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Top Left: July 2010
Bottom Left: December 2012
Right: December 2012
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Last week I blogged about the
ups and downs of the past few weeks. At my weigh-in yesterday I had another up, literally, when the scale showed I'd gained 1.4 pounds. I was disappointed, obviously, since no one on a weight loss journey ever wants to see a gain but now I am perplexed. I was chatting with one of my friends, Melany (who is a nurse), when she asked me when I was going to declare goal. I hadn't really thought about declaring that I'd reached my goal since I was, ideally, trying to be within my healthy weight range for my height -- I'd said 148 before but have been leaning towards 150 pounds which is the absolute top of my healthy range. This would mean I'd have about 25 more pounds to lose ... At this point Melany looked at me and asked me where on my body I'd lose that weight? She pointed to my fingers and wrists - which honestly have never been as small as they are now.
So, I am perplexed. I don't know whether to keep trying to lose weight or declare victory at ~205 pounds lost? Even if I was able to hang on and lose the weight to get to 150 pounds would it be sustainable? How do you know when enough is enough?
I have been chillin at 160 for months now and didn't really think much of it since I was training for the half and not trying to lose weight. Yes, I would love to get to 150 (the top of my healthy weight range, which I am guessing you are 5'5" like me) but my focus now has shifted to lowering my body fat percentage. My weight hasn't changed over the past 4-5 months but I've dropped two sizes so I am happy. I think I am pretty healthy overall but my BF% is too high and that is something I need to work on. If I lose more weight that would be a great side effect but it's no longer my priority.
ReplyDeleteYou make good points and I definitely appreciate your advice! Thanks Dacia!
DeleteI'd love to be in the position where I was wondering if I've met my goal.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I can answer this for you specifically. I'd say the closer you get to your goal, the better you'll know what it should be.
Not helpful, I know--but I've been reluctant to say 187 (top of my range) because I don't know if I need/want to be 187. I could be 220, much healthier, with muscle and in much better shape and that might be great.
Chris
thiiirdly.com
You're right - I am definitely healthier now than I have been in more than a decade. I guess I am afraid of saying that I've completed the weight loss portion of the journey and then to feel like I gave up too soon. Perhaps this means I need to continue on...
DeleteI think you look amazing! You def have a victory on your hands no matter what. I'm certainly no expert but my thoughts would be to maybe just stop worrying about the scale at all. Just keep doing what you are doing! If your body wants/needs to loose more weight it will. If you are where you should be, your weight will level off. Either way it is taking the focus off the scale and putting it on being healthy (like you are already doing.) Your story is SO inspirational! you have a victory no matter what you decide to do!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! I definitely feel victorious over the way my life used to be. Since I just started training for my next half (and weight gets "funny" during training) maybe I'll just wait it out and see what happens.
DeleteSo agree with Lea! You look and ARE amazing. The scale is just one measure of health. Feeling strong emotionally & physically are the ultimate measures. I once read that the definition of a healthy weight was one where you could do the things you most wanted to do. Does that mean gaining strength (and maybe weighing a bit more) or losing weight? Depends on who you are and what your goals are...not what some actuarial statistician thought you should weigh based on your height.
ReplyDeleteI never was a big fan of stats ... :)
DeleteThank you for your kind words... I guess I need to think about this some more since I'd only ever considered hitting my goal weight as the ending. Perhaps that was slightly naive all things considered.
You know, I think you find as you get smaller, that your body will tell you things. It also depends on BF %, maybe changing your workout routine a bit. I know you run a lot, but how often do you strength train? How heavy can you lift? I'm focusing now more than ever on strength and lifting because it will help a lot to get me to my goal weight. And if leans me out more, than even better! In the end, its up to you.
ReplyDeleteI usually strength train once a week and am kind of wimpy about the weights but maybe that's something I need to change up to see some more results. I just talked to my running coach and she said that work outs are the same as eating - if you do the same thing over and over again that you'll stop seeing results because your body gets more efficient at what ever you're doing (eating, working out, etc...)
DeleteI hadn't necessarily thought about it like that for awhile but maybe I need to increase the weights/reps and really confuse the crap out of my body. Thanks Kelly!