How do I know when the diet is done?

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  • STEVE142142
    STEVE142142 Posts: 867 Member
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    Meant to say my lowest was 204. I'm currently at 208 now with lifting I like where I am but according to BMI index I'm overweight range. You'll basically know when you get there. Pet shelter poster said weight is just a number even and maintenance sure wait is going to fluctuate
  • ridiculous59
    ridiculous59 Posts: 2,862 Member
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    In Chris Crowley's book "Thinner this Year" he suggests aiming for the weight that you felt your best in your 20's or early 30's. That's what I have done (I'm 57). I'm also following his suggestion of 60 minutes of exercise 6 days a week (3 x cardio and 3 x strength). I'm smack in the middle of "normal" bmi and weigh what I did in my 20's when I was healthy and running so have decided that this is where I'll start my maintenance phase. His book is a good read for people our age. Another good one is "What Makes Olga Run". It's about aging and world class athletes who compete at the seniors games into their 90's!

    I think your goal weight is one of those things that you'll know when you get there. But if you're like me and need goals to reach for, then perhaps Chris Crowley's suggestion will work for you too.
  • richardgavel
    richardgavel Posts: 1,001 Member
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    Shoot for what you were in you best of your 20s and 30s? I'm better now at 42 than I ever was back then.
  • mjglantz
    mjglantz Posts: 498 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?

    When I was losing I eventually aimed for 162 (in the normal BMI range). Kept doing what I was doing and ended up losing more and settled at 140 (+/- 2 lbs) and that's where I am.
  • tomteboda
    tomteboda Posts: 2,171 Member
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    richardgavel wrote: »
    Shoot for what you were in you best of your 20s and 30s? I'm better now at 42 than I ever was back then.

    Same here :smile: I look better at 38 than I ever have. It's not just the weight, though.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    What looked good on me in my 20's and 30's does not look healthy on me now in my 40's.

    The weight i was then made me look healthy and slim, whereas now it makes me look older and gaunt.
  • crooked_left_hook
    crooked_left_hook Posts: 364 Member
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    The first time I deliberately lost weight was years ago and I lost 30 lbs. When I started I picked a weight in the middle of the acceptable weight range for my height as my first goal. When I reached that goal the weight was still coming off pretty easily so I lost another 5lbs and felt good so stopped. I'm 5'6" and went from 166-134.

    This time I only needed to lose 7 to get back to 135. I reached my goal, but decided to lose 3-5lbs more for wiggle room while I transition to maintenance. I reached 132, and started running again, so I am increasing calories to slow my loss down but still lose the last 2 lbs while getting used to eating more food. Sure I can safely lose 10 lbs more without looking too thin but favorite clothes fit now, I feel like myself, I'm more confident, my energy levels are better, and I feel healthy again so this is where I will stay. I really can't afford to lose more than 2 more lbs without neededing to replace several pairs of really expensive jeans :) I'm also older now and I need the extra fat in my face to keep my girlish good looks ;)

    PS- The extra 2 lbs I want to lose is because I'm going to Peru in June for my 40th and I want some wiggle room so I don't have to track while I travel :)
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    There is no one definite answer. It depends on your goals, abilities, how hungry you are, and how easy or difficult it is to keep losing those last few pounds, etc. After I hit the top of my maintenance range last fall it has been very difficult to lose the 5 lbs I wanted to lose to get to the bottom of it. (I'm at the top end of my normal BMI range, so I'm not low for my height.) My TDEE is about = to what I feel I need to eat to keep my energy up, so it's very difficult to create a deficit and keep going on weight loss. For others it might be easier. I'm hoping that with warmer weather and more opportunity to get outside I'll be able to burn off a few hundred extra calories per day to create the desired deficit.

    My advice is to target the top end of your BMI normal range then reassess. My other advice is to not view this as a "diet" with an "end". I view it as weight management, something I will need to work at every day for the rest of my life. I came to grips with this before I started, now nearly 3 years ago. I can either manage my weight for the rest of my life or manage the diseases that result from being obese.
  • hamstercheeks
    hamstercheeks Posts: 4 Member
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    I think you know you're done when you feel good physically but also visually; when you like how you look, and how your clothes fit.

    Going back to my weight from my 20s and 30s has worked for me. For a long time back then, I weighed 123 lbs. I am 5'5" and now 51 years old. In 2013, I weighed 140 lbs and that was the most I ever weighed. I know that's still in the healthy BMI zone but it was too much for someone like me who had never been overweight. My original goal was to be around 130, but for the last two years, I've been between 120 - 125 lbs, and fit. I feel great in that range. I definitely feel too thin below 120 lbs (I hit as low as 115 lbs briefly), and my jeans (and many of my nice outfits) get too tight above 125, but it's not been a problem to maintain in that range. When I get over 125, I track calories for a week and aim for around 1200-1400 a day, and that usually gets me back in the comfort zone. Being active helps, of course, you can eat more if you work out.

    A big motivator is that at 51, I've got a large accumulated wardrobe including some vintage pieces I kept from my 20s and 30s, and everything still fits! I don't want to have to throw out my favourite outfits, some of them weren't cheap.
  • bfanny
    bfanny Posts: 440 Member
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    For me it was X number, (middle of healthy BMI chart) but as I got closer and I still have fat to "spare" is not a # anymore, whatever I weigh as long as that chunk of fat is GONE ;)
  • daflipremix
    daflipremix Posts: 25 Member
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    Living healthy is a lifestyle change. Simple as that.
  • jacobsl221
    jacobsl221 Posts: 75 Member
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    Thanks everyone. I realize that I will have to be vigilant the rest of my life. I have yo yo dieted for the last 50 years (literally, since I was 18 and started my first diet). I will be using MFP to help me with keeping on track. Right now I have 4 lb to go to get to my first goal. In a month I should be there.
  • Rocknut53
    Rocknut53 Posts: 1,794 Member
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    Christine_72 wrote: »
    What looked good on me in my 20's and 30's does not look healthy on me now in my 40's.

    The weight i was then made me look healthy and slim, whereas now it makes me look older and gaunt.

    I agree with this. I'm where I was in my mid 20's, excited about losing it, but wishing I looked like I did in my 20's. My doctor was pleased with my loss, but said I could still lose a little so I did. Hovering at 128-130 at 5'41/2.'' I guess I'm done.

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