How do I know when the diet is done?

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jacobsl221
jacobsl221 Posts: 75 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
I have been losing consistently and feel good. However, I don't know if I should be aiming at a scale number or a size or what signals the end and a shift to maintenance. How do you know when it is time?
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  • SueSueDio
    SueSueDio Posts: 4,796 Member
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    I guess it depends on your goals, but asking your doctor might be a good idea too... perhaps he/she has a healthy weight in mind for you.

    Personally I'm aiming to be within a "healthy BMI range" - I realise that the BMI scale isn't necessarily accurate for everyone, but I feel it's a good guideline for me as a non-athlete. I also have a goal of fitting into some dresses I have from my twenties, so I'm aiming at a weight somewhere close to what I was at that time. Once I get there, I'll reassess if I want to go lower. And if I struggle to reach that weight, I'll decide if I want to keep trying or just accept wherever I end up. :)
  • comeonnow142857
    comeonnow142857 Posts: 310 Member
    edited April 2017
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    Really depends on your goals I suppose.

    My goal is to be sub 10% bodyfat at the end of the cut, and to get no higher than about 15% in the long term afterwards. I have no intention of measuring it directly, but when my lower abs are truly cut up I know I can switch to maintenance and have room to put on a little weight too.
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,182 Member
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    When you are happy with the food and bouncing around in a 10 lb range of weight, you're probably maintaining.

    Then if you start lifting you might like it and find your body looking better and weighing more. It's good.
  • victoria_1024
    victoria_1024 Posts: 915 Member
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    I aimed to be at the top of a healthy bmi which was 137 for my height. Once I got there, I didn't feel done. I took a maintenance break for a couple months and then lost another 15 pounds and now hover around the 125 mark. I could still lose more fat but I'm happy where I am at this point.
  • richardgavel
    richardgavel Posts: 1,001 Member
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    I hit my target weight, which I based on being roughly midpoint BMI. But I wasn't at target size, based on body fat percentage. I ended up overshooting target weight by about 7 lbs, gained back up to target, and now working on recomposition. Point being it's likely to be a multi stage process.
  • buckscomom
    buckscomom Posts: 6 Member
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    Almost 2 years ago I started logging on MFP with the goal of losing 5-6 pounds. Once I started being aware, and cutting snacks, I dropped close to 15. I stopped logging and began to let myself have a treat here and there because I felt I was at the perfect weight for me (and when one of my yoga teachers warned me not to lose more - we've all see the too thin faces that can age you suddenly! I just turned 58). For 6 months all was fine, then slowly, so slowly, the weight crept back. Back on MFP for a week now, with a goal of returning to 155, about 6 pounds to go. FYI, I'm 5'9. Funny, I'm at my original goal weight but it's no longer the right one!
  • jacobsl221
    jacobsl221 Posts: 75 Member
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    Thanks everyone! You've given me ideas. I'm going to measure my body fat thing today. My doctor told me "it is better for older women (I am 67) to have a little more fat". That was 8 lbs. ago. I am still losing. 4.5 to my goal number.
  • sheri2345
    sheri2345 Posts: 1 Member
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    I think once you have found you "set point" for a healthy feel good live a little weight, shoot to keep it there. Play with your "wiggle room", that little extra that inevitably happens, until you know how much wiggle room you have before a change of 1-2 lbs happens. Getting back on track should cause your weight to naturally drift back to set point. Now focus on your nutrition. Make sure you are getting the nutrients your body needs within the intake level you set. If you are not, you may need to change the kinds of foods you eat, the amounts, etc. so that you are meeting nutrition targets. I find there are foods I have simply let go of because they don't pack a punch. I have dropped them in favor of foods that do.
  • MoiAussi93
    MoiAussi93 Posts: 1,948 Member
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    As long as you are at a healthy weight...based on BMI or medical advice...then what you look and feel like is the best way to judge. Don't get obsessed with a specific weight or size...that makes little sense. Instead, if you feel good (mobile, energetic, able to do the activities you want to do, etc.) and like what you see when you look in the mirror, that is the right place to switch to maintenance. You will know it when you see it.

    And if you change your mind later, and decide you want to be lighter...you can always change your plans. You aren't stuck with the decision forever.
  • MaddMaestro
    MaddMaestro Posts: 405 Member
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    The "diet" is never done! You should always eat at a healthy rate and pace.

    As for when you're done with your weight loss, that depends on what's healthy for you. It's okay to get an opinion from a doctor.
  • Nikion901
    Nikion901 Posts: 2,467 Member
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    It's all very subjective and personal ... so no one can answer that question for you but yourself. Take a personal inventory of how you feel about it. Then go from there. One suggestion ... if you have been losing weight for a very long time consistently and are getting tired of doing that ... you can always practive maintenance for a month and see how you do. Sometimes the maintenance part is even more challenging than the dieting because now you would be eating more and probably bringing foods back into your diet that you curtailed while dieting. Just remember, any exercise you have been doing probably needs to be continued, because it's what your body is used to do doing. Stop that and you will probably see an increase in weight.
  • tomteboda
    tomteboda Posts: 2,171 Member
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    Beats me. I've adjusted my goal downwards now by 35 lbs... I'm 3 lbs away.
  • dutchandkiwi
    dutchandkiwi Posts: 1,389 Member
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    Depends on what you are aiming for.
    For me the goal shifted multiple times. Currently my goal is the middle of my optimum BMI and with muscle building - I ma ow in my maintenace range I set up, but I really want to hit my goal before I go into maintenenace
  • Lou_trition
    Lou_trition Posts: 41 Member
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    I don't have one... Goals will allow me to fail. I think it is important to be consistent and listen to your body. You will know by looking in the mirror and how you feel inside when it is ready to switch to maintenance.
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
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    I've never thought of this process having a specific end point. For me, it's a lifelong thing. I've been at goal for over 5 years now, but I don't think of myself as having finished anything. My new habits (aka "the diet") will never be done. They will continue on indefinitely. In terms of knowing when it's time to switch to maintenance, that's an individual thing. When you feel happy, healthy and comfortable where you are, it's probably time to try maintenance and switch your focus to other goals, like body composition or fitness, etc. Good luck! :)
  • JacobNicolaus
    JacobNicolaus Posts: 34 Member
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    jacobsl221 wrote: »
    I have been losing consistently and feel good. However, I don't know if I should be aiming at a scale number or a size or what signals the end and a shift to maintenance. How do you know when it is time?

    1. Staying within the healthy range of your BMI is a good, but very general reference.
    2. Having a target body fat % would be a good numerical goal as at least it somewhat reflects both the looks and the healthy amount of fat, so that you both have enough of it to cushion your organs, but not so much that your heart has to work overtime to maintain your body. Take a lot at a chart here for some target fat % goals.
    3. As always, if in any doubt (and for any medical conditions at all), talk to your doctor, or dietitian, or (ideally) both - once you are within your ranges, they'd probably suggest nutrient-rich maintenance diet and moderate amount of exercise as keys to a healthy stable weight/fat %.
  • macchiatto
    macchiatto Posts: 2,890 Member
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    MoiAussi93 wrote: »
    As long as you are at a healthy weight...based on BMI or medical advice...then what you look and feel like is the best way to judge. Don't get obsessed with a specific weight or size...that makes little sense. Instead, if you feel good (mobile, energetic, able to do the activities you want to do, etc.) and like what you see when you look in the mirror, that is the right place to switch to maintenance. You will know it when you see it.

    And if you change your mind later, and decide you want to be lighter...you can always change your plans. You aren't stuck with the decision forever.

    I agree with this.
    And for a long time, my target weight was always 139 lbs. I would maintain there for a while; I did yoyo a good bit in my 20s and 30s, especially early 30s. At one point in my mid 30s I decided to experiment with dropping another 5-10 lbs and have ended up with a maintenance range that's 6-11 lbs below my previous goal weight. I'm 1 clothing size smaller and I feel like it's better for my frame size (especially with my post-twin-pregnancy body changes). Now I'm shifting to recomp.
  • STEVE142142
    STEVE142142 Posts: 867 Member
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    That has to be your personal decision.. when I hit 2:20 I decided that's where I like myself and I decided to start maintenance. Totally screwed maintenance up went down to the slowest 204.

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