Losing Weight: When is it Time to Stop?

I plan on staying in the 6-10% range once I lean down to it. You lean down till you hit 6% body fat and then, if you're not satisfied with your musculature, you bulk up until you hit 10%. Then, you lean back down to 6%. You keep repeating this process until you get the body you want.

Ah, I'm here, I've been here for a few months now. My time to start maintaining was when I was able to fit in my friends clothes who I always considered very, very thin. I threw on one of his shirts, and it fit perfectly. I dropped from 250 to 160 in the last year, and when that shirt fit, it was reason enough to say, I'm done losing. Plus, people started saying I was looking too thin, and sometimes they see what you dont. Dropping from 33.9 BMI to 21.7 BMI didn't hurt either.

Wish I had this problem....I can't tell myself I've gained enough and need to stop kwim? This sucks

Losing weight is pretty hard. But I managed to lost 90 pounds. I thought of vegetarian (Because like Bob Barker (who is retiring), I am against animal cruelty), but was told that it isn't exactly healthy (since Bob Barker had 3 strokes and had prostate surgery and is retiring due to deteriation of physical health). So meat is back in the diet, in the form of mostly fish with a few servings of chicken and red meat.

But the key is: moderation (except for trans fats, avoid anything that has any hydrogenated oils in it). A little bit of brockley, a little bit of steak, a little bit of tomatos, apples, celery, rice, pudding, ice cream, carrots, and even pizza (given it doesn't contain partially hydrogenated oils). The ones to avoid are: fried foods, pasteries, sodas, and trans-fatty foods.

Today, I exercise and eat cereal in the morning, a vegtable sandwich with either vegtable soup, vegtable salad with hard-boiled eggs (Need protein), or just steamed vegtables, a fruit salad (though once a week, I eat a yogurt profley or fat-free frozen yogurt with walnuts, coconuts, and chocolate chips). I eat nuts and dark chocolate for snacks, and I eat fish four to five times a week, chicken twice a week, and red meat once a week for dinner, with vegtables and rice. It's all about moderation.

--On a side news, a tested Wendy's fries did reveal that although they claimed that they switch to trans-free oils, these fries still tested positive for trans fats. I call that "disgusting" and need some investigation. I hope that KFC does not do the same thing: Claim they switched to trans-free oil and still these fried chicken contains trans fats.

For me, it was a combination of my doctor's recommendation and listening to my body.

When I started losing, I lost about 85 pounds in a little over a year, then I hit a plateau and didn't lose anything for 18 months. I went to a new doctor, had more tests done, and we finally discovered a problem with the meds for my hypothyroidism. My doc adjusted the meds, and I renewed my commitment to Weight Watchers, and I finally started losing again.

I asked my doctor for a goal weight recommendation. He gave me a number I thought was high (I wanted to lose about 10 more than he said I should).

I ended up losing 23 pounds slowly and steadily until a few months ago when I reached the goal my doctor set. I still wanted to keep losing though, so I remained commited and dedicated. But, I've been losing and gaining the same 2 - 3 pounds, no matter what I do.

So, I decided that my body likes this weight, and it is healthy, so I'm not going to stress myself about losing more.

I've changed my focus to maintenance. But, that doesn't mean much, because I'm pretty much doing the same things I was when I was losing. I figure if I keep it up, then my body will lose weight if it should. If not, then I'm where I'm supposed to be. I'm in the best shape of my life, so I can't complain.

If you decide ahead of time what weight you want to be (YOU decide what is a normal weight) and use the right method to get you there, you'll stop losing automatically when you get there. If you want to stop before you get to goal or you want to continue losing, there is a way to do either of these. You won't be focused on food after 21 days and you won't need a maintenance program.

For me, it was a combination goal weight (helped set by Body Fat %) and athletic performance. After losing over 200 pounds in 15 months, I just recently said that was not enough and turned on the losing again by restricting the carbs to a lower level to take off another 10 pounds. The diet was never really that stressful so moving from maintenance to a losing phase was not a huge deal. I could however definitely see how one stuck with fat goggles though would never recognize the achievements they've made and determine they've worked hard enough. Is the pathway to anorexia from healthy dieting that tenuous?

When I was about 13 I hit my high of 162 at 5'1. It made me sad... so i started to loose weight, and not in a good way, a cycle that I still do to this day. Now I'm 17 and 124 and 5'6. But it's weird I still hate myself and the only thing I see when I look in the mirror is a grossly fat person. I hate it. If you're supposed to stop dieting when you like how you look: what if you'll never like how you look? The worst part is all of my friends have a higher, in some cases much higher, BMI than I so I can't even talk to them about this depressing rut I've fallen into. Dose ANYONE know how to learn to love yourself? I would be most appreciative for any advice. :(

I decided on what would be right after going UNDER it. I got to 117lb, which for 5'1" shouldn't be extremely thin, and I notice that the differences between being 125lb and 117lb were: I still fit in the same size clothes (4) but everything I bought was extremely loose on my butt, since I had lost all of it, so no longer a proper fit, and my face looked much harsher. I couldn't fit into a 2 cause my legs were still the same size, and so were my hips, cause at that point they were bone, not fat. So I ate more and went back to 125lb, which is also an easier weight to maintain (yeah, if I had only listened to my body, I wouldn't have worked so hard to drop those 7lb...). Right now I'm trying to lose a few, cause decreased activity made me go 8lb over that, which is still in my HWR but not really my ideal weight in my own definition.

I plan on staying in the 10-15% range once I lean down to it.

To Mia... PLEASE, please, go see your doctor, or talk to someone you trust - your mom or dad, an aunt, uncle, cousin... SOMEONE who can help you get help. From what you said, you are exhibiting the first stages of an eating disorder. When you look in the mirror and see fat where there is none, it's a problem. Without seeing you, 124 lbs and 5'6" is healthy to underweight. Please don't lose any more until you've spoken to a professional who can help guide you through the murky waters of the depression you feel.

Mia, I'm sorry I had missed your post. There are lots of good books and sites on loving yourself. Not that you shouldn't talk to someone about it. I agree with Laura's advice.

Here is a short list:

Sites:
www.adiosbarbie.com
www.something-fishy.org

Books:
"When Women Stop Hating Their Bodies" by Jane Hirschmann
"The Beauty Myth" by Naomi Wolf
"Adios, Barbie" by Ophira Edut
"Am I Thin Enough Yet?" by Sharlene Hesse-Biber
"Do I Look Fat in This?" by Jessica Weiner

Well, I hate the way my thighs look. So for me, enough is enough when my thighs don't spread all over the place when I sit down. I am back in a size 8, and I have even purchased some size 6 clothing, but I am not fond of my muscular thighs. I was a sprinter in high school so I will always have muscular thighs so I think I might just give up on the stick look. I should be grateful that they aren't flabby and shaking all over the place.

I am 5'7" and I will stop when I get to 135-137lbs. I actually want to be 140, but I want 3-5 lbs to play with.

Nice Girl, you are right in accepting your build. I have the same issue with the thighs. Instead of skinny legs, why don't you focus on getting inner thigh definition (that little "cut" right on top of them)? That is a sign your body fat is pretty low on your legs already, and all that is left is muscle.

The problem is that when it is time to stop losing weight you will inevitably start putting weight back on.

I'm a 181 cms tall (5'11") 35 year old female, and have reduced from just under 100 kgs (about 220 pounds) to 68 kgs (about 150 pounds), and feel that I still need to drop another 10 kilos or so.

However, my original so-called 'goal weight' was set at 82 kilos (by Weight Watchers originally, and confirmed by my GP) - way too heavy! I think that 'goal weights' are generally set very high to make them sound more achievable for the obese.

I'm now in my 6th month of pregnancy (due early February), and have put on about 7 kilograms (15 pounds). I've watched my diet carefully, and kept measuring my thighs and arms, which are both still reducing in girth, indicating that the weight gain is all baby. When I've had my bub, I'll continue to what I have determined to be my own personal goal weight, somewhere in the vicinity of 60 kilograms.

I'm judging my weight by BMI and skin pinch tests, and just eating healthily and according to my appetite these days (a whole foods, organic vegan diet). I don't think I'll ever have a weight problem again, and it's nice to have food firmly in its place of fuel, rather than obsession.

I do believe that obesity is the result of fat, sugar and salt addictions, and the only way to ever completely 'cure' obesity is to go cold turkey on processed foods, for good.

But what would I know? I'm not a nutritionist who is employed by McDonalds for McMegabucks - I'm just an ordinary woman who has managed to win the 'battle of the bulge' :-)

hgh, that is not true... I have maintained (ok, you can say I regained, but for someone whose starting weight was 230lb, morbid obesity, regaining to be just on top of the HWR but still in it is not that significant... I've maintened 98lb of weight loss steadily, even considering my highest regain weight ever since) for 4 years now. Regaining is not inevitable, and only happens to people who go on crash diets instead of changing their lifestyles.

Leanne, as someone who is 152 cm and is 59kg right now and still does not look fat, I don't know your specific build but I'm sure 58kg would make you look extremely skinny. Maybe you should focus on exercising, once the baby is born and you have the ok to do so, to change your shape instead of focusing on losing more weight. 60kg, or 132lb, for someone who is 5'11" is very underweight.

I found my goal weight when i decided my pants looked pretty hot and i had enough room in them that they showed enough curve but not too much.
I used to be really underweight and have since gained about 10 lbs. i felt a little weird and had to get used to being healthy and i do feel like i would like to lose about 2 pounds and i would fit all my pants perfect without being too much underweight. but if i gain a little or lose a little i've decided to still be happy.
sometimes you need to stop focusing on your body and how your stomach looks etc., and just focus your pride on something else..i started styling my hair and playing with makeup all the time. I find other ways to feel pretty now. i hate being obsessed with weight.

I have never lost the weight, Have been a dieter since the age of 12, now I am 47 and I have never actully gotton to the place I feel I should be. I will lose 25-30 pounds and then I gradually go back to adding food then I gain it back and start dieting when I can't wear my clothes. I need somthing to get myself motivated to not eat bad food. I workout constantly, 5 nights a week, 35-50 min. of cardio, machines floor work, weights and ball. I would be there 7 nights but they close before I get off work, somtimes I run outside on those nights and do an at home workout. The next morning at work I am digging in the candy like I am possesed by somthing. Bad problem with sugar and carbs.

This post is quite serendipitous! I have been struggling with this question for weeks! I have lost about 80 lbs in the last year and a half, but for 4 months, I have plateaued. It is so irksome! I still need to lose about 12-15 lbs to be in the healthy weight range, (and probably 25 would be healthier-I'm 5'9" and 177 lbs right now) but I don't know what else to do! I have totally changed my eating habits for the better and I workout 5-6 days a week, doing cardio, weights, and stretching. I am toying with changing my focus to maintenance for a while, until I figure out what else I can change to shake this last bit of weight to hit my goal. It's making me crazy to see no movement on the scale and I'm wondering if I change my mindset, I won't be so annoyed when the scale doesn't move. It's a tough question!

Ive been dieting for about a year now with the acception of eating w/e i want on the weekends, im about 5'0 and i was at my heaviest about 1 year ago at about 117 pounds, i felt n looked horrible...since then i now weigh between 98-100 n i still feel unhappy and fat, i work out about 4 days a week but i feel like on the weekend i over eat! ahhh

stacy, you are already very skinny. You are not fat.

psychsarah, you have the right idea there: eat healthy but up to maintenance calories, and keep exercising, for at least 45 days or so, preferably 2 or even 3 months. The same thing happened to me after I lost 80lb. I got to 150lb and the scale wouldn't move, no matter how clean I ate, or how much I lowered the calories. I think your body just sort of gives up after a massive weight loss like that. So I did the maintenance thing for a couple months while keeping on exercising, and then when I lowered calories a bit again, I had no trouble losing until I got to goal.

psychsarah: To further what Jan said, there's another technique you can use. First of all, if you're not eating small meals every 2-3 waking hours, start doing that first. If you're already doing that and still plateauing, try zig-zagging. For one day, eat the number of calories required for maintanance, or even 10% more. Then, eat 20% under maintanance for 2 or 3 days. To make this more effective, low carb for the 2 or 3 days and carb load on the other day.

Combined with cardio and weight loss, this is the best natural way to lose fat I know of. It will keep your metabolism set high while you're subjecting it to a calorie deficit, so you never plateau. Nothing comes for free though; it requires you to very carefully watch your calories.

Oh yeah, Ryan is right. I went straight to the last resource, cause I was already eating 6 small meals a day, clean, and exercising. I tried the zig-zagging first - it didn't do anything for me at that plateau. But I credit the zig-zagging for helping me lose the last few pounds, including the ones I wanted to gain back later. So you can try that first. In the low days, I'd have about 30-35% of calories from carb, and on the high ones, 55%, cause it is important never to drop the protein.

I also did something during that plateau that I will never, ever do again, cause it is true suffering for me: empty stomach cardio. I'm very hypoglycemic and I feel very sick doing it.

Jan and Ryan,

Thanks for your advice. I appreciate you taking the time to share your tips.

Zig-zagging might the thing to try. once I get up for it. I'll have to give it a whirl. I don't think I could hack the empty stomach cardio-it sounds dreadful!

I've never actually had a problem with morning fasted cardio. It's pretty easy for me. About 3 minutes into it, I feel just fine. I actually stop feeling hungry and have ample energy. I guess that's how long it takes for my body to get into fat-burning mode. About 20 minutes after I'm done though, I reclaim the hunger I had before. I could just be an odd case though.

I've always had low blood sugar, and always been one of those types that wakes up looking for breakfast already. In fact, it is the only time of the day I ever feel really hungry, and not just "you know, I could eat right now" hungry. I tried to see if caffeine would give me the insulin spike to stop the hunger, and artificial sweeteners are supposed to help too, but it looks like nothing short of some real carbs can spike my insulin, haha.

When I was very heavy, I thought that my goal weight would be when I was the same size as my sister was. She, to me, always had the perfect body...curvy and muscular. When I did get down to that weight (about 130), I realized that for me, I should be a bit thinner. I am a runner and I run better when I'm lighter. I kept losing weight without really knowing when to stop. I got down to about 97 lbs (at 5'3", that's pretty skinny). My body fat was extremely low and like Jan, I found that all my clothes were baggy in the butt and I was all bones. Now, I FILL OUT my size 1 jeans with plenty of muscles. I weigh 113 or so right now, which is about my ideal for my height and bone structure.

To Mia--You are a young woman, so go easy on yourself. Women and their bodies are a life long struggle. My 92 year-old grandmother is concerned about her weight and likes to look and feel good in her clothes. Although it is important for both your physical and mental health (the quality of your life) to be at a healthy weight, you will feel good about yourself when you achieve your goals, large and small. Spend time working on knowing, nuturing, and expanding who you are as a person and a woman. Beautiful inside=beautiful outside. Find fun ways to exersize-cycling, running, join a gym, kick boxing, yoga, walking. Make plans for your future. If you value yourself, you will take care to be healthy.

well my ideal weight seems to be too low according to everyone else- I stopped losing weight once I reached 105 at 5'6", and it was too low then so I put on 5 lbs but felt heavy and lost it again.
This was several years ago; since then I have gained 2 inches in height and have easily maintained a weight of 110-115 lbs. through a whole foods/vegetarian diet. I know it seems very low, but I have s small-ish frame plus I feel very light and healthy at where I am. I tend to avoid weighing myself more than 1ce or 2ce a month, and gouge by my health instead.
I'm use to looking/feeling this way that I couldn't imagine being any other weight.

Enough is enough when a persons entire life revolves dieting.

It's a multi-billion dollar industry for a reason.

I'm planning towards 140 lb... (I'm 5'3.5) --- but that's based more on body fat and what my doctor suggested (well, he actually suggested 147) with my body type and bone frame. Around 140 lb, I should be 20%-21% body fat.

I'm planning on stopping around 20-21% body fat. I don't want to lose my curves. :)

Heather, that was sort of my goal too - highest weight possible with a body fat no higher than 21%.

okay so, im about 5 feet, 4 inches tall and weigh near 95 pounds. i didnt do anything to weigh this much, its jsut natural. i do exercise everyday only because i run cross country, track, and out door track. but unfortunatley, i still feel very unhappy about the way i look. i just put on a bathing suit and feel so unhappy and self conscious, what are some things i can do to help feel better about my self?

Melissa, when you say you are unhappy with the way you look, do you mean cause you think you are still fat, or just a general dissatisfaction?

After reading the comments ..in order to get permanent results...you need to shift your thinking to fatloss ...not weightloss. You could weigh 140lbs and be a size 10 and you could also be a size 4.
If you focus on weight loss soley..then you will slow down your metabolism and create a fat storing enzyme callled LPL..this makes your metabolism slower and fatter..so when you resume a normal eating you will gain weight and then some. Taking bodyfat will ensure that you keep lean muscle and your abiltiy to take in more calories..that way you will never have to keep lowering your caloric intake...which unfortunatly for most women they do this. If you learn how to re-set your metabolism correctly you can acheive the look you want and you won't focus so much on weightloss..because that is never the best way to go. Heatherpicken.com

I'm am trying to lose wieght right now i wiegh 176 at 5'3.5 .I've tried every yo yo diet I would lose some and then gain it back.. I saw Oprah and I'm doing the Dr. Oz recommended diet.. I LOVE IT.. i feel so so good and it's only be little over 2 weeks. I've lost about 10 pounds alrady so you know I can't get enough!!! have a goal wieght of 140 pounds.... My body right now looks good to me.. I have some problems areas but overall I look good..I can't walk down the street without getting Men beeping yelling out me tying to get to know me.. so it shows me that I MOST LOOK GOOD.. I don't want to lose my CURVES.. but I just want to be healthier and more active.. I'm trying to focus on the overall effect of what a healthy wieght can do for your overall phsyical health.

hi...am 19-year old girl. i was 62 kilogram 6 months ago i decide to lose weight because i was afraid of gaining more with time.now i'm 46 kilogram and i can't get back to my normal patterns in eating.it's just like i've enter a cycly and i can't get outside...i admit that i'm addict to slimness i even can't looking at fat people,they tend to stress me.
please help me i don't know what to do ???

hi...am 19-year old girl. i was 62 kilogram 6 months ago i decide to lose weight because i was afraid of gaining more with time.now i'm 46 kilogram and i can't get back to my normal patterns in eating.it's just like i've enter a cycly and i can't get outside...i admit that i'm addict to slimness i even can't stand looking at fat people,they tend to stress me[...]

zena, you have a problem, you are right. Can you talk to someone, like a doctor or conselour?