Evolution of a weight loss goal? Did yours change as you got closer to the end?

Hi there... its been a while since i have posted....too long really...

I just finished blogging about my "evolution of a weight loss goal" dilemma...and it got me to wondering how many of you have had your weight loss goals evolve as you got closer to reaching them?? I am 6lbs away from achieving the goal the clinic set for me (175), but in my heart I have always been aiming for 165.

As I continue to shrink, I am really and truly baffled by this body that is looking back at me in the mirror. (Baffled ~ but blissfully happy).  I have never weighed less than 200lbs my entire adult life. I have no frame of reference, and no idea what to expect to see when I reach 165…

And then when I think about the number 165…. Well, when I set that goal I did not take into consideration that I would become a runner and start building so much muscle in my arms and legs… and we all know muscle weighs more than fat…sooo….

Now I am confused…should I consider changing my goal? Do I just keep going and decide when I get there? My mother has already put in her two cents…she said 10lbs more, that’s it!!! No more! Lol

Obviously I need to set a goal that is reflected on the scale, so I can reach it… or how else will I know if I reached it?

I guess this is just something each of us has to figure out as we go through this journey. I realize there is no correct answer.

Has anyone else struggled with this end-zone dilemma? Care to share how you resolved it?

I can't honestly say  I resolved it, but this is what I did.... my first goal was very vague 150 -170 lb. I really had no idea. My clinic never set a goal for me. When I got to 160 I realized that normal BMI for my height, 5'6", is 154 lb. so that sounded good. I achieved that at about 8 months out and was still losing. I kept reading the advice of the vets on OH & they suggested going below goal because of bounce back. So I adjusted my goal again and kept losing. At about 1 yr 9 months I got the flue and got to my lowest of 132, for about 5 seconds!

For the next year I stayed at 135 to 140, but knew that 135 was really too low for me. I just did not feel "strong" and healthy. 140 was great....loved it. then 2 1/2 years out the bounce back happened. Yuck!  I have leveled out at 148 to 150. The head games began in earnest. I was scared to death that I was going to gain it all back!  Funny when you start at 269, I would never have thought in my wildest dreams that I would be at my current weight and maintaining. But now I have to work at it more....just as we have all been warned.

I think you will know when you get there. I suggest that you head the advice of the vets, go below goal. You will bounce back some. Work the honeymoon period, it will end. I am thrilled with where I am, but know that I will always have to stay mindful of what I eat. There is more flexibility in the rules, but the rules remain for life.

Best of luck in your journey!

Toni I have truly missed you!

For the longest time I was stuck at 157. I ended up having kidney surgery October 12 and since that surgery I lost another five lbs. I am now sitting at 152 lbs. I started at 270 lbs. I am 5'7" tall. The weight management clinic in Ottawa wanted me to stop at 160 lbs. I thought, no way, I am going to continue to lose weight while my " tool" is still working at its potential, knowing that my metabolism is one day going to level out.  

Toni I would continue to lost weight if you feel that you are healthy. The thing that concerns me the most is the "bounce back" that everyone talks about. It would be awful if you missed the golden window of opportunity to lose weight.

Lets say you dip below the 165 lbs and get to lets say 160 or 150 lbs. If you don't feel healthy or don't like the way you look or feel you can always gain the weight back.

At the end of the day you'll know what is right for you. You are doing amazing!!

Hugs)

Ann

I agree with Ann. Stop when you reach a weight were you are happy and still feel healthy. Don't get caught up in the looking skinny trap. You want to look good but most importantly is too feel great and stay active.  

My original goal was 155. I don't ever remember weighing less than 155 since elementary school so I thought that was good weight. When I reached my goal I had some issues trying to maintain my weight and ended up continuing to lose until I managed to find the right mix of calories and exercise for me. I now have been maintaining in the 130-135 lb range for 11 months or so. I think I've found my sweet spot. I'm happy with the way I look, at least while I'm wearing clothes and I feel great. 

Listen to your body.

I set my weight loss goal at less than 100 lbs but at a weight I remember feeling good at.  Also I have some vintage clothes and they don't fit yet.  Aside from that I feel very good now.  (aside from vomiting, ulcer & anemia).  

I think at the end of the line it is not so much a necessity as a desire to have a certain shape so it's up to you.

Just remember that you have extra skin probably about 10 pounds.  They reminded me when I told them I would Like to be about 170.  Their goal for me is 203. I     don't      think      so....... that puts my BMI at 30. > still obese. nope.  I would like to be 165, but I will be happy with 170, (but I will still keep trying....) I am 5 9 but I think since my back is starting to straiten ( I noticed my hunch is going away fast, or maybe it was fat making my neck just look like that, I have no idea....), i may go back to my original height of 5 10 in a half when I was younger and really just starting to gain weight.  I can't wait to just get to the ONE'S!! 27 more pounds to go.....

YAAAY! lol

Melissa!

This "extra skin" line drives me crazy.  It's not the skin that's heavy, it's the fat underneath.

But that is exactly what they told me in Guelph "10 pounds of extra skin" and it is quite heavy, so nope no line, just ask them....

Actually... Fat has greater mass (size) and is pound for pound something that takes up more space then most other tissues as it is less dense. That's why it is squishy until it's casing (your skin) fills to bursting and then things feel firm and look like over stuffed sausage.

Muscle is more dense then fat. Muscle density is 1.06 g/ml.

Bone is more dense then fat. Bone density has an average of 1.75 g/ml.

Blood has an average density of 1.04 g/ml.

Fat is approximately 0.9 g/ml.

I could not find a measure of density for skin... A shame but most seemed to focus on area.

Excess skin... Can be heavy. There is a wide range... it is all over your body (head to toe baby) and will vary greatly. Some stretch their skin more because they are larger, and some have less elasticity so they have more excess skin. 

The adults who've not stretched said skin (as well as created a surface area which needs to produce more cellular growth as the stretching is the stretch marks, but skin does completely replace it's self every 28 days or so with 7 layers if I recall correctly) their average area of their skin is 1.8 m².

Some will have less, and some will have more. They say an average of 10 lbs because they average 1lb for every 10 lost really... 10 is a good number to go with as an arbitrary number around here as most lose somewhere in that range (some more and some less but in the range).

Think about ALL of the areas it occurs. Arms (upper arm and forearm), legs (thighs and calves), Backside from shoulders to buttocks, front side from chin/jaw line to ... well... The naughty bits.

Why don't you check this OH thread out: http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/amos/4094586/How-much-does -that-loose-skin-weigh/

Some have less... Some have more. It is all in the elasticity.

I think the best quote I found is here: http://hypertextbook.com/facts/2001/IgorFridman.shtml "The skin is the largest organ in the body: 12-15% of body weight, with a surface area of 1-2 [square] meters."

I'll use my own numbers as an example...

330lbs now so 15% is 49.5lbs.

200 is goal so 15% is 30lbs.

I hope for some elasticity... And hope it is 10-13lbs... Not the 19.5 if I have no elasticity, but the stretch marks will shrink and they weigh nothing really so there is the 6.5 lbs less.

I hope this finally makes sense.

Totally!  I couldn't agree more!  I watched a show (something like Melissa's story) where she was 600 lbs.  Well after gastric bypass she lost a whopping 400 lbs!  needless to say she had excess skin....when they removed it I remember it being around 60 lbs that is A lot of extra weight to be carrying in just skin....Iknow I have extra and I am not at goal yet. my main problem is my stomach area oh and my arms and legs. Ok the only thing left is my ankles and shoulders they are good, but "bat wings" will be my enemy right now and worse in a few months....but my stomach is going to be awful, I am 5 9" and my start weight was 306 so i want to get down to about 165 - 170 to have a normal BMI for the first time, I have lost 79 pounds so far so now I am 227 and I can already see the skin.....BUT I am in no way shape or form complaining, as I would rather have extra skin then stretched skin with fat behind it that is for sure.  Guelph said about the extra skin to me I didn't even think about it, they told me the first time they asked about my goal weight the first time I seen them, and I told them something like 150 - 160 and their exact words were "don't forget you will have about 10 pounds of extra skin" and I was like oh crap....I like how you took time to write numbers as I had no idea about the actual numbers of bone mass etc....but I knew it had weight to it, how much depends on a lot of things, like age, how overweight your are elasticity etc.....

Thanks for your post! 

Melissa!