120lbs down! Advice on goal-weight, and stop tracking needed!
amblight
Posts: 350 Member
SW: 264.6lbs, CW: 144.4lbs, GW: 132.3lbs (up for discussion!)
(apologies for the tiredness in the latter 2, hair+makeup from yesterday due to late night shift)
Today I finally hit under 144.6lbs, which was my 120lbs-lost-mark!
Today is also exactly 10months since I started logging everything I ate, which has been amazing, and I couldn't have done it without.
However, I'm really tired of it now.
I feel like I make a lot of choices based on how to log it, rather than it actually being about my intake. Basically, I feel a bit trapped in it. I feel like I don't have the freedom to make my own choices on food, even if they are 'good' choices. My life has been put on hold to lose, which I was happy to do, but I'm also yearning to live more 'normal'.
I considered easing up on my logging, not weighing stuff etc. and just estimating, but whenever I've had a day where I do that, I seem to really over-estimate, and get stressed out about it.
I also make excel spreads of my intake etc., and I would really like those to stay accurate. So if I start to loosen up on logging, that data will 'contaminate' my spreadsheets.
I'm inclined to say it's all or nothing with logging for me. I know this is probably not the 'ideal' view, but that's how it feels to me.
Question is, when to stop? Should I stop today, say 10months was an excellent run, and then lose the rest w/o tracking? Should I aim for 11months, and thus perhaps don't stop logging before getting to maintance (since weightgrapher+my excel predictions say I should be at my target by then) I don't want to log for December, so a full 12months is out.
Which brings me to my next Q: How do I know when I'm "finished"?
I've been in normal BMI and BF% for a while now, but due to my small frame, I think it's reasonable to want to be on the lower half of normal BMI, which my half-weight goal is. Could/should I aim lower? 12lbs from now feels very soon, compared to how I view myself: Maybe my perception is a few pound behind, but I also feel like others input is biased due to the contrast, or simply that I am indeed at a 'good enough' weight now.
Others who've come a long way to your goal: Did you readjust it when you got there? How did you determine it?
Advice and input needed and appriciated!
(apologies for the tiredness in the latter 2, hair+makeup from yesterday due to late night shift)
Today I finally hit under 144.6lbs, which was my 120lbs-lost-mark!
Today is also exactly 10months since I started logging everything I ate, which has been amazing, and I couldn't have done it without.
However, I'm really tired of it now.
I feel like I make a lot of choices based on how to log it, rather than it actually being about my intake. Basically, I feel a bit trapped in it. I feel like I don't have the freedom to make my own choices on food, even if they are 'good' choices. My life has been put on hold to lose, which I was happy to do, but I'm also yearning to live more 'normal'.
I considered easing up on my logging, not weighing stuff etc. and just estimating, but whenever I've had a day where I do that, I seem to really over-estimate, and get stressed out about it.
I also make excel spreads of my intake etc., and I would really like those to stay accurate. So if I start to loosen up on logging, that data will 'contaminate' my spreadsheets.
I'm inclined to say it's all or nothing with logging for me. I know this is probably not the 'ideal' view, but that's how it feels to me.
Question is, when to stop? Should I stop today, say 10months was an excellent run, and then lose the rest w/o tracking? Should I aim for 11months, and thus perhaps don't stop logging before getting to maintance (since weightgrapher+my excel predictions say I should be at my target by then) I don't want to log for December, so a full 12months is out.
Which brings me to my next Q: How do I know when I'm "finished"?
I've been in normal BMI and BF% for a while now, but due to my small frame, I think it's reasonable to want to be on the lower half of normal BMI, which my half-weight goal is. Could/should I aim lower? 12lbs from now feels very soon, compared to how I view myself: Maybe my perception is a few pound behind, but I also feel like others input is biased due to the contrast, or simply that I am indeed at a 'good enough' weight now.
Others who've come a long way to your goal: Did you readjust it when you got there? How did you determine it?
Advice and input needed and appriciated!
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Replies
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Oh my goodness, look at you! Great job, and you are absolutely beautifully stunning!
I don't have any advice, just keep it up!
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Congratulations! You lost 120 lbs in 10 months? You look great!!0
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I dont usually comment but I have to commend you, you look amazing congrats
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Congratulations on your loss - you look fantastic!
I also desired to lose the last few pounds and maintain without logging, or logging occasionally. I started with not logging one day a week, and just really paying attention to my serving sizes and getting the right balance of macros in each meal. It was really hard - I didn't trust myself to estimate correctly or believe that I was getting enough protein. Over time, it became easier, and I eventually went from one day a week to two, then four, then finally where I am now which is the last day I logged was 23 days ago. I have maintained my weight. I think it is like any other new habit, I had to learn how to do it, by practicing.
As far as your question of when to know if you are finished - that's a tough one. I changed my goal weight a couple of times and finally found what I think is good for me. I went more by what I saw in the mirror vs a scale weight. My original goal weight was just what I used to be a long time ago, and my revised goal weight was lower than that. Now I am working on body recomposition, which takes time to see results. I am on a progressive lifting program.
Good luck!0 -
You look Fantastic! Congratulations on your success! Sorry I have no advice0
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You look amazing!!! how did you do this?? in 10 months????? wow!!!0
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Wow...good work!! You look amazing!0
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Is it possible that you were too aggressive in your planning/logging? 120 in 10 months is a lot. ETA: I see it was in 16 months, some before your account here. I stand by my advice though...
What if you decided that you were going to maintain for 1-2 months or slow down your losses (ie upping your calories). Maybe that would make it seem more doable long term.0 -
Well... congrats you look great and you did amazing to lose 120 in 10... I think you can stop logging if that is what you want to do, but keep an eye on the weight if it goes up, go back to logging... as for losing more, you do not look like you need to lose any at all BUT if you are going to stop logging I'd lose another 10 so that you have that to gain if needed without tripping out, while you are learning how to eat on your own (without logging).0
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Why stop logging...it's the best way to stay on track!
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You look great.. Try to log every other day maybe? If your feeling trapped. I personally take a day off a week of logging but I do watch my intake. You did great.0
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Great job! I'm not going to stop logging when I reach my weight goal. I have been there before and quit weighing/logging and slowly overtime I gained all my weight back (over and over again). I am tired of yoyo dieting and I am not doing going to go back to my heavier weight. It takes just a few seconds to weigh and log. It doesn't put a burden on me. The heavier weight on my body does. Some people can stop logging, but I know I can't. But this is just me and I am 56 years old and know I wasted a lot of years being heavy.0
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Amazing transformation!I think it is like any other new habit, I had to learn how to do it, by practicing.
...
My original goal weight was just what I used to be a long time ago, and my revised goal weight was lower than that.
If eating right is meant to be a lifestyle change, it will become "second-nature" to you. You'll just do it because that's what you do. Once you are comfortable with it, and you trust yourself to know what to do, just try not logging for a week and see how you do. I plan to stop logging eventually, or just log intermittently, but I don't feel it's second-nature to me yet. So I keep logging, although I miss a day or two now and then. I don't stress about it anymore.
My ultimate goal weight of 115 is what I used to be in high school, which is probably not realistic, so I'm going for 120-125 for now. I'm 10 pounds away. When I get there, I would like to stay there so I want this to be a lifestyle change that I can stick with for life. I'm tired of losing the same 50 or 60 pounds over and over.
You will find what works best for you.
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Congratulations on your loss - you look fantastic!
I also desired to lose the last few pounds and maintain without logging, or logging occasionally. I started with not logging one day a week, and just really paying attention to my serving sizes and getting the right balance of macros in each meal. It was really hard - I didn't trust myself to estimate correctly or believe that I was getting enough protein. Over time, it became easier, and I eventually went from one day a week to two, then four, then finally where I am now which is the last day I logged was 23 days ago. I have maintained my weight. I think it is like any other new habit, I had to learn how to do it, by practicing.
As far as your question of when to know if you are finished - that's a tough one. I changed my goal weight a couple of times and finally found what I think is good for me. I went more by what I saw in the mirror vs a scale weight. My original goal weight was just what I used to be a long time ago, and my revised goal weight was lower than that. Now I am working on body recomposition, which takes time to see results. I am on a progressive lifting program.
Good luck!
Cutting it down one day per. week at a time sound pretty good. Then the 'completionist' in me could say I did 10months of complete logging, one month of easing out of logging, and one month of loss with no logging, adding up the total to 12months before being completely at maintance.
I'm a bit scared to trust my own judgement on my weight, though: There are so many people who think they should lose weight when they shouldn't, and they don't even have the extra obstacle of the risk of seeing your past self rather than current. On the other hand, I don't want to settle on 'good enough', just because it's an even number or what ever.
I've considered going a bit 'too low' (not underweight, just low), and then bulking up on the weights, as I know it's better to be at a surplus for that. Did you start lifting progressively while losing? I strength-trained a lot in the spring while also at a deficit, saw great results scale-wise, but nothin really in muscle definition.0 -
Congrats! You look wonderful!!! I can't see where you need to lose more.
Regarding tracking. Rather than putting your life on hold for losing weight, try now to integrate your tracking with your life. Forget about the Excel chart for now. Practice measuring and eyeballing so you can trust your estimates. Keep tracking in MFP so you stay aware of what you are eating. Try to make it a part of your life, not something that takes over your life that you end up resenting.
My thought is that you need to get beyond the "all or nothing" thought process or you are likely to regain the weight if you opt to stop. Lifestyle changes that keep you healthy are never finished and so the results persist. Try to view the amazing work you have done for yourself as much more than a diet that has an end point. Transition into maintenance mode by slowly upping your caloric intake to a point where you no longer lose weight.
Best wishes and ENJOY your new body and your new lifestyle!0 -
Nice work! I am more into the bodyfat % than the body weight, so I am lifting and taking my time, in a size small now but I will be done when I love how I look in a bikini. Of course I love I can put one on now and not want to scream. 0
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itsfuntobenormal wrote: »Is it possible that you were too aggressive in your planning/logging? 120 in 10 months is a lot. ETA: I see it was in 16 months, some before your account here. I stand by my advice though...
What if you decided that you were going to maintain for 1-2 months or slow down your losses (ie upping your calories). Maybe that would make it seem more doable long term.
It is very possible. I do tend to either be not interested at all, or to be obsessed in all aspects of life: When the switch went away from not-interested-at-all in regards to weightloss, I used that to keep up my drive. Thus, I do think I've been a bit obsessed with it: As I said, it does feel like my life has been on hold.
The 'caged' feeling is not from the calorie amount, though, I'm quite happy with what I eat, and how much etc. The lack-of-freedom is more due to the fact that I 'have' to weigh everything, and feel obligated to use that exact amount, instead of just adding and subtracking things to my plate or cooking depending on taste, how I feel etc. However, if I don't accurately track things, I feel guilty, or ever-estimate, and then feel stressed out about it - thus, it's holding me back from feeling 'normal' about even 'normal' food habits.0 -
You were a cutie when you were fat. Lucky duck. You are drop-dead gorgeous now. I don't think you need to lose another ounce, if you want to concentrate on fitness and being more toned, start lifting weights.
It is unlikely that you'll want to weigh every bite of food you take for the rest of your life. If you rely on that and then your daughter gets cancer and you're out of town for weeks on end getting treatments, you could fall off the wagon.
Maybe start changing from portion control to Lifestyle Change. Learn to know how to eat, how much to eat, et cetera, without weighing everything. Maybe some practice. Maybe working in more healthy food, whatever. Practice learning to live without a scale until you get that down and it's part of your life, not just a diet or forced portion control. Weigh and measure what you eat and jot down the amounts, but don't enter them and see the calories until the next day. See how you're doing that way.
I don't have the answers, of course. Just some suggestions.
And, again, you look fabulous!!!! Good for you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!...!......!!...
!...
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cheripugh1 wrote: »Well... congrats you look great and you did amazing to lose 120 in 10... I think you can stop logging if that is what you want to do, but keep an eye on the weight if it goes up, go back to logging... as for losing more, you do not look like you need to lose any at all BUT if you are going to stop logging I'd lose another 10 so that you have that to gain if needed without tripping out, while you are learning how to eat on your own (without logging).
I did 77lbs while logging
I do plan to keep tabs on my weight, and if it even starts to go up a little bit, I'll just log for a week or 2 to keep it down - So I'm not planning to delete my MFP app or anything, I know I will 'have' to keep it as my secret weapon
I have considered losing an extra 10 by doing just below maintance, so that I have more of a 'range' I'd like to stay within. Then I could also start to get heavy with the strenght training, as that tends to make your weight wobble up and down a bit.0 -
Congratulations on your loss - you look fantastic!
I also desired to lose the last few pounds and maintain without logging, or logging occasionally. I started with not logging one day a week, and just really paying attention to my serving sizes and getting the right balance of macros in each meal. It was really hard - I didn't trust myself to estimate correctly or believe that I was getting enough protein. Over time, it became easier, and I eventually went from one day a week to two, then four, then finally where I am now which is the last day I logged was 23 days ago. I have maintained my weight. I think it is like any other new habit, I had to learn how to do it, by practicing.
As far as your question of when to know if you are finished - that's a tough one. I changed my goal weight a couple of times and finally found what I think is good for me. I went more by what I saw in the mirror vs a scale weight. My original goal weight was just what I used to be a long time ago, and my revised goal weight was lower than that. Now I am working on body recomposition, which takes time to see results. I am on a progressive lifting program.
Good luck!
Cutting it down one day per. week at a time sound pretty good. Then the 'completionist' in me could say I did 10months of complete logging, one month of easing out of logging, and one month of loss with no logging, adding up the total to 12months before being completely at maintance.
I'm a bit scared to trust my own judgement on my weight, though: There are so many people who think they should lose weight when they shouldn't, and they don't even have the extra obstacle of the risk of seeing your past self rather than current. On the other hand, I don't want to settle on 'good enough', just because it's an even number or what ever.
I've considered going a bit 'too low' (not underweight, just low), and then bulking up on the weights, as I know it's better to be at a surplus for that. Did you start lifting progressively while losing? I strength-trained a lot in the spring while also at a deficit, saw great results scale-wise, but nothin really in muscle definition.
It is common to have body image issues when you have lost a lot of weight. People who knew you before might say "you're too thin" as they are not used to seeing the new you. I encountered that. I talked to my doctor about my weight, and she feels I am at a good weight and BMI. I also got a body fat estimate in the Eat, Train, Progress group here on MFP. If you did both those things, you would have a medical opinion and an unbiased opinion to go by.
I started lifting one year into my 2 1/2 year weight loss (68 pounds). I wish I had started at the beginning but I didn't know about retaining muscle, etc. You may not have seen much muscle definition when you lifted as there was probably still excess fat over it. And yes, should you choose to do a bulk and cut cycle, you do have to eat at a surplus. Another option is to eat at maintenance and do body recomposition.
Edited to add that before I reduced logging, I started by removing use of the food scale first. I did that for about a month.
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I read your posting a few times and I still don't quite get why you want to stop logging. Is it the additional steps including the excel spreadsheets or not being able to fit some of your favorite foods in? If the latter, you many not be there yet. I liked your thought about doing maintenance (you could probably use your goal weight to calculate it). If you lose, you lose. But another person said it. You were a cutie before, you're a hottie now.0
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20yearsyounger wrote: »I read your posting a few times and I still don't quite get why you want to stop logging. Is it the additional steps including the excel spreadsheets or not being able to fit some of your favorite foods in? If the latter, you many not be there yet. I liked your thought about doing maintenance (you could probably use your goal weight to calculate it). If you lose, you lose. But another person said it. You were a cutie before, you're a hottie now.
I want to stop logging, because I get caught up in 'how to log' rather than 'how to eat' - for instance, if I'm cooking, rather than adding ingredients however I see fit, I add only the amount I've carefully weighed out, even if it turns out that I cooked too many lentils, for instance: it's "too much trouble" to try to estimate how much of them I am then not adding to the dish, since they've now been cooked, and I did the original weight while they were dry. And I've almost stopped seasoning my food, as logging a ½tsp of this, a dash of that, etc. is just a lot of logging. For accurate logging, I can only cook alone, and I cannot share food. These are just a few examples, but basically, it takes away a lot of freedom with food, if you want to keep it accurate. And I don't see the point of inaccurate logging - besides, things where I have had inaccurate loggin, I tend to really overestimate, which makes me unnecessary worried.0 -
20yearsyounger wrote: »I read your posting a few times and I still don't quite get why you want to stop logging. Is it the additional steps including the excel spreadsheets or not being able to fit some of your favorite foods in? If the latter, you many not be there yet. I liked your thought about doing maintenance (you could probably use your goal weight to calculate it). If you lose, you lose. But another person said it. You were a cutie before, you're a hottie now.
I want to stop logging, because I get caught up in 'how to log' rather than 'how to eat' - for instance, if I'm cooking, rather than adding ingredients however I see fit, I add only the amount I've carefully weighed out, even if it turns out that I cooked too many lentils, for instance: it's "too much trouble" to try to estimate how much of them I am then not adding to the dish, since they've now been cooked, and I did the original weight while they were dry. And I've almost stopped seasoning my food, as logging a ½tsp of this, a dash of that, etc. is just a lot of logging. For accurate logging, I can only cook alone, and I cannot share food. These are just a few examples, but basically, it takes away a lot of freedom with food, if you want to keep it accurate. And I don't see the point of inaccurate logging - besides, things where I have had inaccurate loggin, I tend to really overestimate, which makes me unnecessary worried.
This is pretty much where I was at before pulling away logging. I felt like I had gone from one form of mindless eating that made me fat, to another form of mindless eating where all I paid attention to was whether the food scale said 100 grams of chicken.
I don't think there is anything wrong with someone wanting to continue logging, providing that is working for them. For some though, like myself and OP, pulling away from logging is not only desired but a positive step in the right direction of not allowing food to control us.
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What it looks like to me is that you may be prone to overestimate and by not logging, you might be setting yourself up for failure. Is there a way you can overestimate your actual portions and see how it works out in your log before you go cold turkey? At maintenance, with the exception of sodium, you probably still have some room.0
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This is pretty much where I was at before pulling away logging. I felt like I had gone from one form of mindless eating that made me fat, to another form of mindless eating where all I paid attention to was whether the food scale said 100 grams of chicken.
I don't think there is anything wrong with someone wanting to continue logging, providing that is working for them. For some though, like myself and OP, pulling away from logging is not only desired but a positive step in the right direction of not allowing food to control us.
This, exacty! 0 -
20yearsyounger wrote: »What it looks like to me is that you may be prone to overestimate and by not logging, you might be setting yourself up for failure. Is there a way you can overestimate your actual portions and see how it works out in your log before you go cold turkey? At maintenance, with the exception of sodium, you probably still have some room.
I don't understand, could you try to rephrase?0 -
For instance, you need to use .5tsp. You don't want to measure, but you figure that there is no way you used more than 1.5tsp. So you use 1.5 in your log. Therefore you used conservative numbers that will help you reduce the need for exact measurement. If it fits within your macros, no problem.0
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