Unsure where to go from here.

momofamadhouse wrote: »

Should I stay in a deficit to lose the last 20 or 30 pounds of fat? Do I need to start thinking about recomp now? How do I come to terms with the skin suit?

First off, congrats on your progress. You have come a LONG way. It's easy to put weight on but much harder to get it off and keep it off. You are 20# to your goal so my suggestion would be to continue at your current deficit if you still have 20-30 lbs to lose. Unfortunately you either need to tighten up your logging, be more active (such as increasing your workout times) or maybe a little bit of both if you want to see that scale move. Once you get down to your last 20# , I would reduce the deficit to 1 or 1.5 lbs a week. You'll get 250-500 calories more if you don't change anything in your diet and activity level but it's important to continue eating the same things. Don't go crazy thinking you have more calories to play with and reach for sugar and processed foods. Just add an apple or a handful of nuts to your day. Increase calories slowly. I think increasing by 100 calories every day for 3 days works best until you reach your caloric goal. Once you get down to your last 10#, I would decrease your deficit to either 0.5 or 1 lb a week. I set myself to a 1 lb weekly loss when I got down to my last 10#. I set that deficit to make up for 2 things: 1) to account for an under-estimation in my food intake or lack thereof and 2) to account for an overestimation of calories burned on my Fitbit. I have been up and down on the scale the same 3-4 lbs these last 2 months so even with a deficit, weight loss has definitely slowed. I went from 160# in January to 128# today so I am almost to my 125# goal. Once you do get to your goal weight, try and maintain that weight for 2-3 weeks before increasing your calories to maintenance. This will help avoid weight gain. After that, you can start thinking about recomposition which will (at some point) make you gain weight since you'll be adding muscle and increasing calorie intake to build that muscle. As for the "skin suit" you speak of, I wouldn't worry about it so much. It takes time for elasticity to spring back. Plus, I think you look great! Work on building muscle and lifting heavy weights after your weight loss journey and I bet your "skin suit" will start feeling like it's sucking in you in more than just hanging about. Be patient and give it time. All your hard work will pay off. Trust me.

Another voice weighing in to say IMHO you look great and, from the pics, your skin does, too. Congrats on your fantastic accomplishment. Ditto on considering a full diet break. It will give you a chance to reframe your goals and expectations for the last 20. It's a good idea to approach it at 1/2 lb per week. It will help you transition to maintenance as well. I hope your outlook lifts soon. You have come so far!

Our before and after pics wouldn't be that dissimilar. I am 5'9 and started at 284 ... down to 171 now. My next goal is 150-155. I have started to get slightly discouraged by my saggy belly and arm skin. (I have been lifting and have lost slowly over two years). But I am going to keep going to see what 20 more pounds does and continue to focus on how great I look in clothes now ... and how much healthier I am. You look great - and any "issues" are probably more because we are so hard on ourselves compared to how others see us. Be proud of your new body!!!

you look great!