How do you know when you're done losing weight?

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  • BlueBombers
    BlueBombers Posts: 4,065 Member
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    Great question....I've been wondering that myself lately. I still have about 15 lbs to my goal weight but I already have people tell me that I shouldn't lose too much more. For me I am not really concentrating on the weight loss as much as I first was when I started. Now I am working firming up my body and getting the shape I want and getting stronger as well. So, I'm not as worried about the number on the scale.

    Looking forward to seeing all posts to this!!
  • Camera_BagintheUK
    Camera_BagintheUK Posts: 707 Member
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    Well, according to this BMI calculator, http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/tools/bmi_calculator/bmi.shtml you've still got 15lbs to go to reach your healthy BMI - but even that's not foolproof! But it suggests your instinct is correct and you need to lose more weight. You maybe need to look into it properly to be sure what your healthy weight is. On the other hand, people who are overweight but fit are more healthy than people who are at a healthy weight and are unfit.

    And I'd question what's more important - looking good or protecting your health? If it's just about looking good, you've done it! You look great now! If it's about being healthy, you might need to do a bit more work. But I'd suggest you need to talk to someone suitably qualified to get advice on that, which I'm not.

    Whatever you do, do it because that's what's right for YOU not because someone told you to do it.
  • aarar
    aarar Posts: 684 Member
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    Bump to read later. I've been wondering the same thing myself lately.
  • nomorepizza2
    nomorepizza2 Posts: 85 Member
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    Thanks everyone, you've given me a lot to think about! Perhaps I'll try maintenance for a while and see how I like it.
  • megan1869
    megan1869 Posts: 166 Member
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    Hmm... maybe you are done losing weight, BUT maybe you need a new goal? I know joining this site my initial goal was to lose X amount of weight, but over time that goal changed. I never made it to X pounds, but instead started focusing more on running, which is a hobby that has helped me get to where I am now.... pretty overall happy with myself. Which judging from your post you sound pretty pleased with your results :) branch out find something new to help you maintain your loss and enrich your life .....

    P.S. I agree with everyone ^^^ you did an AMAZING job!!
  • ami5000psu
    ami5000psu Posts: 391 Member
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    Congrats on your loss! You do look fantastic.

    I actually came to this decision this morning. When I first started I set an arbitrary goal weight based on how I looked when I lost weight in the past. I did things differently this time around, and lifted more instead of focusing on cardio alone, I think I look much better at my current weight than I originally thought I would. Since the goal of 135 was pretty arbitrary I decided to just forget about losing the last 5 pounds it would take me to get there and instead focus on strength and recomposition. Plus I think the amount of work I would need to do to drop those last 5 pounds would be detrimental because how I'm eating/working out now are more aligned with how I would be doing things in maintenance.

    So if you feel like you're in a good place maybe you just need a new goal. Good luck :smile:
  • LarryDUk
    LarryDUk Posts: 279 Member
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    I have changed my goal weight a couple of times and now my goal is BF %. I'm 6' and sit between 170 and 174. I have started stronglifts 5x5 and will finish the 12 week into and see where my body is then. I don't really care about the scale now, unless is shoots way up!
  • MattLBennett
    MattLBennett Posts: 24 Member
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    Well, according to this BMI calculator, http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/tools/bmi_calculator/bmi.shtml you've still got 15lbs to go to reach your healthy BMI - but even that's not foolproof! But it suggests your instinct is correct and you need to lose more weight.

    BMI has flaws. According to this he is now in a healthy BMI : http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/9816596/Interactive-calculator-do-you-win-or-lose-with-the-new-BMI.html
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    BF% and body composition are far more important in my estimation than an arbitrary weight on the scale. Really, it comes down to whether you're in a healthy BF% range and whether or not you're happy with your body composition.

    I've been maintaining now for about 5 months and have been pretty happy with being right around 19% - 20% BF. I think it was really good mentally to take this break and maintain and just enjoy myself. I just started another cut today to try to get down to around 15% BF and about 170 Lbs as I'm finally ready to really take on my spare tire. This will mean losing roughly 13 Lbs or so...nice and slow.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    Well, according to this BMI calculator, http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/tools/bmi_calculator/bmi.shtml you've still got 15lbs to go to reach your healthy BMI - but even that's not foolproof! But it suggests your instinct is correct and you need to lose more weight.

    BMI has flaws. According to this he is now in a healthy BMI : http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/9816596/Interactive-calculator-do-you-win-or-lose-with-the-new-BMI.html

    IMO BMI is a garbage stat..I have 13% body fat but BMI says I am "overweight" ....really??
  • andrewjuu
    andrewjuu Posts: 76 Member
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    I was wondering the same thing after I've blown thru 2 of my "target" weights (so far) on my way down. I'm inclined not to use a stat (like BMI) or a generic height/weight chart. I decided I will go by a combination of the following factors (listed in no particular order of importance):

    1) What I look like in the mirror w/ no clothes on,
    2) What I feel like,
    2) What my wife & close friends & family think,
    3) A professional medical opinion, ie., what my GP says when I see him next. He may set me a new target since I blew thru the one he set for me when I started. Or (going by exam results & metrics he gets via blood work, etc.), he may tell me I'm at a healthy weight already.

    That's my strategy for now though I reserve the right to change based on what I read here later tonight when i have time to read the whole comversation.
  • Camera_BagintheUK
    Camera_BagintheUK Posts: 707 Member
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    Well, according to this BMI calculator, http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/tools/bmi_calculator/bmi.shtml you've still got 15lbs to go to reach your healthy BMI - but even that's not foolproof! But it suggests your instinct is correct and you need to lose more weight.

    BMI has flaws. According to this he is now in a healthy BMI : http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/9816596/Interactive-calculator-do-you-win-or-lose-with-the-new-BMI.html

    IMO BMI is a garbage stat..I have 13% body fat but BMI says I am "overweight" ....really??

    Well I did say it's not foolproof :smile:
  • LiminalAscendance
    LiminalAscendance Posts: 489 Member
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    Hi everyone,
    Been dieting now for 11 months. Down from 322 pound to 210 pounds. (I'm 41 years old and 6 feet 3 inches tall).
    This website and the wonderful people here have been a huge help to me on the way. I'm very happy with my loss but I was aiming to lose at least another 10 to bring it down to a nice round number.
    That was until I went home over the weekend and saw the pictures that were taken by my family. Must admit, I was surprised to see how much slimmer I looked. Funny how the mirror can lie, but the camera never does.
    For a while now people have been telling me that I've lost enough and should stop but I ignored them.
    My question is, how do you know when you're done? Should I take the advice of my friends and family and maintain here or push on with the weight loss?
    Here is a before/after pic I just made using photojoiner.net
    Have a great day everyone,
    Paul

    First off, great work!

    I was interested in this topic, since I've been thinking the same thing myself.

    I was hoping to see my abs a bit more clearly, but I think perhaps I need a "cleaner" diet for that to happen. Since I won't be doing that, I may decide to start relaxing what I eat.
  • jlapey
    jlapey Posts: 1,850 Member
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    You 'stop' when YOU are satisfied. But it's not really stopping, you actually move to maintenance or decide on a new goal: definition, strength, endurance...whatever.
  • zacharydeveaux
    zacharydeveaux Posts: 17 Member
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    I'm also 6 foot 3 and have lost quite a bit (started 296 - now at 203). I've been getting the same kind of comments from people saying I don't need to lose more. Not that I care what they think, but I have noticed the comments....

    Anyway, I had set my initial goal weight for 180 (middle of the BMI - I know...I know....BMI is inaccurate, etc....) - though I plan to re-evaluate it soon if necessary. I'm basically just waiting for my weight loss trend to taper off or to hit my goal. Whatever comes first.

    I'll worry about 'toning' once I'm satisfied with the bulk weight loss. I find I look like I lost some muscle along with some fat, which was probably due to my exercise being 100% cardio.
  • suzyfj8
    suzyfj8 Posts: 257 Member
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    I agree with everyone else when you are happy with your body and how you look then stop dieting and start maintaining, but we are always a work in progress so maybe make fitness goals instead?
    CONGRATULATIONS on the weight loss, it is incredible you should be very very proud of yourself, you are an inspiration!
  • harlanJEN
    harlanJEN Posts: 1,089 Member
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    IMO you are never "done"..there is always a new goal whether it be body fat %, strength, bulk etc....

    Once you let off the gas then old habits come back and next thing you know you have gained ten pounds..

    So keep finding new goals...lose the last ten pounds, then focus on getting to 15% body fat or something..

    ^^^ THIS. ultimately, you go with what YOU feel like. It's truly not the scale , or even what folks say. Although its FAB getting that feedback. I will never be DONE. However, I am done with chasing scale numbers. I'm going for SLEEKER. More muscle definition, strength, less body fat , spectacular Delts, etc. will always be something! I am sooo competitive. Challenge is FUN.

    You look spectacular BTW. I groove on the before pic too. Totally diff look though! Def younger looking now. Woot!
  • paxbfl
    paxbfl Posts: 391 Member
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    As others have said, BMI is not worth much. It's an "ignorant" number because it doesn't know how much muscle you have when it makes it's calculations. I'm also around 13% body fat and "overweight" according to BMI because I have a decent amount of muscle mass.

    Everyone should make it a goal to be in the healthy body fat range for their age. Beyond that, it's very personal and depends on what you want to do. My goal was to get to 12% body fat but I'm starting to rethink that a bit. As I approach that goal I don't feel quite as good as I did before - I'm losing strength and energy. So I may just stay around 15% body fat for a while... work on building muscle. Maybe later I'll cut body fat at a higher overall body weight and see if that helps.

    I found this article helpful, as well as the links the article contains. It can help you choose a goal as well as chart your progress to this point.

    http://www.builtlean.com/2012/09/24/body-fat-percentage-men-women/
  • clownfear_7
    clownfear_7 Posts: 59
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    Brother, you look great! Just had to get that out of the way.
    We are quite similar. I am 42, 6' tall, started out at 310 (the most I have weighed was 330), and I am now down to 239.
    It is very hard to look in the mirror and think I still look fat. Yeah, I know that I am smaller than before, but I don't see it as very drastic. It's a twisted trick of the mind that when I was fat I saw myself as not being that bad and now that I am much smaller I see myself as needing to lose more.
    I am actually quite content at my current weight, but there are some activities and events that I would like to participate in and weighing less is definitely going to help me be more successful. An example is that in a month in my area we have a 10 mile man vs. horse marathon. I know that my success in that run is going to be dependent on losing more weight.
    So, to answer your question I guess you have to 1. be healthy, 2. have goals and see if where you are at is going to get you there, and 3. seek to be content with your success.
    Keep up the fight, but please don't allow your struggle to be mentally unhealthy.
  • mulecanter
    mulecanter Posts: 1,792 Member
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    IMO you are never "done"..there is always a new goal whether it be body fat %, strength, bulk etc....

    Once you let off the gas then old habits come back and next thing you know you have gained ten pounds..

    So keep finding new goals...lose the last ten pounds, then focus on getting to 15% body fat or something..

    This. We are all in AA.

    Both guys look like nice guys--the one on the right seems a touch happier.

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