How do I know when to stop?

jackeh
jackeh Posts: 1,515 Member
edited September 19 in Health and Weight Loss
So i have been looking at some pictures of me ... and yes i think i still need to lose some weight but how do you know when you have lost enough? I am not at all uncomfortable with my body right now but i still apparently have 75 pounds to lose to make me 140 pounds... How do you know when you have lost enough? 140 leaves me in the healthy range... but will that make me too skinny? I mean do some people look like they weigh less then what they really do ? maybe i am not seeing me as big as i am? I mean i dont think i look fat at all.... curvy yes and yes i think i have some left to lose but im thinking maybe 75 is too much?
I have only lost 58 pounds and it has made such a HUGE difference... does it make less of a difference the lower in weight you get?
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Replies

  • jackeh
    jackeh Posts: 1,515 Member
    So i have been looking at some pictures of me ... and yes i think i still need to lose some weight but how do you know when you have lost enough? I am not at all uncomfortable with my body right now but i still apparently have 75 pounds to lose to make me 140 pounds... How do you know when you have lost enough? 140 leaves me in the healthy range... but will that make me too skinny? I mean do some people look like they weigh less then what they really do ? maybe i am not seeing me as big as i am? I mean i dont think i look fat at all.... curvy yes and yes i think i have some left to lose but im thinking maybe 75 is too much?
    I have only lost 58 pounds and it has made such a HUGE difference... does it make less of a difference the lower in weight you get?
    sarahspics067.jpg

    dscf00032.jpg
    2008_062520007.jpg
  • arewethereyet
    arewethereyet Posts: 18,702 Member
    1st of all, you look GREAT!!!

    I have been thinking about this a lot lately. I am around 143, and my "healthy range" is 105-115. Ok-maybe at 18 that was healthy, but I think I would look like a stick figure at that size!

    I feel really good right now, and I think it has to do with confidence. I eat well, I exercise a lot, so I FEEL I deserve all the compliments I have been receiving.

    I still dont like the fat parts, but cant stop looking in the mirror when I am dressed in my tight jeans!!

    Ok-so I think the best weight is the one where YOU feel good, but can keep exercising and eating healthy foods so you remain healthy.

    Does that make any sense...it is early!:flowerforyou:
  • loreeb18
    loreeb18 Posts: 1,221 Member
    Go to tools and figure out your BMI. My "healthy range" is anywhere between 107.8 - 145.7. At 107, people would ask me if I was sick. But at 145, I feel a little too heavy. So I'm aiming for 120.

    As you lose weight, see where you feel comfortable. If you get to a point where you feel great, try to maintain it and see if that weight works for you.
  • hello..
    I think you will know when you are there. When you are comfortable with your self and when you are just ready to maintain.. That is one thing I can not do.. is maintain.. I either loose or gain.. You look great by the way.. How are you doing it? how did you do it? any advise...?
  • Juliebean_1027
    Juliebean_1027 Posts: 713 Member
    I can't imagine you losing THAT much! Think about what you've already lost and the drastic change in your body shape... If you were to lose another 75 pounds I (personally) think you would look almost anorexic. My suggestion (and this is what I'm aiming for personally) is to find a picture where I can look at it now and actually like my body. So for me, when I was actually in high school and beginning years of college I thought I was a complete fatso - but looking at the pictures now, I think I looked really good. So my goal is to get back to that weight/shape. Does that make any sense? It may be a few pounds heavier than what is recommended as "healthy" but you also have to remember that EVERY BODY is different. So to make a long story short... I say lose until you're completely satisfied. If that means 30 pounds instead of 75, then so be it! You've already done a fantastic job! Keep up the great work girlie!
  • songbyrdsweet
    songbyrdsweet Posts: 5,691 Member
    You could take inch or body fat measurements and focus on body composition rather than weight. I am currently in the 'overweight' range according to my BMI, but I know I'm not overweight, so I have set a body fat goal. I have also translated that into a weight goal, but that assumes all I'll lose is fat, so it's a rough estimate. I'd like to say you're done when you're totally happy with yourself, but so few people reach that even when they look great, so I think a more objective approach is easier to follow.
  • jackeh
    jackeh Posts: 1,515 Member
    Ok you guys make tons of sense :)
    see I started at size 24-26 jeans and a 3x in shirts... and now im a 14 and a large in shirts... and im thinking if it keeps coming off the way it has been that i will be only a size 2-4 in jeans if i lost another 58 pounds... and 75 pounds i think i would disappear lol
    So its not irrational to be happy with my weight if i can fit into a size 6-8 as long as im healthy right... and maitain working out and eating healthy...
    I am still an "obese" 215 pounds... but i think i have a great body, and i will have an even greater body in a size 6-8... and i just wanted to hear im not crazy for thinking I still will be good in the "overweight" range!!!
  • lessertess
    lessertess Posts: 855 Member
    I agree with songbyrd. Weight is just a number. My personal trainer is, according to the BMI charts, obese. There is not an ounce of fat on his body, he just has a lot of dense muscle. My original goal was to get to 145 which will put me at the very top of the weight range chart and I'm not at all sure I need to go that low. I've always been very muscular and I am rather large boned. I'll know better when I get closer. When you go for your yearly checkup chat with your doctor about what's healthy for you based on your body composition. Concentrate on how you feel and on your health indicators rather than the actual weight number or the size of clothing that you wear.

    I'd like to commend you on your healthy self-esteem. It's nice to hear someone say that they feel good about themselves. So often, we hear people saying exactly the opposite and no matter what they don't feel happy with themselves. It's almost as people are afraid to be happy with themselves.
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