As of today I'm down to 215 pounds from 375 - 160 pounds lost. When I started out I was asked to select a goal weight and chose 180 pounds, according to the BMI charts right in the middle for a 6' male, the range was between 160 and 190.

I am starting to look gaunt, size LARGE shirts are fitting loosely and my size 36 pants are baggy. I can't picture losing another 35 pounds. I have been VERY fortunate up till now and my skin has pretty much snapped back, although I've noticed in the last few weeks I am really starting to sag and pucker all over the place. I just got a new security badge for work and was actually startled by the picture on it, I look thin and frail, my cheek bones are very visible and my eyes seem sunken. I don't look healthy in the pic.

So should I stop now or go for goal regardless? Have any of you actually chosen to NOT make goal for the same reason? I know the BMI charts are not always accurate.

Rootman, you gotta do what is right for you!

Do you FEEL healthy, you clearly are looking better from your sizing descriptions... you are exercising well and are fitter... If YOU feel comfortable where you are, then to me, you are at goal!

You are right about the BMI thing... it is just a guide; to me it is anyway!

Hi Rootman,

I'm not close to goal yet, so I can't say whether I will stop sooner or not. One thing to consider though is something Blackberryjuice told me on another thread: you might look more unhealthy during the rapid weight loss phase. She said: "My mother saw me last winter at 150-155 and then again this summer at 135-140. This time, she told me I actually looked better and healthier than back in the winter; she said that in the winter, I looked haggard and my face was emaciated - even though I weighed at least 15 lbs more! It's quite possible that maybe we DO look more tired and sick while we are rapidly losing weight."

For me, I plan to look at how my body looks instead of my face. I think Blackberryjuice is on to something and during rapid weight loss we may lose more fat from our face and as time goes by our faces will recover. Kinda like the hairloss between 3 and 6 months.

And I do know the BMI charts are not the be-all, end-all for determining the correct weight for each of us. Look at Little Miss Diva! We weigh the same thing an I think our height is about the same, but she is in a Size 4 pants and I am in Size 10 on a good day!

One more thing to consider: I know Tiffykins has mentioned some of her bones and joints are larger because of the high weight she carried for many years. So that might skew BMI too.

Lynda

Hey Rootman--

Just my 2 cents, but I didn't pay 9000 dollars and have 85 % of my stomach removed to stop short of goal. This is the easiest weightloss I have ever experienced and I'm not stopping until I'm at goal and maybe 10 lbs below, for bounceback. I KNOW I can gain weight, I have 40 years experience doing it, but while the pounds are still coming off easily and I am still motivated to stick to a strict plan I'm going to go for it. Funnily enough, I didn't feel this way three months ago--then it was, well, I just picked a number for goal and I'll see how I feel when I get close. Now I have decided I am getting there and beyond. Yes, my collarbones and hipbones are prominent, but no more so than other late-middle-aged ladies I see. Do I look sick? No. Do I look gaunt? Yes, in the face--my chubby cheeks are gone and gravity is pulling what's left lower. Plastics are probably in my future, so another reason to be as thin as possible--so that they can take up all the slack!