When to stop losing weight?
 

I have been dropping weight pretty steadily since last year. Not a lot every week usually, but it does add up. In less than a year, I have went from 224 to 193.5. And it keeps coming off which is good.

Since I am 6'2" and pretty muscular, I am starting to wonder when to stop? I can still find fat I think, or it might be loose skin, not sure. I assume I could check my percentage of fat at some point but realize, I am not exactly near civilization.

So, the question, when do you stop losing weight? Obviously, looking like a runway model is not in my plans (I just don't have the figure for it ;) )

What's your bone structure? If big170-180 is ideal. I'm shooting for 160 for racing and 170 for training purposes, myself. It's a bit thin for my skeletal type, but I won't go below that.:D

This website looks pretty interesting. I don't know your age, so will do it for myself.

I am 6'-1" and weight 215. Plugging in my age says my ideal weight as described by others is 195. The medical recommendation is 144 :eek: - 189. Others down the page give results somewhere in between. It looks like it is somewhat of a crapshoot, but for myself, I was surprised at how low I could go to be "medically healthy." Also, I planned to go under 200 but now think I should go under 190 (I weighed 180+ as a senior in high school when I was athletic/muscular, and looking at my old pictures I look like a string bean!) I can't imagine I would ever get to a point where I would wonder if I lost too much weight, nor can I see myself getting to 180 in my lifetime ever again.

To the OP, first, congrats on your weight loss! Do the chart at the above website, and I'll bet you'll find even down to 150 is acceptable as being in the "normal" range for you. So I would say as long as it keeps coming off, keep loosing it! As long as you are eating healthy and are not bulimic or anything, just keep on doing what you are doing.

I am pretty big, I don't have much fat on my right now. I am planning on evaluating again at 185. I was curious more on when you know you are there. After all, the range between 165 to 185 is pretty wide!

Interesting website - why would my current weight effect my goal weight? After all, I am now considerably thinner than I was - but I would assume my target should be the same.

It looks like everything is pointing to 185 - which is just a few lbs away. As I said, once I land there, I will decide how much more to go.

Good question. If you plug in different weights (I just tried this), it only affects the "people's choice" weight, which I see as basically a more realistic number for weight loss than what a person "should" be at to be considered at a healthy weight. If I plug in my weight as 225 instead of 215, it raises my peoples choice weight from 195 to 200, but the other weight categories stay the same. Interestingly, I put my weight at 150 and it told me my people's choice weight was 162.

I'm fairly new to the weight loss thing myself, only been trying for the past couple of months and have lost around 15 pounds. I am not following any program but simply exercising (biking) and eating healthier and eating smaller portions that I feel are right for me. Speaking of feeling, I feel great.

My older brother has been loosing weight for a year. He's 6-3, and basically has done diet modification (consuming less/eathing healthier) and working out at a gym. He went from 248 to 200 and has now basically plateaued with his weight, even though his diet and exercise have remained about the same.

So I would think once you get to a certain weight that is right for you, you would also plateau, as you can't keep loosing weight forever. Bones, muscle, and other tissues are going to weigh a certain amount, so once you loose your body fat, you are going to kind of stop at some point. At least that makes sense to me.

You need to have your body fat percentage measured. Many Dr offices can do a measurement based on bio-impedance. Then get to somewhere in the healthy range. All of the charts and BMI are based on population averages, which don't translate well to individuals.

Not out here they don't!

185 is a perfectly acceptable and healthy weight if you want to stop there! :D

By the way, I'm proud of your accomplishment. Good job!:D

Good job man!

Thanks everyone - Tom, compared to you, I have lost almost nothing!

Of course, once I hit bottom, I am going to have to start eating more... not sure I remember how, but I bet I am a quick student...

I heard it's like learning to ride a bike... :D

HEYYYYYYYYYYYYY skinny...what are you doing on the clydes thread:) get over to the road bike threads or mountain bike threads:) Actually, nice job on the weight loss!

Yeah, congrats on the weight loss!

You should probably stop losing weight when your activity and your eating behavior reach equilibrium and you feel in your heart you've reached some kind of ideal weight for what you do. There's a lot of room to add and lose weight and still be healthy so I wouldn't worry about any exact figure.


I'm 6'1" and some change and I've been from 138 pounds as a marathoner in my late teens to 221 pounds last year. I've spent a lot of time in the gym and have added a lot of muscle weight but am still carrying a lot of fat at 203. My goal weight is 180 for now.

The thought has actually been more about what physical indicators. I have struggled (and often lost) the fight against fat for most of my life and don't know really what it means to be thin. Strange eh? Now, I am rapidly approaching Nirvana. For many of you, you have been thin, and so know what it looks like - but for me, not really.

I currently wear 34 waist , comfortably, with nothing hanging over. Is it realistic for ALL the flab around my middle to disappear, or will that only occur at my age (47) with surgery (which I wouldn't bother). My top weight was about 80 lbs heavier than now, so I don't know how much shrinkage I can expect. So far, skin is tight.

Does it ALL disappear (the flab), or do you have a residual effect shall we say. It isn't like I am going to be a model or anything, but I am curious.

You should have some body far as a reserve. It sounds like you are approaching your ideal based on what you've said about your structure.

First off a 34 inch waist is very respectable and I would think anyone would feel it is healthy. From where you are now it is more about personal preference than anything else.

When I was losing my Uber Clyde status as 6'0" male I picked as a target 165 pounds that is a BMI of 22.5 (With a starting BMI of 52.5 I needed something for planning purposes) I stopped losing weight when I hit 165, but over the next 6 months my body settled in at 160 and has stayed here for 18 months. I now have a 30 or 32 inch waist depending on the brand of pants I wear. I didn't have a waist this small back in high school. With my the activities I engage in this weight suits me quite well, allowing me to live the way I want to live.

You will encounter all sorts of folks as you lose weight that will feel free to opine on your weight loss and how you are too skinny. Everyone I have met on weight loss forums that has lost a substantial amount of weight has encountered this problem. People seem quite willing to tell a person they are too skinny yet would never think to tell someone they are too fat (Odd phenomenon if you think about it since 60% of the population of the US is over weight and something like 45% of Europe and gaining fast)

The advise I will give you is to decide where YOU think you want to be weight wise. Don't listen to folks that tell you that you are too thin unless you actually fall outside of medically recommended weight ranges for someone of your height. Go by how you feel and how it fits into your lifestyle. I suggest you not stop your efforts until you are at a weight that you're truly happy with not one that you settle for.

After your weight loss you may look a bit "thin" for a while" It takes a while after substantial weight loss for some of the gaunt look to go away. We don't control where the fat comes off when we are losing weight. Some fat comes out of the face and it can take a while for that to redistribute and to eliminate the gaunt look.


Congratulations on your weight loss!

One advantage I have in my opinion is a wife who has successfully been at perfect weight for 8 years. She has yet to tell me I am getting too skinny. Also, another advantage is that people here in Costa Rica tend to be a LOT thinner than up there. Since a lot of our workers are farm laborers, well, they don't have much extra on them I can tell you.

And the Costa Ricans don't mince words about how fat you are!

You dropped a lot more weight that I did! (I think)

Sounds like a good plan. What I am currently doing is everytime I get below a 5 lb marker (like 195) I make a decision, is this the top of my range, or the bottom? My range is 5 lbs in my mind. My wife has been doing this for 8 years. If she goes below the bottom, time to eat more, if she goes above, time to cut back and get serious. This way, it never creeps up and out of control. And, you keep enough weight to be healthy. Staying exactly at one weight isn't feasable.

So, I am currently at 193 and my next evaluation is 190. Almost certainly, I will not stop there but go on to 185. Then, I will decide it that is the end, or do I go further.

Thanks for all the feedback everyone, and the postive comments. This is a nice problem to be having, I hope all of you reducing weight will soon be pondering the same questions... :D

I think that a person hits a bit of a wall when they find their proper weight. At least that's happened with me.

Exactly!

The mid-point of my range is 160 I eat like a fool if I see 155 on the scale and I start watching if I start seeing 163+ for consecutive weigh-ins.

The human body is 80% water too much can cause fluctuations to try to hold ourselves to a rigidly fixed number.

Yes likely I did drop more weight than you but only because I was the FOOL who put it on in the first place.:rolleyes: I lost 230 pounds over 17 months with diet and exercise and it has totally transformed my life. If your have any interest there are before and after pictures if you follow the link in my signature.

Congratulations on your weight loss, it sure sounds like you're doing it right!

Mike

Holy ****!

You and Tom are both amazing stories! Congratulations on making it to less than half the man you used to be!

Ken