[ncuneo]

So I dipped into the 150's today (YAY!) I can't even believe that I'm here...It's been such a LOOOONG and wonderful road and I can't believe I'm almost there. But I'm struggling with my goal. I believe I'm 11-21lbs away from the end, but I just don't know where I'll fall. I have 128 listed as a dream goal, but I really don't think that is a realistic goal for a)my body type (I'm a medium frame and somewhat muscular) and b)I don't think the maintenance cals I'd have to keep for that goal would be worth it. So I'm settling at ending up somewhere between 138 and 148, but I don't know where I'll end up. For those of you who were unsure about your goal, did you just let it pick you or how did you come to terms with that? I'm sort of thinking that I'll stick to what I'm doing til 148 and then start to work on maintenance but pretend I weigh 138 and I'm hoping my body will just sort of decide for me where I should be. Is that a good end/maintenance plan? I'm so excited but at the same time it will probably take me at least 2 months to get the next 10 lbs off. But I've just recently changed my exercise routine quite a bit so maybe it will be quicker...or slower, who knows. I just wanted to take this opportunity also to thank each and everyone of you for your support, it has meant a great deal to me in these last few months and I wish I'd found this community earlier in my journey! THANK YOU!

[motivated chickie]

I struggle with this question too, now that I am five pounds from "goal." But my body has made it abundantly clear that I will need to reset my goal weight to around 120-125. My personal reasons for this decision are:

1) I have a very small frame & am still at about 25-30% body fat. My little frame is carrying more fat than it wants.

2) My waist size (33") puts me at higher risk for diabetes. I have a lot of belly fat, which needs to be lost to ensure my health. I will never have a 25" inch waist. I'm shooting for a 29-30 inch waist.

3) At age 40, I have much more fat and less muscle I need to work to lose fat and build muscle and bone.

As for a maintenance strategy, you have thought about it more than me. Your maintenance diet sounds sensible. As for me, I don't know what I am going to do when I get close to goal. Probably, I'll post on 3FC and ask for guidance. At the moment, I think I'll probably count calories eaten/expended more closely and see if I can get my weight to level off.

[alexandraT]

I'm about the same height, a medium frame, and am fairly muscular as well, and my goal is essentially 128. However, I like you, am reevaluating a little bit. As of this morning I'm at 141, and while I'm NOT happy with my upper thighs/butt, my chest is almost nonexistent and my ribs are starting to show, which I'm also NOT happy about. That being said, I'm still losing weight fairly easily so I feel like my body is happy with getting to a lower number. I'm sure with swimsuit season coming up I probably will get to 128 to feel comfortable and try it out, but who knows, once I tone more (even though I do plenty of muscle/weight training exercises now) I'll probably end up around 135.

Also, I think it may take some time to "adjust" to the new you and your new weight. Right now, thinking of myself at 128 almost seems scary, if that makes sense. It's out of my comfort zone and I don't think I've been that weight since sixth grade?? At the same time, I think I'll reevaluate once I do get there and stay there for a few months, b/c I just think it might take some time for me to get used to it and realize that it's not unhealthily low. Like at 150 I had family telling me I was getting "too skinny" but technically I was still overweight. They just were not using to seeing the new thin me. Hope this makes sense!