Anyone else disappointed when they reached their goal weight

tigersword

Thanks for your replies, glad anyone even looked at my post!

My job has been a major factor in helping me lose weight as it involves lots of heavy lifting and power walking all day, which I do believe has been a driving force in helping me lose weight.

I think perhaps looking at what I eat may help me look better, and perhaps some kind of lifting or 30DS type thing. However, I've tried 30DS for a few days before and although for a lot of people, i can appreciate they are amazing at getting results, I need to be able to function well at work, therefore can't be sore the next day or i wont physically be able to work my job properly.

I'm happy at what the scales say now, still suprised at the number because what I see in the mirror doesn't match up to what i expected, just trying to figure out how to change that!

Hopefully just continuing to work and eat well, my body could possibly improve, particularly if I ate more and better perhaps? I should probably start educating myself on better eating now... :S

Real strength training will actually make your job much easier. Muscle soreness after exercise doesn't impact actual performance, in fact, if you do a lot of heavy living at work, that lifting will actually make the soreness go away. Plus muscle soreness is temporary, the more you exercise and especially if you have a physical job, the less sore you will feel.

And if you feel sore after every workout, you're doing it wrong.

DrNicoleRed

Check out this site: http://www.mybodygallery.com/

It's what has helped me set goals for myself based on what I want to look like. Some of the heights/weights don't have a lot of pictures, but in most cases you still get to see a few different body types. It can also be helpful if the issue isn't so much that you don't have the body you expected, but rather you aren't seeing yourself accurately.

Great website! Thanks for the tip…nice to get a reality check.

ansonrinesmith

1) There may be self confidence issues to be dealt with
2) You may be "Skinny Fat", where you are in the correct range for weight, but still out of shape.
You can overcome this by strength training, this will continue to reduce body fat, increase muscle and change the shape of your body while not reducing your overall weight. You could go up or down, but I wouldn't expect much, especially if you are eating enough calories to sustain the new workouts.

MaximalLife

So, set new goals - higher goals!
Make these about fat loss and weight maintenance.

lindalou4850

I have reached my goal weight and fully dressed i look pretty hot (so I'm told). I am much older than you, so my skin has also lost it's elasticity. i have researched this and found out that it can take 1-2 years for your skin to catch up. (isn't that depressing). I think you should just work with weights and things will get better for you. good luck to you. you are doing great.
One more thing..I think that no matter how much weight we loose or what size clothes we wear we are never truly happy with ourselves.

mjbrowne

I'm 5' 3/4"...and my goal is 135! I bet you look AMAZING at 115!!! We just have to learn to live with the body types we have. I have big muscles with wide hips and large legs / butt. I can't change that, so I've learned to love my curves. Also..when I was weight training daily in 2006, I weighed 155 and LOVED my naked body. I was totally toned and not jiggly, although I was 155.

Fast forward to fall 2011. I got down to 141 (15 lbs less than 5 years ago) and hated my naked body because I was flabby. I was moderately exercising and watching what I ate..so I lost weight and wore size 8's for thefirst time in my life..but I was still flabby. Now I'm concentrating on eating healthier / cleaner and builing muscle WHILE cutting weight.

The scale is NOT our friend. Body fat measurements and the tape measure will help you more.
MAINLY-many of us women have a SEVERELY warped perception of ourselves in our head anyway! I weight 155-160 from 8th grade on (I'm 35 now) ..so most of my friends or old schoolmatesI run in to tell me constantly how amazing I look. I know I'm thinner than I've EVER been in my adult life...but I still see 160 lb HUGE THIGHS in the mirror. I don't see my size 8/10 thighs. I'm trying to work on that by strenght training and getting toned again.

Good luck..YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL! OWN IT AND CELEBRATE IT!!!

kittyneutron

Perhaps weight loss was perceived as some magic solution to life's problems. If we see all answers to our problems as "if only I could lose weight" then we are going to be disappointed. It should not be so much about body image but about health and fitness. If we can be active, eat healthy, minimal health problems, and enjoy life, then we will be pleasantly thrilled with what weight loss will contribute to that. BUt, if we continue to see what is wrong with us - then perhaps the issue isn't really weight loss so much as the mental baggage that put us there in the first place? Sure, did I get saggy parts (age 57) with my 80 pound weight loss? heck yeah! I am still utterly thrilled with being able to keep up with my 5 grandsons, being able to run in races, and no longer being short of breath or unable to do stuff because I'm simply too fat and out of shape. That's what matters to me. It isn't going to make me prettier. I"m already as gorgeous as I"m going to get! <<<grin>>>

GREAT attitude and GREAT thoughts Melissa, thank you for sharing

celticmuse

I agree with most people on here. I'm not sure you have to lose anymore weight, I think maybe what your unhappy with is your "shape" and the only way to change that is with weights and fitness!! Give the scale a break and try to focus on strengthing and perhaps building a little muscular curve.....I have a feeling you'll LOVE the results!!!! And congrats on reaching your goal weight....if you can do that...you can commit to some fitness! =-)

^^^This. Take some time to celebrate your success. You earned it! But it is also good to recognize that you have arrived at your destination. I have a friend, about whom I am concerned, who has lost over 50 lbs, now weighs about 105 and has less than 10% body fat. She hardly eats, and exercise has become an obsession for her. I don't think that is healthy, but I don't know how to help her. Don't let that happen to you.

Nelski

Lift weights in a gym with a pre-written beginners program and use progressive resistance (add weight over time so that you're lifting heavier loads). Consume sufficient protein. Come back in 4 to 6 months.

this

I would say this too, and my recommendations would be to get the book New Rules of Lifting for Woman if you can get to a gym or if you want to do it at home with less equipment, try ChaLEAN Extreme.

PearsPeppersandPeanutButter

I love your profile quote. It really hit the nail on the head. I have stopped having parties that revolve around food and instead about activity.

awdhemi

Not disappointed, but I'm within a few pounds of it, and definitely am readjusting my fitness goals. I'm not as focused on the scale's number anymore, but instead, need to work harder on toning up the areas that still need attention. Strength training might make the scale go up a bit again, but if it tightens up my 'jiggly bits', its not a bad thing! I also need to clean up my diet a lot more, and get away from processed convenience foods that I tend to rely on.

Saw this quote the other day: "Take pride in how far you've come, and have faith in how far you can go! " You've done a great job, so I hope you can come to realize that you've succeeded at something that a lot of people never manage to do in their lifetime!

^^This!!

I hit my goal of 150 (I'm 5'10") earlier this month. People around me having been saying "ok, it's time to quit losing!". I think that how people see me in clothes, I probably look great. However, one, we are the hardest on ourselves. And two, I think that when we are in our birthday suit, we see "what jiggles". So, I have focused more on toning with weights, where before I was all about cardio to lose weight. Be proud of what you have accomplished and change your goal from weight loss to maintenance and toning.

cbirdso

I am also 5ft 4in and I have recently reached the upper range of a healthy BMI. I am totally PLEASED with the way I look. I was even super happy 10 pounds ago but was determined to get to "officially" not overweight. I might work on another 5 pounds or so, mostly to keep me motivated to continue to watch what I eat and not regain. My body shape may not be perfection, but I was never expecting that anyway. I am happy to be able to sit in public seats comfortably, be able to buy clothes that fit, wrap a body towel around me and have it cover me as well as a dress would and basically look pretty good without clothes. I achieved all these goals and am therefore happily content.

SouthernNHgirl

If you can't find any old photos, ask your family and friends for some. Then take new photos and compare. I'm sure you will be happy with what you see. Congratulations on hitting your goal!

beasley87

I've been reading the forum for a while now, and never really participated, but this topic speaks to me, so here's my first post!

Anyways, I've had the same issue in the past, and I think we all have some sort of distorted vision of ourselves.
The first time I lost weight, many years ago (went from about 170lbs to 143lbs, I'm 5'7") and never took any photos of my progress.
At 170lbs, I knew I was a on the bigger side, but was never super overweight that I was made fun of at school, or hated myself or whatever. I just wanted to be more confident. Anyways, this change from 170 to 143 didn't happen overnight, and while this happens, you look at yourself in the mirror everyday, and you adjust to all the changes that are slowly happening.
I feel like you adjust to these changes so much, that you almost forget that you were ever bigger or what you used to look like, and by the time you reach your goal weight, it's almost like it never happened. I didn't take photos in front of the mirror to record my weight loss, but we all have some random photos with friends or family, and when I looked at them, I was shocked to see how big I looked at 170lbs. I never saw myself like this in the mirror?

Anyways, what I'm trying to say is that maybe you are dissapointed because you simply adjusted to all these changes as they happened, and kinda forgot what it was like to be bigger.
I'm sure you also have random photos from your bigger days, so look at these, and look at your photos from now, and be proud of how far you've come.

And for the little flab, some weight training should help

_VoV

I have reached my goal weight and fully dressed i look pretty hot (so I'm told). I am much older than you, so my skin has also lost it's elasticity. i have researched this and found out that it can take 1-2 years for your skin to catch up. (isn't that depressing). I think you should just work with weights and things will get better for you. good luck to you. you are doing great.
One more thing..I think that no matter how much weight we loose or what size clothes we wear we are never truly happy with ourselves.

I observed the gradual skin tightening in my diabetic cat who lost about half his body weight (20 lbs to 8 lbs). Initially, he had a suspended pooch that would wobble from side to side when he walked. A couple years later, this pooch disappeared and he had a tight belly again. I was amazed! When I lost a lot of weight in my 20's, I didn't know this, and went for an immediate tummy tuck. Based on what I saw with my cat, I would wear spanx and wait it out.

casiepw

I have not reached my goal yet. I've lost almost 20 lbs. For me it's a pretty significant weight loss, because I don't diet. I steadily gained 50 lbs over the last 10 years by neglecting myself. Now I get a lot of compliments from family and friends. None of that phases me. I'm not proud of myself at all. Look what I did to my body and my health to get this way. I weigh myself almost everyday as a reminder of how far I still have to go. But the one thing that keeps me going, the one thing that gives me satifaction, is that I "feel" better physically. I can run, I can play with my kids. I "feel" like I can accomplish things. I have two kids. I have no dillusions that my body will be the same as it was when I was 19. But I'm sure as hell gonna enjoy life and take part in it rather than waiting for heart desease of diabieties to take over.

Chin up. It sounds like you have a job that allows you to be active and you're now at a healthy weight. Be proud of yourself and what you have accomplished. Focus on what you have gained in confidence, stamina and drive. Confidence is sexy!

lottie_28

I don't think you should lower your goal weight at all. Without meaning to be harsh, if you aren't happy with your body/yourself at this weight (which is on the lower end of healthy), then you won't be any happier with it at a lower weight. The answer needs to come from within you, rather than from the scales.
Keep up your healthy lifestyle, and whilst maintaining your weight, try to work on your mentality and change your mindset from the person who needs to lose weight to the person who is beautiful at whatever weight. x

auticus

Fixated on poundage is the problem. Body fat % and muscle tone should be your goal now, not poundage on the scale.

IMO.

mattkellett

Hi I'm 5ft 4 and I have weighed in at 115lbs for the last few days (my goal), and have lost nearly 3 stone from my starting weight (158lbs).

Despite reaching my goal weight, which i didn't really think would happen anyway, I don't feel very happy with the results. I am frustrated I didn't take any before pictures to show myself how far i've come and instead still see the parts of me i'd like to change.

I'm thinking about changing my weight goal to a lower number, still within the healthy BMI range but see what happens if I continue doing what I'm doing and hope my body changes a little more.

I realise that I need to change my ideas on how i look, but just wanted to know if this was common with people meeting their goal weight???

do not worry about your BMI, it is not a true reflection. change the goal now from a weight goal to an achievement, continue to use MFP to track information for you. Set a goal for yourself wth something you jhave always wanted to do, but thought you were too "out of shape" to do, now that you are theweight you are now might b the time. I coach my clients that there is no maintance phase, you need to set a new bunch or "a" goal to start training for.

you can do this, GET AFTER IT!!!!