Hello all!
I've been maintaining for about 5 months and it has been pretty much bump-free. I count calories and am pretty good about treats in moderation. My lowest weight for most of the 5 mo has averaged 149-151 and my red line is 155. Lately, I've been closer to 155-156 and I feel a lot more relaxed and less hungry. I'm also 6'1'" and the lower weight makes me feel reeeeallly skinny (not necessarily a good thing). I'm getting a bit more junk back in my trunk (still same size 10, they just fit a bit tighter). I'm a heavy weight lifter and exercise a lot.

My question is, how do I know if I'm really happier at this weight or if I'm settling because I don't want to lose those 5 pounds? I know you're not mind readers, but I"m wondering if any of you have experienced something similar. I'm thinking of making a new redline of 160, but I don't want this to become an excuse to drift upwards. So, read my mind and give me some advice!

p.s. the picture of me on the left is at about 168.

I'm not a maintainer, so I hope it's still okay for me to respond. Your photo looks exceptionally healthy. If that's 168, I'm certain that 160 would be a good set point. With your muscle tone and exercising habits, I'd definitely set the higher number as my maintenance. If, however, your lifestyle changes and you aren't exercising as much, you might consider going lower. But, with your height, I'm not sure lower than 155-160 would be very beneficial. P.S. You look incredible!

Honestly? To me, the after pic you look healthier and a lot more fit. The before pic looks like you should lose some weight. Just my honest opinion. I think you should go by how YOU feel best at any given weight. Good luck and congrats on your fantastic success!

I just go by the "pinch and inch" method! I don't like visceral fat very much...so as long as I don't see much of it (lean), who cares what the scale says...right?

Another point worth mentioning...each body is sooooo different, it's hard to say for another person what's the right weight goal. For instance, at 5'9 and 150 lbs, I'm a loose fitting size 6....another person may be a size 4 or a size 10 at the same height/weight. My lowest weight ever was 145 (that had my mother was calling the "crack" hotline she was so worried about me)...that was during the time my dad my dying of cancer.

That said...at 168, you look reaaaaaaaallly good and lean, so I'm pretty sure at 150-155 your RAIL THIN! My advice...adjust your redline to 160. You've got a really nice shape and symetry...embrace the bedonky-donk gurl...it's FABULOUS!

LOL, the before picture is my high weight of 222! I guess I should have made that more clear. DEFINITELY don't want to go back to that! The 2nd photo is 168. I'm 151-155 now - haven't posted that pic.

LOL! I love that song! And thanks...

The pinch an inch is exactly the problem. At 151, I have ZERO fat on my middle. At 155, I can see a small pooch. Normally, this doesn't bother me and I like the extra ooomph in my backside. Sigh. Can't they just suck it of my abs and inject it into my butt?

Thanks, girl!

Oh! hahaha Sorry. Well then, you look great at 168. At least you know you can count on me for an honest opinion! lol Congrats!

I think you look amazing at 168, too! I'm thinking you might be a bit thin at 150? It's hard to say obviously though, it's all about how you feel. But I think if you set your redline at 160, it would be a good idea.

Ok then...I get your point cuz I too hate the POOCH! and as such...will do virtually anything to get rid of it! That said, since you seem to have the same hatred of visceral fat that I do (LOL), then maybe you could from 151 lbs work on gaining some lbs in muscle. This will also boost your metabolism and get rid of those small but annoying fat pockets.

For example...try adding some weight to your ab routine. This will build some incredible ab muscles and eliminate the pooch. I HATE abwork, and hate to sound like a hypocrite, but I do know that although my abs are flat, I will eventually have to do lower abwork to keep the lower ab pouch from appearing, disappearing and then again reappearing!

All the best...and remember, "...you can do sidebends or situps, but please don't lose that butt.....baby got BACK!"

I don't think there's anything wrong with tweaking your goal weight and red line. As you say, you feel healthy and are more relaxed at 155-156. Maintenance for me means a truly sustainable weight, long-term - and if you aren't relaxed, are always on edge, can't have a single dessert or glass of wine ever, is that sustainable? If you want to increase your maintenance range every few months, that's when you need to rein yourself in (I failed at that one!) but changing it once or twice until you really find your body's perfect weight is just fine in my book. Also, who says your red line must be at an ever number - maybe 153-158 is a good 5-lb range for you. Good luck!

[Leaning my forehead against my laptop screen so that it touches your post, as I seek to read your mind through the ether.]

You used words about your feelings & state of mind in your post, so I think what you're after is peace of mind, more than aesthetics.

Because peoples' physical & mental tolerance of, well, lots of gym time & a calorie deficit, or a long-term slight feeling deprivation, varies depending on their nature. There are people who value aesthetics highly & they are willing to put up with more physical discomfort (cruel & beautiful shoes, tanning, waxing tender parts, couple hours each day in the gym) than people who are more about comfort or peace of mind. I mean, not to divide everyone into masochists vs. sybarites, or Type As vs. slackers, but you know what I mean.

So you just have to weigh your tradeoffs: the slight pooch or the slightly more relaxed feeling.

Personally, so you know where my biases are, I've opted for feeling a little more relaxed. I know from past experience that through sheer steely will, I can get down to 115, but it makes me slightly insane. You don't want to be around me then. My life really narrows down too much. I know that 125 is just a little bit easier, but requires as much dedication as a part-time job (which, on top of my full-time job, I feel I really don't need). I think about 135 sometimes, but for now, I've got peace of mind at 138-142. I just know that my life feels more balanced. I do feel challenged, but not like I can barely keep it together & that if one more thing gets put on my plate, I'll crack. One really big indicator for me that this is a good place for me is that I do not binge. My bingeing starts up whenever I overrestrict, and apparently, I'm not doing that now.

Does this help? It feels like it's all about me, and not enough about you. My question for you would be, how do you know when you have taken on too much, and something just has to give? What feelings do you have & what symptoms do you display? When those come on, you should ask less of yourself. That could mean relaxing in other parts of your life, but an easy one to cross off the list would be heavy restriction of one's food or a sort of constant, tension-ridden vigilance regarding your scale.

If you're okay now, try living a little lower for a while. But set an end date for the experiment & be really really honest with yourself when assessing your feelings & working out the tradeoffs.

I think you'll figure it out for yourself quite ably. You have always seemed to me in your posts to have good instincts & a good level of self-awareness.

Do what feels comfortable. You can always drop back down to 150-155. In the end only you know what's right for you. As to whether or not it's right or you just don't want to lose 5lbs, again only you know. I mean IMO there's the weight we'd like to be and the weight we can sustain, this isn't true for everyone of course. For me, I'd like to ge 135, but 1. I don't really want to do the work to lose 5-10 more and 2. I don't think with my lifestyle that weight would be totally sustainable for me.

Anyway, regardless you look amazing at 168 so whatever you decide will be great I'm sure. Good luck!

No one but YOU, is you.
And only YOU know what will be the best choice for yourself.

I'm with everyone who says it's up to you. There is no one way a person's body must be. I do believe that people can be "too thin". It might look good in a magazine, but it's very disconcerting (and kind of painful) in person to see a person with no fat at all. I don't think if you decide you'd like to just be happy at your current weight it means you're "settling". Sounds like you are looking for someone to tell you it's OK. It IS OK!!

By the way, isn't Visceral Fat the fat around your organs? I believe when you say "pinch an inch" you mean Sub-Cutaneous Fat.