When do you say "i'm good right here?"

jenniferg83

When did you finally realize you are at your goal weight? Alot of us have an idea of what number we want to hit, but what if that number is lower or higher than you originally picked? At what point do you just say "i'm happy where i'm at"? I'm finding myself at a point where i'm adding some muscle tone which i love, but losing the numbers on the scale seems to be all around the same couple pounds for about a month now. I gain and lose the same 3 pounds. I dont know if its a plateu or i'm at a goal number. Any thoughts?

barbiex3

i have the same problem

NKF92879

Say, "I'm good right here" when it feels good to say that. Maybe your goal should shift to more fitness/less weight loss?

BeautyFromPain

Bump.

Texas501

I read some personal trainers opinions on this forum about this, and several say that if you are within 10 lbs. of your ideal weight, you are there.

meggonkgonk

I initially aimed for about 135, but now feel I'm more comfy at/around 130. I've been considering dropping to 125 and seeing what I think, but for now I'm pretty happy between 130-135. I think the key is to be patient, take the "last" lbs off slowly and just try to be as secure in yourself as possible when deciding. You just need to be able to look in the mirror and say "This is me"

To the OP- if you are on a plateau with the last pounds here's an idea that maybe you can use/modify for yourself that worked for my last 15 or so:

Gradually increase your calories to maintenence level- add about 100 every week up to about 1500-1600 (NET) cals. Don't worry about the scale at this point.
Drop down to 1200-1300 NET calories for 1 week- make this week as healthy (read:actually healthy, not just low cal or low carb or low fat)
Repeat.

You should see a 1-2 lb drop every time you drop back down, and may gain a little in your "big" week, but for me it was never more than a lb and averaged out to about .75lbs per week over the course of April-June.

Good luck!

odusgolp

I'm apparently good at 30lbs overweight b/c god forbid I put down the dam* food!!! *LOL*

Dootzy1

From the outside looking in, I would say your weight is more than acceptable for your build. You look lovely. The number is not as important as the fitness level....it is a highly personal thing. So, unless a doctor is saying to get your weight down, enjoy the journey to ongoing fitness and vitality!

melsinct

To the original poster: I don't know your height, but we have the same goal weight! I am 5'7" and 6 pounds away from my goal of 145 that I set almost 30 pounds and 5 months ago.

I have been asking myself this question lately too. I am 151 (as of this morning!) and know I can stand to lose a couple more pounds. I plan on getting down the last 6 pounds to 145 then stopping for a while. I am about to start up a pilates class so I am hoping that will help me tone a bit as I mostly do cardio and still feel jiggly in the midsection (and my thighs...). I currently have MFP set at a 0.5 pound/week loss, so my daily calorie deficit from maintenance is only 250, so transitioning to maintenance shouldn't be a problem.

I am starting to ramble, but bottom line is I am stopping at my original goal weight and reserve the right to readjust down the road. I still see myself as a little pudgy, even though I know I am not. I have to wait for the fat girl mindset to disappear and let my view of myself catch up with the physical body. Until then, I don't think it would be healthy to keep losing weight past my initial goal.

kfitz10103

There are two things to aim at in life; first to get what you want, and after that to enjoy it. Only the wisest of mankind has achieved the second.
Logan Pearsall Smith
I think that is the big dilemma. Once you reach your goal and you are happy how do you change your midset from working towards a goal to maintaining and enjoying it?

celticmuse

Hi,

I am struggling with the same issue. I am 5'6" and my goal was 145 lbs. I have lost 27 lbs. over the past 8 mos. I have been hanging out between 147-148 for a couple of months. Can't seem to make the jump to 145 lbs. I am exercising 50 min every other day during interval training. I also try to get some other form of exercise (ie walking or gardening) on my "off day." I am close to a size 8, and actually like my body for the first time in years. In terms of food, I try to limit my calories to 1350, but never seem to hit it. I think I would have to really sacrifice in order to lose more, and it is difficult to get up the motivation, after 8 mos. even for a brief time. I have settled into a way of eating that doesn't make me feel deprived, so I am wondering if I am where my body wants to be. My trainer says I need to increase the intensity of my workouts. I notice that my calorie burn is actually decreasing as I lose weight. I welcome any suggestions.

SiltyPigeon

I haven't figured that out yet. I started at 167 pounds. I thought I would be happy at 135. Then, when I reached it I decided to go down 5 more, then 5 more, then 5 more. I'm 121 now and still not happy. So.... I don't know.
Good luck to you.

CARNAT22

When did you finally realize you are at your goal weight? Alot of us have an idea of what number we want to hit, but what if that number is lower or higher than you originally picked? At what point do you just say "i'm happy where i'm at"? I'm finding myself at a point where i'm adding some muscle tone which i love, but losing the numbers on the scale seems to be all around the same couple pounds for about a month now. I gain and lose the same 3 pounds. I dont know if its a plateu or i'm at a goal number. Any thoughts?

I'm in exactly the same position.

I have been between 116-115lbs since early May but my goal is 112lbs.

I am thinking that maybe this isn't a plateu but my body telling me it's happy???

I gave up smoking around the time I hit this 115-116lbs wall and wonder if that is part of it?

jenniferg83

Love all the feedback. Yes, i think that my goals have been more towards fitness recently instead of numbers, but i was curious to see what all of you had to say thanks for all the comments!!!

yanicka

I haven't figured that out yet. I started at 167 pounds. I thought I would be happy at 135. Then, when I reached it I decided to go down 5 more, then 5 more, then 5 more. I'm 121 now and still not happy. So.... I don't know.
Good luck to you.

Same here. Not sure where to stop but since my BMI is between 128 and 97 pounds, I have no idea where to stop. I take it one pound at a time

jenniferg83

yes - the healthy bmi has such a wide range!! makes it easy to say "ok, just 5 more pounds". would be funny if we had a certain weight where mfp put a stop sign saying "sTOP RIGHT THERE! YOU ARE AWESOME> JUST MAINTAIN" but i guess thats where our minds must kick in and do that.

maillemaker

When you can go to the beach in a swimsuit and you catch people checking you out, you have reached your goal weight.

♥♥YoungMrs♥♥

Jennifer!! I just want to say that I love you. Im pretty sure I remember you saying that you are 5'9 or 5'10 ..so you're a pretty tall girl. You look fantastic at your current weight. You look thin and toned and beautiful. So I think if you are feeling great and you look as good as you do then you could totally consider yourself at goal. You have transformed your life and you have dedicated yourself to fitness and health instead of just being skinny. I am sooo proud of you!! My hero

bcattoes

I've been bouncing around between 3-4 lbs for about 3 months. But every once in a while I notice that it bounces a little lower and the high becomes one lower. My goal wasn't really weight, it was to get back into a specific pair of jeans and have a completely healthy check-up at the doctor. Mission accomplished so now I'm just hanging out on this diet / exercise regimen that I'm happy with and seeing where all the bouncing will end. Maybe I'm there now, maybe not.

IAmTheAwesomest

When you're happy when you look at your reflection in the mirror. at least that's what I think.

lovetowrite73

Hi,

I am struggling with the same issue. I am 5'6" and my goal was 145 lbs. I have lost 27 lbs. over the past 8 mos. I have been hanging out between 147-148 for a couple of months. Can't seem to make the jump to 145 lbs. I am exercising 50 min every other day during interval training. I also try to get some other form of exercise (ie walking or gardening) on my "off day." I am close to a size 8, and actually like my body for the first time in years. In terms of food, I try to limit my calories to 1350, but never seem to hit it. I think I would have to really sacrifice in order to lose more, and it is difficult to get up the motivation, after 8 mos. even for a brief time. I have settled into a way of eating that doesn't make me feel deprived, so I am wondering if I am where my body wants to be. My trainer says I need to increase the intensity of my workouts. I notice that my calorie burn is actually decreasing as I lose weight. I welcome any suggestions.

Honestly ask yourself: will 2-3 pounds really make much of a difference in my appearance? I can't imagine it would.

lovetowrite73

When you're happy when you look at your reflection in the mirror. at least that's what I think.

I agree.

jenniferg83

Jennifer!! I just want to say that I love you. Im pretty sure I remember you saying that you are 5'9 or 5'10 ..so you're a pretty tall girl. You look fantastic at your current weight. You look thin and toned and beautiful. So I think if you are feeling great and you look as good as you do then you could totally consider yourself at goal. You have transformed your life and you have dedicated yourself to fitness and health instead of just being skinny. I am sooo proud of you!! My hero

awe thats such a nice thing to say! You inspire me!:flowerforyou:

celticmuse

CeeLoveJay,

Probably not. But at 148, I'm afraid if I blink, I will be above 150 again. I think I'm looking for a big more of a cushion. And 137 would be awesome! But at 57, it is probably just not meant to be. I had a hip replacement last year, and my motivation for losing weight was the desire to avoid having a second. I am pain free, and feel 20 years younger, so life is good. Maybe I should switch to maintenance.