Tips for re-assessing goals and deciding when to go into maintenance/how?

surfbug808
surfbug808 Posts: 251 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
I'm new to weight-loss.

September: Joined MFP
Original goal: lose 30lbs.
Yesterday: Hit my goal

As a newbie, so far I've learned:
Weight-loss is different from fat-loss
Strength training is important to maintain/gain muscle during cal deficit
NSV's are important
Scale numbers don't always matter, BMI, Navy Fat Calculator provides a range but not accurate, body fat % is a factor
and lots more...

I've always been active, currently surf, swim, play soccer and strength train.
At this point, I'm not sure what to do... go into maintenance? Maintain a 200 cal deficit (slow weight loss) until my body fat% is lower? In the mirror I look good. Not extremely athletically defined since lifting is new for me, tho I can see my abs now which is nice... I'm female so I also know I'll have more fat than a guy to stay healthy...

Tips on how you reassessed your goals?
When did you know it was time to go into maintenance?
What body fat % is appropriate for what kind of goal (e.g. I'm not aiming to be a body builder), and since body fat % holds a range as well, I'm unsure what's appropriate for me...

Thanks

Replies

  • Fflpnari
    Fflpnari Posts: 975 Member
    For me its all on how i feel and how i felt in the past. My lowest adult weight is was too low for me now. I think an extra 20 would be good. Do you feel like you are at a good weight? bf?
  • surfbug808
    surfbug808 Posts: 251 Member
    Fflpnari wrote: »
    For me its all on how i feel and how i felt in the past. My lowest adult weight is was too low for me now. I think an extra 20 would be good. Do you feel like you are at a good weight? bf?

    My lowest adult weight was about 128lbs during my extremely active twenties. My current weight is 130lbs and I'm now in my forties, still active just less. So not much difference in lbs, especially since weight fluctuates anyway. During my thirties I stayed within 145-148lbs, though I had more visceral fat going on and more muscle too. I guess I got bit attached to numbers since I was so focused on weight-loss... I probably can stop now at 130lbs, or actually, let go of the number and just keep strength training and see where that takes me.

    What made you know that your lowest weight was too low for you? Were you tired? Did you look thin or sickly? Were your hormones off?
  • surfbug808
    surfbug808 Posts: 251 Member
    ElizabethKalmbach wrote: »
    I'd assess where you're at mentally. Do you feel healthy and energetic? Is your sex drive where it should be? Do you feel good in your skin? If so, go into maintenance for a while and make a note to redo the assessment in 6 months or a year, or whenever you feel more navel gazing would be appropriate.

    There are still quite a few things that can happen in maintenance like recomp. If you eat at maintenance and continue to lift weights, you can continue to lower your body fat while making some pretty nice strength gains.

    You can also always go back into deficit if you decide after 3 months that there's something in particular you'd like to explore.

    I think the key is taking time periodically to check in with yourself and ask yourself a few blunt questions and listen to your own truths. I think a lot of us got out of hand in the first place because we didn't take the time to check in with ourselves as often as we might have. I know it's true for me.

    Now that I've got a lot more medical problems than I used to, I try to check on my body and feels a little more frequently than I did in my 20's, and while it hasn't eliminated ALL the stumbling blocks, it has allowed me to catch problems faster, resolve anxieties before I freeze up, and generally waste less time recovering lost ground.

    CONGRATULATIONS ON GETTING TO YOUR GOAL! <3

    Thanks! I was actually surprised because I hadn't expected to lose the weight as quickly as I did.

    Your input helps a lot. I've been feeling really energized during the entire process, but the last two weeks more tired and hungry (also caught a cold and recovered). So, I've been eating a bit more and that's helping. I'm guessing that's my body telling me to re-calibrate or that it's time to stop the deficit. For the most part, I like the way I look. I can't tell how much belly fat is okay or not, since I am unclear of my goals now (if I want to be super lean or not). I'm supposedly in a healthy body fat% range, and my ab muscles are visible, so perhaps that's enough to take a break at least.

    I'm interested in recomp. I'm doing progressive weight training and I feel like I need more fuel for that now. So, if I can eat and maintenance and still lower body fat that would be great! I'll have to do more reading about that on these threads. If you have any particular tips or websites you recommend please post.

    Yeah, I want to do all this in a way that is healthiest for me, and avoid extremes. I hear you on the medical problems, and aging issues! Glad we are pro-active about being well and healthy!
  • ElizabethKalmbach
    ElizabethKalmbach Posts: 1,416 Member
    Here's the big recomp thread:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat
  • Luke_rabbit
    Luke_rabbit Posts: 1,031 Member
    ElizabethKalmbach wrote: »
    I'd assess where you're at mentally. Do you feel healthy and energetic? Is your sex drive where it should be? Do you feel good in your skin?

    This seems like an unusual list to determine whether or not someone should try maintenance. But, maybe that's just me. 😁
  • Luke_rabbit
    Luke_rabbit Posts: 1,031 Member
    edited December 2019
    ElizabethKalmbach wrote: »
    bold_rabbit wrote: »
    This seems like an unusual list to determine whether or not someone should try maintenance. But, maybe that's just me. 😁

    Well, OP already had the usual physical list covered (body fat percentage, healthy BMI, etc), so I went into my personal examples of mental health questions that relate. I'm sure everyone's list is going to be different and keyed to their life experience and overall life goals. Entering and exiting maintenance is kind of a fluid thing that can be done purposefully, for healthy, goal oriented reasons - meaning that the reasons and questions one asks themselves can be just as dynamic. It's not as static a position as can seem from the beginning of a weight loss journey, I think.

    I was reading and commenting quickly before heading out the door, but I didn't intend to sound mean or snarky. I just read it and thought:

    My answers would be "no, no, no" - always and forever and regardless of my weight!

    Hence the 😁!

    I always find your posts to be helpful and interesting.
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    I have a certain weight I feel comfortable with, it is a weight I tend to hover around through most of my adult life, where I look and feel good. Also despite gaining weight, putting on muscle, etc. I always seem to stay around there even with different bodyfat % (I don't know exact numbers just based on how I look in photos). For me weight wise it's around 128-135lbs. I have been as low as 120lbs and I was not happy, I just did not like the way I looked at that weight.

    In terms of maintenance, I tend not to stay there long. I like to run bulk/cuts when I get to goal. I am sure there will come a point where I am happy with the amount of muscle I have and I will maintain.

    You really have to think about your goals and where you feel comfortable. And when you are happy with your outline but could add a bit here, take away a bit there, recomp is definitely a good idea.
  • surfbug808
    surfbug808 Posts: 251 Member
    ElizabethKalmbach wrote: »
    I went into my personal examples of mental health questions that relate. I'm sure everyone's list is going to be different and keyed to their life experience and overall life goals. Entering and exiting maintenance is kind of a fluid thing that can be done purposefully, for healthy, goal oriented reasons - meaning that the reasons and questions one asks themselves can be just as dynamic. It's not as static a position as can seem from the beginning of a weight loss journey, I think.

    I appreciate the mental health questions, because it's all related anyway and mental state can be an indicator of hormones, not eating enough etc too. Also, I need to enjoy what I'm doing! I was getting irritable and less focused in the last two weeks (probably from being tired) and my last lifting session didn't have much strength or focus to increase the weight as usual... In any case, since getting the feedback here I've switched to maintenance, and will research recomping. I'll re-evaluate once my energy levels get higher as I keep strength training.

    Yeah, it's not a one size fits all, and even then it's gonna change over time. Remembering that it's fluid helps a lot!
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
    Tips on how you reassessed your goals?
    I have many goals, weight is one of them but often tends to be related to my sporting goals.
    As I tick them off I tend to add new ones, short and long term, trivial and important.

    When did you know it was time to go into maintenance?
    When I hit my goal weight. But I periodically reassess my goals including my weight and later decided to nibble off a few more pounds. I don't see it as set in stone. I've also at times decided to let myself regain some weight. Over six years though my weight has been within 14lbs with my original goal weight as the upper limit. My main sport is cycling and I typically drop to a lower weight in summer and for big events.

    What body fat % is appropriate for what kind of goal (e.g. I'm not aiming to be a body builder), and since body fat % holds a range as well, I'm unsure what's appropriate for me.
    And as it's so difficult to get an accurate number I go by the mirror to assess how lean I am.
    I'm happiest in the "2-pack range" and no great desire to be very lean as that tends to make me too hungry and obsessive about food.
  • cupcakesandproteinshakes
    cupcakesandproteinshakes Posts: 1,092 Member
    I originally lost about 40 pounds and maintained that for about 5 years. Lost another 10 pounds about 3 years ago and started resistance training seriously then. More recently I’ve been losing slowly at about 1 t 2 pounds a month and I’m at 133 pounds now. Basically I’ve gone from the higher end of bmi to lower end. I look less flabby and a bit more muscular as a result of that journey. I find it harder to maintain at the lower weight. It takes a bit more attention to detail and logging, both of which I find tedious.

    You can keep reassessing where you want to be and what you want to do. Nothing is fixed in stone. Maintenance is a good default if you are undecided and you feel a mental break from dieting is needed.

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