I know that this topic has come up before, but I am going to bring it up again! Around the time that I hit my goal weight, I also started to do more intense cardio workouts and to strength train ~3 days a week. I also started to eat MUCH higher pts a couple or few time a week. My weight loss slowed down A LOT. Last week I had a mega gain(7.8lbs!!!), so this week I stuck to a pts range, but coincedentally I also only lifted weights 1 time. Should I cut the weight training back to lose the last few lbs?

Saskie have you measured yourself? Maybe you are building muscle and that does weigh more. Give it another week, you might have a dramatic loss.

NO! Don't compromise your health and fitness just to please the scale gods.

I see your stats, very similar to mine... my personal goal is also 135#... but the lowest i've ever been is 136.6... Thing is, i feel great, i look good, and i'm FIT. No one in the world will ever know the difference if you're 135, 136, or 137.. a couple pounds here or there don't make one bit of difference in the way you look. Don't torment yourself over the last pound... you'll lose it eventually, or you won't.. and it JUST DOESN'T MATTER!!

On the flip side, exercise does matter. If you want to maintain your hard-won losses, exercise is the key. Weight-training exercises are particularly important for increasing muscle mass/metabolism/bone density. Keep at it!

Deb
195/139

Incredible/Deb's words of wisdom are truely incredible!

Here's to HEALTH!

While I don't do a regular form of activity (I do informal as dancing etc) I agree with Deb. When you build muscles it helps your metabolism because muscles burn more calories even at rest than fat. The muscles are also more dense than fat. Here is a good example a friend of mine and I both weigh 153 however she is a size 8 and I'm a size 10. She does more weight training than I thus she is smaller but weighs the same.

Would you rather be a number on the scale or a certain "size?" I want to be a size 8 now if I weigh 300 or 130 at size 8 I'll be happy!!!!!

Here are a couple of articles to help you from the Library:

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/show...&threadid=3333

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/show...&threadid=2433

Get out there and pump some iron. Nothing else can give you that lean, fit, toned look -- not all the cardio in the world, nor all the fat loss in the world. Listen to Incredible Deb -- she knows what she's talking about (and she looks fabulous).

Weightlifting will not make a woman bulk up to drastic proportions, nor will it cause a person to gain several pounds all at once. I've heard many people say they don't want to weight train because they are afraid they will gain weight. Well, so what if you gain a few pounds? You'll look a heck of a lot better. I weigh 140, and I wear a size 6. My sister weighs less than me and has a smaller frame, but she is a 10-12. So who cares what the scale says? The benefits of a weight training program are so obvious and so important (as Pat said in another thread, especially for women over age 30). I urge everyone to give it a try.

--Diamonda
266/140/135