Okay so in the vein of getting a veterans forum active again with veteran issues....

Talk to me about 5/2 people! I've read the past threads back before I really needed the info and have read a lot on the interwebs.... But anyone actively doing it?

At 2.5 years out I'm no longer at my bottom weight... I'm still below goal but I miss being where I was and would like to drop the regain.

Part of me knows it's vanity pounds and says don't even bother... I still run 30 miles a week finished my second marathon and fit in my size 4's but another part of me just prefers where I was before.

So... Any advice on 5/2 or advice on whether those vanity pounds are even worth it? I have to work for those pounds while I can rather easily stay here.

I still have 1 or 2 shakes a day, always have...... I honestly like them.

@@jess9395

I am feeling the exact same way!!! I loved being 135 and I just feel soft and puffy at 150. I never in a million years thought I would say that since I could never imagine being 150But I just felt better at 135-137. your description of them being vanity pounds sounds very accurate. But I really do want to loose them too. I just prefer it. It feels better and I think looks better.

Today I am doing a fasting day, and will try out the 5/2 plan. see if I can finally get the scale moving again. it has been stuck for over 6 months.

Right?!? When I started this journey I thought I would be thrilled to get to 165 where I had been comfortable before and 155 (the lightest I had even been as an adult and where I had worn bikinis) was a pipe dream!

Which is exactly why I wanted a reality check about whether it was crazy of me to want to get back down to 135!

Good luck to you on your fast day! Lemme know how it goes!

I tried on wedding dresses this weekend and it has a huge shocker. I know wedding dresses run small but crap! I was in a 0 or 2 now I am in 4s. So I was expecting my wedding dress size to be a 6 or 8. She said I was a damn 12-14!!! I was pissed to be in double digits. So I know I felt better at 135 and I am only 5'4.75" so I think it is not that far off.

It's a whole different sizing system, don't fret it! No one sees the size tag you will be a beautiful bride!

I still have 1 or 2 shakes a day, always have...... I honestly like them.

I typically have one protein supplement a day as well,

Either a shake a quest or power crunch bar or a mug "cake" from a scoop of protein powder plus baking soda and liquid. I have trouble meeting my protein needs without it

I'm going to double down with a number of you on the "validity" of wanting to weigh 135 pounds. I'm also 5'5". I NEVER expected to weigh this little. But it feels SO comfortable now. It just feels right. My eyes have adjusted, too. I don't even look "skinny" anymore. Just "normal."

Like many of you, 150 was my original goal. I hadn't been there in 40 years, so reaching that goal 14 months ago seemed like nirvana. Then over the next 8 months (without trying to lose more) I very slowly lost another 15 pounds. For the last 5 months I've weighed 135 pounds (plus or minus two pounds).

Damn, I hope this continues.

@@jess9395 I'm totally on board for an accountability group, that's a great idea!

Given that I really do have some significant pounds to lose, I think I'm going to try the 6 days of two liquid meals and one small meal and one day of fasting. I think that is more doable for me than trying a 16/8 schedule, though I think it is always a good idea not to eat anything in the late evening/night time (which I do given my habit of staying up too late!) I kind of like the liquid meals, they are easy and I have a very high tolerance for boring meals!

I also have been reading about ketosis-inducing diets, it sounds good and very effective, but in order to do and keep up with rigorous exercise you have to do periodic carb loading. Everything I read about it was for hard-core body builders. It sounds like it is a good way to get lean v. losing pounds, but it's rather complicated and think I need something simple to start with right now!

As for your struggle with what you call your "vanity pounds," it sounds to me that you are pretty self-aware and are conscious of what your motivations are. I think it is up to each of us to decide what type of figure we want. I myself prefer myself with a few more pounds than perhaps the BMI charts would because my face gets very thin when I am in the "normal range." I also like having round hips and a booty I have a friend who is a true size zero, she gets lots of tsks and "she must have an eating disorder." She does not, in fact she's a foodie and a great cook, she just likes herself at that weight and works hard to stay there. I think if you are doing it for the right reasons, you can make your body what you want. And a regular routine of Ashtanga yoga will certainly help you there--I admire you, I've been working up to doing the standing and sitting poses of Ashtanga for some time, you must be in great shape!

@@CowgirlJane - Thanks, that was a great link, and probably a reason for a veterans forum.

@@jess9395 - I noticed from your profile that you're 5'7". Generally, I think at 135 pounds you would be very thin You mentioned your husband likes where you are with more meat on your bones. I have seen a few people go that extreme and not be able to see their true body. I know you mentioned you felt more comfortable seeing your ribs and hip bones. Not to imply anything, but have you considered seeing someone to make sure that how you are seeing your body is accurate and appropriate?

A 5 foot 7 woman at 135 pounds has a BMI of 21.1, that's well within the range of "normal" weight. I don't think it is necessary to categorize a normal weight as "extreme" or potentially pathological and "unhealthy" because it is not our preference.

A 5 foot 7 woman at 135 pounds has a BMI of 21.1, that's well within the range of "normal" weight. I don't think it is necessary to categorize a normal weight as "extreme" or potentially pathological and "unhealthy" because it is not our preference.

I think it also depends on the build of the person i am 5'7 and have a muscular build.... i look sick, gaunt and just unhealthy if i go below 154.

BMI is not an absolute.... there are too many variables.... height, build, body type, race, muscle mass etc plays a larger role.

Eg. You could have 2 people who are the same weight and height and they look completely different.. what may look healthy on one of them can look different on the other

@ absolutely agree with you there! I too feel that I look better at a higher weight than a BMI chart would suggest. Whether one looks better or worse at a certain point on the BMI chart, I think is a different question than whether it is healthy or normal to be at a certain point on that chart. I think that if you're aiming to be in the "normal weight" range, that seems like a reasonable goal if that's how you like yourself to look.

And I love that "real 154" picture! I was out the other night with a group of friends--men and women, the women in the group are all quite fit, some of them on the tall side. Somehow the topic of weight came up and we asked the men to guess our weights, they all guessed that the thinner women weighed 110-120 and the thicker were 130-135. None of the women at the table weighed less than 150. It was kind a funny experiement--men have no clue what women weigh!

Yeah... men have no clue... actually not many people have ever guessed my weight because i look smaller than what i weigh..... the only people who know is the people on this board hahaha

I think that we need to be mindful of what is healthy and what we PERCEIVE as healthy...

there is a fine line between wanting to be on the lower end of the scale and having a potential eating disorder. Not saying that everyone who wants to be very slim has one, but it can easily manifest into one.

Especially when you lose weight quickly, the brain takes a while to realise how slim you really are.

I lost count of the amount of times i picked up clothes that were 2 sizes to big, thinking they won't fit. ... even when everyone was saying i was tiny, i truly didn't see it until i was around 1 year into maintaining past goal.

@@jess9395 - I noticed from your profile that you're 5'7". Generally, I think at 135 pounds you would be very thin You mentioned your husband likes where you are with more meat on your bones. I have seen a few people go that extreme and not be able to see their true body. I know you mentioned you felt more comfortable seeing your ribs and hip bones. Not to imply anything, but have you considered seeing someone to make sure that how you are seeing your body is accurate and appropriate?

I need to change that, I'm really only 5'6". I know that's not a huge difference, but it was a weird revelation to me! I always thought I was 5'7" and when I started this process they kept measuring me at 5'6.5" or even 5'6". I thought what the heck, I guess I've just been rounding up to make myself feel better? And by the end of the journey (weight lost from the pads of my feet?) I was a solid 5'6".

But that said, I do think hard about the issues you raise, so I appreciate the feedback. I continue to be strong and fit and am at 135 as well, so I will keep and eye on things for sure. Thank you!

A 5 foot 7 woman at 135 pounds has a BMI of 21.1, that's well within the range of "normal" weight. I don't think it is necessary to categorize a normal weight as "extreme" or potentially pathological and "unhealthy" because it is not our preference.

I think it also depends on the build of the person i am 5'7 and have a muscular build.... i look sick, gaunt and just unhealthy if i go below 154.

BMI is not an absolute.... there are too many variables.... height, build, body type, race, muscle mass etc plays a larger role.

Eg. You could have 2 people who are the same weight and height and they look completely different.. what may look healthy on one of them can look different on the other

Yes absolutely! Check out this site it's a good reference for that kind of thing:

Www.mybodygallery.com

I think I look healthy and fit and athletic. Here I am at 135. My body fat here is at the 17% level. My surgeon had a photo shoot done and I am in their promotional material (once and for all blew my anonymity as far as not disclosing my WLS)

Love that real 154 picture!!!!