How did you decide you were happy at your current weight?

How do you resist the urge to lose "just a few more"?   How do you know when you've reached your ideal weight?  Do you go by charts and numbers or do you just feel right at a certain point?

For me it was the learning proccess of learning how to eat again that I lost additional weight.  Between the charts and guides and how I feel about me and my body, I decided enough is enough!  Googles the food pyramid, and shazam~ maintaining my curent weight that I feel good about.  I feel good about me (at any weight) and my body at this weight.

The numbers (BMI) is important.  Frankly, I'm happy at any weight but my doctor reminds me that being 'happy' isn't the same as being 'healthy'... :-)   Once I'm under BMI 25 I'm keeping my doctor smiling.  Other than that I have a pair of jeans that when they fit nicely, I know I'm about right.  If they're too tight I need to lose a few kilos.

hmm, well i have decided that i am at my goal weight now. but i need to add on some more muscle & reduce from fat. so while my weight is all good, i could certainly get more 'toned' & i have a feeling that will take another 6 months where i will be happy. but im not really going to concentrate on losing weight just not to let it go over my goal weight. i dont think this really helps your question though.

Many years ago, I did not resist the urge to loose "a few pounds more", when I was at my ideal weight. I lost 6 more pounds and then decided it was fine, but it wasn't. I was constantly struggling not to regain those particular 6 pounds and it basically made my life miserable. People complimented me of being in such good shape, but mentally I wasn't. Finally I let myself gain the irritating 6 pounds and lived happily with that for many years. I truly think your body tells you when you are comfortable without being under- or overweight. The BMI numbers leave a rather big range, and my comfort weight is within the upper tier of that range. The fact that I later gained over 60 lbs later is a whole other story....

Thank you for asking this question!   Sometimes I think my goal weight of 138 -140 is too high (I'm 5' 6") as I see so many people with a goal of 125.   I want a goal I can maintain.  Hitting a low weight like 125 means nothing to me if I'm there only a month.   

I'm 5'1" and my ideal weight range is 118-124. When I look at other people's objective, I have the feeling that it is a bit high for my height but then I remember that at 117 I was becoming (just a little bit) skinny especially in my face and bust. Unfortunately, it's nearly impossible to lose the weight where you want to lose it. So at 117, my face looked kind of weird but my hips (i'm pear shape) still looked big to me...

So, the answer I guess is exercise and try to tone your body instead of losing the pounds. My initial objective was 115 but I now realize that my body would not feel comfortable at this weight and that I would have to struggle everyday to maintain it (which is not the kind of life I want to have).

How did I come up with 118: BMI of 22.5 (middle of 20 and 25). Good luck!

 

thank you for your replies.  The problem I'm having right now is that I reached my goal weight but I'm finding it hard to stop restricting.  I miss the satisfaction/reward of losing weight.  I don't know how to maintain my weight.  I don't think I really have since I was a kid. 

Also I have a body type that makes me look heavier than I am...yes I weigh 98 lbs but no one would ever guess (I look the same as my older sister, who is the same height but weighs 5-10 lbs more). 

So how do you switch OUT of calorie-counting mode?

Hey anaxandra! I was in the same place as you about 4 months ago... i liked having the goal of losing weight and i was scared to gain it back without still having goals to lose! I suggest you check out the book intuitive eating.... it really helped me start listening to my body and stop counting calories! I also started setting goals like running a 5K instead of weight-related goals and setting other random goals like working to improve my spanish! If you can find other things to focus on and start listening to your body's cues on the food front I think you will be all set! It is scary at first to let go of the counting and trust yourself, but believe me, your body is smarter than you think and its MUCH smarter than computers and calculators! Just don't freak out if you are a little hungrier one day.... it could be that you had a lighter day without knowing it a few days back or it could even out the next day. Not every day will be "perfect".... but things always even out over time!

Best of luck to you and feel free to message me if you ever want to chat or have questions about anything!

When I get below a certain weight (120 pounds), my face gets drawn and I look and feel older, my iron level gets low (particularly if I'm exercising more) and my boobs get tiny (I like that bit though).

Even though I feel at 55kg (120 pounds) that the tops of my thighs are fat, I know they aren't too bad as I've had body analysis (fat percentage etc) done and I know it is all just right.  21 percent body fat and really good muscle mass (above average for my age of 45).

So that's how I've worked out my ideal weight.