When Do You Know You've Lost Enough??

[B-52 7,113]

Ok, this is for those who have met their goals.

When do you know you have lost enough weight? Do you simply stop loosing and hit a permanent plateau? Do you get a slight unfill?

I have a friend at work who I have known well for over 25 years. She now lives in kansas, but still comes back to our home office every 3-4 months.

Saw her the other day and after she complimented me, she said "You need to stop loosing..I think you've done enough" I laughed and said thanks, to which she said "Seriously...You need to stop"

I was in a resturant with my wife last week, and at another table was a old friend who did not recognize me even though I was staring right at him. I told my wife, and she said he does not recognize you because you look like this....She held up her pinky finger!

There comes a time when BMI's mean absolutley nothing! When you get close to your goal weight, body types are very different. Especially men...you can have a lean and thin person, and you can have a muscular build. Both with very little body fat but 20-25 lbs different weight.

There is a NFL Running back for the NE Patriots, who is the exact same height as me, but weighs 10-15 lbs more! I would not call him fat or unfit. I'm not comparing myself to a NFL Athlete, but you get the idea.

I have access to a Body Fat % scale, and according to that, I am less than 19% now, which for my age, is very good.

My Surgeon is not much help, he does not know me. First time we met was 2 weeks prior to surgery and when asked how much I would like to loose, we both shrugged our shoulders. I had no idea. What was your weight in High School, 40 years ago? Weight when you first got maried? What do you think your best weight was? Make an educated guess and we'll start there.

I see my PCP next week and need to talk to him about it.

[kll724 3,055]

Well, I don't know what your surgeon says, because men are differnt than women. But, mine and most folks that meet me seem to think that I should be either slighly overweight or just at normal BMI because of my age and the fact that we "older" folks seem to show our wrinkles more when we are a lower BMI. I look best and fell best at just meeting normal BMI. I had to have a slight unfill to stay that way! Good luck, you have done MAGIFICENT!!!! Karen

[Jachut 487]

Id rather have a very fit and trim body and a few more face wrinkles. I admire truly curvy omen, but to me what most curvy women cll curves i see as rolls of fat. I actually do like that catwalk model look, probably because that actually is more my body type than curvaceous and shapely.

As fr men, well, i like them cuddly, with the bulk that comes from muscle with enough fat on top to prevent that I spend all my time in the gym look. Im not into men who look to groomed or sculpted, and i love my hubbies small man boobs and beer belly!

See - just ONE opinion, neither right or wrong. Personally, i think youve lost enough when your body pleases you, i wet way past the point where others told me to stop but im happy.

[elcee 3,343]

I would rather be underweight than overweight. The normal BMI range is quite wide so I think it is easy to settle on some point within that and be happy. I certainly wouldn't be happy if my BMI still said I was overweight.

I am forever being told I am skinny but it's not true. It is simply that my friend/s are jealous(which they admit) and also that they are no longer used to seeing normal weight people as there are more overweight people these days than there are ones that are at a healthy weight. I would actually like to lose a few more kilos but i need to be able to choose where they come off ( my stomach instead of my legs)

As for the wrinkles - the bags under my eyes are more prominent than they used to be. I actually went for a consultation last week and was told that it happens with age as you lose fat in your cheeks so fillers would help. I am seriously considering having them done but they are so dam expensive and only temporary. I still think the slightly tired look that I have now is preferable to the big round face and lots of chins that I had when i was overweight.

[voldemort 57]

My PCP recommends me to be 215 lbs. I am 6' tall which if you go by BMI chart weight means I am "overweight". However, there are other things to consider such as your build, etc. At 215 I still have a bit of a belly but my hips line up with my "love handles" which was never the case when I was larger. Another factor is age as someone else mentioned. The BMI chart is not really a "one size fits all".

[TracyC 32]

When I asked my doctor what a realistic weight goal would be for me, he shrugged his shoulders. I mentioned that the 'standard' said for 5'2" a weight of 125-134 is ideal. He said and I quote "that is crap, they don't know what they are talking about". I laughed but expressed to him that I've put a much needed vacation on the line. We are saving for a fancy vacation that I've promised myself when I reach goal. That being said, I was attempting to make sure my goal was attainable. Sigh, so I'm shooting for a good BMI and will know when I'm happy to look in the mirror that I've made it.

[lorena st 33]

I picked a weight that I was comfortable at and I liked how I looked. I weighed between 140 and 145 pounds until I was 25 years old, then I packed weight on after that. My doctor thinks I should weigh about 170 pounds, quite a difference of opinion. But both weights fall within normal BMI for my height (5'9"). I still have a long way to go, regardless.

[khath0620 20]

I just met with my LB surgeon and he said, appropriately, that I should not be governed by a chart or generalized standard. I am not on any meds for BP nor am I diabetic or have any other health issues. With regards to my goal, I feel like I am very close. I am tall, broad shoulders/hips, and muscular. To be at a "normal" standard, I would have to lose a minimum of like 12-15 pounds more which is very overwhelming to me plus I think I would look unhealthy at that point and I honestly don't think I could maintain it. I would drive myself crazy chasing a number!

I think it is REALLY important for you to determine what is healthy for you versus getting to a certain number. If people are telling you that you are looking unhealthy then maybe you past your point of stopping. Have you met with your nutritionist recently? Would they be able to help you out a bit more with a maintenance plan?

Good luck and congrats on your success!

Best,

Katie

[Vanilla sky 28]

I prefer to be close to the lower end of the BMI scale. I used to think that there was no way that at 128 pounds I would look healthy and that the BMI scale doesn't fit everybody so I thought that being on the lower end of the overweight category would be fine with me. But when I really thought about why I was settling I realized that I was using "the BMI chart doesn't fit everyone" as an excuse to stay fat. Think about it years ago obesity wasn't all over the place and everyone was happy with the BMI chart clothes were smaller then. Now todays size 6 was yesterdays size 8. So I decided I wasn't going to settle and I went all the way. People tell me a lot that I'm so skinny and that I need to eat something but the funny thing is they are all overweight. Please understand that this is my opinion only that I apply to myself. The most important thing is that YOU are happy with your body and weight no matter what it is. I am only 34 and yes, I did get the deflated look in my face but that was fixed with Botox and fillers and I would take wrinkles over moon face any day.

[Patriceaa 16]

Ok, this is for those who have met their goals.

When do you know you have lost enough weight? Do you simply stop loosing and hit a permanent plateau? Do you get a slight unfill?

I have a friend at work who I have known well for over 25 years. She now lives in kansas, but still comes back to our home office every 3-4 months.

Saw her the other day and after she complimented me, she said "You need to stop loosing..I think you've done enough" I laughed and said thanks, to which she said "Seriously...You need to stop"

I was in a resturant with my wife last week, and at another table was a old friend who did not recognize me even though I was staring right at him. I told my wife, and she said he does not recognize you because you look like this....She held up her pinky finger!

There comes a time when BMI's mean absolutley nothing! When you get close to your goal weight, body types are very different. Especially men...you can have a lean and thin person, and you can have a muscular build. Both with very little body fat but 20-25 lbs different weight.

There is a NFL Running back for the NE Patriots, who is the exact same height as me, but weighs 10-15 lbs more! I would not call him fat or unfit. I'm not comparing myself to a NFL Athlete, but you get the idea.

I have access to a Body Fat % scale, and according to that, I am less than 19% now, which for my age, is very good.

My Surgeon is not much help, he does not know me. First time we met was 2 weeks prior to surgery and when asked how much I would like to loose, we both shrugged our shoulders. I had no idea. What was your weight in High School, 40 years ago? Weight when you first got maried? What do you think your best weight was? Make an educated guess and we'll start there.

I see my PCP next week and need to talk to him about it.

I wish I would have read your post prior to making mine... it is good to know that I am not that unusual. It is an issue you don't really think about in the beginning stages...as a matter of fact, had I heard this problem in the beginning, I most likely would have said "wow, I want that problem!" ...until it's here, it's very tricky to maintain and stop losing to a certain extent. I am not losing as quickly, but I am still losing ~ it is difficult to maintain. I just called my doctor and made an appointment for a possible unfill and a consultation with the nutritionist again on 02/28. I really want to get a handle on this.

[Jachut 487]

I didnt answer your main query - i eventually hit a permanent plateau after a couple of months long ones. The last ten pounds took me a year to lose, i wasnt a driven dieter with a weekly weight loss goal. My body just stopped at a bmi of around 21

[B-52 7,113]

I didnt answer your main query - i eventually hit a permanent plateau after a couple of months long ones. The last ten pounds took me a year to lose, i wasnt a driven dieter with a weekly weight loss goal. My body just stopped at a bmi of around 21

That's kind of where I am. I have been trying to loose these last 5-8 lbs for months, and I am beginning to wonder if that's it, I'm finished, or will it take a year. I definitley do not want or need another fill. I still feel the restiction, limited to portions and food types, and every morning I still get the gurgling with my morning coffee.

I am a gym rat, do some serious cardio every day, then weights a few days a week.

But as far as weight loss, not much is happening.