours of intense daily exercise to fit back into
those jeans you wore in college, it might be time to adjust your expectations.
YOU DON’T HAVE ANY
WEIGHT-RELATED HEALTH ISSUES.
Look at your total picture
rather than letting the scale call all the shots, says Caroline Cederquist, MD,
board-certified bariatric surgeon and founder of the meal delivery service BistroMD.
It’s important to take note of other factors associated with health, like your
waist circumference. Ideally, it should be smaller than 35 inches. “That alone
has been found to be an accurate predictor of disease risks from excess
weight,” she says.
Also pay attention to numbers
like your cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar. Does your doctor
say that they’re where they ought to be? If so, you can feel good knowing that
you’re not at risk for obesity-related illnesses like heart disease, high blood
pressure, or diabetes. In other words, you’re at a healthy size—even
if you’re not exactly the weight you’d like to be.
YOU FEEL GOOD, PHYSICALLY.
Once you know that you’re
meeting the health markers associated with an appropriate weight, think about
how you feel. Even if you can’t quite squeeze into your dream size, do the
clothes that used to pinch now fit comfortably? Do you have enough energy to do
activities or workouts that used to leave you exhausted or winded? These are
important milestones that will likely do more for your overall wellbeing than a
perfectly taut tummy or dimple-free thighs, so don’t discount them. Remember:
“There are many ways to define health,” McDaniel says.
Related: What's Your Ideal Weight?
Related: What's Your Ideal Weight?
YOU’RE PRETTY CLOSE TO
YOUR GOAL WEIGHT.
If resistance exercises have
been a part of your weight loss routine, you’ve probably put on a little bit of
muscle mass—and that’s a good thing! But since muscle weighs more than fat, the
scale might not read as low as you were hoping. “Many times, patients will come
in wanting to lose 30 pounds. But instead, they lose 20 pounds of fat while
preserving their lean muscle mass. That’s absolutely perfect,” Cederquist
says.
McDaniel agrees. “The overall
goal in weight loss is to minimize muscle loss,” she says. Not only does lean
muscle mass help you burn calories, but it's also crucial for helping you
maintain enough functional strength for day-to-day activities—especially as you
get older. Plus, if you cut too many calories in an effort to lose weight, you
may not get enough protein to maintain your metabolism-revving muscle mass.
If you’re within 10 or so
pounds of your goal weight, consider using your body fat percentage as a
measure of success instead. If it’s within the healthy range (up to 28% for
women in their 40s; up to 31% for women in their 50s; and up to 33% for women
60 and over), it might be worth staying at your current weight.
YOU WOULDN’T BE AS HAPPY
IF YOU HAD TO RAMP UP YOUR WEIGHT LOSS EFFORTS.
If you’ve been consistent with
a weight loss routine and the scale just isn’t budging, you might have to take
more drastic measures to get to where you want to be—and they might not always
be pleasant.
“When we drastically cut
calories or over-exercise, our hormones shift to make it easier to hold onto
body fat,” McDaniel says. Your body ramps up its production of hunger hormones
like ghrelin, making you want to eat more. Stress hormones like cortisol
skyrocket too, which can leave you craving unhealthy junk. And you’ll probably
find yourself feeling weak and tired, Cederquist says.
Plus, all that extra work
might not be worth it. Maybe exercising for two hours a day would come at the
expense of spending time with your family or getting enough sleep. Or your
constant hunger pangs might put you in a crabby mood. If you’re miserable or
you feel like you’re missing out on life’s pleasures, your weight loss plan probably
isn’t a smart one, McDaniel says. After all, would life as a size 4 really be
that great if you couldn’t ever indulge in the occasional pizza slice or ice
cream cone?
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