Is your red line determined by how you feel physically or mentally?
My first red line was just kind of arbitrary, but I found that physically it was not good for me. My clothes were tighter and all around I just didn't feel like I was physically in a good place. I hate to say it, because it really rubs me the wrong way when people within a healthy weight range say this, but I felt fat.
So I worked hard and lowered it by about 3 lbs. My new red line is working pretty well physically I think, but mentally I feel like it's a little too high. But I have to wonder at this point if the mental aspect of the red line is all that important. If my clothes fit well and I feel good, who cares what the "number" is. I guess I'm having this issue a little bit because I'm striving towards a new goal, but I'm not completely committed at this point.
But it just got me curious as to others "red lines" are they a mental thing or a physical thing? When you reach your red line how do you feel? Do you feel bigger or is it just something in your head that says, no I don't want to weight more than x. Or is it just more about that 3-10 lb range that you want to control so that 5 lbs doesn't turn into 50 and it really has nothing to do with anything else.
What does your red line mean to you? Does it mean you just had a playful weekend that you gave yourself too much freedom and are now retaining too much water or does it signify a week or month of calorie creep? It seems to me that there is a big difference between the weekend o fun weight and calorie creep weight. Weekend o fun weight seems to fall off within days, while calorie creep weight might take weeks. Anyway, I think I'm starting to venture into another topic.
This is a good question and one that I've been thinking about alot lately. I wanted to get down to 200 pounds as this was the top of the "healthy range" for me, but then when I got close, I realized that I still felt and looked overweight. I then lowered my "red line" to 190 and expected to maintain somewhere in the 180s, but as I get closer I'm still seeing a lot of fat to still be lost.
Whether this is "phantom fat" or just the look of having so much loose skin I don't know. I'm debating now whether I want to lower my goal weight once again to 185 and try to maintain somewhere in the low 180s/ upper 170s.
Then again, all of this can be changed when I get back into the gym and start lifting weights.
I wish I was the type of person that wouldn't worry so much about the number on the scale, but just focused on body fat percentage/ clothing sizes, etc.
My red line was just an arbitrary number about 5 pounds higher than what I was maintaining at. Now I realize that I should have heeded that red line a bit better because I'm seeing more than just red! At least 5 didn't turn into 50, but 5 did turn into 20 which is just as bad.
I'm the same as Allison. My red line is 5lbs above my goal weight. That gives me wiggle room for weekend water weight without hitting my red line -- if I get to red line, I am actually gaining and need to cut it out.
I've been de facto maintaining for a while now. I want/need to keep losing, but just haven't been pushing hard enough. 240 has served as my red line in this maintenance period because I worked so hard to get to the 230s and I don't want to let that slip away.
I am still trying to figure out what would be a good maintenance weight and redline for me.
The way I see it, any maintenance weight that requires 2-hour workouts 5 days a week and eating under 1500 cals is not going to be sustainable in the long run for me, no matter how much I love how my pants fit.
I would rather have a higher maintenance weight that I could sustain with a less-demanding lifestyle, than be constantly worried and fretting about whether I ate too much or didn't exercise enough.
Right now I am working my way back down because of a gain over the past couple of years (not shown on ticker). My experiment with not tracking foods didn't go well because I tended to "forget" and overeat.
So, it's the kind of thing where one has to balance all the factors for oneself.
The way I see it, any maintenance weight that requires 2-hour workouts 5 days a week and eating under 1500 cals is not going to be sustainable in the long run for me, no matter how much I love how my pants fit.
Jay, I agree 100%. I guess I should have qualified my statement by saying that my goal weight was not a stretch goal, and that I've revised my goal weight up 5lbs since I originally set it, which means I revised my red line up 5lbs as well. There are many folks on here who are the same height as me maintaining at at least 10lbs less than me. I could probably get down to 125 if I really worked hard, but I wouldn't be able to stay there so why bother?
But it just got me curious as to others "red lines" are they a mental thing or a physical thing? When you reach your red line how do you feel? Do you feel bigger or is it just something in your head that says, no I don't want to weight more than x. Or is it just more about that 3-10 lb range that you want to control so that 5 lbs doesn't turn into 50 and it really has nothing to do with anything else.
I'm still really new to this maintenance thing (4 months), and frankly, decided my body needed a break from working to lose weight. I would love to go for 135 as a new goal weight, but as JayEll mentioned, if it requires 2-hour workouts 5x/week and eating 1500 calories a day, I'll never maintain it anyway. I haven't come to grips with all of that yet, and currently, it is a little crowded in my head to give it much air time.
So for me, I decided that my maintenance weight of 145 IS my redline. When I'm over this, I feel bloated and can tell my clothes fit different. Most days, I try to stay between 142-144, but even at 144, I know it is time to watch the usual suspects (salt, sugar, starches, & refined junk).
I absolutely have to keep a tight range on it or I know it will turn into 15-20 pounds in a heartbeat. Daily weigh-ins are a must and I may not ignore 1-2 pounds. If it is going up, it is going up...for whatever reason. And I have to do something about it. Losing those last 10 lbs felt like it was darn near impossible for me...and I really don't want to do it again!
This is such a good question. I hope more people chime in.
I am new to maintenance and I think (I know) I've set myself too small a range. Basically, I don't want to go above 123 but I don't want to go below 120. That's a tight little world to live in! I think I will find it quite challenging during the winter especially. I hate the cold weather and don't go out much December-February. Even if I go to the gym, I'll be missing out on a lot of NEAT. (hopefully this is our last winter -- we are on track to move to San Diego next summer and I will be done with self-imposed house arrest during the winter)
But generally, I think of 123 as my red line. Like, if I'm at 123, and I'm tempted to go out to lunch -- nope, gotta go home and eat something on plan. If I'm at 123 and we're having pizza for dinner, it's one slice and a salad for me. No nibbling on the kids' crusts, either. For me, my red line means it's time to rein in any nibbles (cereal while pouring the kids' cereal, peanut butter while making their sandwiches) and forego any splurges, like an unplanned latte. If I get to 125, it will be "strict like losing" until I got down a few lbs.
If I'm at 123 and we're having pizza for dinner, it's one slice and a salad for me. No nibbling on the kids' crusts, either. For me, my red line means it's time to rein in any nibbles (cereal while pouring the kids' cereal, peanut butter while making their sandwiches) and forego any splurges, like an unplanned latte. If I get to 125, it will be "strict like losing" until I got down a few lbs.
Isn't it so hard not to snack on the kids' leftovers??? I remember when I first started losing weight, this was one of my very first "ah ha" moments. I was a total plate cleaner! Never even realized I was doing it, but I probably consumed 2 meals in any given sitting because I was clearing off their plates.
I have fallen back into this bad habit, and even though I count it up & add it to my totals, it is just that: a bad habit. I really need to stop it...thanks for the reminder.
My red line right now is 155, it's always 3lbs more than the lowest weight I've been during this journey. Once I hit a new low it lowers with me. When I get to 140, I'll be setting it at 145 for more breathing room.
It's a mental goal, not a phsyical one. I have a number in mind and I stick to it. It's the most convenient way for me to do it.
Last edited by StephanieM; 10-12-2010 at 04:47 PM.
I'm doing some fairly convoluted math to stay below my red line.
I originally set my goal at 125 but that proved impossible.
I have the feeling that my current goal weight - 130 - may also be not so doable.
So I've already been maintaining at 135 for months now.
I consider 135 to be my red line as I feel bloated and have tight fitting pants above it and the reverse below it.
I have the feeling that, if I accept 135 as my goal, then I will mentally set 140 as my red line. That's too high.
So I think 135 might end up being my realistic goal and red line. My ideal goal will remain 130. I might even reach that but probably will not be able to maintain it realistically, particularly in the winter.
Howdy,
I am still working this out too. 160 was WW goal, and healthy BMI. 145 was mt super secret haven't been at this weight since forever, now I am hovering around 130 and love my body, my clothes, even more.
I love my meals, I have splurge meals and treats at times. So I am thinking 135 is my red line. How cool is that? 135 for a 48 yr mother of 7 doing low impact exercising 5 days a week at home and no gym. I am not suffering in the slightest. I do know 121 is the lowest I can go and be healthy.
I have a few standards for "red line" I guess. I consider 5 pounds above my maintenance weight to be the point at which serious action is taken and I get stricter about what I'm eating. If I hit 10 pounds above my maintenance weight under any circumstances it's VERY serious and I go back to pure dieting until I get down again.
But for daily use I tend to look at my weigh-ins overall. If I see it's around my maintenance weight most days and just occasionally is higher, I'm good. If I see however, that's it's consistently, say, 2 pounds above my maintenance weight more often than not, I'll get a bit stricter with my eating to try to get down to my maintenance weight.
I find combining looking at the overall trend with also having a 5lb+ red line for when I'm retaining extra water, I get a pretty accurate idea of what's going on. I don't religiously weigh-in every night, but I do weigh in at least 3 times a week. Whenever I think of it at night I'll do it. But my number one red flag is EVERY single time I'm at home and think to myself "Man I really don't want to weigh myself tonight" I get out the scale IMMEDIATELY and weigh myself. That one's important to me. It doesn't allow me to even start to get in a habit of denying the scale.
What determines your red line?
