Throwing in the towel

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When did you guys decide you were finished with weight loss/gain? Was it when you reached your goal? Did you get sick and tired of eating at a deficit/surplus?

I'm mentally ready to be done with weight loss, just looking to see how other people did it and why.
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  • alias1001
    alias1001 Posts: 634 Member
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    Being comfortable where I'm at. The deficit / food wasn't a factor.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    edited September 2015
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    I am never done. My fitness level drives things now. I got down to approx where I wanted, but then I decided I was ok with the scale number and now want to change things up (as I have been for the past 6 months)...

    It is never done in my mind.
  • RAinWA
    RAinWA Posts: 1,980 Member
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    You can always maintain for awhile and then decide if you want to lose any more weight. After a year straight of losing I was ready to take a break - I'd lost 120 pounds (the other 7 came off finding my maintenance calories). I was into the normal BMI range (barely). I never had a set in stone goal weight because I'd been fat for so long that I had no clue where I should be or wanted to be.

    My plan was to maintain for about 6 months and then reassess whether I wanted to go down a few more pounds. That was 18 months ago and I'm still maintaining - I've been banned from doing any exercise besides walking while some medical issues get sorted out and also told not to gain any weight. I decided to just maintain until after surgery and then see if I want to lose any more.
  • M30834134
    M30834134 Posts: 411 Member
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    I always thought that my ideal weight was 200 and I've "dieted" to that weight before. This time I've educated myself on nutrition and was pretty confident that I can easily reach that. I did; pretty effortlessly from around 230 which made me think that 200 might have been my "goal" weight because I didn't know how to properly supply my body with food and nutrients. I set a new goal of 190 - got to that pretty easy too. Then I set 185 as my goal - got there. Then 180 - got there but started to look scrawny. This path made me decide that my ideal weight is 185 - that's where I'm maintaining now.

    If you're tired of being on a deficit but not sure if you are at your weight - reverse diet to maintenance for a few weeks or months and reevaluate then.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    Not done. Been maintaining for over a year while trying to lose a bit more. I guess that's what's been keeping me on track.. but I also don't sweat it if I'm hungrier one day or want a treat. But I pretty much have to eat at a deficit anyway because PMS week is a nightmare and I WILL gain weight if I don't eat at a deficit the rest of the time.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    I didn't - I thought my goal was 60, then 58 kg, I aimed for maintaining that weight, adding 50 calories every three months... ended up at 55 - 57 kg. Cutting calories never was a big deal. But I suddenly felt counting them was. I eat what I need to anyway. Now I just log what I eat in my meal plan, a simple spreadsheet.
  • 20yearsyounger
    20yearsyounger Posts: 1,643 Member
    edited September 2015
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    I liked how I looked in the mirror. Like MasterVal, I went to the point I felt I was too scrawny and upped it from there. Also, I felt like it was too much work to eat at that scrawny level.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,668 Member
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    Throwing in the towel usually means you're disappointed with results versus the effort you're putting in. Usually when I felt like throwing in the towel, I just questioned myself and answered honestly:

    Have I really been 100%?
    Did I really do everything right?
    Have I really been consistent?
    Have I attempted different approaches to help?

    If I can answer yes to all of those with honesty, then I guess I could be justified in throwing in the towel if no results happened while doing them. If not, then it's not time to throw in the towel.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,135 Member
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    ninerbuff wrote: »
    Throwing in the towel usually means you're disappointed with results versus the effort you're putting in. Usually when I felt like throwing in the towel, I just questioned myself and answered honestly:

    Have I really been 100%?
    Did I really do everything right?
    Have I really been consistent?
    Have I attempted different approaches to help?

    If I can answer yes to all of those with honesty, then I guess I could be justified in throwing in the towel if no results happened while doing them. If not, then it's not time to throw in the towel.

    Since my answer to all 4 is no, now what? Start doing things I don't like to get the results I think I want?
  • vivmom2014
    vivmom2014 Posts: 1,647 Member
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    zyxst wrote: »
    When did you guys decide you were finished with weight loss/gain? Was it when you reached your goal? Did you get sick and tired of eating at a deficit/surplus?

    I'm mentally ready to be done with weight loss, just looking to see how other people did it and why.

    Boy do I hear you. Some days are worse than others.

    I'm 1 pound from "goal weight" - it won't seem to budge, but I'm just apathetic and not excited either way.

    I've taken time off from logging, and seem to do okay. Then I return. I don't think I will ever again live without tallying calories either in my head or on the app.

  • CasperNaegle
    CasperNaegle Posts: 936 Member
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    I will let you know when I get there.. still leaning out :)
  • dhimaan
    dhimaan Posts: 774 Member
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    Not there yet. 10 percent is a long way away.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    zyxst wrote: »
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    Throwing in the towel usually means you're disappointed with results versus the effort you're putting in. Usually when I felt like throwing in the towel, I just questioned myself and answered honestly:

    Have I really been 100%?
    Did I really do everything right?
    Have I really been consistent?
    Have I attempted different approaches to help?

    If I can answer yes to all of those with honesty, then I guess I could be justified in throwing in the towel if no results happened while doing them. If not, then it's not time to throw in the towel.

    Since my answer to all 4 is no, now what? Start doing things I don't like to get the results I think I want?

    I guess you just don't want it enough, that's all.
  • samthepanda
    samthepanda Posts: 569 Member
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    Francl27 wrote: »
    zyxst wrote: »
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    Throwing in the towel usually means you're disappointed with results versus the effort you're putting in. Usually when I felt like throwing in the towel, I just questioned myself and answered honestly:

    Have I really been 100%?
    Did I really do everything right?
    Have I really been consistent?
    Have I attempted different approaches to help?

    If I can answer yes to all of those with honesty, then I guess I could be justified in throwing in the towel if no results happened while doing them. If not, then it's not time to throw in the towel.

    Since my answer to all 4 is no, now what? Start doing things I don't like to get the results I think I want?

    I guess you just don't want it enough, that's all.

    Sorry, but this.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    Ok I was maybe a bit blunt, but it's not necessarily a bad thing... I mean, I don't want to reach my goal enough either. I'm not willing to give up my treats to lose my last 3 pounds, I'm not willing to go to bed hungrier than I've been already to lose my last 3 pounds, and I'm sure as heck not willing to make myself lift weights 3x a week to lose whatever fat I have left attached to my loose skin on my belly (knowing I'd probably have to go down to 18% body fat or something, and even then, I have a lot of loose skin)...

    I don't want it enough, and that's fine. I'm relatively happy maintaining at 133 pounds right now (although man I could really do with an extra 200 calories a day, not gonna lie). Heck just the idea that I'd lose 50 calories a day at my goal weight (130) turns me off. Sure, I still have some fat in my midsection, but I'm way below the 'overweight' category and healthy and some point it just has to be good enough... and I don't think there's anything wrong with not REALLY caring about extra vanity pounds and having a 6-pack.
  • HippySkoppy
    HippySkoppy Posts: 725 Member
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    My 2 cents worth comes from the sentence where you say you feel "mentally done with weight loss".....

    If that's the case then have a break, focus on other things.

    You yourself have answered No to all 4 questions that @ninerbuff posed....if you are at peace with those answers then you have your path. If on the other hand the No's give you pause for further reflection and you are unhappy with your current results but just need a break from 'dieting' go to maintenance, perhaps keep up with your logging in case you are prone to falling back into habits that bought you to MFP in the 1st place.

    I think that many can relate to losing focus, getting bored and over the whole dieting, logging etc etc mindset and as @Francl27 has said not everyone has the goal to go further, faster, stronger or push on for the last pounds to disappear.

    I just want to wish you all the best with what ever you decide.
  • minties82
    minties82 Posts: 907 Member
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    You've lost 163lbs! I am not surprised that you feel done.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,668 Member
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    zyxst wrote: »
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    Throwing in the towel usually means you're disappointed with results versus the effort you're putting in. Usually when I felt like throwing in the towel, I just questioned myself and answered honestly:

    Have I really been 100%?
    Did I really do everything right?
    Have I really been consistent?
    Have I attempted different approaches to help?

    If I can answer yes to all of those with honesty, then I guess I could be justified in throwing in the towel if no results happened while doing them. If not, then it's not time to throw in the towel.

    Since my answer to all 4 is no, now what? Start doing things I don't like to get the results I think I want?
    You try doing all 4 right with commitment first. I say try it for at least 2 weeks. Then if you don't see any changes, make adjustments.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png



  • ereck44
    ereck44 Posts: 1,170 Member
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    I second what happycampr1 stated. I too lost weight the first 2 years that I was using this tool. I still had about 10 pounds to lose and plateaued. I had plateaued for a whole year....just couldn't wrap my head around dropping my calorie intake to reach my goals...in fact had a hard time keeping my calories under 2030 calories per day. This year I decided that I was going to get it done, stepped up the water intake, stepped up the exercise, and decreased my calorie intake, and it still took about 6 months before the scale started moving south again. Now I am losing about 1/2 to a pound per week. (setting my goal as 1/2 pound per week), and border between overweight and high normal with a bmi of 25.0.
    You, my dear, are a logging warrior! Congratulations on all of the weight loss! superb. I can tell just by clicking on any of your days for the last 3 years, that you didn't fail to log even one day! You have to be such an inspiration for your mfp friends who are probably still wrapping their heads around the concept of logging their intake.
    You should give yourself a break and maintain for a while until you are ready to lose the last 10 pounds or however much you have left to lose. It also helped me to add a couple of new friends who were so enthusiastic about getting started and had a lot of questions and new ideas about weight loss.
    Stay strong!
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,135 Member
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    ninerbuff wrote: »
    zyxst wrote: »
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    Throwing in the towel usually means you're disappointed with results versus the effort you're putting in. Usually when I felt like throwing in the towel, I just questioned myself and answered honestly:

    Have I really been 100%?
    Did I really do everything right?
    Have I really been consistent?
    Have I attempted different approaches to help?

    If I can answer yes to all of those with honesty, then I guess I could be justified in throwing in the towel if no results happened while doing them. If not, then it's not time to throw in the towel.

    Since my answer to all 4 is no, now what? Start doing things I don't like to get the results I think I want?
    You try doing all 4 right with commitment first. I say try it for at least 2 weeks. Then if you don't see any changes, make adjustments.
    You're saying go back to the beginning, to push myself into doing things I dislike - weight lifting, different meal timings, being hungry/hangry, eat at a "real" deficit (not -250 cals), etc.? I stopped doing many of those things because I was turning into a person I hated. I started down an ED path that I prefer not to see again.

    There's a big difference in knowing how much my physical appearance can be changed without surgical intervention and what will "snap back" in a few years.