Goal Weight Exceeded and Scared to Stop Losing

mikelindo · December 2012

Ok, just so you know, I'm a guy. I realize that the struggle to lose weight comes at a much higher price for you women than for us men. Please keep that in mind as you read this post and don't think that I'm trying to rub in the fact that I'm actually having a hard time to keep from losing weight. I'm 6'1", 34yrs old and about 3 1/2 months ago I was up to about 225 (I didn't start myfitnesspal until I had already made it down to about 195). Since that time, I've lost over 45lbs and have now exceeded my goal weight by more than 5lbs (I decided that I needed to do this -- and do it quick after my doc told me that because of my frame size, my heart was having to go into overdrive to keep up with my weight). I am happy that I have reached my goals, but now I am scared to death to stop losing and work on retaining. I'm not sure why... and I'm hoping that maybe somebody else has gone through this and can help walk me through it. And to let you know, I'm not anorexic or bulimic... I eat healthy and have no intentions of puking up whatever I convince myself to eat. Any advice would be appreciated

randilious · December 2012

I am within 5 lbs of goal, and having the exact same feelings!!! I seem to know how to lose, and I definitely know how to gain. Never had much success at maintenance!!!! Good luck, Brother!!

Athena98501 · December 2012

If I'm tracking that info correctly, you're at about 150? How tall are you? What is your frame size? Are you happy with your physique? If not, why?

marekdds · December 2012

I understand completely. My original goal was 145 (though that was high). I am now hovering @ 130 and have been for over 6 mo. It is scary b/c you are sure that if you stop trying to lose, you will gain. Luckily that is not the case. I go up a few, down a few, but no real net change. I stay on here to keep myself honest and it helped me find how much to eat in order to not gain. You just have to play with the numbers until you find how much you can eat to maintain. Congrats on your work so far, I am sure you can do this part too.

awesomek001 · December 2012

I am happy that I have reached my goals, but now I am scared to death to stop losing and work on retaining. I'm not sure why... and I'm hoping that maybe somebody else has gone through this and can help walk me through it. And to let you know, I'm not anorexic or bulimic... I eat healthy and have no intentions of puking up whatever I convince myself to eat. Any advice would be appreciated

I lost 90 lbs and found that the maintenance portion doesn't get enough press - - so you're right to be thinking about it. Start with congratulating yourself on taking the steps to become healthy. That's a HUGE one.

Have you been finding ways to celebrate along the way without food celebrations? I always bought myself flowers every 5 lbs (yes, I'm a girl - I know), but it became a celebration in the office when the flowers showed up. Celebrate in a big way the milestone of making it to maintenance.

Just keep reminding yourself that it's a lifestyle that you're choosing, not just a quick fix. I'm thinking that the changes that you made to loose the weight were more than just starving yourself. Now you need to allow yourself to find the balance where you're not loosing any more but you're not putting it back on. Don't go back to your old bad habits - but allow yourself a little bit of leeway..

You will find blanace - - but it will still be work. Keep tracking - - make note of what works, and what doesn't.

LoveMyLife_NYC · December 2012

I feel the same way! I think it's because you have a different mentality and different goals when you get close to your goal weight. Up until now, you've been focusing hardcore on weight loss, in both diet and exercise. Now that you've reached that goal, you need to start thinking about eating a little more and setting different workout goals. When I got really close to my goal weight, I felt completely lost at the gym. It was like I'd never gone before. But I felt lost because I had always focused on losing body fat. Now I just want to continue to get stronger.

Do you have a doctor or someone at the gym who you can talk out your concerns with? My trainer always knocks my head back into reality. Maybe they can help you switch your mentality from weight loss to general fitness goals?

Firefox7275 · December 2012

Disordered eating is not just anorexia and bulimia, it is a broad church. Not saying you have an eating disorder now, but you are identifying some traits which could mean you are at increased risk - IMO speak with your doctor or other healthcare professional about your fears.

calamity71 · December 2012

I think it doesn't matter if you are a man or a woman. More focus from media is on women dieting, being bulimic, or anorexic. My husband eats very little and fears putting on weight. i think it is an issue for both men and women.

It is understandable that you don't want to stop what you have been doing, so you need to do it slowly. Taper off. Use MFP every step of the way to slow down your loss and enter that maintenance phase. You are not stopping....you are now meeting a new challenge - Maintenance. I have lost weight before and the problem is I just stopped at that point. I never did maintenance, so once again, I am on my way down. Hopefully you can find other MFP peeps in maintenance for support. Definitely talk to you doc. I don't know if you weight lift or anything like that....but maybe you need a new goal.

Good luck to you and congrats on your loss.

mikelindo · December 2012

Thanks tons for all of your feedback. Someone asked if I was at 150 -- I read my post again and realized that my wording was pretty cryptic. I'm actually down to about 177 right now. And @Calamity71, yes, I've been hitting the gym up 4 times a week which has been nice. Thanks for the support!! I honestly didn't expect so many replies! Will def talk to my doc about a good maintenance program.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics · December 2012

I think it's normal to have some trouble switching gears. I'm trying to up my calories gradually until I hit maintenance. I am at my goal weight (below it actually) but I picked a goal weight that was in the middle of the healthy BMI range, so I might decide to lose a little more. But for now I think I want to focus on strength training, which requires more calories (at least if I want to build muscle, which I do) so that will hopefully give me a little more direction. Point is, it's going to be an adjustment in mindset. You just need to figure out your next move.

Goal Weight Exceeded and Scared to Stop Losing

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