Self magazine recently ran a story about women and their unique ideas about what their ideal weight is. It may be what you were in high school, pre-children, or even a dress size you've never had. Regardless of the number, the article contends that most women wanting to lose 5-15 pounds are really at a normal weight for themselves already.
The weight they wish to lose are considered "vanity pounds" and take consistent dieting and exercise to maintain an unnaturally lower weight.
This goal setting sets a lot of women up for both failure, self-image issues, and depression, but even eating disorders and obesity when they become disenchanted with the belief that they can ever achieve an ideal weight.
Self argues that most women should seek to identify their more natural "happy" weight, and then simply work to adapt a healthy, non-stringent lifestyle of good eating, reasonable exercise, and occasional treats.
Sounds good to me.
So, since I wouldn't mind shedding about five pounds (though, I'd really just like to tone up and get some good exercise in for my heart), I decided to see what my happy weight should be.
Remember, I am about five pounds above my vanity number, the number I have always floated around throughout adulthood.
My happy weight?
According to Self, I should be ten pounds heavier.
What?
As happy as the thought of putting on those happy pounds makes me, I really don't think I'd be happy ten pounds heavier. I am short and I have a medium frame, which mean ten pounds equates to one or more clothing sizes up.
No thank you on that, but a very big thank you for putting my expectations in check. I would love to have Jennifer Aniston's physique because she is not ridiculously skinny (a la Kelly Ripa), nor is she overly ripped (ugh....Madonna). To me she is the ideal....but perhaps not ideal for me. That's hard to digest, even if I'd be better off acknowledging it.
I think I'll just try to be happy with my extra five pounds and still work to fit in some healthy exercise....at least until this Friday's US Weekly comes out and has me beating myself up again.
If you want to find your happy weight, click HERE and let me know if the result makes you, well, happy.
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4 comments:
My "happy weight" is 19 pounds more than my current weight. And, I too would like to lose 5 pounds. Intersting.
OK...Self is wrong...I think it's to make overweight people feel "happy". I would most definitely not be happy at the weight it recommends, 7 more than what I am now. I'm am 5'4", medium frame, and weigh 127 lbs. Not ashamed to admit it. I work out 5+ days/wk, I have 4 children I really don't care about loosing weight, just want to loose some body fat and gain some muscle. I actually expect the weight to go up, but the size to do down.
Perhaps "happy" weight includes all the goodies your then allowed to eat while remaining within the normal weight range while still exercising?
I don't know....I think it's a lot of phooey.
And another thing....
Why does this little calculator factor in things like age, but not more influential factors like medications, thyroid and other health conditions, etc. that can affect your weight by 5-20 lbs?
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