Weight - what is normal? (disabled parking, thyroid gland, ankle, cold)

[kimmieyky]

I had to post this because I really got off topic on the disabled parking sticker issue. So sorry!

In thinking about that problem, it began my thinking into the issue of weight and health - and as I replied in a post - why are there two distinct sides of this issue?

No gray areas - you are fat if you are not a size '0' -according tho the media ( I thought a '0' menat you did not exist), magazines and Hollywood - yet this society has set itself up to be nothing but fat due to the content of our food, fast diets that do not keep the weight off, and doctors who do not know/teach that the average American cannot get the nutirents he/she needs from a regular American diet.

So what do you guys think?

Why does this pendulem only swing one way or the other - leaving those of us in the middle trying to be super thin, driving ourselves crazy, not trying to just be healthy - and dying when we get on the scales? Since when was a woman who is 5'5" tall and a size 14 - plus size?

Curious to see if I am the only one thinking this way...Will somebody please call Richard Simmons??

KimmieyKY

[MoMark]

I'm considered underweight by some at 6ft and my normal weight of 155-160lbs. I prefer to weigh about 160lbs. as that's where I really feel solid and good. If I weigh more than 165lbs., I feel heavy, awkward and thumpy.
I lost 20lbs. during my pneumonia period in May of 06 and dropped to 140lbs. and I felt incredibly weak, lost my buttcheeks, arms got thin, legs bony...very uncomfortable time period.
Right now I've managed to come up to 150lbs. and the fleshy parts have been slowly expanding, though not as robust as they were before May yet. I want 10 more pounds.
Other men would look completely anorexic at my height and weight, yet for me my normal is perfect and I usually have about a 11% body fat ratio.
I don't drink much soda pop (though I love Coke Classic), I don't eat McDonalds and Burger King nearly as often as I used to. I drink green and black teas, use raw sugar for sweetening, try to eat more soups and balance meats with vegetables, and I cut back on coffee considerably.
Weight is really individual and so many factors go into determining what is right for a person.
I know what's right for me and even if it doesn't match the charts, that's not a problem to me. I...I know what's right for me.
I think eating habits are the problem for most.
My neighbor has high blood pressure, border-line diabetes, and he's not obese, though he's got a big gut. He drinks diet sodas loaded with Aspartame (absolutely the WRONG solution which contributes to his imbalances instead of helping his equilibrium), eats SunChips, crackers, bags of crunchy salty snacks, and bad foods. Diet is key I think.

[Racelady88]

I am 5'5'' and 150. I don't consider myself fat.

I maintain this weight without dieting, but I get plenty of exercise and drink lots of water.

I don't value anyone's opinion on my weight. My back, knees, and ankles tell me if I have put on some poundage that I need to take back off.

My first husband was a shallow man, and size mattered to him. When I stopped taking a medication that had the pleasant side effect of weight loss he believed that I was somehow less of a person. We did not stay together much longer.

I say listen to your body. If you were meant to be super thin, you would be.

[my3arabs]

I weighed in at 360 in 99 and lost 200 over the next two yrs and kept it off for two yrs. I am 5' 10.5" and 160 was too small for me. My husband said that I had an eating disorder when I didn't. I did have problems with my joints being that thin with my frame size.

For me my ideal is 180 cuz I had no problems with joints or my back then. But I am an emotional eater and I have to exercise all of the time to keep weight off. I have put on way to much since the summer of '03 and I could stand to loose about 45-55.

I eat fairly healthy it is just my portions compared to my activity. Hopefully getting out of ID and away from the many problems that are here for myself and my family things will change. Oh yeah and getting back into horses where just working with them is exercise enough will help too.

[zarroc]

I am fat and I hate it, but I'm also healthier than a normal american. I'm a vegetarian and I eat a lot of fruits and veges, I almost never eat junk food, I rarely eat refined grains, I meditate every day, I exercise every day, I only eat dark chocolate, I don't drink a lot of non decaf coffee or any caffeine besides green tea, and I usually choose vegetable oil over butter. My heart rate and all that other stuff is normal.

I wouldn't call myself healthy though. My extra weight puts more strain on my bones and heart and if I don't lose weight it will make things more difficult when I reach middle age. And having a social stigma can't be good for my health.

[ColdCanadian]

I've also been considered underweight for my height, but by body fat levels I never looked that way. I probably have a lighter bone structure than the average man my height.

Earlier in the fall I was 140 lbs and 5'9" but since I get cold too easy and to make my job easier I started working out to build some muscle. I'm up to 150 lbs and approximately the same amount of fat. This extra 10 lbs and the being much more active has so far has worked well to keep me warmer most of the time.

[gizmo980]

I think the "ideal" weight varies from person to person, depending on your natural build. Obviously extreme weights are unhealthy for anyone, but there's no chart that can tell you whether you're overweight! For instance, I'm 5'6" with a large frame, and looked anorexic when I weighed 130... but my 5'4" sister, who got my mom's petite frame, looks heavy at 120 (she's barely 100 right now). My "perfect" weight is around 160, which is what I'm aiming for this year. I was quite heavy for a long time, but have lost almost 60 lbs. in the last two years, with old-fashioned healthy habits. I'm now a size 14, and yes, it's ridiculous that I still can't shop at most "normal" stores!! I'd like to lose another 20-25, which should get me comfortably into a size 10 - MY ideal. Anyway, what really matters is how you feel, and that you're not totally unhealthy. I don't know about you, but I'd rather not look like Nicole Ritchie & the other skeletal celebs... I have some very curvy - ummm - assets, which I'd hate to lose.

P.S. According to those bogus BMI charts, I'm still at the low end of "obese"!! Even at my goal weight, which I know from experience is a good look for me, I'd still be considered overweight... total BS.

[DBNN]

Probably a dumb question. But I won't know if I don't ask.
Can someone tell me about green Tea? Is it suppose to help with weight lose and if so, how?
Not a tea drinker.

[kimmieyky]

Well, to start - there is no such thing as a 'dumb' question. One cannot learn unless the question is posed and theanswer sought.

Green Tea began in the Orient, and is known for it's anti-oxident magic. The ingredients in the tea attck the bad free radicals in our bodies and work to flush them out. It can be found in any grocery store - both in tea bag form amd loose tea to be boiled and strained. Just watch the ingredients - as anything added is bad - seek out the natural teas. A health food store would be the best place to go to get the best. It will cost a little more, but it's worth it.
The taste is very close to that of the regular orange pekoe teas (what lipton uses), without the sugar, and a weakened version. I love it, and have discovered Rasberry Green tea as well. The brand I use has natural berry flavoring to add a little zing to the green tea.

I am so happy to hear all of the responses so far. You are all SO right.

I am a firm believer that we all KNOW our bodies. We know what size is comfortable, when we feel our best, what health issues increase and decrease with food intake, and how our overall outlook changes with the size of our bodies.

I have noted before - I lost 100lbs. over the course of 4 years in the 1990's. I learned how to eat to be healthy - and added the exercise to boost the metabolism. Which brings us to another topic. Everyone is wired differently. The thyroid gland regulates our metabolism, and if it is out of whack - weight will drop off, load on, or not move.

Having had a thyroidectomy in 2004, I learned there is such a wide range of 'normal' here also, that one cannot depend on lab results to discover the problem. If you have been attempting to lose or gain for a long period of time - get your thyroid checked, just for curiosity. I do not take medication, although some do need it - only because it never helped me, and has not helped many I know. What does seem to work, however, is the old ways of boosting metabolism and stimulating the thyroid gland.

Lie on your back with hands under your buttocks and raise your legs as far as you can - becoming 'upside down' as much as possible. I do not completely understand the science behind this, but it is a Yoga pose that kicks the thyroid into gear to allow it to function more normally. I am attempting to increase my yoga practice - as for my body, I seem to feel better, lose weight and have much less stress when I do.

My major concern are the young girls growing up right now in this society. I wish so much there was a way to help them understand it is more a matter of health and being comfortable with themselves - rather than what the media tells them they should be. And Praise Be for women like Queen Latifah and others like her who celebrate being who they are.

Being comfortable with your weight doesn't mean you don't exercise and eat right, it just means you have learned to love yourself regardless of what others say. Health should be foremost on our minds. Those BMI charts are for the birds - who can possibly fit into those numbers? unless you are anorexic and enjoy seeing bones poking out.

I have heard from more than one man - they prefer the more 'curvey' figure over boney, pencil thin women. I think that is a catch 22 also. The media would lead you to believe men want the hollywood thin - but why, when they decide to marry - do everyday men marry everyday women?

And Momark = I SO wish I could get people around to comprehend what Aspartame really is! Why won't they listen? Red any poisen is not something I want in my body. There are enough chemicals in there from other foods anyway - and I really try to watch it.

Funny story - woman pulls up to the drive thru and you can hear her order "Big mac, large fries - no wait, supersize that, and an apple pie. And a Large Diet Coke to drink."

WHAT is the purpose in loading up with junk and then drinking diet? Have you noticed the word inside the word? DIE...T. Think about it.

Lose weight to feel great - not to conform! My words of wisdom to every young girl I see! ( like I know so much - but I hate seeing what they go through!)
Kimmiey

[mm_mary73]

If I remember correctly, the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company came up with the following to determine what was ideal weight: Males - 110# for the first 60" of height then 6# / inch and for females - 100# for the first 60" of height then 5# / inch. Now we use something like this AND the person's BMI.