Reaching your goal weight and not happy

I got to my initial goal of 120lbs and wasn't happy, so just carried on losing until I was happy (or until losing any more would have been unhealthy, but I didn't quite reach that point). Ultimately everyone's goal is to be happy with their body and not simply a number on the scale, and being happy with your body isn't dictated by the number on the scale.

If you're not happy, chances are building some muscle would go a long way. Do you do any kind of weight lifting or muscle building activities?

Here's a great calculator for figuring out a target goal that takes into account your frame size as well
http://www.superskinnyme.com/ideal_weight_calculator.html

If you don't like your stomach then losing more is your best bet, even if you want to ignore the suggested target goals and just keep going until you're where you are happy, then that's fine. Honestly the best point to know when to stop is to look in the mirror and say "do I like this? Am I happy at this weight?" You can obviously do it, just remember to stay healthy! Good luck!

kdonathen wrote: »

I am 8 pounds to my goal weight of 150. I am not happy at all. I will have reached the 60+ mark that point around 2 SNeeds kiddos that I homeschool and I am proud of that challenge. But to look at myself I still see a good old flabby section in the middle. I have toned and thinned out everywhere else but there. My legs in skinny jeans look great, they have definition. Etc.. Tummy, ugh... I am 5 ft 7 and half. 158 pounds and my goal when I began was 150. "Then" the 150 was so far away and seemed like a good target. "Now" it seems like I should set a new target but I really do not know what it should even be. How are others doing this? Is it reasonable to just go till your happy with no target at all? What is a goal/baseline for self motivation? I am 40.

Yes, I believe that is completely reasonable. I'm at that spot right now. I am 5'6" and in the high 140s. My original goal was 154 and then 150. Now I am going without a number goal. I just want to like what I see in the mirror. For me, that means not seeing flab in the midsection. Not that I am going for a 6-pack--I could not care less about "visible abs"--I just don't want to see a roll while standing up straight. I have no idea what my weight will be when I get there but I am cutting until just before Thanksgiving. Then I'll take several months at maintenance and then I may or may not cut some more.

What I found out when I reached my goal is that my body composition was different from years ago when I was at the same weight. What we dont realize is when we lose weight, we lose both - fat and muscle. So, when we reach our goal, we, usually, still have higher body fat % compared to before - and look different, while being the same weight.

I had to keep a slight deficit after reaching my goal in order to trim some BF and eventually got the the physique I wanted.

DeguelloTex wrote: »

It sounds like you might want to focus on body composition, rather than weight, per se.

This.

@kdonathen, time to get to the gym and hit those heavy weights.

I had to adjust my goal weight the opposite direction thanks to wrinkles -it turns out fat fills them in a bit and my face looks better with an extra 5lbs than it does with at my vanity goal # at my age now

Congratulations on your weight loss so far, you should feel very proud of what you have accomplished!! I am 40 year old 5'7 homeschooling mom of 2, one of which is special needs, so I feel like I can relate a little.

I started at 175 and knew my goal would be in the 130-135 range depending on how I like what I saw. That was about what I weighed when I got married, and I thought it would be a good size for my frame. (I was always very lean growing up). After the first 20 pounds or so I didn't lose much more from my arms and legs, it was all booty and belly. It sounds like your belly fat is being stubborn and wants to come off last. You can try resetting your goal for another 5-10 pounds, and see if some of the belly fats starts coming off.

Even though my belly is pretty flat, I still have a lovely bit of loose skin from pregnancies that likes to pretend it's fat. It's not, and after 8 years, I don't think it's going away. I notice this skin more when I am sitting, than when I am standing, especially if I am slouching.

If the idea of losing more weight is really disheartening to you, why don't you take a break and maintain for a few months, maybe even through the holidays and see how you feel about attacking them later.

You may also find that those last 8 pounds really make all the difference in the world. The smaller you get, the more noticeable each pound is. So definitely wait 'til you hit goal and reassess then. But whatever happens, try not to be discouraged. You have done a great job. And maintenance is lifelong. So if you spend the next 6 months losing and following 49 1/2 years maintaining instead of the next 2 months losing and the following 50 years maintaining, in the long run, it's not a big difference.