P.S.: Kristin & Lily, you both look fantastic.
Dave
Skirt Runner
Maybe YOU wouldn't like the look of your body, but I'm willing to bet that it would still look good in the eyes of others. My sister is 5'6" and she was 110lbs most of her life. Everyone agreed that she looked great and we thought her low weight was because she had a thin frame, like a model. Now, she's 135 lbs (she had some glandular problem recently and gained weight as a result). It's funny because we all think that she also looks great now and that she was born to be curvy... :-)
Maybe YOU wouldn't like the look of your body, but I'm willing to bet that it would still look good in the eyes of others.
My sister is 5'6" and she was 110lbs most of her life. Everyone agreed that she looked great and we thought her low weight was because she had a thin frame, like a model. Now, she's 135 lbs (she had some glandular problem recently and gained weight as a result). It's funny because we all think that she also looks great now and that she was born to be curvy... :-)
You are probably right.... Even though I KNOW I wouldn't look good to myself at 107 pounds, which would be a 19 BMI for my height, but there are plenty of people who would probably think I looked fine. Probably none of them would be my friends and family, because when I got down to about 122 my senior year of high school after a tough break-up, everyone close to me thought I looked emaciated and were really worried about me. I think 130 would be my "happy weight" which is about 9-10 pounds less than I weigh currently. It would be a 23 BMI, and wouldn't help me BQ, and maybe there would be those who would think I could still afford to lose the 23 more pounds to get to 107 lbs/ a 19 BMI but I would feel healthy and happy at that weight.
PRs: 5K- 28:16 (5/5/13) 10K- 1:00:13 (10/27/13) 4M- 41:43 (9/7/13) 15K- 1:34:25 (8/17/13) 10M- 1:56:30 (4/6/14) HM- 2:20:16 (4/13/14) Full- 5:55:33 (11/1/15)
I started a blog about running :) Check it out if you care to
Former Bad Ass
I think BMI is misleading. Especially since I am a size 4 (yay!) and my BMI is almost at obese.
Damaris
Everyone can get to 19 BMI and still look good.
That may play well in your country, but in America, you go from a 24 to a 19 and you will be ridiculed unmercifully by family, friends, and coworkers alike. Shit, I went from a 27 to a 24.5 and you would have thought I was on my death bed with some of the shit I was hearing, and still hear!
Hip Redux
BMI is a guideline only and doesn't take into consideration various body types. Let's not try to make it a hard line. There's a reason why "normal weight" is a range. (19-25)
A BMI of 19 would require me to be 125 lbs at 5'8". I would have to lose a leg. lol
Are we there, yet?
That's what I was at my peak in my mid-20s.
2024 Races:
03/09 - Livingston Oval Ultra 6-Hour, 22.88 miles
05/11 - D3 50K, 9:11:09 06/17 - 6 Days in the Dome 12-Hour.
I'm sure you did not inherit my grandmother's hips, George.
:P
I'm sure you did not inherit my grandmother's hips, George. :P
Definitely not. I don't think we're related unless there are some family secrets no one told me about.
Hehe.
Smaller By The Day
People said I looked unhealthy when I dropped from 315 to 230. I bought clothes that fit recently, and people think I look great at 210. Clothes really make a difference. Oh, and I seem to be faster. I want to get to 200, but calorie deficit this close to my first marathon really seems to take gas out of the tank.
Improvements
Weight 100 pounds lost
5K 31:02 Sept. 2012 / 23:36 Sept. 2013 (Same Course)
10K 48:59 April 2013
HM 2:03:56 Nov. 2012 / 1:46:50 March 2013
MARATHON 3:57:33 Nov. 2013
Kristin, people always think that they cannot possibly weigh less, or that they would look awful if they did lose what they think is too much weight for them. It's not true. Everyone can get to 19 BMI and still look good. Just like everyone can still look good if they bring themselves to 24 BMI. You could lose 20 lbs, just like I could gain 20 lbs and we'd both be ok... At 22 BMI, there is still fat on a body, believe me.
I thought the same thing 20 years ago when my racing weight was 147-155 lbs, and I BQ three straight years at that weight [recording between 1600-1900 mpy]. In the 20 years since mileage has steadily increased and guess what, the wieght has come off. My last BQ was in 2010 when I my racing weight was 142 lbs [I ran 3700 miles that year]. Last year my racing weight got down to 137 lbs [running 2800 miles] and this year the scale hit 135 lbs [projected to run 3000]. I would have never imagined I could lose more weight and get back down to what I weighted 30 years ago [how much does hair weigh?]. My current BMI is 21.9
1982 - 139 lbs.
1993 - 155 lbs [1st BQ]
2012 - 139 lbs
Youth Has No Age. ~ Picasso / 1st road race: Charleston Distance Run 15 Miler - 1974 / profile
Hey, don't sell me short, 24.5! In any case, I am not seriously concerned about this. I have no interest in losing weight, I am only 10 lb more than when I graduated high school 30 years ago. And I currently have zero thought about BQ, I have way too far to go. First I have to get healthy & start running again, then I have to actually break 4:00, stay healthy, then eventually somehow turn that into 3:25 (or more likely 3:30 by the time I could actually get close). Anyway, right now I am focused on step 1, prognosis currently unknown. Long term the LRB strategy is more likely. I just threw that 22 out there because it stuck in my head when I read it; obviously pretty arbitrary, although certainly being lighter helps.
I've seen your picture and you are right that losing weight should not be a concern of yours. You really don't look like a 24.5 BMI. You must have muscle mass or something...
But if it happened naturally over the course of marathon training, you also should not worry about any reasonable weight loss. Moth is proof that it's ok to weigh the same as we did 30 years ago.
You will get healthy again. Whatever it is you have will heal. Have you tried not running at all, for a week or two? Sometimes, the body really needs that extra help to repair itself. Once the pain is gone, your return will seem tough at first, but it will all come back quickly, don't worry. Then, give yourself a year, and you can start thinking about your first marathon. Maybe the first won't be a BQ, but you're the type whom I believe has a future BQ in him. Look at Phil and how much progress he's made between his first and his last marathon. And now he's even faster than that. The same can be done with you.
PRs: Boston Marathon, 3:27, April 15th 2013
Cornwall Half-Marathon, 1:35, April 27th 2013
18 marathons, 18 BQs since 2010
Looking good, Moth!
Nice, Moth!
To me, weight is just a number. I am at my highest weight ever and the smallest size I've been since high school. So, the number does not mean you're fat or not. I am also running my fastest training miles since pre-asthma and my weight now is higher than then too.
So, instead of focusing on X size or X BMI, focus on a size and weight that is where you perform best.
Nice, Moth! To me, weight is just a number. I am at my highest weight ever and the smallest size I've been since high school. So, the number does not mean you're fat or not. I am also running my fastest training miles since pre-asthma and my weight now is higher than then too. So, instead of focusing on X size or X BMI, focus on a size and weight that is where you perform best.
Well said.
And I agree that you're looking very fit D., So, yes, BMI does not indicate the level of fitness. But it can still be used to point to possible weight loss if one desires it. I don't believe that someone can be at 24 BMI and claim that it would be impossible for him/her to lose weight.