How do u decide when you've reached your ideal weight/look?

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  • jessichri
    jessichri Posts: 81 Member
    You've said it yourself..you look slim. You "think" you look good. To me this means you now need to work on your self-confidence more than your body. I'm not saying don't keep toning and being healthy, just realize you have other goals too. Find ways to boost your confidence and make you feel sexy so there is no more of this "I *think* I look good" and more of "I *know* I look good!"

    I don't think this is easy for anyone and its probably why its soo easy to get to an unhealthy place weight wise and how people can take weight loss too far. (not that you have of course) You'll get there! You look great..its just time for your brain to catch on. :)
  • CJ_Holmes
    CJ_Holmes Posts: 759 Member
    First off, congratulations! I personally think it is a great idea to switch to a performance mindset at this point, and see what your body can DO, not just what it can look like.

    Maintain the goal weight for a while, and figure out some things you would enjoy achieving. What would make you feel like a bad-*kitten*? If you can lift more, do pull-ups, master a dance move, swim the butterfly, or run a race, I bet you will also continue to see some visual changes.
  • MysticRealm
    MysticRealm Posts: 1,264 Member
    I'll know I've reached it when I am happy with what I see in the mirror. Right now it's looking like I will need to lose more than I initially thought but will re-evaluate when I get to my original 'goal' weight.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,876 Member
    This is why I get so annoyed when people obsess about an arbitrary number on a scale...a number that is made up of various ratios of skeleton, water, fat, and LBM. Having a goal weight is pretty meaningless without knowing and understanding what your BF% is going to be at that particular weight. I look much different at 5/10" and 180 Lbs and 19/20% BF than my buddy who is 5/10" and 183 Lbs and 12% BF even though we're just three Lbs apart. He's ripped...I look decent enough, but I look a little silly walking around with my shirt off next to him at the pool or something.

    At some point you have to focus on your overall health and well being...set fitness goals that go beyond just calorie burn and work on those...eat proper and get your nutrition and everything else tends to fall into place over time...a lot of time.
  • bookworm_847
    bookworm_847 Posts: 1,903 Member
    Its hard to put a number on it isn't it? I would love to say that I want to drop 30lbs, but I am not sure what I will look like. So, How do you feel? Its not the scale number.. its your look. ;)

    I agree with this. I went into my weight loss work thinking I wanted to be 140-145. After the work I've done the last few months, my husband says I look better now at 158 than I did when we got married when I was 145. I have a little ways to go I think, but I might end up getting to 150ish and then just concentrating on body composition.

    Listening to the advice on here and picking up some weights was probably the best thing I could have done (even though I'm still progressing).
  • ChgingMe
    ChgingMe Posts: 539 Member
    do what feels right. you know your body. For me I'm trying for a size 7/8. I have no idea what that weighs on me, but i know that will look and feel right.
  • Melissakay1222
    Melissakay1222 Posts: 74 Member
    It was within the last month or two that I reached the goal I had set for myself. I did the same thing you are doing now by questioning your goal. I felt like I would be happier with my body appearance if I lost a few more and so I set my goal about 3-4 pounds lower than I had originally set it for. I ended up being right . . . . so I can tell you that you will know when you finally reach that place where you are happy and content. Congratulations to you . . . . and now the fun begins. Sometimes I think maintaining is harder than the initial loss . . . . just getting into that groove that works for you . . . but you can do it! Enjoy it and never take it for granted . . . . you are awesome!! <3
  • waldo56
    waldo56 Posts: 1,861 Member
    So how do all of you other MFPers decide when enough is enough?

    There is no such thing.

    Always improvements to be made.

    Keep going forwards or you'll find yourself going in reverse. Or not notice (or stop caring), and be back where you started, or even worse.

    9/10 people that lose weight end up gaining most/all back. Be a one.

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