The FastDay Forum

I was reading some of the posts in the various challenges and looked at people's BMIs i am thinking that 24 to 25 BMI may be a point where weight loss really slows down. I realise BMI is not the only or best method of whether someone is above their healthy weight but for what its worth... did any of the people that have been doing this for a while or have reached their ultimate goal, find that 24.0 to 24.5 is one that is really difficult to move under?

Im aiming for a 23.0 BMI or thereabout but feel i have a long way to go.

eg last week's weighings went like this (im a daily weigher btw)
Sunday 23rd Mar 2014 70.90kg 11st 2.31lbs (156.31lbs) - 24.25 --
Saturday 22nd Mar 2014 70.20kg 11st 0.76lbs (154.76lbs) - 24.01 --
Friday 21st Mar 2014 71.30kg 11st 3.19lbs (157.19lbs) -- 24.38 --
Thursday 20th Mar 2014 70.80kg 11st 2.09lbs (156.09lbs) -- 24.21 --
Wednesday 19th Mar 2014 70.30kg 11st 0.98lbs (154.98lbs) -- 24.04 --
Tuesday 18th Mar 2014 70.50kg 11st 1.43lbs (155.43lbs) -- 24.11 --
Monday 17th Mar 2014 70.40kg 11st 1.21lbs (155.21lbs) -- 24.08 --


have seen 23 point something every now and then but its rare.

[Debs]

Not sure about 24-25, getting under 26 is my barrier!

I am right at that spot now, I will keep you updated.
I am also prepared to take a guess now: No, I don't think there is anything harder setting in at 24 BMI specifically. I do think it gets progressively harder the lower you get which is quite perfect; It's how our body makes sure we survive.
Instead of BMI I think maybe body fat percentage is a better measure for when things get harder?

Hi

I seem to be on 22 for months (maybe forever?) but I don't think I spent a long time on 24. Another example of everyone is different I suppose. Here's wishing you hit 23 soon.

interesting question! I am now in the 24 zone. But i haven't been here long enough to know if I'll stay here for long. I wouldn't be surprised if I stayed here until next December!

I am just into the 21BMI zone and finding it hard to lose weight now. I had no problems at 24BMI.

[carorees]

I am right at that spot now, I will keep you updated.
I am also prepared to take a guess now: No, I don't think there is anything harder setting in at 24 BMI specifically. I do think it gets progressively harder the lower you get which is quite perfect; It's how our body makes sure we survive.
Instead of BMI I think maybe body fat percentage is a better measure for when things get harder?

I think RunningOlsen is right there. It is much more likely to be related to body fat percentage but also your degree of insulin sensitivity, leptin sensitivity, cortisol levels, thyroid function, dieting history and probably other factors too. It would be interesting to design a survey to look further into this.

Yes. It feels like I've been on 24 for months, in reality it's been 3 months, since Dec 2013. I also initially wanted to get to a comfortable 23 BMI then I got to a point where I decided that I should stop chasing it and stick to 24 since it seemed a target that my body (and mind) were not a able to achieve

The psychological element is huge for me and nearing my goal finds me not as strict with my eating ... yeah I know! So now I know this, I'm giving it another push trying and started 4/3 last week, trying it out for a month, to see if that has an impact on my fluctuating weight. If it doesn't then I'm sticking at 24

Good luck!

Yes! It seems like I've been here for ever! But I do take thyroxine, so reading Caroline's post, it could have something to do with that? Anyway, I'm not giving up! If 5:2 keeps me steady here, I'm staying

Hi @Juliana.Rivers interesting question and insightful answers.

BMI is 24.62 from 27.42, 5ft 2ins, 15.2 lbs loss so far. Still losing though it ranges week to week. I have a further 7.8 lbs to lose if I aim for mid range. Must say I'm unsure what weight is right for me at my age and that is my journey ahead - to work out when to stop. As others say, it maybe not be down to BMI, just how you feel (carrying less around - fat loss).

What are we measuring, for me it's well being.

"I think RunningOlsen is right there. It is much more likely to be related to body fat percentage but also your degree of insulin sensitivity, leptin sensitivity, cortisol levels, thyroid function, dieting history and probably other factors too. It would be interesting to design a survey to look further into this."

I am hearing you @Caroees insulin /leptin/cortisol/thyroid/etal hope the survey happens as I am keen to contribute. Good questions you posed @Juliana.Rivers my point of stuckedness is 26 and was aiming for 25 BMI boohoo

I had a look back at my progress tracker. It would look like I hit a month's plateau at a BMI just under 25 in April last year. But actually I know I was on holiday for 3 weeks in that month. If I'd weighed in regularly over that month it probably would have shown a gain followed by a loss. Over the next 3 months I went from 24.6 to 23 at a faster rate than from starting at 28.4 to the beginning of the "plateau" at 24.8. So I definitely didn't have a slowdown around the 25 to 24 point.

It then looks like it took me months to lose one last pound to get to goal. But what actually happened was that I felt that my weight had found a stabilising point, at 22.8, and since this was also a nice psychological point on the scales (8 stone 13 lbs) I declared it to be goal. So it wasn't that being near goal made it hard to lose weight, it was the other way round, once I found the weight wasn't coming off any more I knew I had reached the right weight for me.

I think we do have our own settling points, which as Olsen etc say probably factor in a lot of personal data items, but may well be a BMI somewhere from 18 to 26. I don't think I've been below a BMI of 22 in my adult life (I'm late 50s) without it proving unsustainable. Other people have no trouble reaching BMIs of 20 or less. I was friends with a young woman who was doing WeightWatchers and just couldn't get below 26. She was really fit, did a lot of exercise, and you couldn't see any spare fat on her at all, but according to WW rules she just wasn't allowed to be declared to have reached her goal. But to me, she really looked to be the right weight.

Yup. I have been on a three month plateau, but that might be lifestyle changes at play. Interesting though.

I am right at that spot now, I will keep you updated.
I am also prepared to take a guess now: No, I don't think there is anything harder setting in at 24 BMI specifically. I do think it gets progressively harder the lower you get which is quite perfect; It's how our body makes sure we survive.
Instead of BMI I think maybe body fat percentage is a better measure for when things get harder?

I think RunningOlsen is right there. It is much more likely to be related to body fat percentage but also your degree of insulin sensitivity, leptin sensitivity, cortisol levels, thyroid function, dieting history and probably other factors too. It would be interesting to design a survey to look further into this.

It would make a very interesting survey I think.

Found this good chart for simplicity. May help the newbies here

http://www.nutritionaustralia.org/sites ... ster_1.JPG

Nutrition Australia (http://www.nutritionaustralia.org) is a non profit organisation in Australia