A question for "normal" weight people on a diet

[Scribbler]

When I was browsing the forum, I took notice, that in some instances, there were people who say they are in normal range, let's say 24-25 BMI, and they try to get it down to 20-21..
My question is why people do this? When your body is already in its supposed-to-be weight, what more do you need? Possible someone could argue that they do have excess fat at some points.. well, then you need to exersise more, drink your water etc..
Trying to force your body to go even lower, firstly it needs time,and secondly does not seem a wise thing to do.. Even more, when our bodies are on their right "size" it is even harder to make em loose weight. A diet is a way of life.. even its greek root goes down to "Food for life" not something we do to starve ourselves and raise the risk factor..
Well, that is my view.. I'm expecting yours

[Georgiana]

Well, I guess I'm one of those people, but I don't think of it as dieting -- it is simply my chosen way of eating. Unless you are one of those lucky people that can eat anything without gaining an ounce, you need to pay attention to what you are eating or you gain weight. Sure, I could probably eat more pasta or whatever than someone doing Atkins and then "diet" for three days to lose 1-3 lbs, but the game is mentally consuming. It is much easier having an "organized" way of eating, and this is what Atkins is for me.

To be honest, I could not care less about my BMI. Right now I am a size 8-10 and I would like to go down to 6. If I have a BMI of 24 or 20 when I reach that size, I find it completely irrelevant.

Yes, I agree that when you have a healthy weight, you just want some fat to disappear here and there, some skin to get smoother and so on. And I also agree that exercising and drinking water are a major part of achieving your goals. However, I was never able to drop weight/inches without paying attention to what I put in my mouth. You might be thinking "okay, but why not just eat sensible?" The problem is "sensible" has an ambiguous meaning -- what is too much? Will a cup of pasta make me gain weight, but not half a cup? Are two oranges going to make me so hungry in half an hour that I might go for the whole fridge or would only one have the same effect? With Atkins, you have some rules. You get to know your body, to know what it can and cannot take with or without gaining weight... None of the *diets* I tried before let you do this.

I believe I am not "forcing" my body to do anything. Unless you consider Atkins an unhealthy (or, at least, extreme) way of eating, I don't think I am putting any stress on my body. I eat healthy food, I don't miss any of the things I can't *yet* eat (I'm on rung 3), I exercise, drink a lot of water, take supplements... it's not dieting, but just a healthy lifestyle.

A diet is a way of life.. even its greek root goes down to "Food for life" not something we do to starve ourselves and raise the risk factor..

I am not sure what you mean... I definitely do not starve myself on Atkins! Risk factor for what? Gaining weight? It will indeed happen if I go off Atkins, but it's not something I have in mind to do. Ever.

Even more, when our bodies are on their right "size" it is even harder to make em loose weight.

What is a "right size"? If I would be happier in a size 6 than in an 8 or 10, there's nothing wrong working toward that. Sure, if my intention was to lose so much weight that size 0 clothes looked like pajamas on me, then indeed, it would not be an intelligent thing to do. But you cannot deny that I would be fitter at size 6 than I am now -- and that's a good thing! Why settle for "having a healthy weight" when you can have a healthy weight *and* look fantastic?! It's like not struggling for an A+ in whatever class just because you can also pass with a "B" -- not my way of doing things! Sure, the less you have to lose the slower it goes... but I don't rush. After all, I've got my whole life for this!

[Scribbler]

Well, I think then that everyone has a different perspective.. So, been smaller is looking fantastic? I do not know how to argue with this. I have a friend same height as me and he is 68 kg, and another friend, 1 cm shorter but 82 Kg.. Both of these are on my "normal" weight, but I cannot picture myself been on the 68Kg (nor that I could anyways) too skinny. One is just skin and low body fat, and the other is pretty muscular..
I do not mean dieting = Atkins, it was more of a general observation. I cannot believe that people on Atkins actually starve.. If they do they probably do something wrong.. Atkins is a way of life not a fast diet to drop pounds in a week of course.

[Georgiana]

It depends when you are ready to put the "fantastic" watermark on your body. For example, I was never larger than a size 12. If I had been anything like a 20-something, I would probably settle for a 12 and say it's "fantastic"... because going from 20-something to 12 is pretty darn amazing! But since 12 was my "fattest" ever...

I'm sure everyone has something he/she doesn't like on his/her body, regardless of the clothing size worn, but as long as there is things that can be changed through healthy diet and exercise there's no reason to stop before being happy with the way you look... no matter at what weight, size, BMI this happens. As long as you feel good about your body, the rest are just numbers.

[Zarabelle]

I wish I were one of those people within the normal BMI but I still feel I can comment on their behalf.

Everyone is different. The BMI is just a formula... some people can be considered a high BMI but be fit as a fiddle as they have a lot of muscle. Some may seem low on the BMI but be flabby and untoned. I don't think you can rely on a figure like that entirely, you need to assess yourself as an individual and decide where you want to be.

[Scribbler]

Yes! It all goes down to what makes us happy my friends then exactly just numbers and formulas..
but am worried about people stretching this..

[Brook]

BMI is garbage. I'm a size 6/8 and my BMI is 25.5-ish. It doesn't take into account so very many variables, it's just not a fair way to gauge squat, really. - Though I do understand your point.

You can have two people - same height, same weight, and have them be built completely and totally differently. One of my best friends and I are a great case in point. We are the same height, but I outweigh her by a solid 15lbs. I'm also a size smaller. The number on the scale and the number BMI pops up just doesn't mean anything.

I guess it's a bit sensitive for me. I have a picture diary that's linked in my signature and there's a guestbook there for people to contact me or leave me messages. When I called goal, I had people come out of the woodwork and congratulate me , but I also had people come out of the woodwork and tell me that I really could stand to lose another 10-20lbs and I had some rant at me that I was setting a bad example and I had lost too much weight and looked like he||. I wound up deleting my entire guestbook and starting all over and monitoring what goes on there. People will make judgments on anything- and it's just not their place!!

Bottom line is that people are going to do what works for them individually and what makes them happy. It's not for anyone to judge or decide what is best for me based on random numbers or anything else, really. So long as it's not an unhealthy mental/physical thing (ED issues, for example, and that will be/is an issue before they reach goal- I assure you. ), do what you do.

[Scribbler]

Brook you got it spot on. I am reffering to people who "see" themeselves are too fat when they are not.. I am not getting BMI as a standard measurement. hence the example with my two buddies.

[Brook]

Originally Posted by Scribbler

Brook you got it spot on. I am reffering to people who "see" themeselves are too fat when they are not.. I am not getting BMI as a standard measurement. hence the example with my two buddies.

Then you're talking about people who suffer from body dysmorphic issues and/or eating disorders (I happen to be one of those people too. LOL) - and that's a whollllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllle different kettle of fish than someone who looks in a mirror and decides that 5 more pounds would be better.

It's a difficult subject, to be sure! There's a delicate balance and it's tough to find!