Target weight .. then what ?

DalalMutar

Here's a question to everyone...


Let's say you reached you target weight. What then? Are you going to quit MFP? What things are you going to do that you are not doing currently?


For me, If I reach my target weight (65 Kgs), I would not totally quit MFP. I might just be anxiety-free from the (how-much-calories-in-that) thing, you know? I would eat freely and not worry that much. but would still exercise. I would maintain my healthier lifestyle just so I don't get back to what I was 8 months ago (106 kgs)

how about you?

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astronomicals

eat at slight caloric surplus and work on strength training to get a symmetrical muscular base..... work on any postural issues and correct them by balancing muscular proportions... work on flexibility and mobility via something like yoga....

do all this and gain some weigth back then lean out again


while some may prefer maintenance, I prefer goals.. keeps me dedicated

pandorakick

I've hit my goal weight wise a couple of months ago. I'm still around here to make sure my body composition stays on the right track and goes on improving.

HotrodsGirl0107

I have been maintaining for almost two years. I have no plans to leave because I use the site to log exercise but I no longer log calories. My goal was to get to a point I could sustain a healthy loss without logging food the rest of my life. I continue to monitor my weight and measurement and although I am maintaining weight I have continued to lose inches through strength training .

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kat5556

I agree with the others. Maintenance takes time to figure out. For me it's the balance between not losing more and yet not gaining. I've been surprised how much I can eat now that I consume healthier foods, lots of protein and exercise. For me it's been helpful to continue to log plus I have a great support system of friends on here!

sammirust

i went into this knowing i wasnt going to be on here forever. i rarely log, and that is only so i MAKE sure i am under where i need to be with foods im unfamiliar with. even then, i only log new things a few time before i wont do it anymore.
once i hit my target goal weight, im going to continue the calorie deficit and see where i stand after that. add more when im hungry, and "get out" when i can. i dont want to think of it as exercise. i want to be able to look forward to going out on a long bike ride with my husband. or go on a walk and not be winded within 3 minutes. im looking forward to that time.

LifeWithPie

while some may prefer maintenance, I prefer goals.. keeps me dedicated

To assume people don't have goals while in maintenance....is asinine in my opinion.

to assume that was what he was implying....is asinine in my opinion.

astronomicals

while some may prefer maintenance, I prefer goals.. keeps me dedicated

To assume people don't have goals while in maintenance....is asinine in my opinion.

touché

I had to address maintenance as an option... You're right.

What kind of goals do you set at maintenance?


ETA: Yes. I didn't mean that maintenance can't have goals, but, I can surely see how it would be interpreted that way. I meant muscular gains, for the most part, and those aren't best achieved in a maintenance state.

retiree2006

I pretty much lost most of my excess weight before finding out about MFP from a friend. I'd already kept a food journal for more than a year, just to see what worked and what was a problem...and to plan my meals. I now can easily plan out meals on MFP and balance carbs/calories/protein, etc. since I'm now taking off the last few pounds and trying to build muscle. I've always known what were healthy foods, etc., but would overeat even those things. This helps establish even more, in my head, the importance of balance and good choices. I don't plan to use it "forever" but as a tool to learn more and become even healthier and solidifying that healthy life style so it becomes second nature.

theycallyoumister

I've reached my goal weight and slightly bettered it. I still log on MFP to the same degree of detail and frequency because I really want it to become 2nd nature (more of a permanent behavioural change) with my lifestyle. Speaking with others who were successful, they followed logging for 8-9 months post target. At that point, the scale/ mirror/ clothes should provide enough feedback for maintenance. Honestly (and personally), it's early for me and I'm hesitant, even somewhat reluctant, to increase my caloric intake because I've been successful getting here but the negative side effect is that I continue to lose weight. There comes a time you need to stop and that's the psychological barrier to overcome. Also, I believe in moving forward with newly revised fitness goals that I wish to pursue.

MelisaDonald

I find MFP just so so helpful on many levels, especially logging my food diary before eating so I can tweak the amounts. Without it I tend to play guess work and nibble and get back into old habits. I'm very close to reaching my goal and have thought about moving toward a maintenance plan quite a bit. Here's what I posted yesterday on my status:

"Wow, you think you're getting it all figured out and then you enter a new stage and realize it's like starting all over again. I'm playing with the numbers in an attempt to find a good and livable maintenance plan. For now I increased my caloric intake goal to 1300 calories. I hope to lose 0.5 lb (fat only) per week and/or gain lean body mass until I reach 24% body fat. I want to increase my fat intake and keep my protein intake at 100 grams per day (to maintain lean body mass.) So I changed my macro ratio goal to 35% carbs, 30% protein, 35% fat." So far this is identical to my previous goal of 40-30-30, with just a little more fat with each meal, like 10 nuts or a little coconut fat in something.

I'm also making a shift in my workouts toward higher intensity, heavier weight/resistance, but more rest days and less cardio to see if I can gain or at least maintain muscle, which I'm finding really hard to do with lower body weight. Loosing lean body mass would be a great loss indeed.

ttiiggzz

I didn't have a lot to lose, but it took the accountability of logging what I eat to get me on track with losing weight. Now that I've lost weight, I'm still tracking because I still want to be aware of every bite. For now, I'm planning to log indefinitely.

Laurieannnorris

Keeping track of what I eat by writing it down, keeps me honest with myself. I've found that when I stop journaling, I start to put the weight back on.

sadance12

Set a goal for something new! Inches, strength, half-marathon, run time, or some other kind of friendly fitness competition. Also, if you totally ignore what your body consumes and just exercise, you'll be back to your previous self and wonder how you got there... again.

LovinDaNewLiz14

Let's say you reached you target weight. What then? Are you going to quit MFP? What things are you going to do that you are not doing currently?


Then I enjoy my new fit/healthy life, and head to the police academy and well do my thing:)
I would never quit mfp I have gained alot of amazing friends that will last a lifetime:)
wear whatever I want, and loose the sweater:)

MaraDiaz

I'm going to drop it down another 7 pounds, since I set it somewhat at random and under the delusion that I'm taller than I really am.

And then when I hit that goal I'm going to keep right on logging and I'm going to do my best to actually increase my workouts so I can get in better shape. I figure in another year I might be completely happy with how I look. Or as happy as I'm ever going to be seeing as I'm not 20 anymore.

nexangelus

It is called my FITNESS pal for a reason, not just about weight loss/gain, food and maintenance is it?

Once I hit goal weight one (more to do with bodyfat percentage than actual weight) and I look reasonably okay, then I will do my first ever bulk and cut cycle. I am also training to do a sprint trialthlon this year, a tough mudder and a 9 mile off road run. My fitness goals are never over...I don't think my strength or body composition goals will be complete for a while yet either : )

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mfpcopine

while some may prefer maintenance, I prefer goals.. keeps me dedicated

To assume people don't have goals while in maintenance....is asinine in my opinion.

I think all he meant was that he has specific fitness plans. There are some people who think about maintenance in general terms: not overeating and continuing to exercise. Whatever works, although I can see the benefit of new goals.

acogg

I am here for the people. Can't leave!

cargilb

Here's a question to everyone...


Let's say you reached you target weight. What then? Are you going to quit MFP? What things are you going to do that you are not doing currently?


For me, If I reach my target weight (65 Kgs), I would not totally quit MFP. I might just be anxiety-free from the (how-much-calories-in-that) thing, you know? I would eat freely and not worry that much. but would still exercise. I would maintain my healthier lifestyle just so I don't get back to what I was 8 months ago (106 kgs)

how about you?

if you relax you run the risk of putting weight back on. 12 years ago i hit my target weight and relaxed. before I knew it and with the constant undermining from my then girlfriend, , I gained 20 pounds in a matter of a a few months. . I thought I would not gain anymore, and I didn't for a few years. Then Slowly over a span of 12 years i accepted a few more pounds every few years and lo and behold I was about 70 or 80 pounds overweight again. And my GF and I were on the out about 40 pounds before that.

This time around I will not stop logging my food. I am committed to logging my food for a long time that I will measure in years. If I don't log it here I will log it somewhere. I will never go back to eating high calorie foods no matter how strange people think my diet is. I would rather lose a friend or a lover than change my dietary habits. So, whomever is in my life HAD BETTER BE SUPPORTIVE. No options there. this is my religion and my law.

pwittek10

Hitting your target and staying there is very hard.
I hit GW of 127 over a year ago, I lost 100 pounds and then another 12 = loss 112
Now my weight is 122, I am working to get back to 117.
I can not believe how fast it goes up, then how hard it is to go down.
I never want to go back to 227. That is what keeps me on the MFP

sijomial

It is called my FITNESS pal for a reason, not just about weight loss/gain, food and maintenance is it?

This!!

Weight loss was only one of my goals, still working on strength, fitness and body composition goals.

shosho420

Maintain and suffer for the rest of your life!

BarackMeLikeAHurricane

I'll continue to bulk and cut forever.

bwnorton

I can't believe I'm within 15 pounds of my goal, so I also need to think about maintenance. I am with everybody else on this thread when it comes to having to figure out maintenance. For me, I have a target range of about 5 pounds. I need to figure out what my exercise does compared to what I'm eating.

I am currently planning to keep my regimen of tracking my food daily and my weight at least weekly. If I'm able to hold my target weight for at least a year and adjust when it goes up - or down - then I will feel that I understand maintenance.

Songbirdcw

I have been maintaining for 3 months now, and it feels great. I am still consistent with logging in to MFP and tracking my cals/exercise. I don't want to fall off the wagon just because I've hit my target, and be right where I was last year this time. I have gained muscle and loss fat, but my weight has been pretty much the same over the last few months. It's hard work, but I won't allow myself to fall back into old habits.

Inshape13

I've hit my target weight...and I have no intention of quitting MFP or stopping the daily log. Maintaining weight takes just as much time and attention as losing weight....if not more. I think that people always underestimate how difficult maintaining weight can be...and think that they don't need to be diligent about it. I think it's one of the many reasons why 90% of the people gain the weight back.

I've hit my target weight...so I've started transitioning...and have a maintenance plan in mind. I know if I don't plan my maintenance like I planned my weight loss...it won't be successful.

THIS!!! And I added in more strength training when I began maintaining.

sarah12277

I will continue to log as I know I need that. I had stopped after the original 60lb loss and gained it back over the years. The site is better than others I had used for logging so I'll still be tracking what I need to today anyway aka watching iron at minimum.