We are in the middle of Healthy Weight Week created by the organization Healthy Weight Network. This group formed in response to the madness of fad diets and the timing of the their awareness week is intentional. Many Americans plunge into "fad" diets on January 1, hoping to change their lives by cutting carbs, or fat, or simply by drinking lemonade with maple syrup for a week. Generally, by the third week of January, the weight loss resolutions have been abandoned often leaving the dieter worse off than before.
While I am not completely against dieting as the Healthy Weight Network is, fad diet and weight loss gimmicks make me fittingly mad. Although many women I know are at a healthy weight, they freely admit to wanting to lose a few extra pounds. I am wondering how you feel about your weight. Do you think you are at healthy weight? If not, how much do you think you should lose. While we're on the subject, how do you feel about dieting? Has it worked for you or failed you? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.
Catherine Malandrino
Et Vous
GHD
I'm at a very healthy weight.
1Honestly, I would not say I'm at a "healthy" weight. According to BMI (which I realize is not all that accurate, but just as a guide), I'm about 12 lbs above the max weight at my height for "normal" BMI. But truthfully I'm not too concerned about my weight, I'm just focusing on being active and eating at least relatively well. But in general, I completely agree with you about the fad diets. They are awful, and when I hear about them I can't help but think about how ridiculous they sound.
2Yep!
3I am at a healthy weight. I just want to replace the flab for some muscle.
4I was overweight, I ate awfully and was totally inactive. now I'm proud to say that since June of 2008 I can keep a run at a steady pace for quite a good time for my age, and I'm getting my daily needs of vegetables, fruit, whole grains and dairy, or at least I try. oh, and btw, that made me get to a perfect weight, as well. but that was the result. not the goal. that's why diets don't work. they're focused on what should be only the visual effect, rather than really focus on health.
5You know, this is always a tough line to walk for me. I am at a healthy weight although I am on the high end of the healthy range. I've been lower, and I've been higher. I also know the second I stop watching I drift up and out of the healthy weight range.
I always have issues knowing how obsessive to be about eating healthily and exercising. I know that being crazy about it is not healthy, but if I gain even five pounds I go into the overweight category. My weight shifts a lot, and it's really hard to know when to worry:)
6i am between 127 and 130lbs. different days, different numbers. I am 32 and 5'4", so i guess i should say that yes, i am at a healthy weight.
with that said, most of my clothes fit best when i'm at 120lbs. However, i exercise and eat healthy, so I'm not killing myself over the extra 7-10lbs.
I don't agree in dieting. i don't even like the word. i followed the SoBe diet for a while and found that instead of a diet is was more of a lifestyle, so it upsets me that it was called diet. if people got the word diet out of their vocabulary and replaced it w/lifestyle, i think it would be better to follow healthy eating habits.
when i did the SoBe diet, i told my hubs we were going to start a "diet" soon, but that i wouldn't tell him when, so he didn't freak out about missing foods. needless to say, he never noticed the time period that we were doing phase 1 or 2
i'm happy to say that we eat
healthy.
I also try not to encourage anyone around me to speak negatively about their body or weight. i don't like those thoughts in my mind, and when people can't respect that i walk away.
we think too negatively, that's why we don't improve - if we start thinking positively, we'll see positive change.
7Yep but I could afford to be a little more muscular. It's pretty bad when the wind's blowing against a heavy door and I can't open it!
8I think so, could probably tone up a little.
9I am happy with my weight. I was at my lowest right before my wedding, but since then I have gained about 10 pounds of muscle and I am much happier than I was before.
10I am at a healthy weight, and don't want to lose any
11The problem with diets, even the healthy ones, is that they become very boring after a short while, since they don't offer a lot of options for the different meals. I could never follow them for more than week! However, I'm not against dieting, some people might find it easier to stick to healthy eating this way... As long as they make sure they're getting all the nutrients they need!
Meh, I'm overweight by about 40 pounds but I'm working on it. I'm very impatient thought!
12No, I am not at a healthy weight. I am trying to get to a healthy weight now. It's a struggle, but I'm teaching myself how to eat right and to have portion control. I'm also getting active and exercising. I'll get there... slowly but surely.
13Society would probably say I'm at a healthy weight, but in reality I should probably put on maybe 5 lbs so my body fat percentage isn't so low. I have a body that most of Hollywood would probably say is "ideal", but we all know that Hollywood's standards are very different than real life standards. I used to be very overweight, but once I lost the weight, I felt a lot better and my periods started to be normal again. I think I felt the healthiest when I was at about 110 lbs. Right now, I'm at around 102, which is a bit on the light side, even though I'm short (5'3"), but I'm not really scrawny or "superskinny".
14I am at a healthy weight. Sometimes I feel "fat", but those are just the hormones speaking. I used to be about 40 lbs overweight and I completely changed my lifestyle (diet and exercsise
)and lost the weight. I haven't looked back since and I'm at a healthy 115 lbs which
is pretty good for 5'5".
15I'm right there with ya gabiushka!
16Yes, I'm at a healthy weight. :0)
17I'm at a healthyish weight. I've been gaining in the last few months...been working super long days. Good for my bank account, not so good for my waist. Slowly getting back in the groove of adding activity though so I'm not worried.
18I am not at a healthy weight. I am at a better place than a year ago, though. My BMI last January was 46, this January it's 35. I think I'm doing pretty well so far.
19yeah, at least healthy enough, maybe a little over (by those charts) but I feel pretty healthy and am active.... it's not really a big concern of mine
20Technically, I'm underweight, but I work out and eat healthy, so I feel great!
21I've lost 10lbs and technically I'm in the healthy range for my height, but I'll be happier when I'm another 10lbs down.
22I am at a healthy weight, but I'd like to loose 4-5 kilos to look skinnier (and show off my muscles
).
I used to be 15 kg heavier, though, and it took me a long time to get it off. I could never stick to a diet for more than 2 days and I'm not trying anymore. I found out that the "everything in moderation" approach work best for me and I slowly try to eat healthier and healthier.
23I feel I am at a healthy weight, but I do hope to get to a leaner one by exercising and eating healthy.
24I am at a healthy weight. My BMI is 20, which hubbie joked as being mostly breasts and bottom, as I'm leaned and defined everywhere else.
I must confess; I think that's one benefit about having an hourglass figure -- it keeps my
petite body from looking scrawny. Otherwise, I would end up looking like 12-year old. Seriously. I've told I have a "baby face." Ugggh. I'm approaching middle age. That is NOT a compliment!
Sorry for rambling.
25nope not at a healthy weight! but i have worked my way down from a size 22 to a 14. and will continue to work my way down. i've tried every "diet" out there. its just common sense....eat healthy and exercise!!!
26I'm at a healthy weight, but I think if I lose 15-20 pounds I'd be at an optimal weight, and even healthier. I'm not dieting though because it makes me miserable. I made a stickk.com commitment (you should check this website out, Fit!) to exercise 4 times a week, which is pretty close to what I have been attempting to do for a few months now. I also gave myself an unlimited budget to buy healthy food at the grocery store, and it's only been a few weeks, but I already prefer making myself salads and veggie burgers at home compared to eating out, which is what I used to do a lot of. And I cut out dairy. I agree that diets are for suckers, and even if I don't lose a lot of weight, I feel fantastic, and I'm rewarding myself more than anything.
27I am happy with my weight as a number. I just wish I could turn my fat into muscle. I think most people are surprised when they see how much I weigh, and then look at me... I guess fat does weigh A LOT less them muscle
28Nope, not at all, not even close. And for some reason all I want to do is eat.
29ive lost some weight, so i am getting closer to a healthy weight. i have about 25-30 lbs to go, hopefully by this spring/summer..ugh i hope it doesnt take as long as summer...
30No. I suppose I still have my "fat girl" brain. The scale is my enemy is my lover.
I would rather be underweight by about 5 to 10 pounds than the correct weight.
31My BMI is 18.2 - a little bit underweight. It was because of all those long run (training for my marathon) last year. My next race is a marathon relay in April, I am taking it a little bit easy on my training, I think I would be able to get back to a BMI 19 soon.
32I am at a healthy weight and have never been overweight but I am not comfortable with my body as of now. However I used to be significantly underweight. Now I am working for a weight in between underweight and my current weight that I am content with. Besides, a healthy weight doesn't always mean you are healthy. I went through a period of time before where I ate too much junk and didn't exercise, but now I don't eat any junk ever and work out regularly. That is more important than weight to me. And if you develope good habits, you'll lose weight most likely anyway.
33I'm getting there. It's taking too long but I'm a lot closer than I was a year ago. I need to have more (specifically more variety more often) veggies and fruits around a little more often though. I might actually aim for a couple pounds more than my "happy" weight but first I have to lose another 5 before I even start thinking about that.
34Yup, I'm at a healthy weight. I do want to lost 5 pounds because I can afford to and get more toned. I'm working on it.
35i'm 5'8" and i'm not sure what would be the best weight for my body composition etc... i guess and have read body/weight charts but it's hard to know until you get there right? i've been losing weight slowly (use to weigh 197lbs) and have about 20 lbs left until i reach a weight where i think i'll be grining ear to ear
36I would say I'm at a healthy weight, although the BMI would say that I'm between normal and overweight. I was very active as a kid and a teen, so I built a lot of muscle, so I usually disregard what the BMI classifies me. Ultimately I would like to lose some weight, maybe 10 or 20 lbs max.
I'm 5'8", 160 lbs and I'd like to lose some weight (i.e. fat) to become a better athlete, mainly in cycling and running. At least practicing in those sports will lead me there!
Winter needs to end NOW.
37totally healthy weight. i'm a size 2/4 & have kept it that way for years on a vegan lifestyle.
diets do not work. if you are overweight, then your LIFESTYLE needs to change. if not, you'll just yo-yo. & btw, if you yo-yo, be prepared to get saggy girls along w/ tons of other problems.
the only thing i really want to change is to get better tone.
38I run about 40 miles a week so I am definitely pretty healthy, but at 5'2" and 145 lbs., I could stand to lose about 15 to 20 pounds for the sake of my poor knees. However, I have a ton of muscle and I'm pretty rock solid! I don't diet, I eat healthy every day of life. The word DIET implies TEMPORARY. If you diet temporarily, you will be temporarily skinny!
39nope I am def not at my ideal weight. i am trying to work on that though
40No, I need to lose at lest 10 lbs., but I would prefure to lose at lest 15 lb. According to BMI I'm in the healthy range, but I have a small frame.
41i look healthy and thin but not skinny i'm 96-98 lbs and 5'3'' and i want to lose 7-10 pounds
I want to be skinny
42I am with dqsgirlxo and lydialee... I am technically a tad underweight with about an 18 BMI. I have been like that my whole life, and so have my mom and dad. I eat fairly healthy and exercise 3 days a week for about 30 minutes or an hour, but I run a restaurant so I am also on my feet running around 50 hours a week. I have never had to 'diet', but I think that most fad diets sound dangerous and rather unhealthy. A lifestyle change with healthy foods, healthy portions, and exercise are the most important things!
43i am quite healthy, but my doctor thinks i should gain a few pounds. i have a bmi of 19 and a medium frame. i'm not actively trying to gain weight but i eat an insane amount of healthy food (and some junk here and there...), and i exercise 2-4x a week. i don't think diets work unless they are the type that reset your brain to look at food differently so that it is a long term thing. something like journaling, which makes you really consider what you eat everyday, works for a lot of people.
44Yes, I'm within my 'range of healthy weight'...however, I'm at the upper end of the spectrum. I'd like to be in the middle of that range because I feel most beautiful at that range, lol.
45I'm slightly overweight, but not as much as I were one year ago. Constantly working on getting my bmi under 25, 20lbs to go..
46I would say I am healthy but I am not comfortable..I would love to lose some weight just to feel better and have my clothes fit the way I want them to.
47no it says my healthy weight should be 94 lb
48but I'll be happy if i GET to 103 ...
I would like to lose 10 lbs!
49I think I am, but that's only because I'm really careful about what I eat (portion control more than the quality, lately). Today I kicked myself and went for a run - it took me a while to realise I shouldn't control my weight with food, but get some sort of exercise as well since I have absolutely NO muscles!
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