Is bmi 37 to 22 realistic?

(SleepyMotherOf3 🇬🇧) #1

My bmi was 37, now 27 with 18 months lchf.
I’ve stalled for the past 4 months but am aiming for a bmi of ~22.
Am I being realistic?
Do most people manage this on lchf or do they usually plateau at a higher weight than they wanted?

(Mel Soule) #2

Welcome and congrats on your progress so far. A 27% weight loss is impressive. Plateaus are a common feature of all body remodeling efforts whether gains or losses. LCHF is no different there. Does your program include intermittent fasting or exercise?

(SleepyMotherOf3 🇬🇧) #3

I do IF 17:7 6 days a week. I do a 9 mile bike ride whilst fasted once a week.
I was slightly ‘naughty’ during the summer holidays and even when back on plan the weight loss isn’t like it was before the summer.

(John) #4

All depends on your body, I find BMI wildly inaccurate for me personally. I started at a BMI of 36 and i’m now at a 27. I am a 5’11 male at 194, to get to 22 I would have to reach 157 pounds. Though some loose skin and a little fat is blocking where a 6 pack will be, I think I can realistically only lose 20 pounds, there is absolutely no way I could lose almost 40 and still be considered in the “normal” range.

#5

I think keep going and see where it takes you

#6

When you take a step back and ponder, 18 months to create such amazing change is not a long time in context of the years it took for the body to store the fat! So, I would think if you suspend linear time and keep on keeping on, when you check it a year from now you will have pleasant results.

It’s not about weight, it’s about recomposition. LCHF feeds muscles and burns fat. So, if you were a bit atrophied at all, the body will restore muscle before it goes to the next level of fat removal. The increased lean mass will in turn burn more calories (and if you add slow burn weekly weight training, it’ll be a big boost). For those who aim to build additional muscle for long term metabolic enhancement & joint protection, they can actually maintain the same weight, but composition-wise have firmer and much slimmer bodies!

You didn’t mention your age, but as metabolism does naturally slow as a woman approaches midlife - the pace may be slow like the turtle, but the turtle wins!

As far as IF goes, you might consider changing it up a bit, so that the body has to keep adapting rather than getting habituated to your schedule. Dr. Fung talks about that. Doing 5:2 or 4:3, and with optimization of true feasting on the non-fast days. The feasting helps reassure the limbic system and nervous system that ultimately all is well - so that you can effectively fast in a way that is biodynamic rather than the more regulated pattern of 6:1.

Hope some or all of the above helps!