Reached your goal weight and still look fat?

edwardkim85
edwardkim85 Posts: 438 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
It's great that you lost 20 lbs/ 30 lbs/ 50 lbs/ 100 lbs.... but now what?

Are you satisfied 'maintaining' or do you want to start 'toning' and look super fit?

Because most of the time when we've lost that much weight, we surely reached our goal weight...

but most of us do not look fit/muscular due to glycogen/carb depletion/ loss of lean muscle mass during weight loss.
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Replies

  • uconnwinsnc
    uconnwinsnc Posts: 1,054 Member
    Lots of us think that just because we lost the weight all of our "emotional" problems we had when we were fat will just magically go away. We blame lots of our problems on "being fat" then realize that being thin doesn't fix the problems.

    If you aren't happy with how you look at your goal, set a new goal.
  • AshwinA7
    AshwinA7 Posts: 102 Member
    I'm in the same position, actually.

    I hit my original goal of 160 on the weekend but realized that I am still very overweight. Time to keep going, I guess.
  • alisonlynn1976
    alisonlynn1976 Posts: 929 Member
    When I reach my goal weight, I plan to keep going with strength training. If this eventually results in me putting some of the weight back on while improving how my body looks, that will be fine with me.

    I do see a lot of people on here with goal weights that are still in the overweight or high normal range, and I think such people often reconsider their goal as they approach it.
  • DemoraFairy
    DemoraFairy Posts: 1,806 Member
    I had that, so I just kept going. I don't have a goal weight as such, I'm just dieting until I'm happy with my body.

    Though if I lose more than 8lbs now I'll be underweight... so if I get there and am still not happy I guess it'll be time to hit the weights. But I want to see what I can look like without doing that first.
  • RoyBeck
    RoyBeck Posts: 947 Member
    IMO- While many of us probably still see ourselves as fatter than we actually are after losing a bunch of weight, the loss of muscle associated with dieting without strength training often leaves is looking soft even at a weight we thought we would look good at. If you haven't strength trained while dieting, add it at maintenance, you can even put on a few pounds and still look "fitter".

    I put on ten pounds after reaching goal and think I look better with the newly added weight.

    Superb advice.
  • Kegsey55
    Kegsey55 Posts: 28 Member
    When I reach my goal weight, I plan to keep going with strength training. If this eventually results in me putting some of the weight back on while improving how my body looks, that will be fine with me.

    I do see a lot of people on here with goal weights that are still in the overweight or high normal range, and I think such people often reconsider their goal as they approach it.

    My inital goal was just inside normal BMI and when I got there I decided to drop another 7lbs. I don't yet look how I want to but I am doing weights and I'm gradually getting smaller even though my weight is hardly changing. As I get smaller my weight is less important.
  • 9chimera11
    9chimera11 Posts: 40 Member
    IMO- While many of us probably still see ourselves as fatter than we actually are after losing a bunch of weight, the loss of muscle associated with dieting without strength training often leaves is looking soft even at a weight we thought we would look good at. If you haven't strength trained while dieting, add it at maintenance, you can even put on a few pounds and still look "fitter".

    I put on ten pounds after reaching goal and think I look better with the newly added weight.


    ^^ This :)
  • Springfield1970
    Springfield1970 Posts: 1,945 Member
    When I got down to 123lb at 5'7" I felt emaciated on top and flabby and shapeless on bottom, I was basically the same shape but smaller. And I trained for triathlon and lifted all year too! It was only when I started to properly grow muscle on a controlled bulk, and do more compound lifting like deadlifts and squats that I can look in the mirror and go.....yep...I'd shag that!

    I've not felt like that for decades. It really turns the clock back, especially if you get the balance right for what you particularly like in regards to muscle size and body fat. I personally don't want to go under what I am now, 19/20%.

    I'm now 128lb, and plan on more LBM building. It looks hot.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    Why wait until you are at goal wait to start working on muscle do it now.
  • DemoraFairy
    DemoraFairy Posts: 1,806 Member
    Why wait until you are at goal wait to start working on muscle do it now.

    I'm personally waiting because I don't like weight lifting. So this means two things:

    1. I want to know if I can be happy with how I look without it. I'd much rather not have to do weight lifting for the rest of my life.
    2. I did weight lifting for about 6 months when I started my diet, and eventually gave it up because I hated it. If I started again now I'd just end up giving up again. If, however, I know that I need to do it - and if I have progress pictures I can look at to see exactly how it's helping - that'll hopefully be enough motivation to carry on.

    I'm in no hurry, I'd much rather wait a bit and have those two benefits than start doing it now and give up again in the future.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    Why wait until you are at goal wait to start working on muscle do it now.

    I'm personally waiting because I don't like weight lifting. So this means two things:

    1. I want to know if I can be happy with how I look without it. I'd much rather not have to do weight lifting for the rest of my life.
    2. I did weight lifting for about 6 months when I started my diet, and eventually gave it up because I hated it. If I started again now I'd just end up giving up again. If, however, I know that I need to do it - and if I have progress pictures I can look at to see exactly how it's helping - that'll hopefully be enough motivation to carry on.

    I'm in no hurry, I'd much rather wait a bit and have those two benefits than start doing it now and give up again in the future.

    You are 8lbs from being underweight...so you are pretty much at a "good" weight for you...and you still aren't happy....hmmm
    There are tonnes of pics on this site of what weight lifting can do or at least resistence training....

    No offense but chances are another 5-8 lbs isn't going to get you what you want...if you don't like weights don't do them..try circut training with body weight and resistence bands...

    The key here is that "goal weight" doesn't always get you what you want if you aren't at least preserving the muscle you have ....I have a sister who figured that out and does a lot of ciruct training decided her goal weight was too low as she has pretty much acheived the look she wants.
  • DemoraFairy
    DemoraFairy Posts: 1,806 Member
    Why wait until you are at goal wait to start working on muscle do it now.

    I'm personally waiting because I don't like weight lifting. So this means two things:

    1. I want to know if I can be happy with how I look without it. I'd much rather not have to do weight lifting for the rest of my life.
    2. I did weight lifting for about 6 months when I started my diet, and eventually gave it up because I hated it. If I started again now I'd just end up giving up again. If, however, I know that I need to do it - and if I have progress pictures I can look at to see exactly how it's helping - that'll hopefully be enough motivation to carry on.

    I'm in no hurry, I'd much rather wait a bit and have those two benefits than start doing it now and give up again in the future.

    You are 8lbs from being underweight...so you are pretty much at a "good" weight for you...and you still aren't happy....hmmm
    There are tonnes of pics on this site of what weight lifting can do or at least resistence training....

    No offense but chances are another 5-8 lbs isn't going to get you what you want...if you don't like weights don't do them..try circut training with body weight and resistence bands...

    The key here is that "goal weight" doesn't always get you what you want if you aren't at least preserving the muscle you have ....I have a sister who figured that out and does a lot of ciruct training decided her goal weight was too low as she has pretty much acheived the look she wants.

    Yes, I've seen those pictures. And I'll be honest... for 90% of them I prefer the before pictures. So those are hardly great motivations for me.

    I know another few pounds probably isn't going to make much difference (which makes me very sad lol). I've tried things like that, I've tried the sorts of things personal trainers make you do, I've tried fitness classes like Pilates, Body Pump and Zumba, and I've hated all of them.

    Like I said, I don't have a goal weight. I'm just losing until it would be unhealthy, at which point I'll start weight training if I have to. For me it's all about motivation - I'll only have the motivation to stick with any sort of exercise if I know I HAVE to do it. If there's the slightest chance I can look how I want without having to do it I'll just give up again.

    All I want is a flat stomach anyway, I'm happy with everything else. It's going down with weight loss and it's very nearly flat. If I'm lucky I might get it in the next few pounds.
  • bigboyhealth
    bigboyhealth Posts: 6
    IMO- While many of us probably still see ourselves as fatter than we actually are after losing a bunch of weight, the loss of muscle associated with dieting without strength training often leaves is looking soft even at a weight we thought we would look good at. If you haven't strength trained while dieting, add it at maintenance, you can even put on a few pounds and still look "fitter".

    I put on ten pounds after reaching goal and think I look better with the newly added weight.

    At the moment I am two months into my weight loss efforts. My measuring stick at the moment is BMI. My first goal is to move down a level to the "Overweight" category and then down to the "Healthy" category. I am using alternate day fasting with cardio exercise and I know that up to 30% of the weight I am dropping is muscle mass.

    Once I hit my healthy BMI, I will shift my measuring stick to body fat %. For men the ideal range is 8-10% and 10-12% for the ladies. I realise that losing body fat once I reach my healthy BMI will require a change in diet and exercise. I will need to do more strength training and ensure I am properly fuelling my body for such a regime.

    I also know that in this stage I am going put on weight but that comes with building muscle. Remember a 150 pound man/woman with 12% body fat is going to look better than a 150 pound man/woman with 20% body fat. It's really important for everyone to ensure they are using the right measuring sticks based on where they are along the weight loss path.
  • SillyC2
    SillyC2 Posts: 275 Member
    Check out this post by professional athlete Lauren Fleshman. She has some pictures of herself on the runway, then pictures from herself training THE SAME WEEK. How are people getting a flat stomach for pictures? Apparently, spray tan, lighting tricks, and sucking in their guts.


    http://asklaurenfleshman.com/2013/11/keeping-it-real/
  • Eleonora91
    Eleonora91 Posts: 688 Member
    My goal isn't really low for my height, since it's 65 kgs for 165 cms. I'm around <4 kgs far from it, and even if I can really see I got "thinner", I know I'm not thin and I know I won't be thin when I reach my goal. If I set my goal lower I could probably look less fat, but I don't want to at the moment, and I honestly don't know how much I would need to lose to look normal weight or thin. I'm trying to focus on losing these last kgs and I'm trying to get some muscles, I want to tone up and improve my resistence, I want to be able to run and sustain some physical fatigue, but I don't know how toned I can actually look while still weighing so much.
  • MyFoodGod
    MyFoodGod Posts: 184 Member
    Top weight and age also play a role.

    If a person has spent decades at say more than 200 pounds overweight, it's unrealistic to expect their body to bounce back to a youthful look.

    I realize this doesn't apply necessarily to the original poster but a lot of people read these posts and we all need to realize that what's possible for one will not be for all.

    I met a man who lost more than 500 pounds and has kept it off for decades. He will always carry the physical and visual burden of having reached that top weight but now he is mobile and his life is manageable.
  • jeffpettis
    jeffpettis Posts: 865 Member
    OP, You just explained the reason why you should be weight training while losing fat. If you are not trying as hard as you can to hang on to the muscle you have while dieting your body is going to use just as much muscle as fat for energy, it's not picky.

    Waiting until you have hit your "goal weight" to start training is not optimal because you will initially be just gaining back muscle that you could have preserved during dieting which would have kept you from still looking "soft" or "skinny fat" when you did hit your goal weight.

    Just my two cents...
  • PhearlessPhreaks
    PhearlessPhreaks Posts: 890 Member
    This is exactly why I'm strength training NOW. It isn't visible yet, but I am getting stronger; the scale hasn't move much, but I know I'm doing the right thing and in time, it will. It's frustrating and there are moments when I think I just want to focus on cardio right now so I can see scale progress... but then I remind myself I want to get to a better, stronger me sooner. And, I like strength training. I used to like it more than cardio, but as I've gotten stronger and getting in better cardiovascular shape, I am liking them more equally.
  • Annie_01
    Annie_01 Posts: 3,096 Member
    Why wait until you are at goal wait to start working on muscle do it now.

    I have often wondered why people wait until after they lose the weight. Why not tackle it all at once? Let one aid the other during this time. When I hit my goal weight I want to have a healthy eating plan and a healthy fitness plan in place.

    During my first 50lbs I did some...using resistance bands, dumbbells and just my own body weight. Now that I have reached the halfway point I have increased my resistance training. I doubt if I ever lift "heavy" (at 61 I am not sure that is wise LOL) but I do enjoy the extra strength that even the light weights are giving me.
  • bigboyhealth
    bigboyhealth Posts: 6
    I have weights sitting in my garage but the reason that I don't do strength training now is that I have a BMI over 30 and seeing myself drop 1.75kg/3.8lbs per week on average keeps me motivated to keep going. If I were to strength train and I find I am only losing half or a quarter of that per week, I just don't know if I will be motivated enough and have the strength of mind to continue. I think its a personal thing. Seeing the weight fall off and quickly keeps me motivated. As I am walking past a food court taking in the wonderful smells, the thing that stops me from buying a quick dim sim or getting a bag of fries is the thought of the amount I have lost. So for me I guess it's a psychological thing but I definitely see the benefit in strength training while losing weight - it will just take you longer to get where you need to be on the scales.
  • WhyLime113
    WhyLime113 Posts: 104 Member
    I actually love my body now and am overweight. If I were to focus on how I looked I wouldn't change a thing. I mostly focus on what I can do, rather than what the scale says. Although I'm not sure I'll start weight training anytime soon. I don't like it much myself. I'll probably pick it up next month, and just go to the gym after work so it's squeezed in and less a waste of time (if I had to go there without being on the vicinity already it would be pointless, it's not really that important IMO)
  • jeffpettis
    jeffpettis Posts: 865 Member
    I have weights sitting in my garage but the reason that I don't do strength training now is that I have a BMI over 30 and seeing myself drop 1.75kg/3.8lbs per week on average keeps me motivated to keep going. If I were to strength train and I find I am only losing half or a quarter of that per week, I just don't know if I will be motivated enough and have the strength of mind to continue. I think its a personal thing. Seeing the weight fall off and quickly keeps me motivated. As I am walking past a food court taking in the wonderful smells, the thing that stops me from buying a quick dim sim or getting a bag of fries is the thought of the amount I have lost. So for me I guess it's a psychological thing but I definitely see the benefit in strength training while losing weight - it will just take you longer to get where you need to be on the scales.

    Lifting weights is not going to make you lose less weight. If anything it will aid in your weight loss. While in a deficit you are not going to build much if any new muscle, but you will give your body a reason to hang onto the muscle you have.

    Muscle burns calories, fat does not. The more muscle you can preserve while dieting the easier it is going to be to lose fat. You should still see the scale moving while dieting and lifting weights. If the scale is not moving it simply means you are not in a deficit.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    IMO- While many of us probably still see ourselves as fatter than we actually are after losing a bunch of weight, the loss of muscle associated with dieting without strength training often leaves is looking soft even at a weight we thought we would look good at. If you haven't strength trained while dieting, add it at maintenance, you can even put on a few pounds and still look "fitter".

    I put on ten pounds after reaching goal and think I look better with the newly added weight.

    At the moment I am two months into my weight loss efforts. My measuring stick at the moment is BMI. My first goal is to move down a level to the "Overweight" category and then down to the "Healthy" category. I am using alternate day fasting with cardio exercise and I know that up to 30% of the weight I am dropping is muscle mass.

    Once I hit my healthy BMI, I will shift my measuring stick to body fat %. For men the ideal range is 8-10% and 10-12% for the ladies. I realise that losing body fat once I reach my healthy BMI will require a change in diet and exercise. I will need to do more strength training and ensure I am properly fuelling my body for such a regime.

    I also know that in this stage I am going put on weight but that comes with building muscle. Remember a 150 pound man/woman with 12% body fat is going to look better than a 150 pound man/woman with 20% body fat. It's really important for everyone to ensure they are using the right measuring sticks based on where they are along the weight loss path.
    This is a terrible idea. Why would you want to lose 30% of your muscle? Do you know how long that will take for you to rebuild?
  • KristinaB83
    KristinaB83 Posts: 440 Member
    ...and that's why I started lifting xD
  • PhearlessPhreaks
    PhearlessPhreaks Posts: 890 Member
    When I got down to 123lb at 5'7" I felt emaciated on top and flabby and shapeless on bottom, I was basically the same shape but smaller. And I trained for triathlon and lifted all year too! It was only when I started to properly grow muscle on a controlled bulk, and do more compound lifting like deadlifts and squats that I can look in the mirror and go.....yep...I'd shag that!

    I've not felt like that for decades. It really turns the clock back, especially if you get the balance right for what you particularly like in regards to muscle size and body fat. I personally don't want to go under what I am now, 19/20%.

    I'm now 128lb, and plan on more LBM building. It looks hot.

    You look awesome! BTW, what kind of lifting/strength training were you doing while you were losing? I try to mix it up on a regular basis, but I'm so overweight that I have no idea what I'm going to look like once I get close to my goal.
  • Myhaloslipped
    Myhaloslipped Posts: 4,317 Member
    With all respect to the fact that everyone is different in their preferences, I cannot understand how people can hate lifting. I have fallen in love with it, and my only issue is that I am not able to lift every single day.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    For men the ideal range is 8-10% and 10-12% for the ladies.

    Not sure where these numbers come from but no...

    18-24% is good for women....
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    For men the ideal range is 8-10% and 10-12% for the ladies.

    Not sure where these numbers come from but no...

    18-24% is good for women....

    even 18% for women is athletic, not "ideal", and for men 10-14% is athletic, less than 10% is ripped.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    For men the ideal range is 8-10% and 10-12% for the ladies.

    Not sure where these numbers come from but no...

    18-24% is good for women....

    even 18% for women is athletic, not ideal, and for men 10-14% is athletic, less than 10% is ripped.

    Define Ideal...

    BF% ranges have a lot to do with Age and if you 18 YO Female 17.7% is considered Ideal...for me being 41 it i right around 22% (Low end)
  • twixlepennie
    twixlepennie Posts: 1,074 Member
    It's great that you lost 20 lbs/ 30 lbs/ 50 lbs/ 100 lbs.... but now what?

    Are you satisfied 'maintaining' or do you want to start 'toning' and look super fit?

    Because most of the time when we've lost that much weight, we surely reached our goal weight...

    but most of us do not look fit/muscular due to glycogen/carb depletion/ loss of lean muscle mass during weight loss.

    When I hit my original goal I wasn't satisfied with where I was at, because I still had quite a bit of 'oomph', so I kept losing and called final goal around 20lbs later. I was happy with how I looked at that point, but I decided to start adding exercise to my life because of all the research I have done on long term weight loss success, and reading over and over again how important having new goals to work towards is.

    I started by walking, then added a bit of slow jogging (old people speed walked passed me lol). This past fall I did my first 5K and I walked/ran it. It was fun, but I didn't fall in love with the whole running thing and I gave it up after the race. Then after that I decided to start an at home strength training program, again to give myself new goals to work towards. Having a lot of fun with it, but I was happy with my body before I started it and honestly don't see much difference. I was at around 17% bf, before I started the strength training program. I like how my shoulders look now, but it's not like I go around all day thinking about them :laugh:

    I have no interest at all in doing weight training, start going to a gym etc. I was healthy, looked good in a swim suit and my husband was ecstatic, all before I started exercising. I was already pretty 'toned' and that was just from losing enough weight and being an active mom of three kids :) I will keep up with the strength training program throughout the winter and then this summer I'll switch it up again-my kids are old enough to do longer bike rides now and we live right by a massive trail system, so I think biking will be my thing this summer. I think as time goes on I'll become more focused on 'activity' based goals-things like biking with my kids and then I want to buy snow shoes for next winter, maybe learn how to ski and I already told my husband I want to start kayaking next summer :)

    I'm determined to be part of the small 5% that succeed at long term weight loss and a big part of that is always working towards a new goal. That's why I'm exercising now, not because I want to achieve some sort of look-I'm already where I want to be for that. May not be the look that others are striving for, but I'm very happy with it :smile:

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