Uncharted territory
 

So I've reached my all-time low of 148 again... I'm about to hit uncharted territory. I'm trying to decide if I should shoot for the full 100 and go all the way to 141, but part of me is kinda ready to go back to maintenance mode too cause I'm kind of tired of "dieting". What would y'all do?

I wouldn't focus on hitting any particular number. Instead I would focus on establishing dietary and exercise habits you can sustain forever.

Being healthy and happy with yourself should be your goal, in my opinion.

Of course the number is arbitrary. That'd be mostly just so I could say I lost 100lbs, lol. but I miss being able to eat 2000 calories. That made life so much easier.

Knowing myself, I would probably be inclined to aim for the 100lbs, but in actuality I think the wise thing to do is to listen to your body. If it's tired, there's a reason for it and I think honouring these signals from our bodies is vital. If you take a break now, there's no reason you can't hop on the bandwagon again when you're ready to. Why risk burn out?

Either way, congratulations on your amazing progress!!! :bravo:

Congratulations on this milestone!

Congrats!!!!

I think going into maintenance would be a good choice!

I agree with the others. 100 is an arbitrary number. If you are healthy, look and feel good, stop and go to maintenance. In the end at goal I will have lost over 100 pounds from my all time high but if I need to stop short I will. If it's about being able to say you lost 100#, go ahead, the truth is close enough to round up IMO. Congratulations!

Congratulations! I know the OCD part of my likes the even "100 pounds". But you have accomplished something that is fracking HARD, losing over 90 pounds, and by focusing on that rounder number I feel like you're selling your own accomplishment short.

You indicate you would like to be able to eat a little bit more. If the next 7 pounds aren't important to you, for your own needs, then I would say you're done.

When we are fat, that becomes our whole identity. Then when we start losing weight, it takes up so much of energy and takes so long that dieting becomes our new identity. It is very, very hard to step on the scale one morning and realize "I'm DONE! I've reached my goal and I'm done dieting!" Because then we have to find a new way to identify ourselves. And we're so used to the idea that we have to constantly be trying to lose, that we become afraid to give ourselves permission to stop losing.

Agreed. If you're tired of dieting, enjoy living life without dieting. Congratulations.

I'd say flip to maintaining for a set amount of time (1 month? 3?) and than re-evaluate what you want to do then. you may decide you like it exactly where you are or you may decide to go for that even 100 or further :)

If you feel like your tired of dieting but you still want to continue your weight loss you could try exercising more so you can eat more.

Congrats on your success! Yep...I'd be wanting to hit that 100 pound loss just to say I did it! However I also agree to do what feels good to you. If you are wanting to go into maintenance, then I say do so. You can always go for dropping those few more pounds later if you feel like it.

I totally agree with HelloNurse's comment about the OCD inside that wants to round it out to an even 100:) If I understood correctly, then you have accomplished a 93 pound loss? That is incredible. If your body is tired, then I agree giving yourself a little time off from dieting may be a good way to listen to your body. Whatever works for you and makes you happy is what counts:)

Hitting 100 was so huge for me... but that may have been because I needed an "amazing number" because when 100 pounds is less than half of what you need to lose you cling to little goals.

You look amazing. You clearly feel amazing. Why make yourself miserable for 7 pounds? 93 is still a huge number!

I'm stuck at 99 lost from my ticker weight (something like 120 from my high, but whatever) and that last pound is eluding me - so I totally get what you're saying! But like you, I prefer maintenance and am a tired of dieting, so I keep vascillating on whether or not to go for that last pound and a few more, for a cushion.

For me, the solution is to go hard at it for a solid week, and then maintain. Then a week, and maintain again. I can focus my energy for a week's block, but beyond that and I'm getting diet fatigue. So cycling my calories between maintenance and deficit is more doable.

I should add, that same cycle above is what I do to maintain, except I go day to day instead of week to week, adjusting to deficit or maintenance depending on the scale. I'm truly an awful loser, so making it maintenance (with a bit more duration and oomph) is easier on my brain when I'm hitting the wall. I was excellent on plan for three months and lost nine pounds, which was both encouraging and painfully slow, all at once. I just lose like a snail these days and hunger is a constant issue, thanks to nursing. So because losing takes so much effort, I just had to figure out a system by which I could lose, without losing my mind. I'm still giving it until October before really declaring I'm 'done', but I can't continue going hard core at it like I have been (I'm sliding into major off plan territory too frequently, which is a sign to ease up).

What do you really feel like doing. You've done an amazing job, do what makes you happy!

Well, the whole reason I decided to start losing again was to lower my maintenance range. I definitely want to finish what I've started and get solidly to 145, but I might go a little lower because I like what the 140s are showing me vs the 150s. I think the 130s might actually be too low for me based on my body type -- I'm already a 6, and I don't mind being small but I don't want to be itty-bitty, so I know I definitely don't want to go any lower than the 140s. But I'm wondering if the lower 140s might be better for me health-wise than the upper 140s. By medical standards, I'm still technically overweight, so there's that. I'm mostly thinking about optimal health here, i.e. would it be more beneficial for me to go forth and lose another 5-7lbs or does it really make a difference? I guess I'm trying to determine what the best maintenance range for me actually is.

And when I say dieting, I'm using the term as a concrete verb for the act/process of losing weight. Dieting, to me, = trying to lose weight. I know it's a lifestyle change, but to me it's just easier to say I'm dieting when I'm actively losing. Everyone generally knows what you mean when you say you're dieting, so it seems to make sense to put it that way. *shrug*

I agree. I've maintained my loss for 2 years now. I really would like to lose another lousy 3 just to say, I've lost 60. However, I have not done it, mostly because, I'm happy where I am, maintaining comfortably. :carrot:

I'd say, give it a rest for a bit, maintain, and evaluate in 2-3 months.

You can always change it later.:D

I'm not sure about optimal health or what that even means but in no particular order...

Stree. Read "Why Zebras don't get ulcers" or you can just take my word for it. Managing stress is crucial to your long term health.

Get enough sleep.

Regular exercise but not too much.

Eat a diet primarily comprised of a variety of whole foods.

5-7 lbs one way or the other? Doesn't seem to matter from most of what I've read. On the other hand there is a large group of people out there following the CRON diet who think they're going to outlive everyone else. I also read about a 125 year old woman who said smoking weed every day was her secret to longevity.

LOL!

Basically, it's all relative. Do and be the best you can with out becoming an OCD basket case!:D

Maybe optimal health wasn't the best way to put that lol; the healthiest/Most Comfortable weight I can be without becoming a basket case. That's optimal health right there if you ask me. Of course, weight might not be the secret to me not being a basket case. Haven't quite figured that one out yet.