[Jpye]

Hello everyone. I am so happy I found this Maintenance area! I have OFFICIALLY lost 50 lbs and I am so unbelievably proud of myself!! Although I am not at my "goal" weight yet, I am getting quite close so I want to start thinking about maintenance. I started at 174 lbs and now I am at 124 lbs. My very first initial goal weight was 120, but I changed that a couple of months ago to 115. As I get closer and closer to "goal," I want to change my goal weight to something smaller. Perhaps 110, or even... dare I say it... 105. I'm just not sure how to go about this! I am only 5'2" so technically 110 or 105 really isn't too small for me, right? At 124 lbs right now I'm in a size 7/8 jeans. I would like to be in a size 3/4. So anyway, how did you all know when to stop losing? I'm thinking that my new lifestyle is really quite easy and rewarding to follow, so I figured I might as well keep losing until my body tells me otherwise. Did anyone do it that way?

Thanks for your help!!

[Me23]

Hiya. Haven't posted in this thread for a while but your question caught my attention on the homepage, as I too am short and like to be 105 (right now am couple pounds over.. ). Well, at 5 foot 2 you would have a BMI of 19.2 if you were 105, which is perfectly healthy. The question is - what weight does your body want to be? If you have to starve to maintain it its not much good. What I'd do is get to a weight where you feel good and are within the healthy range, then see what your body does when you start increasing your calories. Don't increase too suddenly, or you'll gain. Do it gradually.
And CONGRATULATIONS, you've done brilliantly!

[goinforthegold]

I've done the same thing. My original goal was 115...but as I got closer to it I moved it down to 110. Once I hit 115 and started heading for 110 I decided I needed to go down to 105. Now that I'm at 110, I'm wondering if another 5 is even enough and might aim for closer to 100. I realized this kept happening b/c I was increasingly less satisified at how I looked once reaching each goal b/c I'm so flabby.

So, I'm getting less focused on the actual number than I am on how my body looks at the weight I'm at. What I mean is, I'm still flabby and I want to be firm. That's my goal, athletic and firm...especially my abs. So, I've begun weight training now so I can get to my goal. I do want to lose more fat but I need to gain more muscle...so basically if I lose 5 lbs of fat but put on even more muscle I'd be happy at this weight, as long as I have the firmness I'm aiming for. Does that makes sense?

Basically I don't know if I'll ever get to maintenance b/c I've decided to work on sculpting my body into what I want it to be instead of just trying to keep getting skinnier. Whatever the scale ends up saying when I get my body fat % down where I want it, is fine with me.

Good luck and CONGRATS on the 50lbs!!! You should be proud!! Feels awesome doesn't it?!?!?!

[bargoo]

I am 5'2" also and according to weight charts a healthy weight for us is between 110-136 ,110 sounds very alluring but I don't think I would ever be able to maintain that. I agree that we should not get too hung up on numbers but how we feel and how we look. The point is to be healthy and you don't have to be a size 2 but I don't want to be size 22,either.

[clvquilts]

Congrats on losing 50 lbs. I've also lost that much. And for 3 months had lost another 5 to get down to 105 lbs. But to maintain that weight, I have to limit myself to 1200 calories per day - I don't exercise other than swing dancing. And I really like to eat, so I'm back up to my normal weight of 110 lbs.

You'll find when you tone up, you might weigh more because of muscle mass then your ultra low goal, but you'll be able to get into the tiny clothes you are seeking.

Rather than focus on the scale and the tag in your clothes (there's a lot of vanity clothes out there where a 4 really should be an 8, etc.) think about how you feel and the fit/style of your clothes.

Goingforthegold - 100 lbs might be achievable while dieting, but it sure would be hard to maintain. When was the last time you were at that weight? For me, it was probably 5th or 6th grade. My body has more womanly curves since then and that's where the extra 10 lbs goes.