Reached your goal weight and still look fat?

SuperJo1972

I think goals change. When we reach our first we may decide that it is too high or too low. Or we may decide to work on building muscle.

I started with a decent amount of cardio to burn cals, and a 500 cal deficit, to gradually and steadily lose weight. I then started to add some strength training and only in the past week started a specific program for strength/muscle increase to complement my other exercise. Hopefully this will mean that when I get to my target weight I will have a decent amount of strength and muscle tone.

Maybe the issue is that sometimes we think being thinner will make us happy, then when we get there we realise it wasn't the only issue. I am hoping to lose weight to be healthy and fit and to be ready for an operation, so I think I have finally found the right mindset?

mamadon

So if I just start lifting now, is it too late to help with the soft flabby skin? I know, I know, I should have started a long time ago lol.

postrockandcats

The problem I have is that I was obese for so long, that I have extra skin. I'm pretty much where I want to be, weight-wise, but I won't have that flat tummy unless I go under the knife. Which...... yeah. Money aside, I am more than a little nervous to do that.

That said, I am happy. Do I wish I had the elusive flat tummy? Sure! But the fact that I don't in no way negates what I've accomplished for my physical and mental health and I'm okay with the extra skin in that regard. :drinker:

jimmmer

This is why scale weight is not a good goal. I understand why people use it to track their progress, but in the end it becomes something to hit irregardless of final body comp. Then you come to the realisation that there might have been a better way to achieve the "look" you were after and it's a lot harder to re-add lost lbm than it would have been to preserve it in the first place.

Having a goal of a certain body comp/bf%/muscle definition/etc will probably mean that you'll need to find the right training methods to help you achieve your goal and be happier about it when you get there whatever your final weight ends up being.

sijomial

It's great that you lost 20 lbs/ 30 lbs/ 50 lbs/ 100 lbs.... but now what?

Are you satisfied 'maintaining' or do you want to start 'toning' and look super fit?

Because most of the time when we've lost that much weight, we surely reached our goal weight...

but most of us do not look fit/muscular due to glycogen/carb depletion/ loss of lean muscle mass during weight loss.

Guess I must be the minority rather than the "most" then.
I was fat for 20 years but I was still fit and strong for the vast majority of that time - only injury intervened from time to time.

As for my weight loss phase:
I wasn't glycogen depleted, didn't restrict carbs and didn't lose lean mass.

Really my "dieting" was really very similar to my maintenance, all that effectively changed was my calorie allowance. Trained hard doing the exercise I enjoy (weights & cardio), ate the foods I love while keeping an eye on my protein and calorie counts. The result was losing weight in a slow but sustainable way.

Really do support the aim of your post OP - far too many people lose weight the wrong way despite all the good information available to them. As evidenced by quite a few of the responses in the thread already.... Weight is only one measure of success after all.

schonsdragon

I have been exercising while losing weight because I am working on getting healthy not just losing weight. I am working with my body to see where it needs to be so I can live my life to the fullest instead of being on the sidelines because I am either not healthy enough or waiting for that "perfect" body.

I do see myself differently than others see me, I still see myself as much heavier but that is on me and I am working through it. I will never have a rock hard body or look like a model and I am okay with that. I have loose skin which will probably always be there. but that is part of my journey of life and I am so much more than my looks. I am a woman who is healthy and happy, I am able to contribute to this world using my talents in a way that makes it a little better for others and will be able to do so easier and longer being healthy than when I wasn't.

ILoveGingerNut

I just do not understand why people want to reach a certain weight first and then start to exercise. Exercising would help you to lose fat and keep your muscles toned, would keep you away from the cupboard, would teach you that being slim is not the same than being healthy, would improve your mood, raise your endorphins, suppress appetite, make you sleep better, help to socialize, keep you motivated etc etc etc. And yes, 80 kg of fat doesn't look as good as 80 kg of muscle. I just can't see the point to wait to be just a smaller ball of fat to start doing that. It's a waste of time.

ILoveGingerNut

And by the way, losing weight won't make you lose any muscle unless your net calories are lower than your BMR....
So if you need to lose an awful lot of weight you can do that very easily eating at maintenance and learning how to eat for the rest of your life once for all...

MrsG31

I agree, I got down to a weight I hadn't seen in over 10 years last summer but still had a gut that I despised. It had gotten smaller, but it was still there. I accomplished it mostly with counting cals, some carido, and at-home strength-training in my living room. I fell off the wagon from smart food choices and exercising towards the end of last year and gained some weight back, but can really see the difference in my gut and how clothes fit. I am determined to do it differently this year. My hubs and I joined a gym, but as soon as I go ans set up my appointment with the trainer, I got sick. It has been over a week now and I haven't had the energy to go to the gym nor do I want to go and spread my germs around the equipment. But once I start feeling better, it's ON!

twixlepennie

I just do not understand why people want to reach a certain weight first and then start to exercise. Exercising would help you to lose fat and keep your muscles toned, would keep you away from the cupboard, would teach you that being slim is not the same than being healthy, would improve your mood, raise your endorphins, suppress appetite, make you sleep better, help to socialize, keep you motivated etc etc etc. And yes, 80 kg of fat doesn't look as good as 80 kg of muscle. I just can't see the point to wait to be just a smaller ball of fat to start doing that. It's a waste of time.

For me it was too overwhelming to work on weight loss (for the first time in my life) and also start exercising (also for the first time in my life). My dr. told me I had to lose the weight or become a T2 diabetic, so that's what I focused on. I lost the weight by eating at a calorie deficit, got my glucose number in the normal range, transitioned into maintenance, and then started focusing on other things. I lost the weight at a steady pace, never stalled, had no issues with hunger, slept great, kept motivated etc etc, all while NOT exercising during weight loss. I had no problems doing it this way, and have absolutely no regrets If I had to do it over I would do the same exact thing I did, because it worked for me and I was able to lose the weight, become healthier, and am now maintaining beautifully.

tigersword

And by the way, losing weight won't make you lose any muscle unless your net calories are lower than your BMR....
So if you need to lose an awful lot of weight you can do that very easily eating at maintenance and learning how to eat for the rest of your life once for all...

False. BMR has nothing to do with it. Lack of protein does.

SezxyStef

And by the way, losing weight won't make you lose any muscle unless your net calories are lower than your BMR....
So if you need to lose an awful lot of weight you can do that very easily eating at maintenance and learning how to eat for the rest of your life once for all...

False. BMR has nothing to do with it. Lack of protein does.

+1

jeffpettis

And by the way, losing weight won't make you lose any muscle unless your net calories are lower than your BMR....
So if you need to lose an awful lot of weight you can do that very easily eating at maintenance and learning how to eat for the rest of your life once for all...

Losing weight, without some sort of resistance training, will, absolutely, result in a loss of lean body mass. The body will use muscle just as readily, if not more so, than fat while in an energy deficit. If you are not giving your body a reason to hang on to muscle during weight loss it WILL use muscle for energy...

Marymoe138

I am pretty close to my goal weight but I have started implementing a strength training regiment. I find that I am having to do less cardio than before and I am starting to see definition. To me, it is easier to implement before you reach your goal, especially if you have made it a habit all along. I also know that feeling good about myself would involve me working on my self esteem and knowing my self worth and value. This is something that I thought would go away with the weight loss but I have realized during this journey that working on my mental and emotional components along with my physical will give me what I need. I hope this will ensure that I will not return to where I was.