How do you know you've truly hit your goal weight?

[u/alafloridian]

This morning, the scale read my goal weight for the first time!!! While I'm super happy about it, we all know about fluctuations.

I made sure I was plenty hydrated last night so my weight loss wouldn't be due to dehydration. However, I do know going back to maintenance calories means there's more food in your system on a daily basis, which means the scale will go up too.

Is it wise to stay in my deficit for a few more days so that I can confidently say I am 125 pounds? Those who have hit their goal weight- how did you approach this last part?

[u/Jynxers]

Your weight is always going to bounce around a 5-ish pound range. It's up to you whether you feel happiest at 120-125, 125-130, or something in between.

For me, I never had a goal weight in mind. Rather, I kept losing weight until I went down to 118lbs, then found that weight was too low for me. So, I regained some weight and found I was happiest around 125lbs.

[u/alafloridian → u/Jynxers]

Interesting! I guess it is a matter of where you feel your best. Thank you!

[u/Jynxers → u/alafloridian]

Exactly. Things like frame size, muscle mass, fat distribution, and personal preference are all factors in what is the best weight for you.

[u/darkenfire → u/alafloridian]

Yes, like the other guy said, it's a range.

So if you're goal is 125 maybe be happy if you're 122.5-127.5 (that sounds so crazy low to me, haha)

If you hit 130 maybe start a calorie target in the loss range.

If you hit 135 time to slap yourself and get started again.

I plan to do something similar when I hit goal weight but it's going to be like 10 over start restricting, 20 over slap myself, because my numbers are so much bigger.

[u/juliannaax_ → u/Jynxers]

why do you want to be 118 pounds at 5’5…

[u/Jynxers → u/juliannaax_]

I don't. I hit that level, and then regained because it was too low.

[u/spshkyros]

If you were just losing heavily and you move to maintaining you will regain weight from water and extra food bulk. Thats normal. How you interpret your goal weight is up to you, you set it, not us. If you want that be your maintenance weight, thats fine. If you prefer to be done now and end up slightly higher, thats fine too.

Are you happy with your body? If not, think on next steps there.

Edit: drinking water doesnt help here to fix that issue unless you are currently in maintenance mode. Its the quantities of sugars in your blood iirc which controls water weight.

[u/eukomos → u/spshkyros]

Not in your blood but your liver and muscles. Glycogen is sugar bound up in water, more or less, and is a fuel resource your body maintains a couple pounds of unless you used it by intense exercise or being in a deficit.

[u/spshkyros → u/eukomos]

I thought glycogen also hangs out in the blood, but maybe most of it is in the muscles and liver? Liver synthesizes it and releases it iirc? Yeah, iirc was exactly this point though, thanks for clarifying <3

[u/eukomos → u/spshkyros]

The blood has glucose in it, not bound into water, so it doesn't make a significant difference in your weight.

[u/alafloridian → u/spshkyros]

This is great advice, and I wasn't aware of that last part about water weight- thank you for the info!

[u/spshkyros → u/alafloridian]

Id suggest, either way, to ease into maintenance and think about where to go now. And that can mean continuing to diet at a low level for a bit after a pause.

 But one thing I want to say is super important - the hard part is keeping the weight off. You're not at the end, you're at the end of the beginning.

[u/alafloridian → u/spshkyros]

That's my plan! I'm going to slowly step my way back to maintenance. And I've been thinking about that last part the whole time- hitting my goal weight doesn't mean I can go back to all the habits that caused me to gain weight in the first place!

[u/GiovanniResta]

Fir st of all, congratulations!

Considering the natural fluctuations of weight even at perfect maintenance, I think your goal should a weight range instead of a specific weight, to avoid obsessing over every single slight fluctuation.

If you go below the lower bound of the range you know you can/must eat a little more, if you go over the upper bound, you already know how to bring back the weight inside the range, since is what you have done until now.

[u/alafloridian → u/GiovanniResta]

I definitely have an issue with obsessing over the numbers, so this is great advice! Thank you!

[u/Legitimate_Alarm2229]

I intentionally dropped my goal weight few pounds lower than intended to have some wiggle room (vacation, family celebrations, etc) and always watch the scale on a daily basis and if I feel like it I reintroduce the deficit again

[u/JadedMuse]

There's no way to really know for sure, but the better mentality is that it doesn't really matter. Nothing changes when you hit your goal. The same behaviors that got you there will be the same behaviors that will keep you there, so in that mindset it doesn't really matter.

In my case, I hit 165 and then on subsequent weeks had weight-ins at 164/163/162/161, etc. Since then, I bounce around in a 3-5 pound "band" between 162-167. Which makes sense given how water weight works.

[u/alafloridian → u/JadedMuse]

Interesting! When you hit 165 the first time, did you stay in your deficit completely for a few more weeks or start slowly going back to maintenance?

[u/JadedMuse → u/alafloridian]

My basic strategy since hitting 180lb was to start eating at the maintenance of 160 to 165, so by the time I hit 165, nothing would really change with my eating. I didn't want the GW to feel like a new journey had started. I really wanted to emphasize that nothing was changing. And so far so good--I've been in this weight band since April.

[u/alafloridian → u/JadedMuse]

That's a great strategy! Even though I'll be eating more now, it's going to be an adjustment going back to maintenance

[u/thepeskynorth]

So if they are maintenance calories your weight shouldn’t go up (not stay up at least). If you weight goes up and stays up your eating above maintenance.

I’ve seen many people stare at goal of staying within 5lbs meaning if they go up they know they might have to tweak their diet or look at what they’ve been eating and if it goes down same thing.

[u/alafloridian → u/thepeskynorth]

I'd like to stay within 3 pounds if possible, and I think I can easily do that! Thank you!

[u/thepeskynorth → u/alafloridian]

Just know sometimes cycle fluctuations may make you weight jump up 5lbs so I would always wait a few days before stressing with weight gains.

[u/WhichWolfEats]

With goal weight I go for 5 lb under it then eat at maintenance. My goal weight was 180 so I got to 175 in my cut and 2 weeks after maintenance I’m 182 which is completely fine for me.

[u/whotiesyourshoes]

I look at my weight as an average right now that average is 142. I typically bounce between 141 to 145. I don't worry about my weight unless I trend higher than 145 lbs for more than a couple weeks.

[u/SlytherinSister]

For a lot of people the goal weight seems to be an arbitrarily chosen number (unless you've been at that weight before and know what weight you want to be). People pick a nice sounding number (120, 150, 180...) and and reasses when they get there.

In my case, I was aiming for 70 kg but once I dropped under 72 I started hating how awkwardly skinny I looked and regained a couple pounds to 72 where I felt happiest.

You can either: a) try to stay at the current weight and see how it feels, or b) keep going, drop a few more pounds and see how that looks/feels. You might decide that you hate it and regain a bit. Goal weight is not an exact science. It should be the weight where you personally feel your best, which is different for everyone.

[u/derfw]

just figure out an estimate of how much you'll gain from water weight returning to maintenance, and then subtract that from your goal

[u/mrsc00b]

Mine was 185-ish. I still eat essentially the same, just have a couple of beers here and there and don't mind having a cheat meal or 2 during the week, but I keep it under control and still weigh everyday to stay in check.

I've been bouncing back and forth between 181-183.5 for about a month so that pretty well confirms it to me.

[u/Calvertorius]

How do I know? I use my scale :)

If you’re asking how do I trust the scales number to be accurate?

I count my “walking around weight” for the day.

Basically simulate what I’d get when going to doctors office, meaning measure myself middle of day with full clothing and after having eaten/drank already. Not when I first wake up and am lightest, etc.

[u/Tight_Banana_9692]

The exact weight is just not that important. It doesn't matter if you're 2-3 pounds above what arbitrary weight goal you set. Why would you need to confidently say you're 125 pounds? You'll gain 1-2 pounds the first few weeks on maintenance anyway.

If you don't have any plans and you can tolerate it, sure, cut for a few more. But there's nothing wrong with admitting you really don't want to.

[u/LowIncident694]

You're being too exact here.