hitting your final destination.... how do you know?

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lin7604
lin7604 Posts: 3,019 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
people have asked me lately, how do you know where you are going to stop? how do you know that you will not really be able to lose more weight and maintain it? how do you know that " that is it" for losing inches, etc... my answer to them " i have no idea",lol.... so how do you know when you have finally hit your final destination with weight loss? how am i knowing that i am not goign to lose more inches or more weight and this is where i am suppose to be?

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  • lin7604
    lin7604 Posts: 3,019 Member
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    anyone go through this?
  • CristinaL1983
    CristinaL1983 Posts: 1,119 Member
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    I'm shooting for a specific body fat %. Once I get checked and am at the right body fat percent, I'll stop losing weight. If I want to change the way I look, at that point it will be pretty much just finding my maintenance calories and picking things up and putting them down.
  • lin7604
    lin7604 Posts: 3,019 Member
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    see i don't even know what a "good' bf number should be for me... i have no idea what one will look like and what to aim for?
  • QueenofScott
    QueenofScott Posts: 305 Member
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    I know my lowest adult weight, and would be ok to get there, but would really like to try losing more. My first big gaol is to hit 150 lbs by my bday in April. Then I plan to set 5lb mini-goals and just try to lose until I feel comfortable with the way I looks and feel. My lowest adult weight was 143. I would LOVE to weigh 130. For some reason that just sounds wonderful to me"
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
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    Much like driving on the PA turnpike, I typically don't know where I'm going until I've gone too far and missed the exit.

    When I started to see my ribs in my upper chest, I knew my BF was getting lower than I'd like and it was time to increase the calories for a bit then go on maintenance.

    Thankfully, doing that was easier than missing an exit on the PA turnpike. :grumble:
  • CristinaL1983
    CristinaL1983 Posts: 1,119 Member
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    I'm shooting for 20-22%
  • BarackMeLikeAHurricane
    BarackMeLikeAHurricane Posts: 3,400 Member
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    <
    This is me about a week ago and this is where I'm choosing to stop. Well, not quite stop, but as you can see I'm relatively lean but I could definitely use a few pounds of muscle. So, I decided to go on a bulk. Once I get too fat from my bulk, I'll go on another cut to reveal the muscle that was added during the bulk. Repeat this process forever. Continue the never ending cycle of bulking and cutting.
  • deb62pink
    deb62pink Posts: 84 Member
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    I'd say when you are happy with how you feel and look, numbers really are just that....You just have to be happy with it and not anyone else.
  • xilka
    xilka Posts: 308 Member
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    I've figured out, by studying the numbers,
    how much exercise I can keep up and still enjoy it,
    and how many calories I need to be satisfied and happy.

    If I take myself down to my ideal weight - 103 lbs - my TDEE will be under what I would like it to be.
    10 lbs heavier, at 113 lbs, I can eat 2000 cals x day, with an hour of exercise every day.
    If I wanted to be under 113 lbs I would either have to do more exercise, or eat less.
    And, well... I choose beer and ice cream over skinny. 113 will have to do.

    Then, I can just work on those 10 extra pounds being muscle, not fat.

    Said in another way - although I would like to look like a 103 lbs, I wouldn't like to eat like one.
  • Athena53
    Athena53 Posts: 717 Member
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    I'm at an interesting point right now- down to 130, which is what I weighed when I got out of HS, but still above my lowest adult weight of 120. (I'm 5'6"). I continue to lose, albeit slowly, and all my pants are getting loose. Now ordinarily that would be good news, but these are from my business wardrobe, some of them part of suits. I can get them altered for $40 a pair but then I darn well better not regain the weight because it will strain the seams and the taking in/letting out cycle is very hard on the fabric.

    So, I'm waiting till I hit a plateau and maintain it for 6 months or so, then getting everything taken in.
  • lin7604
    lin7604 Posts: 3,019 Member
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    I'd say when you are happy with how you feel and look, numbers really are just that....You just have to be happy with it and not anyone else.

    true... but i am pretty happy with how i am now just my lower belly issue i have, that makes me sad and unhappy... I seem to be were i am ment to be i guess b/c no matter how hard i try i can' get lower in my weight and i haven't really lost any inches in a long time... and to just accept my lower belly just isn't happening for some reason... I am not so strong and dedicated to be really strict with everything as i fall of the wagon fast and hard then, so i have a hard time accepting it...
  • coffee_rocks
    coffee_rocks Posts: 275 Member
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    I'm going to keep going until I disappear....

    Seriously, aiming for a 22 BMI, or when my pants aren't cutting off my circulation anymore. Whichever comes first.
  • Erindipitous
    Erindipitous Posts: 1,234 Member
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    There is no final destination for me. I will never "stop". I'll continue to eat healthy, exercise, and lift weights.. I have no real goal weight, I just want to be strong and healthy. Once my body gets to that point, it'll adapt and maintain it.
  • Adrini
    Adrini Posts: 56 Member
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    There is this 5k run in my area that goes once a year. You can raise money for a charity of your choice. Our area has alot of historic homes that need serious help so when I get fit enough I'm going to run for them. Or the local animal shelters. Hard choice. Maybe run two?

    It will be a red letter day.
  • Weebs628
    Weebs628 Posts: 574 Member
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    I'm aiming for 20% body fat and according to a calculater I used, that would put me at 130 pounds which is what I guessed for my goal weight. After that, I'll probably start a bulking and cutting cycle next winter. I'm 5'2" and pretty muscular so it was hard deciding on a goal weight cause a lot of women my height are aiming for 100-115 pounds.

    Fat to Fit Radio is where I used the calculator. You need to know your current and goal BF% for it.
  • lin7604
    lin7604 Posts: 3,019 Member
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    see i am 5.2 ft as well. i was aiming for 115 but haven't reached it yet... i have stalled since oct pretty much, no weight or inches just keep goign up and down the same few lbs.... i thought 20% too, not sure what that will actually look like on me, but i thought really good. I used fat 2 fit and it said i was 23.1 on the military calculator. and it shows a goal weight of 114 for 20%..... i have gotten as low as 116.4 but can't get under that at all, this past week i was bouncing between 117.6-118.6.... i just can't see how losing a few lbs will make me lose 3 %BF?
  • CristinaL1983
    CristinaL1983 Posts: 1,119 Member
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    see i am 5.2 ft as well. i was aiming for 115 but haven't reached it yet... i have stalled since oct pretty much, no weight or inches just keep goign up and down the same few lbs.... i thought 20% too, not sure what that will actually look like on me, but i thought really good. I used fat 2 fit and it said i was 23.1 on the military calculator. and it shows a goal weight of 114 for 20%..... i have gotten as low as 116.4 but can't get under that at all, this past week i was bouncing between 117.6-118.6.... i just can't see how losing a few lbs will make me lose 3 %BF?

    Anything that only uses a few measurements (as does the calculator you are using) can be pretty inaccurate. You can get a pair of calipers on amazon (or similar) for pretty cheap and they are much more accurate. It could be that you are at your goal (BF wise). You could also ask your doctor to check or get a hydrostatic test done. When I was in the Navy, there were always a few very muscular guys who would fail their weigh ins and body fat measurements and have to go get a hydrostatic test done to prove they were actually within regulations (They were usually very much within body fat regulations).

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