i've been wondering of late, what happens when you reach your final weight loss goal. Mine is 155 right now - but i checked BMI yesterday, and i'd still be "over weight" so perhaps when im closer i'll rethink; but this wasnt what i was thinking in regard to.

lets see if i can explain what i mean, coherently; what happens when you reach your final goal weight - do you just adjust your calories to maintain, or do you continue to eat how you have been (to loose weight) and then if you continue like this, wouldn't you continue to loose weight? And if you do, does your body decide when enough is enough - or will it just keep loosing until you've wasted away???

and does cellulite ever go away?

I think your body will let you keep losing if you don't do maintenance--to a certain point. Usually by that time you have figured out what you should eat and you know your patterns. Of course you can still lose weight if you don't eat enough--that is how starvation works.

Cellulite is very hard to get rid of. You can make it look better with strength training. Because muscle fibers that are plumped up under the skin smooth out the appearance. You might not be able to get rid of all of it.

A trick models use to improve the appearance of their legs is good ol coffee grounds and some saran wrap. spread used coffee grounds mixed with some olive oil on your body. wrap with saran wrap. Leave on for about 15-20 minutes (maybe more) and then wash off. There are versions of this ALL OVER THE WEB.

The coffee helps get the dimply look down because it moves water out of the tissue making it appear smoother.

Jinksie, I am getting close to maintenance phase. I weigh every day to keep close tabs on my body--to better understand how much I can eat and maintain and what I must do to lose. I am really trying to figure out the balance as I approach goal.

As you close in on your goal, you will have so much knowledge about your body. You will know what does and doesn't work for you. Before I went on this journey, I read and read about the journies of others but it just doesn't compare for going the distance yourself and gaining that understanding.

You continue to eat in a healthy, conscious way, and adjust your calories as needed. And, you stay open to change--that sometimes your weight will go up and you'll need to tighten the reins, and sometimes your weight will go down and you'll need to have more food.

By "more food" I mean more of the healthy foods--an extra ounce or two of chicken breast, for example. A bigger measure of cereal or milk. Extra helpings of vegetables. Two slices of bread instead of one. Like that.

Jay

I am certainly not an expert on this but I enjoy reading the "Living Maintenance" thread here at 3fc. They discuss this type of thing often. There is a sticky thread, "Did you choose your goal weight or did it choose you?" (or something like that) that is a very interesting read. Different people have approached maintenance different ways and we can learn from all of them.

I never actually reached my goal of 126. My body seems to really like this weight and it's easy for me to maintain so this is where I ended up.

I started maintenance by very slowly increasing my calories. Each week I would add about 100 calories, but it was all of the same foods I was currently eating and liked. I noticed the things I seemed to want more of that worked for me were fruit and protein. It's a little scary to up your calories, but your scale will tell you where to stop!

You are doing so well, you will be in maintenance before you know it.

I took the advice of those who lost a lot of weight and maintained for a long time. You maintain your weight loss by doing the same things you did to lose it. I continue to weigh daily, I plan all meals ahead of time and keep a food log. If I don't plan, I gain. It was by not planning that found me at over two hundred pounds. I can have an occaisional trea btut I can never go back to having 4 donuts for breakfast. I have maintained for 18 months and would much rather plan ahead and watch my calories than have to start wearing extra large clothing again.

I've been reading the Living Maintenance section too, and it was a real eye-opener. I assumed since I'm losing about a pound a week, I would be able to add 500 calories a day to maintain. That's what the charts say, anyway. But apparently losing the weight slows your metabolism by up to 20%, so long-time posters were only able to add a couple hundred calories a day back and maintain. Not what I wanted to hear, but I'm glad to get the heads up now.

I am scared to DEATH of reaching the maintenance point. I haven't read the maintenance thread yet but I hope to start reading up during the last 10 lbs. I am just afraid that maintenance is going to be harder than losing mode.

And the fact that, like you said, I may not be completely happy at what I set my goal for so I guess it is subject to change. It is probably going to depend on how much fat I can lose as opposed to how much muscle I can build. I don't want to be a total body-builder but I do want that athletic appearance. If that means I am a few pounds higher or lower I will go with it.

From what I have read here, I think as we approach good levels of fitness in terms of muscle, the scale just stops being such a big part of the journey.