Has anyone else reached their weight goal and still been unhappy?

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icypinkkisses
icypinkkisses Posts: 12
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi there eveyone i'm looking for some help.. I'm just wondering if anyone else has reached their goal weight and found they still arent happy? I'm 5' 6 and started with a goal weight of 9 stone 10 lbs which was my pre pregnancy weight. However once i reached that i still wasnt happy so then changed it to 9 stone, im now nearly there and yet im still not really happy thanks to my tummy, i know after 2 c sections it will never look the same as it once did but im just really dissapointed that it still looks the same shape and quite fatty :( however im really happy with the rest of my body and dont want to over do it trying to lose something that may never go. I go to the gym 5 times a week on top of eating well so hoped it would help but it hasnt has anyone else had a similar experience? How do you know when enough is enough and you dont need to lose anymore? And what would people concider a healthy weight for a person of my height? Nhs bmi calculator said a minimum of 8 stone 4lb is healthy but not sure if going into the 8 stone margin is a good idea as its the very bottom of the 'healthy weight range' for my height, please help! :(
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  • gabrielleelliott90
    gabrielleelliott90 Posts: 854 Member
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    To be honest, when you are that tall, you don't need to be at such a low weight. They tend to be more for short people.
  • knitapeace
    knitapeace Posts: 1,013 Member
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    Sounds like it's not the actual number that is making you unhappy, but your body shape. Many people find that strength training gives them the body composition they were hoping for regardless of what the scale says. Try adding some kind of strength training to your exercise routine and see how you feel in 3 months. :)
  • icypinkkisses
    icypinkkisses Posts: 12
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    Thats what i thought but it did take my height and age into account too so its really confused me, i havent weighed in the 8 stone margin since i was 14 and to be honest im not sure it would be healthy atall, but on the flip side im still unhappy at the weight i am because of how my tummy looks, just dont know what to do :(
  • icypinkkisses
    icypinkkisses Posts: 12
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    What sort of strength training would you recommend? I use the treadmill, rowing machine, elliptical machine and static bikes at the gym but i know they are classed as cardio not strength. Its just so dis-heartening after working so hard to lose 4 stone but feeling the same way as i did before i started :(
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
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    Strength training. When you diet (especially if you diet aggressively with low calorie goals) you will reduce weight, but you also reduce Lean Body Mass (LBM) i.e. muscle. So when you get to your goal weight, you still have a relatively high percentage of body fat. Eat at maintenance, get plenty of protein, and do strength training 3x per week. Reduce your cardio to 30 minutes a day.
  • tulips_and_tea
    tulips_and_tea Posts: 5,716 Member
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    Do you do planks? If not, start. Or start doing more, regular and side planks. Also, there's a series of standing ab exercises that target all sides of the torso. Sorry, I don't have an actual link, but just do a Google search.

    The # on the scale isn't necessarily the issue, as someone else has already pointed out. Focus on losing body fat, if possible. Have you had yours measured?
  • icypinkkisses
    icypinkkisses Posts: 12
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    So basicly i could have more body fat than i used to at a low weight because i've lost muscle too? I've never looked at it that way before that seems to make sense :) when i change my goal on mfp to maintain though it still gives me a 1200 goal? Is that just a glitch with my app? Or is it low because i've lost so much weight that i need alot less to maintain? So confused :( what sort of strength training would you recommend?
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
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    BZAH10 wrote: »
    Do you do planks? If not, start. Or start doing more, regular and side planks. Also, there's a series of standing ab exercises that target all sides of the torso. Sorry, I don't have an actual link, but just do a Google search.

    The # on the scale isn't necessarily the issue, as someone else has already pointed out. Focus on losing body fat, if possible. Have you had yours measured?

    You can't spot reduce fat just on the tummy. Doing specific tummy exercises will only strengthen the muscles, but you won't see them until you burn the fat. You have to have an all over fat loss approach. Unfortunately for some of us, the tummy is the last place the fat comes off.

  • icypinkkisses
    icypinkkisses Posts: 12
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    Ok i will have a look on google thankyou :) no ive never had my body fat measured as I dont ever go to the doctors and dont know where else i could go to have this done? Is there a way of measuring it at home?
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
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    icypinkkisses wrote: »
    What sort of strength training would you recommend? I use the treadmill, rowing machine, elliptical machine and static bikes at the gym but i know they are classed as cardio not strength. Its just so dis-heartening after working so hard to lose 4 stone but feeling the same way as i did before i started :(

    Compound lifts. Check out a beginners program like Starting Strength, Stronglifts 5x5, or New Rules of Lifting.

  • knitapeace
    knitapeace Posts: 1,013 Member
    edited November 2014
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    I have done several things for strength training. Many, many people here will recommend heavy lifting and programs such as Starting Strength, New Rules of Lifting for Women, or Stronglifts 5x5 are often mentioned as good beginning points. Since you have a gym membership that might work well for you.

    I personally have had great success with bodyweight strength training using books by Mark Lauren: You Are Your Own Gym, and Body By You (which is aimed at women specifically). Recently I started an 8 week program by the people at Fitness Blender which is at-home video workouts 5 to 6 days a week incorporating strength and cardio. You need some kind of resistance such as weights or kettlebells, but you can improvise with something like water bottles or a bag of heavy books, depending on the exercise.
  • jrline
    jrline Posts: 2,353 Member
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    once you hit your goal weight you may have to tone that is what I have been working on for the last 6 months

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  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    Yes, when I got to my goal weight I was still unhappy. I took a two-pronged approach. First, I started lifting. I'm 100% happier with my body now due to the change in body composition. While remaining the same weight I've gradually gone from 24% body fat to about 18%. Second, I started working on body acceptance and positive self-talk. Because lifting helps but it isn't magic. It can't change things like me having a large rib cage.

    Look into Starting Strength if you have a gym membership. If not, look up You Are Your Own Gym-- that one is bodyweight and you can do it at home.
  • DawnieB1977
    DawnieB1977 Posts: 4,248 Member
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    You can have it measured at the gym by those calliper things, but I don't know how accurate they are.

    I'd agree with doing some strength training. I lost 66lbs after my 2nd baby and did lots of strength training, and I ended up 11 stone and a UK size 10/12. I'm the same height as you. Unfortunately I gained again in my third pregnancy and am losing weight again. I do lots of strength training again and I think if I get back to 11 stone i will be smaller than I was.

    I haven't ever had a c-section so I don't know how that affects things. I'm sure your stomach will eventually go back to normal.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
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    I felt unhappy when I reached 145ish lbs 4 years ago. I have a picture or two on my profile pics if you want to see how I looked at that weight. But I had a flabby stomach and was still squishy in places I didn't want to be. I'd estimate I was in the mid to high 20s for bodyfat because there was really no muscular definition at all. But I also didn't strength train properly and never tracked calories, so I never intentionally bulked up. I did bulk up unintentionally but it was a lot of fat as well as some muscle lol.
  • knitapeace
    knitapeace Posts: 1,013 Member
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    Looks like several of us were posting at the same time...notice the similarities in responses? :P Lots of GREAT advice here for you. Good luck!
  • ruffnstuff
    ruffnstuff Posts: 400 Member
    edited November 2014
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    I_Will_End_You wrote: »
    icypinkkisses wrote: »
    What sort of strength training would you recommend? I use the treadmill, rowing machine, elliptical machine and static bikes at the gym but i know they are classed as cardio not strength. Its just so dis-heartening after working so hard to lose 4 stone but feeling the same way as i did before i started :(

    Compound lifts. Check out a beginners program like Starting Strength, Stronglifts 5x5, or New Rules of Lifting.

    ^^^ THIS!! I cannot sing the praises of strength training enough. I've lost about 85 lbs and have been strength training for most of the time while losing. I have no doubt that it made a huge difference in my body comp. I am quite happy with how I look overall and I'm not even to goal yet! When I was much heavier, I started with body weight stuff, then progressed to Stronglifts 5x5, now continue to do compound lifts and extras with free weights. My weight loss has slowed a lot as I am nearing goal, but my sizes keep dropping thanks to heavy lifting. :)
  • icypinkkisses
    icypinkkisses Posts: 12
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    Thanks guys theres some really brilliant advice from you all! I cant understand why my gym instructor didnt tell me to strength train aswell when he did my induction because it sounds exactly what i need! I have got dumbells (not sure if thats how its spelt lol) and i do have the mark lauren book too but cant seem to get motivated to do things at home like i do in the gym so will have a word with some of the gym instructors n ask them to help get me started :) thanks so much for your help everyone its nice to know im not alone and that there are things i can do to imrpove it without losing any more weight :) looks like im about to start my maintanace journey :D 1 more question if i may.. is 1200 right to maintain or is my mfp app having an error? Because thats what I've been eating to lose but when i click maintain my calories dont change?
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
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    icypinkkisses wrote: »
    Thanks guys theres some really brilliant advice from you all! I cant understand why my gym instructor didnt tell me to strength train aswell when he did my induction because it sounds exactly what i need! I have got dumbells (not sure if thats how its spelt lol) and i do have the mark lauren book too but cant seem to get motivated to do things at home like i do in the gym so will have a word with some of the gym instructors n ask them to help get me started :) thanks so much for your help everyone its nice to know im not alone and that there are things i can do to imrpove it without losing any more weight :) looks like im about to start my maintanace journey :D 1 more question if i may.. is 1200 right to maintain or is my mfp app having an error? Because thats what I've been eating to lose but when i click maintain my calories dont change?

    Use this calculator, set it to "gain muscle, lose fat"
    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

    Set MFP manually to this amount, then either do not log exercise, or put exercise in as "1 calorie" when you log it so it doesn't change your calories for the day.

    Many gym instructors are just as prone to myths about women lifting as the general population. Don't be surprised if they don't exactly encourage it. You may have to push a little to get what you want.
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
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    icypinkkisses wrote: »
    1 more question if i may.. is 1200 right to maintain or is my mfp app having an error? Because thats what I've been eating to lose but when i click maintain my calories dont change?

    No, something is off there. You might want to recheck your entries and make sure you have everything entered correctly. 1200 is not a number for maintenance calories.

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