Need Advice! I never know when enough is enough!

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Ding724
Ding724 Posts: 791 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Okay. I just need some advice.

When I started my weightloss journey last summer (July 2010) my original goal was to weigh 170 & be in the healthy bmi range for my height of just over 5'9"

well, I reached 170
...then I reached 160
......and now I am teetering between 154-155 everyday

and yet I keep thinking that 5 more lbs would be nice. or 10 more lbs. Or 15. OR 20. And don't get me wrong, because for the MOST part I am happy with my body. I just can't determine when to stop and it's driving me nuts. People tell me that I look great & don't need to lose more weight, but when I see pictures of myself or look in the mirror I see the same 200lb girl that I was a year ago. :ohwell: So how can I figure out what's the best & healthiest weight for me? (and I currently don't have health insurance so I can't ask my doctor or I would) How can I stop setting goals for myself when they may be unrealistic? I want to be skinny but I also want to be strong and healthy.

Any tips? Advice? Thanks :smile:

Replies

  • bunchesonothing
    bunchesonothing Posts: 1,015 Member
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    Do you know what your body fat percentage is?

    EDIT:
    Dependent on what that is right now, that will tell you what you can lose. You can determine how many pounds of body fat you have at your current level and what percentage you'd want to go down to.
  • LadyOfOceanBreeze
    LadyOfOceanBreeze Posts: 762 Member
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    I found this page the other day,
    thought it may be of some
    interest for ya'
    with regard to your new topic here...

    http://www.self.com/calculatorsprograms/calculators/happyweight

    hope this helps!

    have a nice weekend:glasses: :flowerforyou: :drinker:
  • LadyOfOceanBreeze
    LadyOfOceanBreeze Posts: 762 Member
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    BTW!
    congrats on the 50 pounds lost!
    that takes some work!
  • jhardenbergh
    jhardenbergh Posts: 1,035 Member
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    Great Job on your loss. I am feeling the same way. I still have another 40 lbs to go to get to my first goal, but I am almost afraid to get off the regiment I'm on. Maybe look at your muscle mass instead of your bmi and see where you're at and try to get in a healthy range. I keep telling myself don't be afraid to maintain your goal weight when you hit it, because say I faulter, I know what to do and how to do it.
  • Moxiecat_1
    Moxiecat_1 Posts: 1
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    Let the scale stay in that range for a while, and let your mind catch up to your body. Take a lot of pictures of yourself as you are now, and post them where you'll see them often, so you'll get used to seeing your "new" body. Check in with your doctor to see if he / she is good with where your weight is now.

    When I was in high school I got down to 87 pounds (I'm 5'2", but that was still too thin for my frame), because I could never see myself as anything other than what people told me I used to be.

    And always remember, you are far more than a number on the scale, anyhow. :smile:
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
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    I went through this same thing recently. I hit my goal weight of 150lbs in Sept 2010. I immediately thought I should set a new goal weight. Why? I have no idea why. Maybe because when I looked in the mirror all I could see were the flaws I have. I still saw the 200lb girl I used to be. I plateaued at 150lbs from Sept 2010 to May 2011. I was TRYING to come to terms with being 150lbs and being comfortable with it when I had a few days where I went over my calories. Well, within a few days I saw a loss on the scale. Upped my calories and off dropped a few more pounds. After maintaining that loss for a few weeks, I actually took a week off. I didn't count calories, I didn't force myself to go to the gym, I did a lot of re-evaluation at that time. I decided that the things I didn't like about myself weren't directly connected to the number on the scale. I was happy with 145lbs. I was happy in my size 8/10 pants and my medium/large shirts. I decided to set new goals - goals that weren't number related. I started doing more strength training. I started focusing less on cardio and more on building muscles. I want to run a mile in 10 mins (and I'm VERY close to it). I want to squat and bench press my body weight. I want to do 10 push ups without stopping (I have shoulder issues so this one is HUGE for me). I am now comfortably maintaining 145ish pounds and have my sights set on my new goals.

    I think you should focus on new goals. Switch your mind set from weight loss to something else. Focus on something new.


    Congrats on your weight loss! You look great!
  • Elzecat
    Elzecat Posts: 2,916 Member
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    I found this page the other day,
    thought it may be of some
    interest for ya'
    with regard to your new topic here...

    http://www.self.com/calculatorsprograms/calculators/happyweight

    hope this helps!

    have a nice weekend:glasses: :flowerforyou: :drinker:

    interesting link...I put my numbers in the calculator and came up with a number about 20 lbs lower than I am now, which would make my look sorta skeletal...personally my happy weight is only about 10 lbs away...
  • SheilaSisco
    SheilaSisco Posts: 722 Member
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    If you are within a healthy weight range and people are telling you you look great go with that and STOP. For heavens sake, the way you're talking you're heading into ED territory and you don't want that. If you feel like you really NEED to lose more to be happy, just don't lose so much you drop into the underweight category... that wouldn't be good at all.
  • fungirl57
    fungirl57 Posts: 5
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    I think you are doing great. When your clothes fit you right and you feel good about yourself is the time to stop losing weight.
  • Elzecat
    Elzecat Posts: 2,916 Member
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    I would try to get your body fat tested and maybe work on lowering that number...that will also be a sign of your fitness ;)

    I can totally relate to this...I am only a few pounds away from my original goal weight, but think I would like to drop another 10 or 15...but that is because I started running 4 months ago, absolutely love it, and I'm training for a half marathon and think I could run better if I dropped a few more pounds...
  • manda2j
    manda2j Posts: 63
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    wouldnt make your goal to be to lose more weight you know? you look great! you're down to a healthy bmi and weight for your height... i think someone else mentioned this.. but it would be good to make your goals more about the strength training and toning :) keep an eye on the scale just to maintain, but if it's not going down dont get too concerned.. also be measuring your self too...
  • Rheagansmom
    Rheagansmom Posts: 53 Member
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    I know exactly how you feel. This is one of the reasons I have stayed on the roller coaster for so long. I agree with others that if you are at a healthy weight then try and focus on maintaining and let your mind catch up with your body. Try and focus on all of the postitve differences instead of the negative. Good luck to you
  • annacataldo
    annacataldo Posts: 872 Member
    Options
    I found this page the other day,
    thought it may be of some
    interest for ya'
    with regard to your new topic here...

    http://www.self.com/calculatorsprograms/calculators/happyweight

    hope this helps!

    have a nice weekend:glasses: :flowerforyou: :drinker:

    crap... now i want to change my goal weight from being 170 to 160.. man i was 2.5lbs away from being able to say "i have under 100 lbs to loose"
  • Annie5859
    Annie5859 Posts: 280 Member
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    Take it from me, I am about your height and I've weighed as low as 140 and I looked too thin. I also lost my period for a year and I hovered between 140 and 145lbs. When I told my doctor this, he didn't seem to think it was a big deal, but I own research said it could be. I think 155lbs is a good weight for you and you look great in your pictures. It sounds like you need to listen to those around you as you are only seeing yourself as your old 200lbs. If you are not satisfied with your weight now, my guess is you won't be at a lighter weight either. I think it's important that you work on you self perception and get used to your new body. Maybe you should go on maintenance for the next 6 months and focus on how it feels and how you are going to keep this new healthy life style. For me, once I reach goal, (in 3lbs), I have to work on being happy in my own skin. I need to figure out how to enjoy my new life, be satisfied with what I've become and not perceive this as an all or nothing endeavour. I can eat some "notty" food, and it's okay because it's not all of the time and I'm am active. That's just my 2 cents!

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