Calling those on Maintenance!!!!

[MINI-Me 196]

So, my ticker shows that my goal is 135. This was picked because I weighed that when I was 17 and thought I looked good. It's also the exact 1/2 way point on the "Normal Weight" for the BMI chart. As I got in the 140's, I thought, maybe I'll go for 125. Not really sure ...

I'm bouncing between 138.8 and 141 for the last week or so. (Today exactly 140.0 with no changes to my diet.) I'm sure it's a stall & that of course, the closer I get to goal, the slower it will come off.

Part of me is wondering if I'm "there".

I am wearing a size 8 (and a couple of 6's). I put on a bathing suit last night & my husband just about went nuts. He couldn't believe how thin I looked.

Yes, I still have areas with some fat and areas that don't look so good. But, heck. I'm not longer 17 - I have 3 children and one is in college. Do I really expect to see the 17 year-old me in the mirror. What is it about a specific number that keeps me going (obesssing)??? :thumbup: :confused1: :confused1: :confused1: :confused1:

For those on maintenance ... How did you figure out you were where you wanted/needed to be? Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you!

(For some background ... my Nut and Pysch said that I would probably get to 150-155 and stop there. My surgeon said he didn't think 135 was impossible, but I needed to decide when I got closer.)

[Tiffykins 673]

You know my struggles in maintenance were a rollercoaster. We never thought I'd get to 160, I passed that and got to goal in 6.5 months which landed me at 148.

My body slowed way down once I got to goal. I mean I didn't lose weight for 4-5 weeks, then I'd wake up and be down 3 pounds with no change in my diet. I was actually eating more calories and carbs, and still sporadically lost.

I don't have any answers because I struggled with continued loss. My body did finally just stop losing, and now I bounce between 120-125lbs on any given day.

Don't be surprised if you wake up one day, and are down a few pounds. I'd say up your calories, carbs, and Protein, and you might see the scale drop again.

[Frankie 0]

Mini-me,

I not sure since I am in the same boat that you are. I picked a goal of 145 since it seemed like a good weight for a 5'5" 50 y.o. I figured I could maintain at a normal BMI and still be able to eat enough to have a "decent" way of live. Well I hit that weight a few weeks ago at 4.5 months out. Then I decided I should go on to the 130's for some weight lee-way. I hit 135 this morning and yet I can't seem to make myself start going towards maintenance. My thought this morning was - maybe I should get down to 128-130. The skin is holding up OK but I have noticed in the last week or so that the lower I go the more loose skin there is. So I know that I need to stop now or very soon. I also want to go on a very large shopping trip and want to be at a stable weight when I do (and don't want to be so low that in a few months the clothes won't fit). I have increased my calories from 800 up to 900 or so. And tonight I may get up to 1000 if I have another snack (Zestar apples are in our local organic market and they are wonderful). My plan is to keep exercising but I am going to get my basal metabolic rate tested so I will know what it is and not just be guessing from doing the calculations on the computer. And then I will base my calories on how much I exercise that day and what my weight is doing. Or at least that is my plan right now.

It will be interesting to see what others have to say and hear any advice.

Best of luck. You have done great.

Frankie

VSG 3/22/10

[Jolanda 23]

I think the half way into the normal BMI range is probably a good goal. I know when I reached that, I didn't lose any weight in over a month. Then dropped a few pound because of a lot of exercise, and they've stayed off. Maintaining hasn't been a problem in the past two weeks, though.

I'd say don't trust your gut feeling but look at a BMI scale. Why? Because your head can mess with what you see in the mirror. And as losing weight is so easy with the sleeve (well, it IS easy compared to dieting before the sleeve: I lost a lot of weight the non-sleeve way so I know) it might be tempting to just sneak in a few more pounds lost just in case.

Or that's me, at least. I've set myself a definite lower stop point just to prevent that from happening. That still leaves me about 20 pounds heavier than the teenage fashion models, but hey, I'm forty...

[Swiftflow 6]

I am not quite near maintenance yet, but I am thinking of adjusting my goal weight now. Personally I think BMI is a pretty bogus number, at least for me. Example: My doctor measured on my last visit and had me at 25% body fat now and then I was 255 pounds. Thats just over 190 lbs of lean body mass. Technically I would have to be 190 (6' 2" Height) to be a"normal BMI" of 24.4. So in order to ever be normal for BMI I would have to loose lean body mass as I don't see me getting below 10% body fat and being healthy. I think I am going to aim for 210 with 10% body fat as opposed to the 195 I had picked early on. 210lbs 6'2" will put me in the overwieght BMI of 27, but 210 with 10% body fat I would be extreemly lean regardless of the bogus BMI number scale.

All of that to say: forget the scale number and go for the goal where you feel comfortable. Weather its a body fat % or clothing size, you may want to drop the scale # at some point.

Edited September 3, 2010 by Swiftflow

[Oregondaisy 2,021]

I am amazed sometimes at how much I eat and I don't gain. I just seemed to stop at 130. For awhile I was stuck at 135-140 for months, and then just starting losing again with no changes to diet or exercise.

I would say if you're happy with your clothes on and the way you look, don't worry about the scale. Just eat right and keep doing what you're doing, and your body will adjust. I have weighed this for nearly a year now. I hit 130 last October.

[Papillon 7]

I decided to chuck the BMI out the window and only use it as a remote guide. I am a very tall woman (6 feet) and not small build. If I went down to 155 I would look like I was ill. I have seen people get into the weight loss craze to the point of making themselves sick... I definitely do not want to be in that boat. I want to be healty! So I am going to try 185 and see how I feel, once i get there.