how do know when you should stop losing weight?

bald_navy_wife

So I just wanted to know the opinion of others, what are signs to you that you have lost enough weight, and/or are at the proper weight?
Do you just wake up one morning and know "this is it?".. Is it better to go off of other people's opinions? Compare yourself to other people/athletes your height? I know it's great to have mental peace of mind in your weight, but depending on a person's personality, that may or may not ever come. Any thoughts?

MeganAnne89

For me, it's a struggle. I tend to obsess over a certain number that I'd like to achieve even though I know that obsessing is unhealthy.

I also think it's unhealthy to make your decision based upon what other people look like. You need to weigh what's good for YOU and YOU are the person that needs to feel good on the inside (both mentally and physically). I think that's what a person should strive for and yes, it can be extremely difficult to come to terms with that.

If everyone could just wake up and have an epiphany, it would be great.

But for me, personally, a lot of it comes from feedback I get from other people. I keep being told that I look great, and I doubt everyone would lie to me. So I have to take that into consideration. I look good, so I need to take that in, accept it, understand it, and maintain this healthy weight for me.

KylaDenay

I think it should just be when you are happy. When you finally feel comfortable at a certain weight, feel great in your clothes and are pretty confident in your look, then stop. I don't think it is about being a proper weight, other peoples opinions or comparing yourself to others. You are you and no one else. Who cares about others opinions when you are happy?!

I get people telling me all the time, why are you trying to lose weight? You look great? I am 5'3 and 162 lbs. That is a little bit high for my height, but I actually am starting to like the way I look and feel at this height and weight. I have never been this heavy except for when I gave birth, but with strength training I lost inches and look better then when I did 10 lbs lighter.

So, what other people think does not matter. Only what you think, feel and see in the mirror is what matters.

bald_navy_wife

For me, it's a struggle. I tend to obsess over a certain number that I'd like to achieve even though I know that obsessing is unhealthy.

I also think it's unhealthy to make your decision based upon what other people look like. You need to weigh what's good for YOU and YOU are the person that needs to feel good on the inside (both mentally and physically). I think that's what a person should strive for and yes, it can be extremely difficult to come to terms with that.

If everyone could just wake up and have an epiphany, it would be great.

But for me, personally, a lot of it comes from feedback I get from other people. I keep being told that I look great, and I doubt everyone would lie to me. So I have to take that into consideration. I look good, so I need to take that in, accept it, understand it, and maintain this healthy weight for me.

thank you for your reply and honesty. I'm currently 126 lbs my current goal weight is 125 lbs but my ultimate goal is 120 lb. I haven't been as small as i am now since like my sophomore year in high school.I get compliments daily from others and I'm proud of myself but I'd be satisfied if my stomach was maybe an inch smaller.

PaytraB

It's a combination of "I feel good", "I look good" (in my eyes; not others) and "I can still eat enough to enjoy Life and a few treats in moderation". I find the numbers are a bad indicator of whether I'm at my personal correct weight. The numbers really don't mean anything except as a guideline to indicate whether you're maintaining or not.

You can get to a weight where you think you look super great....BUT it's so low that your maintenance calories leave you constantly hungry. This weight is wrong for you. It is underweight for your body. You don't want to be hungry for the rest of your life, right?
You can get to a weight where you look good and healthy. It may be that you see little pockets of "fat" that you'd like to get rid of BUT you can eat an adequate amount of food so as not to be hungry and you can have a treat once in awhile. This is the right weight. Exercise those "fatty" spots away.

Although they aren't accurate, I did check the BMI charts to see if I was somewhere in the middle of the "normal" range for my height & age. They may not indicate an accurate reading but they give a guideline of whether I'm obsessing too much.

I weigh in about once a month or month & a half to see how my weight is doing. I'm not looking for a specific number but a range. If I get too close to the top end of the range, I watch my intake for the next month (mainly cut back on treats, I find) and see how I do the next month.

RUNNING_AMOK_1958

I'm about the same height as you are. My goal was 125, and when I reached 129 I decided I was happy with how I looked and felt, but I wouldn't complain if I lost a few more pounds. So I raised my calories and slowed the loss way down. This allowed me to reassess in smaller increments, plus prepare for maintenance. I had never known before just how many calories it takes to maintain. Now I do. I weigh 124.5 today and am happy with how I look and feel.

I've been thinner, but was too thin. I felt weak and I looked older, like Rachel, the last winner of The Biggest Loser. Funny thing about that was when I was at that weight I thought I looked fine. Looking at pictures of myself back then, I'm shocked.

Rose6300

I'm about 2 pounds from my original goal (135) and I still have some stomach I'm not happy with. I've slowed down my weight loss by upping my calories (which is so I get a soft landing at maintenance) and my weight lifting is improving. I think I'll just stay on this track till the belly is gone. I'm guessing I'll need 5 pounds more, so I'll stop at 130, unless the weight lifting takes care of the stomach at higher weight. I'm 5'6"

perseverance14

When my body fat gets into the low 20s...of course I will have to have that checked properly.

einzweidrei

All wanted to lose initially was twenty pounds. I had just hit 170 and thought there was no way I'd be back in the 140s.

I'm tall so 140s is pretty average/dead center BMI-wise.

Then when I got there, I decided to keep going. Lost another 20-24 pounds.

People complained I was becoming too thin (mostly my family) and I am quite thin now but I stopped when I was OKAY. Not that I love my body but I am okay with where I am at.

60sPanda

I just wanted to be able to buy clothes that I liked (that are colourful, not black). Aimed to get into the "normal" bmi range then when I hit that I realised I hadn't weighed this amount for over 25 years (since I was 20) and that was good enough for me. Also, have some loose skin on the belly and realised that if I lost more the skin would be more pronounced, so I am now focused more on staying healthy and fit.

Plus I don't wear black anymore!

Cpollard6608

I struggle with this myself, and am still trying to figure out what to do. I have been losing weight for the past year and a half (116 pounds total), and am down to 195. While I always thought if I hit 195 I would have the abs and solid body etc. but it didn't happen. Now I am constantly trying to figure out what to do, as my ultimate goal is to run a marathon next year. However, I also have some lifting goals that I would like to see happen, but I feel like I am constantly hungry and still eat at a pretty significant deficit, yet have stalled for the past two months.

Sorry for hijacking the thread, but I really like the insight! I guess for me I will stop when I feel that I have achieved an aesthetic goal and fitness goal. Hope that helped! Also, I am looking for more encouragement and other friends here, feel free to add me!

RobertHButler

I would say when you hit your proper BMI and can maintain it, you're there.

jenmom2myboys

My original goal was 110. I am 5 foot with a small frame. I have passed that and I am just above 106. I think another pound and I am done. I am extremely happy with my loss.

QuietBloom

Body composition is probably the most important. How much of you is fat vs lean mass, and make sure you are in a healthy range. Even normal weight people can have too much fat mass and suffer the health effects of it.

likitisplit

About a year ago, I tossed out my goal of 150. I realized that I could be 18% bodyfat at 150 or 18% bodyfat at 175. I questioned why my goal was always to be less. I started focusing more on muscle gain and how to optimize that.

It meant that I needed to drop at least another 6 pounds body fat, so the next time that I bulk, I will tend to add muscle rather than fat, but my end goal is being more rather than less now.

Francl27

I'll stop trying (although I've mostly maintained for 2 months) when I lose the small 'muffin top' I still have when wearing some of my clothes. My belly is a lost cause with all the loose skin anyway.

fleetzz

I think when my goal became to be fitter than to lose weight. I would love to get rid of the stomach hang. But I am already at a good weight for my height. Just need to firm things up!

cathylopez1975

I wondered the same thing a year ago. I started this weight loss journey with a specific purpose - lose weight to reduce risks of complication from diabetes and heart valve problems as well as help limit possible genetic tendencies for health problems. It was all about getting healthy so that I could age well and have a full life. I had set a goal based on the top weight for BMI, which was 144 lbs., then an ultimate goal to lose 100 lbs., which was 134. When I hit 139 this spring, it just felt like that 100 lbs lost goal wasn't that important. So I decided that 95 lbs off was enough for now.

I may decide to drop more sometime in the future - I can always change my mind. But with my clothes on I look pretty good. The big thing is that the changes I have made to my way of eating and fitness are here to stay. I'm not eating to lose weight, but to keep my diabetes under control. I'm not exercising to lose weight, but to keep my cholesterol and blood sugar normal. Those changes are what has been important about the journey. As long as I keep doing the things that have helped me lose weight, I believe my health and life will benefit.

hearthwood

That's definitely your choice. But you certainly want to be in your healthy BMI range, which you can check here.

http://www.webmd.com/diet/body-calculator

bald_navy_wife

thanks! that's what I'm going to try and do. i actually like how i look now. so I'll start focusing more on maintaining. i only have 1 pound or 2 until I'm at my goal of 125 anyways. I've also realized my problem is i also have bad posture- which we all know can make a world of a difference with how we look:)

bald_navy_wife

Body composition is probably the most important. How much of you is fat vs lean mass, and make sure you are in a healthy range. Even normal weight people can have too much fat mass and suffer the health effects of it.

I've been trying to figure out my body fat percentage but I've tried over 4 different online calculators and they're all completely different number ranging from 20%-40% but I'd say i am considered feminine and fit-i have some muscle definition but my measurements are 33(breast) 27(waist) 39(hips)

Zomoniac

I think it should just be when you are happy.

This. End of thread.

Do you feel there is something you could do to be more happy with your fitness and/or body? If yes, you're not done yet. If no, you are, get maintaining.

elliej

Calipers are the most accurate fat % tool. Online cals are rubbish.

At 5'3.5 my goal was 112-120lb, I got to 119lb but I'm now finding that size 8 trousers (that's a US 4 I believe) are sometimes too big, but because I've got muscular legs size 6s are too tight. That was all that stopped me really. I'm now focussing on maintaining and weight lifting, after a at least a year of maintenance I'll reevaluate if I really want those last few pounds to go I can cut then. That said, I've lost only 1lb since January but because of lifting people have commented I still look like I'm getting smaller. Muscle is denser than fat after all.

JohnLang2013

I would say when you hit your proper BMI and can maintain it, you're there.

I agree. I started out with what I thought was an ambitious goal. When I reached it, I thought; “screw it, let’s do it” (Richard Branson style!) and targeted BMI25. I reached it and feel great!

HIITMe

my BMI is 21 but I still have more BF than I'd like.... so I have long term goals of another 5-10 pounds off the scale which would include an increase of lean muscle....

you'll know when to stop ( unless you have an eating disorder or body image issues) because you'll love how you look naked!! you'll love how you look in clothes.... you'll love how you feel.....

GBrady43068

*Do you feel fit and strong? Does the doctor say your weight is healthy for you? Are you happy with how you look?

If the answer to all three is "yes" then you're there.

* Of course you can always get strongER.

53welshlady

When most of the fat has gone from around my middle - weight is irrelevant.

PugsMagoo

Good question...I'm pondering this as well. I've lost 72 lbs, and the scale keeps going down. Slowly, but still losing.

jmv7117

So I just wanted to know the opinion of others, what are signs to you that you have lost enough weight, and/or are at the proper weight?
Do you just wake up one morning and know "this is it?".. Is it better to go off of other people's opinions? Compare yourself to other people/athletes your height? I know it's great to have mental peace of mind in your weight, but depending on a person's personality, that may or may not ever come. Any thoughts?

This is precisely my concern. I was within my healthy weight range when I began the weight loss portion of my fitness journey. I lost weight to get to ideal (111.8 lb) and am now 109.4 lb with BMI 21 and BF% 21.2. I'm debating whether I should continue losing or not. I'd like to get my BF% a little lower. I know not to go below BMI 18.5. A weight of 100 lb would put me at BMI 18.9 so at this point I only have 9 lb to play with. I really don't care about other people's opinions and there's no point comparing myself to others. Basically, I'm going to go with how I feel, look and health markers.

newfie026

When I started my weight loss journey, I had no idea if I would make it or not. At 186 last May, I felt uncomfortable in everything, couldn't do much more than walk , but I could walk for a long time. It wasn't enough. I faithfully tracked everything on MFP and my transformation began. I didn't have high hopes, because at 48, losing was tough. I lost 52 pounds total. My goal was to no longer be overweight according to the BMI rating on this site. I was so happy when I was no longer obese, then about a few weeks ago, officially no longer overweight. I now weigh 134. I am 5'2", so that's high on the BMI scale for me, but what the heck! I am healthy! I have no desire to be skinny. I was supposed to try to get to 125, but at 134, maintaining is way more fun. I exercise at least three days a week and I try to eat as healthy as possible. I'll probably lose or gain more as I get more toned, but I'll deal with that. At 49 now, I'll probably never lose some of the slaggy skin I have, but since I've never had children, I don't think it's that bad. I can finally wear sleeveless tops and not have to cover my arms!!! I want to keep my curves and now that bigger butts are all the rage, I am finally in style!!

rainbow198

For me I never had a weight goal since I didn't know how I would look.

All I knew is that I wanted fit & strong with no rolls and no jiggle (well a little in the back was okay lol), but I did have an ideal measurement range and a dream dress size. I wanted to wear tank tops, tube tops and a bikini comfortably.

After doing tons of research I discovered for my goal I needed to focus on body composition and fat loss and not the scale.

It got to a point where I really liked what I saw. Healthy, a little visible muscle, a little curvy, not too thin and I decided to stop and move to maintenance. I didn't even know what I weighed at when I stopped!