I'm 1 pound from my original goal of 118 (woo hoo!)...but, I still have very visible pooches of fat on my legs, butt, stomach, and arms. It's kind of disappointing -- I thought I wouldn't have a stomach that sticks out at this weight.

I think I need to change my goal to 113-115. It just feels overwhelming -- every pound is getting harder and harder, and I was really looking forward to moving to maintenance calories.

Anyone adjust their goal downward? How did you cope with the "so close but so far" feeling?

For your height of 5'5"a weight of 113 is pretty low. I could be wrong, it all depends how you feel. As your weight drops it does become harder to lose those last pounds, don't give up if that is what you want.
My first goal was at the top of the range for me, I didn't think I could get lower than that but I eventually decided to try for midrange where I am now. I not only lost it but have been able to maintain it.

I am starting to realize I need a lower goal. I still have nine pounds to go but my thighs are still meeting in the middle and while my stomach is much tighter I still have a mini double belly!!

I thought I would look much slimmer by now - especially as I have been working out loads! But I am not formally revising my goal until I reach my current goal - it's too demotivating!

I'm your height, I'm pretty sure below 115 puts you in the underweight category for bmi? Do you lift weights? That might help you tone. I was 120 a few years ago but I worked out a lot and felt great. Just my 2 cents of course!

I have to agree with lifting weights. Honestly, at your height and weight, you really don't want to be getting down much further at all. However, weight training can make a HUGE difference when it comes to body composition. Just to give you an idea, I've been my current weight both going up (no lifting) and going down (lots of heavy lifting!) and I'm roughly 1-2 sizes smaller now.

If I were you, I'd put all thoughts of dieting out the fat away and focus on eating healthy (lots of protein) at your maintenance level (with extra protein on lifting days!) and starting lifting about 3x a week. Check out the New Rules of lifting for Women, it's a tremendous resource!!!

Some other things to consider. If you've recently lost weight, it could be skin that's there,not fat (especially considering how low your body weight is right now).

Also, your stomach could be bloating. Goodness knows I can easily gain 1-2" on my stomach depending on when I measure and what I've eaten!

You might also want to check out the Body Image forum. There's a lot of great advice their on dealing with the changes in your body after weight loss. It could be too that your mind as not caught up to your body in terms of weight loss and you're seeing fat that isn't there (or at least a lot more of it than is there). Take pictures of yourself in FLATTERING clothes to get a better idea, and try talking to some of your close friends who are open and honest with you to get their opinions too. I would also encourage you to talk to your doctor to get a better idea on what is and isn't healthy for your body type.

I know...the number seems low, but really there are easily discernible pouches of fat in certain areas. Maybe if I try to get to 118 but focus on body fat reduction?

I'm the same height as you and adjusted my goal downward for a similar reason--- my stomach pooched out more than I was comfortable with. Even when I got down to the lowest possible normal BMI, I still wasn't comfortable with where my stomach was.

I got stressed and sick and ended up losing about 10 more pounds, and, guess what? I still wasn't crazy about my tummy! Some body parts are the way that they are -- I may never be overly satisfied with it (although maybe weights and toning will help, but I've tried to do my share of toning all along over the past year and a half.) But now I'm having to change my mindset. Losing more weight won't make my stomach flat AND keep me healthy and attractive. So now I'm trying to gain weight back -- 112 at a minimum, but honestly 113-115 were the last time I remember feeling really decent. I've definitely had to readjust my idea of what I 'thought' I would look like at certain weights -- if I still wasn't satisfied with my body, even at an underweight BMI, then what does that say, you know?

I think losing more could be a really slippery slope for you, and I think other people in this thread have given some really good ideas worth looking into (particularly regarding weight lifting, focus on healthy eating, and taking a good look around the body image forum.)

Losing more weight doesnt always necessarily mean your stomach will flatten or your arms and thighs will get smaller. You need to focus more on losing body fat percentage. My sister is 4'11" and she weighs 95 lb and still does not have a flat stomach. I am an inch and a half taller and weigh 30 lb more than she and my stomach is flatter. You should focus on strength training. That will help tone up your muscles.

I think fivestone has shared some wise words above. I also wanted to ask, what difference does one pound make? If you start lifting it's fairly normal for water retention to show up and your scale becomes all kinds of wonky. IT IS NOT FAT GAIN, though. I REPEAT NOT FAT. It's just your body retaining water after your tear your muscles and then it retains water in the healing process. So, really, what is that one pound different going to make? Are you going to continue to keep working towards one more pound after that?

It sounds what you really need is:

1.) body acceptance. Sometimes what we see at our goal is not the perfect idea in our head. Losing weight won't make our noses smaller, it won't add/subtract inches to your height, give you the perfect abs, or turn you into a famous singer/actor/model [insert desirable profession]. We're still the same people underneath those layers and for better or worse we have to deal with that. I know I've had my own body issues, especially after having a baby. I've had to accept that these stretch marks are with me for life and I'm going to have some loose skin. That being said, with my clothes on, nobody knows! And, yes, I can even wear a bikini. So STOP fixating on these lumps of fat and focus on what's beautiful with you. Thinking about dressing to what you can accentuate.

I also wanted to add that we ALL have our imperfections. At my low weight my thighs always rubbed together. However, I was VERY fit (would run up to 10 miles/day) and the size I was really fit me well. It really is just the way I'm built and something I've long had to learn to deal with.


2. Seriously, think about weight lifting. I'm somewhat concerned that you ignored those comments because that really is a wonderful option for people who are already at a healthy weight to trim up (it's great at ANY weight, for that matter!). This is something you can do and be very healthy with. However, continuing to lose more weight? Well, it might not be.. I don't know you well enough to say but I do think it can be a slippery slope.

Whatever you do, please talk to your doctor. I'm sure he/she can help you more with your concerns. I can imagine in some situations where a doctor would be OK with it and some when he/she would not be. Again, it's not something I can say over the internet.

I too have realized I will always have hips bigger than I want. Having seen my sister (now) and my mom (several years ago) who are thinner than I am still have those saddlebags at weights of 110 and 100, I know it will never go away!

I am focusing right now both on losing + body recomposition. After I get to my GW of 115 I'll continue to work on the latter. High protein + intermittent fasting + lifting should continue to show results without dropping the lbs.

I have to agree with the others. If you don't have a naturally muscular body you may want to try basic lifting to build muscle. You could also try pilates but if you still have a relatively high body fat percentage and you know you lack muscle, I would weight train first or concurrently. On the other hand you could get down to 115 lbs and still have a healthy BMI. It doesn't sound like that would solve your problem though.

Sorry I didn't address the weight-lifting issue specifically -- yes, it's a good idea. So good that I've been doing it 3x/week with a trainer for the past 10 weeks. I probably need to give that more time to see more results.

Oh, ok, thanks for clarifying. I didn't meant to jump at you but it just came off odd when you were focusing on the one pound to lose vs. the weight lifting, which many had mentioned. Sorry for the misunderstanding.

So now, let me asking about your weight lifting. Are you lifting heavy (to the point of fatigue?)? and if so how many sets/reps typically? Have you continuing to increase in weights over the 10 weeks that you've lifted so far? Is your trainer having you do lots of exercises that involve multiple muscle groups at once?

About your diet too... Are you getting enough protein? Are you making sure to eat extra protein on weight lifting days? Are you doing cardio before or after lifting (or at all?)? In terms of cardio or you doing steady state cardio or HIIT?

I will say, though, that seeing results DO take time. It takes awhile to build muscle and that's one big reason you need to make sure to eat enough protein (and drink lots of water!) to make sure your body has the right fuel to build that muscle. Also, have you been taking measurements?

It seems heavy to me -- I really have to focus to finish each set. And I'm pretty sore the next day. My trainer has me do multiple muscle groups almost all the time (e.g., balancing on one of those half-ball things while lifting overhead).

I'm getting about 80 grams of protein per day. Not varying it for weightlifting days. Sometimes I do cardio after lifting but usually on separate days from lifting. I've started doing HIIT (walking/sprinting) in the past couple of weeks but before that was steady state.

I think I really need to get my body fat % down, and if that comes with weight loss or not is probably less important. I'm just feeling down and disappointed that I've worked hard and still have a poochy tummy and calves with so much jiggly fat that I can't wear a skirt.

I figure... HIT your original goal - FEEL GREAT! Then set a NEW one!
Woo-hoo!!
118 ROCKS!!!!!!

It sucks to say, but the "jiggly" bit will be the LAST to go! When our fat cells shrink we get a little "looser"... I think that the weight number may not matter for you as much as the "tone" you're going for.

You know.. Jillian Micheals is 5'2" and 117... and that girl is SOLID! I know women who are 5'6" and want 115 to be their goal!

Back to celebrating... YAY so close to 118! Rock on!