[sh3l5]

im having some difficulty....
my original goal was 140....
then i moved it to 133....
then i moved it to 126....
and finally to 119....

im having trouble knowing where to draw the line....
and even now am thinking about going 7lbs lower....

how do you know when enough weight loss is enough....
and its time to start maintaining....

please assist....

[helwa588]

i think it's best to stop where you feel most comfortable at. just make sure you don't go under what your healthy BMI is suppose to be. once your BMI is 18 that's when you need to stop.

[Elwing]

My dietist told me "You'll know it when it's time to stop." I am not too sure, though. In the back of my head there is always this irrational fear of slipping into an ED. I'd use the BMI as my guide. There is also a lower border of waist circumference you should not go below.

[sh3l5]

see if for instance i went to 112....
my bmi would still be 18.6, so that would still be healthy by most bmi charts....

[Elwing]

Maybe it is about time to question yourself why you feel the need to get to that weight. Look at your own body realistically. Ask other people about it. A BMI of 18.5 is exactly that- a lower border. A little bit further down and you are underweight, which brings its own dangers and problems. To be honest, I am a bit concerned about you. You should not let your health suffer under a desire to be thin.

[JessieCat]

How tall are you? A good idea may be to stop where you are or pretty soon and just work on maintaining for a several months. If you are able to do it and still feel like you want to lose a few lbs, then you can. But I agree with the others.. that getting below a BMI of 18 is not healthy.

[Shannon in ATL]

I'm not 20-something, I'm actually 36, but I actually find myself thinking about you a lot. I've read a number of your posts and seen your pics - I think you are about 5.5 with a small frame, right? I think about you because while I'm ten years older, I am also 5.5 with a small frame and have the same thoughts you have. I moved my goal from 137 to 127 to 125 to 120 (didn't change ticker), now I actually weigh 119.5. I find myself also considering losing more weight - I could also go to 112 and be at 18.6% BMI.

Here is what I know about me - at this point I still have a pudgy tummy, but my ribs stick out. I have lost pretty much all of my breasts and am considering augmentation surgery, actually have a consult scheduled. I'm afraid sometimes that I'll go too far over the edge and slip into the same ED cycle my mother has been in her entire life. Am I fully content with my look now? No. I've added weight training to try to shape what is here. Will I try to lose more in a few months? Maybe. Though, I think this is where I need to stop. I can't tell you what in me says that, but I hear it most of the time. When I don't hear it is when I step on the scale and have lost another half a pound - then I hear 'ooo, you could lose more weight' whispering. The rush of the weight loss makes me feel great... even when I know in my heart it is too much.

Your pics look gorgeous, especially the dress you posted. I would suggest taking some time to try to maintain where you are for 4-6 weeks or so, add in some resistance or weight training, see how you feel then. If you still want to lose the weight after that then look at it again. Don't get caught up in that rush and go to far for that feeling.

Good luck sweetie, I know this is a hard place to be in right now.

[Jelbb]

I can't say what's best for you, I don't even know if I've seen your pictures, and I've no idea how tall you are.

That being said, I think that you need to be able to be eating a normal amount of calories while maintaining for it to be healthy. If you can do that at 112, then giv'er. I know you've mentioned before that you're often at about 800 calories some days, and I hope you've been able to bump that up as some of the other girls suggested.

I'm INCREDIBLY proud of your loss, I'm always craving seeing the before/after shots... I just hope that at the finish line, wherever that may be, you're happy and healthy, and proud of yourself for all that you've done.

[garstar]

sh3l5 i know you don't wnat to hear it you worry us! Coming from having an ED the things you say and do are those of an anorexic. For example "Here's to nothing more for the rest of the day!" If your hungry, you have to eat you know Sorry if this sounds attackish, I just never want anyone to have to go through the pain and self hatred of and ED.

I think that if you're not happy with your body, you don't need to loose any more weight, just add some weight training. Try to shape your body the way you want, you'll lose weight and sculpt at the same time! The numbers really shouldn't mean anything - it should be about how you feel when you look in the mirror. Many people weigh the same, but have COMPLETELY different bodies you know?

You're beautiful, and you've met your many goals, try to set a new one of not loosing weight and maintaining for a bit, adding some stregnth training, and seeing how you feel then maybe?

best of luck!

[jahjah1223]

I think your body will tell you ... even if you are maintaining your body will lose if it wants to :-)

[junebug41]

Originally Posted by sh3l5

see if for instance i went to 112....
my bmi would still be 18.6, so that would still be healthy by most bmi charts....

Not necessarily. It's not healthy if you aren't eating in order to get there. And just because it's at the lower end doesn't mean you *should* be at the lower end. It's an arbitrary number that I think people take way too seriously.

I can't help but notice how quickly you've lost these last 10-15 pounds and that's really disconcerting. Now, I of course am no one to comment as I don't know anything about your lifestyle, so take it with a grain of salt. But I did notice a recent post about how you are aiming to get into a UK size 8. You are aware that just losing weight may not get you there, right? I think the best approach would be strength training and exercise, and for that you need NUTRITION.

I have the same figure as you. Really, it was shocking when I saw your pics a couple of weeks ago. Well, last summer I was trying to get down to a size 6. This was very difficult when I was just losing weight. I noticed that when I changed up my diet, added some calories and ran everyday and added consistent and effective strength training--- I gained 5 pounds (to 140).

But I went down a size, getting to a 6. And I felt healthy and awesome.

I would sit down and really re-consider your approach and I don't think this is the healthiest way to go.

[Wolf Goddess]

When I dropped to 90 pounds and a BMI of 16.5, I was no happier with my body than at 120.

It takes realization that it's not your body that's the problem - think about your life. Are you truly happy? Are you using weight loss as a way to deal with a feeling of inadequacy? Are you trying to prove something to yourself or your family? Will nine pounds really be the difference between being content with your body and hating your reflection?

Alot of "experts" say that EDs start with parent/control issues; mine stemmed out of dieting to the point of losing far too much weight. It was always, "well, a couple more pounds couldn't hurt..."

I don’t mean to sound sanctimonious; but I really don’t want to see you head down that black path.

[Kataclismic]

I think setting some non-scale goals might help. I'm one of those people where I constantly like to be working towards something. If you get your mind off the scale and focus more on other aspects of your life, you will be surprised how much life really does go on. (I was.)

Maybe take a correspondance course? Try to learn a language? An instrument? Volunteer at a soup kitchen/shelter/humane society?

There are countless other ways to focus your energy, that are just as (if not MORE) rewarding than watching that scale go down another pound.

I promise, you won't be sorry. I gave up the "quest" to be the skinniest, prettiest, fittest, hottest chick. It's paid off big time and I've never regretted it. Don't get me wrong, I still like to watch my weight and I workout, but because I want to, not because I hate where I am right now.

[sh3l5]

I am starting a college course in January....
Im doing self study now....

[mazza]

... I don't think BMI is the best measure here. It's used for people who don't exercise. It's very old school and it's what a lot of GPs, P.E. teachers etc tend to rely on, unfortunately.

I have a bunch of male bodybuilding friends who would all be considered morbidly obese using the BMI scale - even though they are like 4% body fat and completely built of steel. (well, you get the idea...)

I even know one female bodybuilder who isn't immense and she looks to have the same body shape as me, is shorter than me but weighs more than I do.

I'm not as lean as I could be for my height (and I'm working on trimming down further) but I carry what I see as my 'extra' weight in a pretty good way.

The scale is not the only thing you should use to determine which weight you should be at. Waist to hip ratio, skin fold calipers and intuition can all play a powerful role here.

You'll know when you're at a good weight.