Quote:
Originally Posted by FresnoBeeDude
Can I take a deep breath, slow down and enjoy life (meaning instead of 5-6 days at the gym, is 3 ok?)
If you want to know, you could try it now. Your body needs more calories to maintain and exercise is more intensive at higher body weight. This means that the diet/exercise lifestyle that will maintain you at your desired healthy weight will result in weight loss if you are above that weight. E.g., if you do 3 days at the gym now and continue to lose weight (albeit slowly), then maybe!
You could eat/exercise at maintenance now and your body will get to its maintenance weight -- asymptotically -- it will take a long time for the last few pounds. Thus, most people find it more satisfying to eat/exercise at a rate below their maintenance level to speed weight loss and then add calories to the maintenance level.
Be wary of taking on the hope that you can "slow down" or cut back on exercise. Maybe 3 days a week will be maintenance at a level that is healthy for you, but maybe not. If 5 days a week is what it takes for you, would you be willing to do it?
I'd also be wary of viewing "slowing down" as "enjoying life". Enjoy life now! If you can learn to make peace with your life as it is now, then maintenance will be easier in a sense: you'll still be following the eating/exercise plan you do now, but will be happier with it.
The general rule that as you lose weight your body requires fewer and fewer calories to maintain (keeping exercise constant) is why some people hit plateaus: the diet/exercise level that led to weight loss when they were heavy is now their maintenance level now that they've lost some weight but are not yet at their desired healthy weight. It's also why plans such as Weight Watchers continually reduce the amount of food they suggest you eat as you lose more and more weight.