There was a wonderful article in the January edition of Shape magazine that talked about studies that were done on people to test their fitness. It said that the studies have shown that people can have BMI that categorize them as Overweight, or even as Obese, and yet they are MUCH fitter than people with BMI in the so called "healthy range". The article said that the studies show that it's actually the people that are fitter that are healthier and living longer, even if their weight isn't in the ideal range.

This article really struck a chord with me and made me happy. I've been struggling so much lately and having a very hard time. I've found that when I'm trying so hard to get to a magic number on the scale, but to achieve that I'm jeopardizing my health at times. Both Jillegal and Jiffypop have been helping me so much through this. When I read this article it made me realize that I'm so much more fit now than I've ever been before. I can RUN! I've never in my life been able to run, not even in school.

I should be very happy with where I'm at and what I've accomplished, but because the scale isn't giving me that magic number that I'm aiming for, I feel like I've failed.

I just wanted to share this with you guys and see what you all think.

I love that magazine, and really dug that article. It inspired me to look up my BMI & see how much I'd have to weigh to be in each category & all that.

I like "Shape" too. You're right, Mthrgoos. It's NOT so much numbers on the scale.... it's BMI, cholesterol, getting the right heart-rate, and so much more. Yay!

FAILED????? WHO??? not you!!!!! yeah. i must confess to being haunted by THAT MAGIC NUMBER as well. but i've also done a little math. and decided that even if i never lose another pound, other than to plastic surgery, i will have lost more than 90% of my excess weight. and that's good enough. honest!!!

now, of course, i'm going to try everything possible, but if it doesn't happen, i'll be happy.

sooooo kim darlin.... what percentage of YOUR Excess weight have you lost??? and anything more than 50% is FABULOUS!!!!! any doc would tell you. as would any trainer. and any of us.

never mind. i did it for you. as of RIGHT THIS MINUTE.. you've lost 88.4% of your excess weight. soooo NOW how do you feel????

I am still about 35 lbs above my goal weight and i am no way happy looking at myself in the mirror yet if ever. BUT you know what? I can walk 3 miles, I can jog across the parking lot and not hurt or feel like everyone is staring, I can do 100 crunchs on my exercise ball, I can play with my kids, and i am soooooo close to doing full fledged men style push ups! There is NO WAY i want to go back to where i was. I will take fit over thin (but thin would defianltly be a plus!)

Jiff, have I mentioned lately how wonderful you are? I never thought of it that way. 88.4% is pretty amazing and I agree that even if I never loose another pound, I feel so much fitter and so much better. I think that's so hard for a lot of us to remember when we're facing that number on the scale, but it's really the most important part of all.

Julie, I completely agree, I'll take fitter over thinner, but both would be nice!

aawwww shucks hon... it's only ME!!!! Glad i could help...

that figure about the excess weight is taken from the wls literature. apparently, we're judged by the % excess weight lost. most other weight loss studies use average number of pounds lost. sooo, with wls being the most effective and durable treatment for obesity, most centers are happy if their patients lose - and maintain - a loss of 50% of their excess weight.

you and others like dow and jillegal have lost FAR FAR more than that, and deserve to be happy and proud of what you've done.

and i'm still too stunned by my numbers for much of this to register on my internal viewmaster.. so let's leave me out of this, ok????

Just my opinion here - our bodies are so smart! If they think you are exercising too hard and not eating enough to keep those lovely kidneys, liver, spleen, etc. functioning properly - it just STOPS. No weight loss, no weight gain - just hanging around waiting for us to do what it needs us to do with the messages that it sends us. Won't budge. VERY frustrating. Especially when we, as society, are fixated on numbers. I met with an exercise physiologist last year and he really annoyed me when he gave me this line - I was in trouble for eating too few calories in his opinion. I decided that I knew what was best and left a little irritated by the conversation. I thought he was a bit of a arrogant fit young man but when I think of it now he (eating crow here) was actually quite wise. One point that he made which has struck a core for me is this very point. Our bodies are doing alot every minute of every day - from repairing a wound, to fighting off bacterial invaders to battling cancer cells. They do all this plus keep the regular functioning of the body happening. We nourish our bodies to enable them to do this good work which keeps us alive and well. Mothergoose, your body is smart and it is just having you hold on until it is ready for you to move on to the next number. I know this is so frustrating and I am glad you found the article which struck a core with you. Your health is paramount to any number and look at what you can do - running, how fantastic. It will come, when your body is ready. Trust that and keep doing all the good things you are doing. And, when I get to the point where you are at, please remind me of this. Wishing you well...

Jenaya

I'll have to check out that magazine. I'm also impressed by all the weight you guys have lost. And I know you didn't do it by being couch potatoes. Of course you're fit!! When it comes to weight loss, I'm just starting (again) ...

BUT ... I've ALWAYS been bugged by the fact that "fat is unhealthy" and "thin is healthy". I'm one of those obese (actually, morbidly obese) people who is rather healthy--some of it's genetic, some of it's luck and some of it is that I've always walked -- I'm not a patient person and I'd rather walk than circle looking for a "good parking space" or wait 10+ minutes to changes subway trains. I did a 20 mile charity walk last May ... all 265 pounds of me. I got a few blisters, just like the thin folks on the walk. BUT ... I didn't quit and get on the bus after 5 miles, I didn't say "no way, I'm not even going to THINK about 20 miles" which is what a lot of those so-called "healthy" people I know did. I've never had high blood pressure, I've never had high cholesterol, I don't have diabetes, I rarely get ill. But there's no question, I've got a lot of weight to lose.

But, as we all know, it's a head game. Way back in the dark ages, when I was 22 and 150 pounds, I thought I was "as big as a house". Now I AM as big as a house ... 120 pounds heavier ... but my impression of my own body image hasn't changed all that much. Not good. I need to get a lot of this weight off and learn to be satisfied w/ the fact that I'm never going to be Twiggy!!

Meanwhile, I'm going to be inspired by you guys and give you a round of applause!!!

when i went to donate blood last week i was talking to a couple of the pokers who are also doing weight watchers and i said if i could be all muscle and weigh the same as i do now i'd be happy. LOL but that's probably not true. i do want more muscle and to be fit but right now at this point in time i want to be thin.

What an intersting topic. You know, I think that sometimes we don't realize just how important exercise and being fit is. I think that's part of the reason that I have been slow to get going this year. I haven't gotten back into the swing of execise. It does so much for you, it gives you more energy and makes you feel better. And when we build muscle, then we burn more calories. When I am exercising, I feel better with everything I do.

Yes, I want to be thin, but I also want to be rock hard. I want to be able to run and wrestle and be a very fit person.

Your right, we put these numbers in our head that we want to see on the scale and then when our hard work isn't leading to those numbers quick enough, we get frustrated. We all too quickly forget how much we have improved our lives and our health.

I think the % is a great way to look at our achievements!! Even little old me has lost 15% of the weight I want to lose!!!

Kim - I think you have so much to be proud of. You have changed your life. You are not the person you used to be. Look how much you have improved the quality of your life. I know you look at yourself and think, but I am not perfect yet!! Put the perfection aside and be damn proud of yourself for the amazing transformation you accomplished. And then maybe do a little digging to see what you need to do to your program to rock it enough to kick in and lose the very last of the weight. You might just need to add some calories!!

10 % incriments of weight loss is a great thing to do...That way...we don't feel so overwhelmed that we have to loose 100+ pounds. Great topic.

I also know a lot of unhealthy skinny people out there too! So, I hate that stereotypical profile of an overweight person. KWIM? I love that commesrcial for a cholesterol pill...where they show a physically fit man....jumping in the pool...and then it says that he has high cholestrol.

Kim you are awesome and inspiring - certainly no failure!

Amanda xx