Is it time to stop lowering my goal weight?

epadmeister

Hi everyone! I'm having a bit of conflict with myself about my goal weight.

I've spent the last 6 months losing at an average of 0.4 / 0.5kgs a week (1 / 1.3lbs). A few weeks ago I hit my initial goal weight of 58kg. Not being happy with that, I lowered it to 57kg... then 56kg... and now I'm almost at my new goal weight of 55kg / 121lbs.

How did you know when to stop?! I never thought, back when I was 73kgs heavy, I would ever be unhappy at 58kg... I know I should probably stop because it would be the sensible thing to do (My BMI is bang in the middle at 21.5, so I'm not overweight or anything!). Still, I can't help but wonder if losing an extra couple of pounds would help my appearance that little bit more

Current stats:
Height: 160.5cm
Age: 23
Weight: 55.5kg
BF% (according to scales..) fluctuates between 29% and 30.5%

My plan of action for maintaining is this:

Up calories to 1750 a day.
Focus on strength training: I want my body to change SHAPE. There's still quite a lot of fat everywhere *cough BELLY cough*.

Any suggestions on what my next steps should be? I've NEVER been this close to "maintenance" before in my life so this is all very, very new to me :embarassed:

Thanks Emma x

Fatandfifty3

I think you look great. I think that you seem to be at the point where you can almost stop wanting to reduce the number on the scales and work on refining your shape. Muscle weighs differently to fat. Have a chat with your fitness trainers about where to go from here.
Good luck and well done!
:-)

cppeace

yeah were it me, I'd begin major strength training if wanting to tighten and trim a bit more. But remember ignore the scale while doing so. Personally I think you look great. Congrats on making your goal and beyond.

kittyr77

Emma you look freaking awesome!
tbh Im not sure i believe the 30 percent fat , you don't look any more than 26 max?
you have said a number to up your kcal to for maintenance - is this your tdee from a calculator like eg fitness frog? I know you are short and light but that doesn't seem a lot for the amount of exercise you do? Or are you planning on eating back your exercise on top of that 1700 or so figure?
I think if you're looking to change your composition I would either eat at maintenance, high protein and do a heavy lifting program - there are loads of examples on the forums here. Or I guess your other option would be to try and bulk, like tdee plus 10-20% and lift - again there are loads of threads on this. You would be aiming to gain muscle but you may gain a bit of fat too and then have to cut a little again.
also there is a danger that no matter what you achieve you won't be happy with it, and i guess there is some self acceptance etc to work on if that is the case.
sorry for the ramble, Im not sure i've been very helpful, but i shall reiterate my point in- YOU LOOK AMAZE-BALLS!!!!!

sijomial

Yes it's time to stop losing, find your maintenance calories and get used to the new you.

There's still quite a lot of fat everywhere *cough BELLY cough*.

Actually no there isn't and I don't believe your BF number is that high either.
You have done a great job to get where you are and now it's time to be happy with your new body and not look for problem areas.

That doesn't mean you won't change at maintenance and it doesn't mean you stay at this weight forever. Time to replace weight loss goal with other goals such as strength, body composition, fitness.

Thesis_gut

Hey Emma, I think you look fab!

Maybe as the others have said you could try to change your body shape through exercise rather than more weight loss if you're still not content with it.

I'd be careful with lowering your goal weight more and more.. It's exactly what I did when (at the age of 15, so many many years ago) I first decided to loose some weight. In the end I ended up with an eating disorder (EDNOS, then bulimia), and even now 15 years later I have a difficult relationship with my body and food (although eating and weight have become normal). I'm not trying to scare you, you've probably got a different personality and in my case the diet wasn't the only thing that set the ED off. But it's tricky, you start thinking: Just one more kilo, and then just one more, and one day you wake up and find yourself crying over a weight that would have been heaven just a few months ago.

So be proud of what you've achieved and if you find yourself feeling ****ty about how you look now, then maybe take a look at old pictures to remind yourself of how much weight you've lost and that you don't need to loose any more at all.

CassieReannan

You're 55kg, I'd certainly be happy with that. Your BMI is healthy too and you seem pretty on top with your maintainence plans. I wouldn't lower your goal any further now, you'll barely have any fat to keep you warm :ohwell:

jbing07

I understand how u feel, I have been in the same boat for a while. What I did was in my goals, is change it to maintain, but left a goal weight in there, but not going to let the number bother me. So, I have been doing a lot of circuit training to help tone.

DianeinCA

I think the two things to do right now are:

1) Stop, and get comfortable with maintaining. Maintaining is a different beast than losing and requires a new set of skills (says one of the people who hasn't quite mastered that skill for herself).

2) Begin strength training to change your shape.

I also don't believe you're at 30% BF -- how did you get this measured?

epadmeister

I also don't believe you're at 30% BF -- how did you get this measured?

Haha, blame my "super duper body fat measuring scales", they seem to be drunk most of the time. Seriously, every 5 minutes it'll go up / down by 2%!

Thanks everyone for your advice, it's going to be hard snapping out of netting a certain amount for weight LOSS... but what if I over-estimate and put weight on?! :embarassed: :frown: :sad:

I will be sensible and eat more! I will also get into major strength training. How often (out of curiosity) do people do cardio when maintaining? I've grown to love running now :bigsmile:

williams969

Ha, I love the "drunk BF scale" comment! Agreed. Your scale doesn't know what it's doing (BF wise). As far as fear of gaining, I think you'd be safe to slowly up your calories, maybe 100 cals/day for a few weeks at a time until you find your maintenance.

I definitely see the possibility of a recomp for you. It will certainly do a lot more for you than a few more kg's on the scale would ever do at this point (IMHO).

As far as running, lots of people run while maintaining/recomping. If it's what you love, and as long as you eat to fuel those runs, and couple with a weight training program (again, fueled properly, i.e. eat enough), maintaining/recomping can happen.

PS: I peeked at your diary. Um, yeah, you got great macros, girl! Keep those % up, and you'll go far!:flowerforyou:

zoeysasha37

You look great!! I think your body fat measurement is off though. You look more about 25%~27% if I had to guess. Anyway, I would definitely raise your calories and begin a strength training program. Look up new rules of lifting for women. You may like it :-)

aedreana

Unfortunately, I have found that I cannot pinpoint my exact ideal weight until I drop below it and see that I am too thin. Especially when I lose too much volume in my bustline-- that is my primary indicator that my weight is too low.

47Jacqueline

Thanks for this post. I had been at maintenance and then decided that I should lose some body fat and get down to 125 from 130, but my sister-in-law and I just had a talk about aging and she cited a report (she's a nurse practitioner) that said three of the things that people who lived longer reported were 1. having a little fat on themselves, 2. drinking a small amount of wine or beer every day, 3. exercising.

So, I have decided to stop losing and stick with my original range of 128 to 132 with my goal in the middle. I'm already at 24% body fat according to my own caliper tests, which puts me in the active range.

epadmeister

Thanks everyone for your awesome replies I'm going to bite the bullet and up my calories to 1800, with strength training in mind.

I realise that this next part (maintenance) is all trial and error. If there are fluctuations above 1kg, I know to decrease calories until I'm back onto my goal weight it'll just be really weird getting into the habit of eating more and seeing higher "net" calories for the week.

I actually ate (lol and accidentally went a bit above :laugh: ) maintenance calories for the day, just to see what it'd be like! Honestly? I feel really guilty about it. :grumble: silly Emma, I'll have to get used to it sooner or later!

DianeinCA

If you're eating at much below 1800 now (say, 1500 or lower), I suggest you gently ease your body into a higher calorie count by upping your daily calories by about 100 a day / week. That way, you learn what the greater amount of food is, and your body doesn't go into "let me squirrel this away for winter" mode.

ScottDowell

In this picture, you are looking quite good. I don't think you need to reduce more weight. If you will do, you will become too much slim. Now stop reducing weight and maintain your body shape at this level.

leadiax3

I suggest just eating healthy and exercising regularly and focusing on staying strong and having good cardio endurance. since you are at a healthy weight it is okay to gain a couple or lose a couple. you have reached your goal and now it is time to enjoy life without being obsessive. I am only speaking from my own experience as I have allowed myself to become obsessive and have had totake a lot of action to stop.

Johnplusfour

I say keep going!.

irenehb

Congrats, you look great. Time for maintenance, I say.

I kept on changing my weight loss goal, originally 57, than 55 and some how let my weight drop to 53.5. Which is still in the normal range for my height but not longer after I got seriously ill and dropped to a low of 49.8 (underweight), some of it was poor appetite but some unexplained ( GP seems to think hyperthyroidism, specialist appt pending). I so wish I had stopped changing my goal now, so I had more of a buffer. Live and learn

CariS001

Thanks everyone for your advice, it's going to be hard snapping out of netting a certain amount for weight LOSS... but what if I over-estimate and put weight on?! :embarassed: :frown: :sad:

Go slow! Add 100 calories each week, and monitor (or every 2-4 weeks).

I will be sensible and eat more! I will also get into major strength training. How often (out of curiosity) do people do cardio when maintaining? I've grown to love running now :bigsmile:

Honestly, as much as you want!!! If you love it, stick with it. I do HIIT training 3-5 times per week, and walk a ton, because I love my walking time with my dog. Do what is sustainable and enjoyable for you!

Good luck! Welcome to maintenance! I second all those that say focus on the weight training. It will do wonders!!

justingchristiano

http://iifym.com/iifym-calculator/

This helped me.

Meerataila

Your height and weight are similar to mine and I still have a ways to go. And I happen to know a shirt can hide a multitude of culinary sins. But judging by your before and after picture that does show your belly, you look great. I'm not seeing any stomach fat, and you don't have anywhere to hide it.

Edensienna

I could have written your post a few months ago when I reached my goal of 118lbs.. I still have flabby bits and wanted to lose a few more lbs to see if it would target those areas. It really didn't change it so I'm pretty content now and weight train and run because I love that feeling.

My maintenance cals are 1750. It doesn't feel like a lot of food but its working. My fluctuations are only minimal and I feel great at this weight. It's an adjustment reaching the end of your weightloss journey... You look great!

aedreana

Setting a goal weight is an estimate. Fine-tuning that goal is an assessment process. I have found that I can pinpoint my ideal weight to the exact pound. And one pound can make the difference between having a waist and not having a waist-- I have a waist at 118 pounds but not at 119! That particular one pound is at my waistline!

stealthq

I also don't believe you're at 30% BF -- how did you get this measured?

Haha, blame my "super duper body fat measuring scales", they seem to be drunk most of the time. Seriously, every 5 minutes it'll go up / down by 2%!

Thanks everyone for your advice, it's going to be hard snapping out of netting a certain amount for weight LOSS... but what if I over-estimate and put weight on?! :embarassed: :frown: :sad:

I will be sensible and eat more! I will also get into major strength training. How often (out of curiosity) do people do cardio when maintaining? I've grown to love running now :bigsmile:

Forget the scale. Mine tells me I'm > 30% one day and 24% the next.

I would say based on your avatar, that you are in a good position to stop and try a recomposition - probably not a bad idea to lift at maintenance for a while anyway to make sure you have your TDEE correct.

You could also try bulk/cut cycles to improve %BF. You could start now, or you could cut a bit more first, with the idea that it makes it easier to put on muscle than fat the leaner you are while you bulk. That's what I'm doing. I started bulking at roughly 24/25% BF. Ideally, you should be leaner than that, but I was tired of cutting. So far, I've been pleased - I'm cutting now, and it looks like I've put on 3, maybe 4 lbs of muscle after a total gain of 7 lbs. Not bad, considering. This time, I intend to get down closer to 20% BF before bulking again.

Also wanted to mention about the running because I just started running myself - depends on your goals. If you want to build muscle, make lifting the priority. Do a full body beginner's program 3 times per week and either run after lifting on the same day, or run on off days. General recommendation is cardio for no more than an hour or you'll compromise your lifting. If you're not trying to build muscle, then run when you want and back off of the weights so you don't interfere with your running.

CJ_Holmes

I agree with everyone who said you should focus on weight lifting! It will make a big difference in how your body feels and looks AND I find it is the #1 best thing for my blood sugar control. You have done amazing work for your health- I'm really impressed!

becs3578

I have this same issue. I just assumed that when I lose 50 lbs I would be done. That was 128.8 which I reached a few days ago. I decided when I got close to it I would rather reach a little more and goal at 125. Once I get there I am hoping to just plan on toning and replacing some fat with muscle but keep the scale the same. We will see how it goes!

cwolfman13

My two cents is right here in this link...

http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/

Generally speaking when someone is having the issues that you are having, it's not a matter of needing to lose weight...it's a matter of body composition. Lifting or otherwise performing resistance training is the only thing that is going to alter your body composition. Continued dieting will likely have the opposite effect of what you want.

caesar164

I think you looked good with the weight as you do without! Congratulations on reaching your goals! Once you get into more serious lifting, you'll be amazed at the new shape your body takes on! You could slowly transition into maintenance mode, with the weighted training, and time you should get a better hold of those trouble spots! Good luck!

47Jacqueline

I had the same issue that you're dealing with. When I reached 130 lb, I stopped and debated with myself for a few months (well, maybe 6 months), then I decided that, based on my BF measurements, that I should go down to 125 lb and set a new goal. I lost about a pound l-), when I visited my sil and she told me about this study she read that came up with the top three reasons people with a history of longevity had experienced (she's a nurse practitioner, with a lot of experience working with frail elderly). They were: exercising regularly, drinking an occasional glass of wine or beer and maintaining a weight that included a few extra pounds, but was not too thin or too fat.

So, based on that, I decided I was fine where I was and set my goal back to a range of 127 to 132. This is a weight I can easily maintain. My BF, based on my calculations (which probably aren't that accurate) of about 24% is around 24% and my BMi is 21.5%. I do a combination of strength training and cardio, but no heavy lifting and, at 67, and 5'4", I'm pretty fit, with some muscular definition and everyone thinks I'm at least 10 years younger that I am.

It actually is a relief after a lifetime of yo yo dieting, to finally stop. I discovered a new passion for fitness and am working towards becoming a group fitness instructor, specializing in working with other seniors, teaching Zumba Gold. I'm totally excited about this and am already starting to pick up subbing assignments.

So, based on my new understanding of fitness and reality, I would say (not recommend because that's out of my scope of responsibility), you'r probably fine where you are and you need a new goal. ;-)

Best wishes, whatever you decide.