A quick Google search of the phrase “last 5-10 pounds” yields ~ 29 million, 600 thousand results.
It seems that last 5-10 pounds are notoriously tough to lose and a source of frustration for millions of women. Do you cut calories/restrict carbohydrates/exercise excessively/fast intermittently/go hungry/slurp down cabbage soup? All of the above?
It seems that last 5-10 pounds are notoriously tough to lose and a source of frustration for millions of women. Do you cut calories/restrict carbohydrates/exercise excessively/fast intermittently/go hungry/slurp down cabbage soup? All of the above?
Sounds ghastly.
In our thin-obsessed culture, maybe women need to realise that the reason those last 5-10 pounds are so hard to lose is because they are so vitally important to the female body. Why torture yourself to fit in with supermodel expectations, when you can stay calm and healthy at a slightly higher (very healthy and normal) weight? Excessive exercise, hunger and preoccupation with food are high tolls to pay when it might just be easier and more healthful to remain happily on the upside of skinny.
We know that women have higher body fat percentages than men. Those extra fat stores are conducive to female reproductive health and fertility, and protective of internal organs. A little extra padding on the female form also contributes to lower rates of mental health issues and better bone health(1). A BMI in the range of 18.5-25 is considered ‘healthy’, but statistically, menstrual irregularities, sexual dysfunction and poor psychological health are all greater risks if your BMI drops below just 22(2). In fact, women tend to have healthy biomarkers at BMIs right up to the high twenties(3) (not the case for men I’m afraid), so long as their fat is distributed in those naturally curvaceous womanly areas: the hips, bottom, breasts and thighs, or ‘gluteofemoral’ adipose regions(4 5).
Somewhere along the line our perception of “health” and how it manifests on the scale became totally warped. Just as it’s not ideal to be overweight, being too thin is certainly counterproductive to achieving good mental and physical health and longevity, no matter what the catwalks/fashion mags/society tell us. And this target weight window for optimal health may actually be higher than many women today believe.
There is no ideal body, there is only your body. Listen to and nourish your body, and perhaps make peace with the negligible 5-10 pounds that might be playing on your mind, but are doing wonders for your overall health.
In our thin-obsessed culture, maybe women need to realise that the reason those last 5-10 pounds are so hard to lose is because they are so vitally important to the female body. Why torture yourself to fit in with supermodel expectations, when you can stay calm and healthy at a slightly higher (very healthy and normal) weight? Excessive exercise, hunger and preoccupation with food are high tolls to pay when it might just be easier and more healthful to remain happily on the upside of skinny.
We know that women have higher body fat percentages than men. Those extra fat stores are conducive to female reproductive health and fertility, and protective of internal organs. A little extra padding on the female form also contributes to lower rates of mental health issues and better bone health(1). A BMI in the range of 18.5-25 is considered ‘healthy’, but statistically, menstrual irregularities, sexual dysfunction and poor psychological health are all greater risks if your BMI drops below just 22(2). In fact, women tend to have healthy biomarkers at BMIs right up to the high twenties(3) (not the case for men I’m afraid), so long as their fat is distributed in those naturally curvaceous womanly areas: the hips, bottom, breasts and thighs, or ‘gluteofemoral’ adipose regions(4 5).
Somewhere along the line our perception of “health” and how it manifests on the scale became totally warped. Just as it’s not ideal to be overweight, being too thin is certainly counterproductive to achieving good mental and physical health and longevity, no matter what the catwalks/fashion mags/society tell us. And this target weight window for optimal health may actually be higher than many women today believe.
There is no ideal body, there is only your body. Listen to and nourish your body, and perhaps make peace with the negligible 5-10 pounds that might be playing on your mind, but are doing wonders for your overall health.
1 Ravn P. et al. Low body mass index is an important risk factor for low bone mass and increased bone loss in early postmenopausal women. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research Sept;14(9):1622-1627.
2 Wolf, Naomi. The Beauty Myth. New York: Bantham Doubleday Dell Publishing, 1991.
3 Lassek, William D. M.D. & Gaulin, Steven J. C. PH.D. Why Women Need Fat. U.S., Hudson Street Press, 2011.
4 Kissebah, A. et al. Relation of body fat distribution to metabolic complications of obesity. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. Feb 1982 54(2):254.
5 Manolopoulos K.N. et al. Gluteofemoral body fat as a determinant of metabolic health. International Journal of Obesity (Lond). 2010 Jun;34(6):1099-100
2 Wolf, Naomi. The Beauty Myth. New York: Bantham Doubleday Dell Publishing, 1991.
3 Lassek, William D. M.D. & Gaulin, Steven J. C. PH.D. Why Women Need Fat. U.S., Hudson Street Press, 2011.
4 Kissebah, A. et al. Relation of body fat distribution to metabolic complications of obesity. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. Feb 1982 54(2):254.
5 Manolopoulos K.N. et al. Gluteofemoral body fat as a determinant of metabolic health. International Journal of Obesity (Lond). 2010 Jun;34(6):1099-100
