Hey guys … boy I could use some advice from the “experts” here. I haven’t posted anything in ages and ages, but I do lurk, and from the “conversations” going on at this board and the others, I feel like I’ve really gotten a good education about some of the mysteries and the struggles that go along with weight loss, especially massive weight loss, Anyway just as some quick background: in July 2003 I weighed (at least) 264 pounds. I was having some major health issues and was generally miserable and that’s when I had my “A-HA” moment. As of Saturday’s weigh-in I’m down to 144 pounds — 120 pounds lost so far. My goal is 130, and maybe lower, I’m not sure yet. Please, please don’t misunderstand me … I’m thrilled that I’ve lost this much weight! It has changed my life in so many amazing ways — unfortunately, a “rough” body fat percentage measurement last week has kind of thrown me for a loop — it was 40%, which is not much different from where I was when I started out. Grrr. I’ve become a skinny fat person. I need muscles! I’ll be checking into joining the one and only “gym” in the area later this week, but I’m not hopeful that the membership fees will be something I can swing. So, I’ll get some hand weights, I’ve got a swiss ball, and I can certainly do squats, sit-ups and push-ups at home. I know I haven’t been getting enough good protein, so I’ve started making the switch from being a lacto-ovo vegetarian to eating lean meats again, which after 8 years is a BIG change. And now, everywhere I go it seems that someone is commenting/congratulating me about my weight loss and asking how much I’ve lost and how. In the past month this has started to make me a little anxious. I’m more freaked out now than at any other time in my weight loss journey – I’m scared of being a failure, of suddenly putting weight back on, of not being able to build any muscle mass, I’m physically tired and mentally I’m kind of spent. As my goal weight looms closer, I’m starting to realize that that’s when the real work begins … so, here’s the question, as your “goal weight” got closer did you start to freak out a little? How did you deal with it? How did you keep that anxiety from negatively affecting your workouts and eating. And of course any advice about protein, strength training etc., would be very welcome. Thanks, Grace

Grace - <<hugs>> - I have to run off to work in a minute but I just read your post and wanted to tell you that what you're feeling is totally normal! I remember feeling just the way that you are and I'm sure lots of others here had/have the same feelings too. I'll be back to answer more as soon as I can but want you to know that you're just entering a different phase in your weight loss journey: the transition to maintenance. It's always a little scary when the road starts to look different, but don't worry - you WILL get to goal and you WILL be able to stay there! Stick around here with us and we'll help you every step of the way.

Back soon!

Hi Grace:

CONGRATULATIONS. You have already achieved success.
Just remember like the pounds came off one at a time take maintence one step at a time. Good going and join us in posting. All are welcome at any phase of the journey.

Hi Grace Don't panic, Meg's right- most of us have been in your shoes. My initial reaction when I actually did reach my goal weight was YUCK! I don't like that body! That's not what I was supposed to look like

You've already taken some major steps toward improving your situation, and entering the maintenance phase. Step one is realizing that there IS a maintenance phase. I think too many of us, and certainly on past diet attempts, never realized that life at goal was going to be an ongoing process of food and health management. Changing the way you eat and getting good sources of lean protein should help. Adding resistence training or heavier and more if you are already doing some will also help. If you can't afford a gym membership, I highly recommend a few dumbbells, a stability ball, a bar and a set of resistence bands. Take a look a Krista's website for great information on weight training for women:
http://www.stumptuous.com/weights.html
She's entertaining, and a font of information.
A lot of women here like the Kathe Freidrich videos (The Firm, I think). I haven't tried them, but I have heard that she does a good job of explaining form throughout the workout.

To answer one of your questions: when I reached my goal weight, I had no anxiety about maintenance or failure at that point because I realized I was nowhere near my goal body. The number on the scale became somewhat meaningless if I didn't like what I saw in the mirror. The goal changed from trying to lower the numbers on the scale to getting stronger, firmer, and lowering my bodyfat. Sound familiar? That's a goal that is always elusive, always a goal. I've reached the point that most of the time I don't want my body fat much lower, but there's always a new challenge.

Above all, don't panic. Breathe deep...ask questions...we're here...you CAN do this!

Meg will be back soon

Mel

Hi grace,

just a question: exactly HOW was your body fat measured ? I have read somewhere that most of the cheaper meters where you make hold some electrical contact in each hand are actually not so reliable: especially to compare values, because a lot of restictions apply to get the same conditions. (how long before you have eaten or drank, how sweaty are your hands etc.)

What I heard is the caliper method is more reliable, where they measure the thickness of the fat dlayer by pinching it with special caliphers.

This said I must congratulate you with your fabulous weight loss and I concur with the advices of mel: get into weight training, it is fun and you actually get some muscles !

Apart from the site meg mentioned, which is the best IMO, There is a thread from the ladies who lift also here on 3FC, you might like to check that out.

bye,
rabbit

Thanks so much for all of the thoughtful replies! They were a huge boost this morning.
And I cannot tell you how relieved I am to here that you guys can kind of identify with what's going on with me now - it's always nice to know that you're not crazy (or that if you are a little nuts, you're in good company )
Rabbit, the way my body fat was measured this time was the old Navy Circumfrence Method - which I know is probably (particulary in my case) a very poor method of estimating BF. It may be lower than the 40% but probably not by much. I have awsome rock-like man calves from jogging and walking, but that's pretty much it as far as visable muscle mass goes.
Mel, YES - the number on the scale is also becoming meaningless for me! Truth be told, almost any number would do if it were accompined by lower body fat, lean muscle mass and so on. I think what set me off on my little panic fest is seeing the number get closer to "goal" and realizing that my body wasn't looking like I really wanted it to. I KNOW just losing 14 more pounds isn't going to be this huge transformation in my body.
Thanks for the Web site - I'll check it out. Later, Grace

Looks like I don’t even need to respond after all – great advice, gang! (but I will anyway, seeing as I’m a big blabbermouth ) I’ve been kicking around what you wrote as I was racing around yesterday and today … I think it all comes down to realizing that ‘goal’ isn’t The Goal after all. Reaching that certain number on the scale is only the end of Phase One of weight loss. Phase Two is keeping the weight off for the rest of your life and that’s going to last for a whole lot longer than Phase One. It’s like picking up a copy of War And Peace and thinking that the story’s over at the end of chapter one. Not hardly! Believe it or not, reaching goal is only the end of the BEGINNING of your weight loss journey.

Of course you feel scared and anxious now! There’s very little guidance out there about maintenance. I think all of us who have reached goal experienced that OMG what do I do now? feeling. We learned how to LOSE weight pretty well during the months it took to get the weight off. But no one ever talks about how to KEEP it off, which is kind of the point of all this hard work, right? What would be the good of getting rid of all that fat only to have it all pile back on again in a year or two? Just shoot me now, if you please.

I remember lying in bed after I reached goal and (seriously) worrying that I’d wake up 50 pounds heavier than when I went to sleep. Crazy, I know, but I wasn’t at all confident that I knew what to do to keep the weight off. What I – and the others here – have discovered is that life after goal looks a whole lot like life before goal. Most of us still do the same things now as maintainers that we did when we were losers. The good news is that if you pretty much keep doing the things that worked to lose the weight, you’ll keep the weight off.

It really is natural and normal to feel burned out at this point. You’ve been focused on weight loss for SO many months now. You’re tired and you want to rest. That’s why I said earlier that now it’s time to switch gears and start shifting over to maintenance. The last ten pounds are a transition period from losing to maintenance and it really doesn't matter how long it take to lose them. For a lot of us, that transition was pretty much seamless – there wasn’t any clear line between the two phases. Looking back for me, it all kind of blended together; I guess because I reached a goal number but knew without a doubt that I wasn’t ‘done’. Like Mel said, her goal weight didn’t mean that she got her goal body, so it wasn’t an ending at all for her. It’s more like – hurray, I hit 135 pounds, time to get back to work.

I think it’s safe to predict that for a lot of us, we’ll NEVER reach ‘goal’ in the sense of looking in the mirror and saying ‘ah! I’m there! I’m done!’. But that’s OK – it’s living the process that counts. Mel’s goal is always going to be elusive but it’s keeps her eating clean and gets her to the gym every day (OK, I know you work in a gym, Mel, but you know what I mean ).

One thought about the BF % - 40% sounds really high to me. If you have a problem with excess skin after weight loss, that can affect your measurements and even caliper readings. Why not forget ALL the numbers – scale and BF – and maybe just focus on how you look and feel? In the end, ‘goal’ – if you ever reach it - probably isn’t going to be a number at all.

Congratulations on a job well done! We hope you stick around with us as we all work together to keep the weight off for life.