How do I know when the diet is done?

jacobsl221

I have been losing consistently and feel good. However, I don't know if I should be aiming at a scale number or a size or what signals the end and a shift to maintenance. How do you know when it is time?

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SueSueDio

I guess it depends on your goals, but asking your doctor might be a good idea too... perhaps he/she has a healthy weight in mind for you.

Personally I'm aiming to be within a "healthy BMI range" - I realise that the BMI scale isn't necessarily accurate for everyone, but I feel it's a good guideline for me as a non-athlete. I also have a goal of fitting into some dresses I have from my twenties, so I'm aiming at a weight somewhere close to what I was at that time. Once I get there, I'll reassess if I want to go lower. And if I struggle to reach that weight, I'll decide if I want to keep trying or just accept wherever I end up.

comeonnow142857

Really depends on your goals I suppose.

My goal is to be sub 10% bodyfat at the end of the cut, and to get no higher than about 15% in the long term afterwards. I have no intention of measuring it directly, but when my lower abs are truly cut up I know I can switch to maintenance and have room to put on a little weight too.

JeromeBarry1

When you are happy with the food and bouncing around in a 10 lb range of weight, you're probably maintaining.

Then if you start lifting you might like it and find your body looking better and weighing more. It's good.

victoria_1024

I aimed to be at the top of a healthy bmi which was 137 for my height. Once I got there, I didn't feel done. I took a maintenance break for a couple months and then lost another 15 pounds and now hover around the 125 mark. I could still lose more fat but I'm happy where I am at this point.

richardgavel

I hit my target weight, which I based on being roughly midpoint BMI. But I wasn't at target size, based on body fat percentage. I ended up overshooting target weight by about 7 lbs, gained back up to target, and now working on recomposition. Point being it's likely to be a multi stage process.

buckscomom

Almost 2 years ago I started logging on MFP with the goal of losing 5-6 pounds. Once I started being aware, and cutting snacks, I dropped close to 15. I stopped logging and began to let myself have a treat here and there because I felt I was at the perfect weight for me (and when one of my yoga teachers warned me not to lose more - we've all see the too thin faces that can age you suddenly! I just turned 58). For 6 months all was fine, then slowly, so slowly, the weight crept back. Back on MFP for a week now, with a goal of returning to 155, about 6 pounds to go. FYI, I'm 5'9. Funny, I'm at my original goal weight but it's no longer the right one!

Francl27

It's never done for me. Still a work in progress. Basically though, I started maintaining when losing weight made me feel too hungry and deprived. There's still too much fat for me but it's a healthy weight and I don't want to be miserable for a few vanity pounds.

jacobsl221

Thanks everyone! You've given me ideas. I'm going to measure my body fat thing today. My doctor told me "it is better for older women (I am 67) to have a little more fat". That was 8 lbs. ago. I am still losing. 4.5 to my goal number.

sheri2345

I think once you have found you "set point" for a healthy feel good live a little weight, shoot to keep it there. Play with your "wiggle room", that little extra that inevitably happens, until you know how much wiggle room you have before a change of 1-2 lbs happens. Getting back on track should cause your weight to naturally drift back to set point. Now focus on your nutrition. Make sure you are getting the nutrients your body needs within the intake level you set. If you are not, you may need to change the kinds of foods you eat, the amounts, etc. so that you are meeting nutrition targets. I find there are foods I have simply let go of because they don't pack a punch. I have dropped them in favor of foods that do.

MoiAussi93

As long as you are at a healthy weight...based on BMI or medical advice...then what you look and feel like is the best way to judge. Don't get obsessed with a specific weight or size...that makes little sense. Instead, if you feel good (mobile, energetic, able to do the activities you want to do, etc.) and like what you see when you look in the mirror, that is the right place to switch to maintenance. You will know it when you see it.

And if you change your mind later, and decide you want to be lighter...you can always change your plans. You aren't stuck with the decision forever.

MaddMaestro

The "diet" is never done! You should always eat at a healthy rate and pace.

As for when you're done with your weight loss, that depends on what's healthy for you. It's okay to get an opinion from a doctor.

Nikion901

It's all very subjective and personal ... so no one can answer that question for you but yourself. Take a personal inventory of how you feel about it. Then go from there. One suggestion ... if you have been losing weight for a very long time consistently and are getting tired of doing that ... you can always practive maintenance for a month and see how you do. Sometimes the maintenance part is even more challenging than the dieting because now you would be eating more and probably bringing foods back into your diet that you curtailed while dieting. Just remember, any exercise you have been doing probably needs to be continued, because it's what your body is used to do doing. Stop that and you will probably see an increase in weight.

tomteboda

Beats me. I've adjusted my goal downwards now by 35 lbs... I'm 3 lbs away.

dutchandkiwi

Depends on what you are aiming for.
For me the goal shifted multiple times. Currently my goal is the middle of my optimum BMI and with muscle building - I ma ow in my maintenace range I set up, but I really want to hit my goal before I go into maintenenace

Lou_trition

I don't have one... Goals will allow me to fail. I think it is important to be consistent and listen to your body. You will know by looking in the mirror and how you feel inside when it is ready to switch to maintenance.

jenilla1

I've never thought of this process having a specific end point. For me, it's a lifelong thing. I've been at goal for over 5 years now, but I don't think of myself as having finished anything. My new habits (aka "the diet") will never be done. They will continue on indefinitely. In terms of knowing when it's time to switch to maintenance, that's an individual thing. When you feel happy, healthy and comfortable where you are, it's probably time to try maintenance and switch your focus to other goals, like body composition or fitness, etc. Good luck!

JacobNicolaus

jacobsl221 wrote: »

I have been losing consistently and feel good. However, I don't know if I should be aiming at a scale number or a size or what signals the end and a shift to maintenance. How do you know when it is time?

1. Staying within the healthy range of your BMI is a good, but very general reference.
2. Having a target body fat % would be a good numerical goal as at least it somewhat reflects both the looks and the healthy amount of fat, so that you both have enough of it to cushion your organs, but not so much that your heart has to work overtime to maintain your body. Take a lot at a chart here for some target fat % goals.
3. As always, if in any doubt (and for any medical conditions at all), talk to your doctor, or dietitian, or (ideally) both - once you are within your ranges, they'd probably suggest nutrient-rich maintenance diet and moderate amount of exercise as keys to a healthy stable weight/fat %.

macchiatto

MoiAussi93 wrote: »

As long as you are at a healthy weight...based on BMI or medical advice...then what you look and feel like is the best way to judge. Don't get obsessed with a specific weight or size...that makes little sense. Instead, if you feel good (mobile, energetic, able to do the activities you want to do, etc.) and like what you see when you look in the mirror, that is the right place to switch to maintenance. You will know it when you see it.

And if you change your mind later, and decide you want to be lighter...you can always change your plans. You aren't stuck with the decision forever.

I agree with this.
And for a long time, my target weight was always 139 lbs. I would maintain there for a while; I did yoyo a good bit in my 20s and 30s, especially early 30s. At one point in my mid 30s I decided to experiment with dropping another 5-10 lbs and have ended up with a maintenance range that's 6-11 lbs below my previous goal weight. I'm 1 clothing size smaller and I feel like it's better for my frame size (especially with my post-twin-pregnancy body changes). Now I'm shifting to recomp.

STEVE142142

That has to be your personal decision.. when I hit 2:20 I decided that's where I like myself and I decided to start maintenance. Totally screwed maintenance up went down to the slowest 204.

STEVE142142

Meant to say my lowest was 204. I'm currently at 208 now with lifting I like where I am but according to BMI index I'm overweight range. You'll basically know when you get there. Pet shelter poster said weight is just a number even and maintenance sure wait is going to fluctuate

ridiculous59

In Chris Crowley's book "Thinner this Year" he suggests aiming for the weight that you felt your best in your 20's or early 30's. That's what I have done (I'm 57). I'm also following his suggestion of 60 minutes of exercise 6 days a week (3 x cardio and 3 x strength). I'm smack in the middle of "normal" bmi and weigh what I did in my 20's when I was healthy and running so have decided that this is where I'll start my maintenance phase. His book is a good read for people our age. Another good one is "What Makes Olga Run". It's about aging and world class athletes who compete at the seniors games into their 90's!

I think your goal weight is one of those things that you'll know when you get there. But if you're like me and need goals to reach for, then perhaps Chris Crowley's suggestion will work for you too.

richardgavel

Shoot for what you were in you best of your 20s and 30s? I'm better now at 42 than I ever was back then.

mjglantz

jacobsl221 wrote: »

I have been losing consistently and feel good. However, I don't know if I should be aiming at a scale number or a size or what signals the end and a shift to maintenance. How do you know when it is time?

When I was losing I eventually aimed for 162 (in the normal BMI range). Kept doing what I was doing and ended up losing more and settled at 140 (+/- 2 lbs) and that's where I am.

nowine4me

For me it's the lowest weight I can get to and still live a normal life. I look good in clothes, but could look better in a bikini. But I'm living life, having fun and not hiding from social outings. Sometimes I drink. Sometimes I eat Cadbury eggs. But I've learned enough along the way to keep it balanced. Would I look better 20# lighter? Yes -- am I willing to suffer to get there? Not at this time. Maybe some day.

tomteboda

richardgavel wrote: »

Shoot for what you were in you best of your 20s and 30s? I'm better now at 42 than I ever was back then.

Same here I look better at 38 than I ever have. It's not just the weight, though.

Christine_72

What looked good on me in my 20's and 30's does not look healthy on me now in my 40's.

The weight i was then made me look healthy and slim, whereas now it makes me look older and gaunt.

crooked_left_hook

The first time I deliberately lost weight was years ago and I lost 30 lbs. When I started I picked a weight in the middle of the acceptable weight range for my height as my first goal. When I reached that goal the weight was still coming off pretty easily so I lost another 5lbs and felt good so stopped. I'm 5'6" and went from 166-134.

This time I only needed to lose 7 to get back to 135. I reached my goal, but decided to lose 3-5lbs more for wiggle room while I transition to maintenance. I reached 132, and started running again, so I am increasing calories to slow my loss down but still lose the last 2 lbs while getting used to eating more food. Sure I can safely lose 10 lbs more without looking too thin but favorite clothes fit now, I feel like myself, I'm more confident, my energy levels are better, and I feel healthy again so this is where I will stay. I really can't afford to lose more than 2 more lbs without neededing to replace several pairs of really expensive jeans I'm also older now and I need the extra fat in my face to keep my girlish good looks

PS- The extra 2 lbs I want to lose is because I'm going to Peru in June for my 40th and I want some wiggle room so I don't have to track while I travel

lorrpb

There is no one definite answer. It depends on your goals, abilities, how hungry you are, and how easy or difficult it is to keep losing those last few pounds, etc. After I hit the top of my maintenance range last fall it has been very difficult to lose the 5 lbs I wanted to lose to get to the bottom of it. (I'm at the top end of my normal BMI range, so I'm not low for my height.) My TDEE is about = to what I feel I need to eat to keep my energy up, so it's very difficult to create a deficit and keep going on weight loss. For others it might be easier. I'm hoping that with warmer weather and more opportunity to get outside I'll be able to burn off a few hundred extra calories per day to create the desired deficit.

My advice is to target the top end of your BMI normal range then reassess. My other advice is to not view this as a "diet" with an "end". I view it as weight management, something I will need to work at every day for the rest of my life. I came to grips with this before I started, now nearly 3 years ago. I can either manage my weight for the rest of my life or manage the diseases that result from being obese.

hamstercheeks

I think you know you're done when you feel good physically but also visually; when you like how you look, and how your clothes fit.

Going back to my weight from my 20s and 30s has worked for me. For a long time back then, I weighed 123 lbs. I am 5'5" and now 51 years old. In 2013, I weighed 140 lbs and that was the most I ever weighed. I know that's still in the healthy BMI zone but it was too much for someone like me who had never been overweight. My original goal was to be around 130, but for the last two years, I've been between 120 - 125 lbs, and fit. I feel great in that range. I definitely feel too thin below 120 lbs (I hit as low as 115 lbs briefly), and my jeans (and many of my nice outfits) get too tight above 125, but it's not been a problem to maintain in that range. When I get over 125, I track calories for a week and aim for around 1200-1400 a day, and that usually gets me back in the comfort zone. Being active helps, of course, you can eat more if you work out.

A big motivator is that at 51, I've got a large accumulated wardrobe including some vintage pieces I kept from my 20s and 30s, and everything still fits! I don't want to have to throw out my favourite outfits, some of them weren't cheap.