Has anyone given up on reaching their goal weight?

cwolfman13

Why should it get (noticably) harder to lose weight as you get lighter? I've seen that statement multiple times now and i don't understand the rationale and personally, i can't confirm it at all.

As you lean out, your body requires fewer and fewer calories...so for example, lets say 2000 calories at your starting point gives you a 500 calorie deficit because your maintenance is 2500 calories...as you lean out, your maintenance number decreases...so that deficit shrinks which means you lose more slowly. The only way to combat this is by reducing your intake further (often not a viable option for many) or increasing activity or some combination of both.

Add to that, you don't have the fat stores you used to have so maintaining larger deficits results in more fatigue as you simply can't convert enough fat for energy. You also run a greater risk of muscle loss when you have dwindling fat stores but you're trying to maintain a large deficit.

People can literally work on those last few points in BF% for months and even years.

tradergeorge

This can happen, especially if you have lost a lot of weight in a short time. Your body will "rebel" and go into conservation mode...You probably need to change your thinking more than your plan....When this happened to me, I changed my goal to a much more conservative one (.5 pounds per week)...This will allow you to eat more, but you have to be religious about reporting and logging...Once you get used to the new regimen, even if it takes several months, the weight will start coming off again. Then, once you get to your goal, you can just change your goal to maintaining abd you will find that nothing changes much....You will be on a regimen that you can keep for life...Good luck!!!

RacquetChick

Yes, I always wanted to weigh 135 but can never seem to get lower than 142

BrillFit

Has anyone given up on reaching their goal weight and decide to start maintaining instead when they reached a certain weight as it gets harder as you get lighter?

Yes and no.

I mean, like you said - it get's harder as you lose weight and fat. The smaller you are, the more effort and more consistency you need to continue progressing.

I realized the goal should be less about an actual number on a scale, and more about how you feel and look.

Llamapants86

Why should it get (noticably) harder to lose weight as you get lighter? I've seen that statement multiple times now and i don't understand the rationale and personally, i can't confirm it at all.

Part of it is that you burn less. Part of it is as you get leaner, your body has less stores to draw from. So it has a harder time coming up with the 500 kcal deficit from fat causing fatigue and other issues at that deficit level. You can also look at it the other way. People with a lot of weight to lose can handle a 1000 kcal/day deficit and feel fine.

zyxst

For the most part, I have. 140 isn't gong to happen because I can't get below 170. Scale weight is the only goal I have left that's unreachable, so it's becoming a stupid goal when it's the only one.

rainbowfaye

Nope. In fact I'm certain I can get there. However, I'm not even halfway yet so we will see in a year or so.

Michifan

Goal weights are arbitrary and the closer you get towards it the more you should know if it is a reasonable number (high or low).

What good is a goal weight that you cannot maintain long term and feel good about?

Tanie98

Yes, I always wanted to weigh 135 but can never seem to get lower than 142

rosebette

Sort of.... I've been at a plateau for nearly 3 months. My goal is 115 and I'm at 120. I'm netting around 1200, eating back exercise calories. I've even tried netting around 1100, no dice. I also work out a lot. If I really wanted the goal, I could give up my one cheat day a week or even try to net around 1000 (I'm very short and older, so it's possible) , but I don't know if I want it that badly.
I just bought a new workout outfit and also wanted to buy some pants on clearance at GAP. They had only 28 in what I wanted, which is my usual size, but I'm down to 27. So, I am getting smaller and more muscular. I had been told by a nutritionist a while back that it would be very hard, possibly not even possible to lose the last 5 lbs. However, I'm still tracking my food and still working out because even if I'm not at my goal, if I go back to my old ways, I'll also go back to my "old body."

Tanie98

I am at 135 right now and I would love to be 120.I used to 120 in my early 20`s but over the years I gained weight because I didn't know how to maintain my weight. I just stayed active and ate whatever I wanted but I made I made sure I went to the gym regualry and I had no trouble maintaining my weight since I was also younger but then whenever I stopped going to the gym the weight would came back on because I was still consuming the same calories.Now it seems like its harder with age.When I reach my goal,i will know how to maintain my weight. Thanks to this site

stealthq

Nope.

Original goal weight was 123. I thought losing 20lbs would be enough. Got past that a while ago. It was too high.

Working on losing the last bit of vanity pounds that are all on my stomach/love handles. I've been thinking I'd be there around 115, after a bulk/cut cycle, but now I'm thinking probably between 110-115. Doesn't matter. I'll get there eventually.

And then, I'll get to bulk again :devil:

I would love to put on enough muscle to be lean and around 120, but that'll take multiple bulk/cycles I'm sure. Good to have goals.

Jambalady

I've pretty much given up. I really wanted to get to 105, but I've been stuck at 112 for almost 6 months now. I feel good, and I'm generally happy with the way I look, but I do have some problem areas (thighs, gut, arm flap) that I would like to work on.

Truthfully, the sacrifice (lower calories, constant exercise) to get down to and maintain at that lower goal weight is just not worth it for me.

I need to be able to a drink or 2 or a cheesecake every once in a while, and not be have to be constantly vigilant about every damn calorie that goes into my mouth.

I'd rather enjoy my life at where I am then continue to obsess over calories for another 7 lbs.

It ain't worth the fight!

suetorrence

As I got closer to my goal, my weight loss slowed considerably. However, being a numbers person I could not quit. Then I decided to attempt to lose another 10 pounds to help me run stronger/faster. So I am once again trying to lose weight. Funny but the last 2.4 pounds to my original goal took four weeks. But the next 1.8 pounds only took 4 days.

dakotababy

I am at 175lbs, 75 lbs down. My original goal was to lose 100lbs (get to 150lbs). I have just decreased my calorie deficit to 250...which of course, means I will be losing weight at a slower pace.

I dont think I will ever let myself "give up" just for not meeting the goal I originally set. I mean, if I am not continuing to lose weight - my next goal is to not gain it all back!

Siigh_duck

I've reached a point where I'm pretty comfortable with how I look, bar a few vanity pounds , so I'm just set to half a pound a week loss setting, so it doesn't really feel like dieting, and I hardly notice a loss if there is any, but I keep logging and if I lose, great, if I don't? meh. the mirror is becoming more important than the scale these days. I find myself not weighing myself for weeks at a time but still logging my food intake and seeing my body tone up maybe without even losing any scale weight XD meh, I think there's a point where the scale number matters less

johnkarakash

Well, I made my goal (which wasn't a hard one... just 20 pounds) and then re-assessed. With my frame 155 is reasonable which is only 14 more pounds. Despite what the charts say, if I go below that I'll look like a lost-in-the-mountains-airplane-crash victim. So setting a goal and then resetting it once achieved seems to work for me.

VeryKatie

Yeppers! I did. I have mine set to maintain but just don't worry about it if I'm under goal. If I lose, I lose, if not then not. I'm close enough.

SomeNights246

Why should it get (noticably) harder to lose weight as you get lighter? I've seen that statement multiple times now and i don't understand the rationale and personally, i can't confirm it at all.

Because as you lose weight, the amount of calories you need lowers. So, someone who is 250 lbs could lose more than 2 lbs a week eating 1,400 calories. As they would need a surplus of 2000 to maintain. Whereas someone who is 150 lbs would maintain on about 1700-2000, so would not lose nearly as fast eating 1400 calories. It's not that it's harder. Just that it slows down. People starting at high weights get used to the pounds shedding off. The reality is... they only shed off because for them 1400-1700 (or even 1800) is a really big deficit.

herdthinner

Yes. Based on height/gender, I should be losing at least an additional 25 pounds from my current, but ever since MFP set me at 1200 calories, my brain and body have been rebelling ever since. I don't think there's been a single day since that I've eaten 1200. It's always more.

So I've been at maintenance for close to 1.5 years now whether I care to be or not. I already know that's entirely my fault, though.