Hard to know when to stop losing!

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victoria_1024
victoria_1024 Posts: 915 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
I've lost 85 lbs and hit my goal weight. I'm 5'2.5" and 127 lbs. Because I've lost so much weight, I think my perception is still pretty off and I often still see a fat person. I also know that there's a wide variation of "normal" or "healthy" weights for my height. My goal weight was mostly just a random number I picked. Losing has been easy and I know I could lose more but should I?? I'm still carrying a lot of thigh and tummy fat but other parts of my body look super skinny. How did the rest of you decide it was finally time to stop?

I should add that I do strength train! Not super heavy but I have adjustable weights that I use at home. I thought maybe I should switch to maintenance but then focus on fitness and strength training.
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  • jacquifrench304
    jacquifrench304 Posts: 131 Member
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    I would maintain for 6-10 weeks , continue the strength training , your body will begin to tighten up a bit for some time after you stop the deficit , and you will start to grow a little muscle you may find that your look improves dramatically in that time . I found the slight skinny fat/gaunt look I started to get evened out nicely after maintains for just over a month. I had been thinking I might need to go lower but now nope quite happy. My BMI is 21.5 right now.
    As a measure check your BMI if it is lower than about 23 seriously consider taking a break and recomp for at least a few weeks before going down again.
    Congrats on your sucess
  • CollieFit
    CollieFit Posts: 1,683 Member
    edited March 2016
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    I simply want to get back to the way I was before I got fat, which was 128lb at 5'6". For me that's a BMI of 20.6 and spot on in the ideal weight range for me.

    I believe that unless you do drastic things along the anorexic lines, your body will eventually make it extremely hard to lose any more weight than whatever your ideal weight is. If you're still comfortably losing and you're not doing anything mad like starve yourself or train for 4 hours a day every day, then it probably still has "spare" weight.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    I stopped at my initial goal which was a fairly random "favourite weight from my 20's". (A long time ago!)

    Paused a few months, nibbled a bit more off, paused, nibbled a bit more off, paused, nibbled a bit more off until I just thought it seemed right for me terms of appearance, approximate body fat %, sporting performance, fit of clothes.
    focus on fitness and strength training.
    Like it - I look very different at the same weight now.
    Always a work in progress though.

    Well done on the 85lbs.
  • Gamliela
    Gamliela Posts: 2,468 Member
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    Hi Victoria! I had a problem with that. I couldn't seem to get the hang of maintenance so I kept losing, which was not good.
    There are lots of tips on maintenance on mfp. If I could do it over, I would have maintained at around 22 bmi instead of losing more. I think its worth the effort: most important -- to preserve muscle and learn how to eat at a level of maintenance.
  • benevempress
    benevempress Posts: 136 Member
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    Thanks for starting this thread. I have the same problem (hitting my original goal weight but still seeing fat that I'd like to be smaller). If you have been at a large deficit for a long time, you may want to increase your calories gradually to a point where you are at maintenance or just a small deficit and then just focus on your strength training. Lots of people say that they are surprised and happy with how their bodies change with strength training after stopping eating at a deficit. Strength training isn't workable for me right now, so I'm struggling with whether to maintain for a bit and then see how I feel or to continue losing.
  • LivLovLrn
    LivLovLrn Posts: 577 Member
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    The thrill of success may be what you are seeking more than the smaller body. Remember it is just as unhealthy to be too thin as it is to be very overweight; you are currently in the healthy range for your height. I suggest you find another challenge that you can find success at for a while, after that if you are still thinking about it you could work on toning more.
  • ScoobaChick
    ScoobaChick Posts: 184 Member
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    I also struggle with this. I wanted to lost 10 lbs when I started 2 months ago. Now that I have reached that I am looking at 120-123lbs and thinking if I get to 120lbs then I could bulk up back to 125lbs, then cut back down to 120lbs, rinse and repeat.... (For reference I am 5'4", 45, 125lbs).

    I find it is so hard to stop because losing is rewarding, you get to see numbers on the scale or the tape measure decrease. Also I do not know a single woman who is happy with her body with find fault with a few millimeters of extra flesh that only we can see so that doesn't help. My head knows I am at a healthy weight but I'm still questionning what new goal I should set in MFP.

    The struggle is real ;)
  • CasperNaegle
    CasperNaegle Posts: 936 Member
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    I had a goal weight in mind when I started and then I became less interested in the scale over all. Don't misunderstand I still track my weight, but I'm more interested in my body fat % and getting some ab definition. I estimate where I think that will be in weight, but I don't really care overall what my weight is.
  • victoria_1024
    victoria_1024 Posts: 915 Member
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    Thanks for the thoughtful replies! Currently my bmi is 22.8 or something right below 23. Certainly not underweight and actually it seems like most people my height try to lose even more. It's been a long road though so I think switching to maintenance could be good for my mental health.

    It's funny because I had a solid month or so when I was sooo hungry all the time and constantly wanted to snack so I really wanted to switch to maintenance. I worked through that and the past two weeks I've felt great eating at a deficit and usually don't have any desire to eat more. Now that I could switch to maintenance I don't even have the same desire for the extra calories! It's weird how the body acts sometimes.
  • victoria_1024
    victoria_1024 Posts: 915 Member
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    CollieFit wrote: »
    I simply want to get back to the way I was before I got fat, which was 128lb at 5'6". For me that's a BMI of 20.6 and spot on in the ideal weight range for me.

    I believe that unless you do drastic things along the anorexic lines, your body will eventually make it extremely hard to lose any more weight than whatever your ideal weight is. If you're still comfortably losing and you're not doing anything mad like starve yourself or train for 4 hours a day every day, then it probably still has "spare" weight.

    The past ten pounds were pretty easy to lose other than some motivation issues. When I stuck with it, the weight came off easily. I know I could lose more and maybe get to the lower 120s but I'm considering taking a break for a while to see how it goes!
  • CollieFit
    CollieFit Posts: 1,683 Member
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    Sounds healthy and wise. :)
  • rhtexasgal
    rhtexasgal Posts: 572 Member
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    I was in the position over a year ago. I hit my goal of 125 pounds (I am 5'5" and 44 years old now) back in March 2015 and was so excited. I switched to maintenance and basically continued to do my typical workout plan and ate back most of my exercise calories, still maintaining a slight deficit because I simply could not eat everything back 100%. Flash forward a month after I hit my 125 goal and I realized that I was at 123 and then later 120 and then settled and "plateaued" at around 118. Now, a year later, I have a range from 115 - 120 thereabouts, mostly hanging around 117-118. I basically gain and lose the same 1-2 pounds over and over again! I did not try for this and I am still maintaining, eating most of my exercise calories back, not trying to lose any more. My body decided that 115-120 was its new normal. I did not purposely get to this weight range but that is where I settled. While slim and fit, I still have a little pudge on the inner thighs that could go as well as a little belly just above my c-section scar line ... all this at 18.5% BMI.
  • bkstein40
    bkstein40 Posts: 41 Member
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    My initial goal was 30 lbs, then I kept loosing and eventually have lost a total of 44 lbs, which has put me at the weight I was when I first met my husband. And by all calculations out their I am at my healthy weight range. The hardest part for me has been to add those extra calories in to maintain and stop the weight loss. Which is crazy because for years I though I would never loose only continue to gain as I got older. Once the weight started to fall off it just got so easy, so maintenance has been the challenge for me. But I think I am there, for the past month I have been between 136 - 140, I am 5'7 and 45 years old. Funny that you say you still see that fat person, I do the same thing at night when I am laying in bed I look down and see that old me, takes time to get used to the new me, so when I get ready for work in the morning and put on those size 8 pants I tell myself you look great.
  • snowflake930
    snowflake930 Posts: 2,188 Member
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    I am 5'2-3/4". Maintaining at 130. My body decided for me. I got down to 125, but I really struggled. Been @/or around 130 for over 2 years.

    I too still see myself as a morbidly obese woman. I wonder what people think I am trying to do when I buy size 8. I guess it is mind set. I can not seem to move past that image. Weird, right.
    I am 64.
  • nordlead2005
    nordlead2005 Posts: 1,303 Member
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    CasperNaegle wrote: »
    I had a goal weight in mind when I started and then I became less interested in the scale over all. Don't misunderstand I still track my weight, but I'm more interested in my body fat % and getting some ab definition. I estimate where I think that will be in weight, but I don't really care overall what my weight is.

    This is what I did too. I started with a goal of 175lb (5'11" started at 220lb and 175 was my college weight), but my ultimate goal was to hit ~10%BF. I started more closely tracking my BF% ~185lb and I'm now 170lb with a low weight estimate of 165lb (I expect I'll hit my goal closer to 168, but 165 allows for margin of error). Since I'm really tired of losing weight I switched to losing ~0.5lb/week and I'm drifting down towards my goal.

    If you still have tummy fat and you want to lose it there is no reason you can't focusing on fitness while still losing weight. You just have to have realistic expectations. I've increased my strength and endurance significantly over the entire time I've been losing weight. I've started to hit the wall at the intermediate level for strength, but I'm still slowly making progress. If I wanted to gain strength faster then yes I'd have to switch to maintenance or even bulk, but my priority is low BF% first, strength second and I'm still making progress in both categories.
  • macchiatto
    macchiatto Posts: 2,890 Member
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    I basically hit the same point you did. ;) I'm 5'7", initial goal was 133, got down to 129.4 and while I was thinking about losing a few more lbs because I still had more fat in my belly and upper thighs than I would like, I was also starting to look too skinny elsewhere. So I am shifting to maintenance/recomp instead of trying to lose more. My weight loss had slowed and I was starting to feel hungry at my deficit calories anyway so I figured if nothing else I'd take a 'diet break' for a while, eat closer to maintenance, and if I decide to cut again in the future I will.
  • thereshegoesagain
    thereshegoesagain Posts: 1,056 Member
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    I've been overweight as long as I can remember. I'm 58 years old, 5'6' and 3 years ago I weighed in at 250. My doctor told me I was morbidly obese and told me to get down to 165.
    I got a new doctor 6 months ago, when I was at about 170 and he advised me to get to 160 and see how I feel. That still leaves me in the overweight category. This morning, I'm at 161.2 and have decided to take it 5 pounds at a time.
    I often wonder if my doctors gave me a higher weight goal due to how long I've been overweight and they didn't want to set me up for total failure.
    All of my labs are great and my resting heart rate is 54, so apparently I'm in good shape now!
  • DoneWorking
    DoneWorking Posts: 247 Member
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    IMO, it's harder to maintain than it is to lose. I think it's also important to continue logging and weighing as well as weighing and measuring food.
  • jwcanfield
    jwcanfield Posts: 192 Member
    edited March 2016
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    .

  • cb2bslim
    cb2bslim Posts: 153 Member
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    Congrats on your weight loss!! 85 pounds is a remarkable achievement! I'm glad you started this post since I was questioning the same thing. I'm 5'6" and weigh about 125 lbs. now (from 173 lbs) I too have the tummy and thigh problem. Meanwhile, my arms and upper body look a little "too" thin.

    For my first goal, I decided on a midpoint of normal bmi. After, I hit my first goal, I tried maintenance with a 5 lb range for gain. I didn't like what that 5 lb gain looked like (I started seeing my old shape coming back because of the lingering tummy) so I decided to go lower to hit a mini goal. I just decided this week to stay where I'm at.

    Don't get me wrong, I love 130 and I love 125 and I'm sure I would love 120 even more but the I felt stressed making the decision. I actually let the bmi scare me into stopping (114 lbs is underweight and 120 is pretty dang close) I'm hoping weight training will even out the body (the next chapter of my life) And if it doesn't even out the body, I'll know I'm healthy, feel great and I don't mind looking in the mirror, now. lol

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