When did you LOOK like your goal weight?

amiwills

I saw a post last night that made me wonder. It was a post about dropping the last 10 pounds, I realised I have 12 pounds to go before I get to the number I had in my head at the beginning. But when I look in the mirror, while I certainly look different, I don't feel that I look as if I'm only 12 pounds from my goal. I started at 151lbs and am currently 132lbs. Goal is 120lb but I'm not really sure why, I just had to pick a number I guess. I'm 5'3. I still have a lot of flab I can pinch on my legs, sides and tummy. Less than before of course.

At the start I thought dropping 20 pounds would put me down a clothes size but it hasn't. My leggings are starting to get a bit baggy behind the knees and looser at the waist but I still don't think I could squeeze in to a smaller size.

I will keep going until I get where I want to be of course, but I'm just curious what other people's experiences are/have been. Thanks

zyxst

I'm under my goal weight and I don't look it. I probably do to other people, but not to me. It's the hanging skin though and I realize that.

Big_YEET

For some reason it seems like the lower your weight drops, the more each pound makes a difference. So you might find that the last few pounds really impact your appearance. I hope it's that way for me. At 5'7" and 143 pounds I'm 13 pounds from my goal weight, but I feel like I might have to lower it even further. But it might also have to do with having low muscle mass and high body fat. I'm going to look into body recomp.

plami_9209

If you`re 5'3 I do think that even loosing a little makes a big defference, at least for me it does. I`m 5'1'' and I even a 4kg loss for me is major on my body. I set my goal at 50 kg because 3 years ago I was 53kg and was pretty ok with my weight, though it wasn`t perfect in my eyes. I have been 51kg before and I think that is what I`m aiming at. Good luck to you on your journey!

pkw58

Actually, at about 10 pounds above my "goal weight range of 128-133". I don't really see a difference at 139, but wow do I feel a difference...

ReaderGirl3

I lost around 10lbs more than my original goal weight before I got to where I wanted to be, looks wise (5ft, 6 in/125lbs).

Jams009

Tuffaknee wrote: »

For some reason it seems like the lower your weight drops, the more each pound makes a difference. So you might find that the last few pounds really impact your appearance. I hope it's that way for me. At 5'7" and 143 pounds I'm 13 pounds from my goal weight, but I feel like I might have to lower it even further. But it might also have to do with having low muscle mass and high body fat. I'm going to look into body recomp.

It's because you are losing a higher percentage of your total mass. At 200lb a 1lb loss is only 0.5% of your total mass, but at 150lbs it's 0.75%. etc.

A 14lb drop for me makes an enormous difference in the way I look; I go from chubby looking to visible abs in 14lbs.

At that weight and height recomping would be an excellent idea. Same for OP.

lindwalk

What is recomping?

Jams009

Body recomposition, done by eating at maintenance calories, and lifting weights.

The idea is that since diet and exercise isn't an exact science, there will always be inconsistencies. So some days you will be in a calorie surplus (building muscle and a little fat) and other days you will be in a deficit (losing fat, and a little muscle). Gradually over time your bodyfat% will decrease as, on average, you gain muscle and lose fat, but your total weight will stay roughly the same.

Edit: recomping will make you look slimmer, even though you weigh the same, because muscle is denser than fat so a lb of muscle takes up less space then a lb of fat. It's a good choice for people at their goal weight who want to add muscle without bulking. A lot of people would probably call it 'toning' but recomping more accurately describes what is actually happening.

BlueberryJoghurt

Im so glad this post just came up when I wanted to post!

Ive been losing a third of my goal weight so far (100kg starting, lost 11ish and going for 70kg for now (maybe even 65)) and I was wondering because I just do not feel a difference or see it!

The only thing Ive noticed is my jeans getting waay loser and having to make the belt tighter! Also on behalf of my mother I tried some jeans/shirts from my "old clothes when I was thinner" stack and to my suprise most of them fit way better. Except that apparently I also got taller so theyre too short but this gave me a real boost even though I still dont feel like Ive really lost any mass!

SezxyStef

I am currently about 15lbs less than my original goal weight.

I chose my first goal as it was the smallest I had been in 20 years...but when I realized I could be less I went for it.

As for the difference...well...think about it this way...1lb of butter...put 12 of those together...that is 12lbs...will it make a difference...yes.

As for the comment feeling differently and the smaller you get the more the 1lb makes a difference that is so true.

At goal weight of 145 I fit comfortably into a size 4...at 150...they are uncomfortable...very much so.

5lb is a difference between a size and 4 and 6 for me.

Tweaking_Time

I was at goal for a long time and looked good, fit, lean, healthy, etc. Then I had an injury, 2 surgeries, and a long recovery. I had to lose 9 pounds to get back to goal because I let myself go a bit. I made it back to goal but to my surprise, because of the restrictions from my injury and literally being in crappy shape from a 10 pound weight restriction for months, I am officially skinny-fat. I still have a gut - even at goal. Waist to hip ratio is currently 1.0 - used to be 0.94.

So new goal time - figure out % body fat and get after it. I will have this worked out in the next 3 months.

The moral of the story is, even though you have reached goal, you can still be out of shape.

Diet AND exercise - will it ever catch on???

Tweaking_Time

SezxyStef wrote: »

As for the difference...well...think about it this way...1lb of butter...put 12 of those together...that is 12lbs...will it make a difference...yes.

Love this quote.

RunnerGirl1402

Total agree, sometimes wonder if I have actually lost any weight (although my scales say 30lbs)! So I've dropped my target by another 7lb as I'm nowhere near happy yet with how I look

BranwynTaffy

I'm wondering when you say you have trouble seeing your goal weight, what it is you're looking at? We all put on weight in different places. For me, it's waist, stomach & throat, so I get a double chin, in that order... no other places, even with 20-lbs of weight gain. So, my tendency is to look at my chin as a gauge of whether I'm at my normal/target weight... maybe as it's the last place I lose & makes me the most self-conscious. When viewing pics or trying on clothing, if I still see a double chin, I don't feel like I'm seeing weight loss, even though clothing is getting looser... so I realized my method of gauging isn't accurate.

Also, when we see ourselves daily, it's harder to notice gradual change. For myself, sans pics, I just don't see it 'til I'm very close to my target weight... again, once the double chin has disappeared. But, I just decided to take pics each week (in the same clothing) to see change & now I see it, even after just a few pounds.

Good luck!

Francl27

All the loose skin is messing things up for me. I don't look my weight. I'm not sure I ever will.

xtina315

I'm scared to see me at my goal weight its been four years, can only imagine how much older I look now.

jemhh

I am currently the same weight I was when I first tried to lose weight 15 years ago. I think I look a lot better, physique-wise, than I did at that point. That's because I lift weights and am leaner than I was back then. I don't know if I look like my weight (148) though. I'm bad at judging that kind of thing.

amiwills

Thanks everyone! I definitely think I'll be losing weight beyond my goal, and will def do recomp. When do you think I should begin recomp? I haven't started anything yet as I have (minor) surgery next week so I would have to take a short break and I was looking at doing one of those 12 week programs.

@Jams009 What do you recommend for recomp? I bought the strong curves book and have the strong lifts app, but I also have been blown away by the results women have achieved from the bikini body guide! Could you get results like those from strong lifts and such?

I had been waiting to get 'thin' before beginning one of these programs as I thought that was the best way. I just feel really desperate to lose my love handles! I look in the mirror today and swear they are bigger even though the scales say I'm consistently losing weight.

Which brings me to another point.... Is it possible to gain fat when the scales say you are losing weight? I have been losing 2lbs a week throughout my journey so far. But I'm sure I look so much flabbier today on love handles and belly I don't know what's going on!

MamaFunky

I have always been within a normal weight range, but it wasn't until I dropped my BF% that I really started seeing the results I wanted.

Kettle_Belle14

Jams009 wrote: »

Body recomposition, done by eating at maintenance calories, and lifting weights.

The idea is that since diet and exercise isn't an exact science, there will always be inconsistencies. So some days you will be in a calorie surplus (building muscle and a little fat) and other days you will be in a deficit (losing fat, and a little muscle). Gradually over time your bodyfat% will decrease as, on average, you gain muscle and lose fat, but your total weight will stay roughly the same.

Edit: recomping will make you look slimmer, even though you weigh the same, because muscle is denser than fat so a lb of muscle takes up less space then a lb of fat. It's a good choice for people at their goal weight who want to add muscle without bulking. A lot of people would probably call it 'toning' but recomping more accurately describes what is actually happening.

Thank you for explaining this. I *think* this is what's happening to me now (although my complete accident, but yay!).

Jams009

amiwills wrote: »

@Jams009 What do you recommend for recomp? I bought the strong curves book and have the strong lifts app, but I also have been blown away by the results women have achieved from the bikini body guide! Could you get results like those from strong lifts and such?

If you have a look, you'll see that those programs all have a lot in common. The most important being:

1) They work the whole body evenly
2) They get progressively harder as time goes on.

Almost any program that meets those two criteria will work. The different programs are just different ways of doing the same thing. Which one you do should be purely based on which one you think you will enjoy the most.

FYI, number 2 is called "progressive overload" which is well worth googling and understanding.

Jams009

amiwills wrote: »

Thanks everyone! I definitely think I'll be losing weight beyond my goal, and will def do recomp. When do you think I should begin recomp? I haven't started anything yet as I have (minor) surgery next week so I would have to take a short break and I was looking at doing one of those 12 week programs.

Which brings me to another point.... Is it possible to gain fat when the scales say you are losing weight? I have been losing 2lbs a week throughout my journey so far. But I'm sure I look so much flabbier today on love handles and belly I don't know what's going on!

Tough questions...

1) It's up to you, when look in the mirror and you think "I'm almost the right size". Or when you are 5-10lbs from your goal weight. There's no right way to do it.

2) It's possible. There's more to your total weight and appearance than just fat; water retention plays a big part. If you are in a calorie deficit then you shouldn't have any energy left to convert to fat, but it's possible to be in a calorie surplus while losing water weight, which would result in a loss in total weight but an increase in fat. It would be minor though; water weight has limits and fluctuates quickly; if you are in a calorie surplus your weight would quickly go up again in a few days. If you are steadily losing 2lbs a week I seriously doubt you would be gaining fat.

Hope that helps.

Jams009

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amiwills

@Jams009 thanks so much for the info! Literally just made another post about the lifting etc and you've answered a lot of my questions. Thank you!

Jeffrey300050

Before Xmas! I pigged out
Won't be doing that again this year! It's not worth it!

VictorVegaJr

Muscle Comp is a big difference maker as well. When I played ball, I was a lot bulkier, not necessarily cut but definitely muscular. I weighed between 275-280 and I looked like I was 230-235. Scientifically 1 pound of fat takes up 20% more space on your body than 1 pound of muscle. You might be at a point where putting on more muscle is your goal in order to look leaner as opposed to continuing to lose weight. Just putting it out there. Congrats on your continued success.

endlessfall16

Nevermind. I reread everything.