So I've done it. Now what?

[Snickerdoodlecabbagepatch]

I'm 5ft 6.
At the beginning of June, I was 13 stone. That was a turning point for me. After having my baby in January I was 12st 9, but then I sat at home all day eating biscuits and snacks, as you do 🙈 and hit 13 stone.

Today, I've reached my target of 10 stone exactly. That puts my BMI at 22.4.
I dunno, I still don't feel 'right' though. I don't know whether to keep going.

If you have reached your target weight, how did you know whether to maintain or to keep going? How did you decide? I don't want to go to far but I'm not sure I feel as happy as I thought I would once I reached my target.

Well done! I’m the same height as you and have just reached 10st too - since July when I topped the scales at 11st 2lbs and was officially ‘overweight’.

I haven’t been this weight for over a decade and I feel great, but I think I’m going to try to keep my weight ‘under 10 stone’ from now on. It’s bloody hard though - as soon as I have a day when I stop watching what I eat I begin to add 0.5lb etc.
Also I was a bit disappointed to find that NOBODY seems to have noticed that I’ve lost weight! Not DH, kids or friends! I think I look quite noticeably different, but nobody has said anything (and I don’t think its that they’re being polite)

Well done, both of you! I just want to say that the fact that nobody has mentioned anything is in my view a positive. You have lost the weight for yourself, not anyone else.
To be honest I don't really notice other people's weight changes. I've always had a stable weight that hardly fluctuates and therefore it's not really something that's on my mind, either for me or for others. To notice someone else they'd have to be seriously over or under weight.

Hi @Snickerdoodlecabbagepatch : well done

I think it’s quite common for people to think that they need to carry on losing weight (even if they don’t)

As a 3 stone loss is quite significant and you are now at a healthy weight, I would focus on maintaining it over the next 6 months to let your body ‘settle’ at the new weight, then see if you feel you need to lose any further weight.

Doing this gives you the very best chance of keeping it off long term (if you look up set point theory, the current evidence suggests losing about 5-10% of your weight - you’ve lost more than 20%, maintaining it for several months then losing more - to avoid the body mechanisms that contribute to weight regain like increased appetite etc)

How did you do it OP? Well done 👏🏻

Well done to you too 👏

I dont think anyone really noticed with me until I dropped under 11 stone. Until then I was wearing the same clothes. Now nothing fits me anymore so I've had to buy new ones, as soon as I did that people noticed.

How did you do it?? I'm same height as you and just hit 12 stone. My happy weight is ten... but not seen that for a long while!
Well done to you

It started off as a trial of Noom for me, then after that finished I realised I could use my FitBit app in much the same way - tracking calories and aiming for a 500kcal deficit each day.
In reality this meant virtually cutting out alcohol (empty calories!) and reducing my carbs by about half and upping fruit/ veg and salad.

I was surprised how small a part exercise ended up playing really - it was literally about not eating as much as I was burning. I guess I did a lot of walking - at least 20-30 mins a day to burn about 130 calories.
I’m now going to focus on maintaining my weight and try to build muscle (although I recognise this could add weight!).

It's probably one of two things.

1. You're still a bit wobbly in parts and want that 'toned' look. You need to do weights. Lots of weights. Google Body Recomposition.

1. You thought that losing weight would magically change your life when in reality it5s the same as it was before. So you need to work on how to become the person you want to be.

Thank you for this, it's probably exactly what I need to do. Bit worried about gaining if I start to try to maintain though. I'll have to keep weighing everyday I think. I know some people don't like this but I think it helps to keep things in check

Thank you for this, it's probably exactly what I need to do. Bit worried about gaining if I start to try to maintain though. I'll have to keep weighing everyday I think. I know some people don't like this but I think it helps to keep things in check

I think that’s a v good idea - decide on a weight range (2 pounds up/down from where you are?) & take action if weight changes

if you start avoiding the scales you will know something is wrong

Following as I've just started on my weight loss journey and never ever manage to maintain. I'm buying a treadmill so I don't have the excuse of darker evenings to not run, but I get to my goal weight and celebrate by eating what I want

Huge congratulations on losing the excess weight. You gave yourself a target number but if that number is correct or not, only you can say so.
Base your decision on how you feel, how you look, how your clothes feel.

A few things really, didn't follow any specific diet.

I only eat 3 meals per day now, no snacking whatsoever. I reduced carbs significantly but not completely, cut most but not quite all sugar, and most but mot quite all ultra processed food. I also loosely calorie counted, aiming for approximately 1400-1600 per day, depending on how I felt.

Previously, on a typical day I would have a chocolate croissant for breakfast or maybe crumpets slathered in butter and cheese, a sandwich smothered in mayo and butter and lunch, then whatever family meal for dinner. In between, I'd eat a mountain of crisps, chocolate and biscuits as snacks, I also drank really milky coffee with two sugars, or sugary squash. I basically never ate fruit and veg 😳 It's a miracle I wasn't way fatter than I actually was tbh.

Now, I'll usually have fruit for breakfast, or maybe eggs. As winter comes I'll probably start having porridge. Lunch is usually some form of salad with either chicken, cooked ham or tuna. Or homemade crustless quiche or omelette or something if I didn't have eggs for breakfast.
Dinner is still whatever the family meal is, but it's a smaller portion and I don't eat the carb bit. So if it's spaghetti bolognaise for example, I just have the bolognaise but no spaghetti. If it's fish and chips, I have the fish but swap the chips for veg. Sometimes we have steak and salad. I only ever drink water now as well, if I'm desperate for something else i put lemon juice in it.

I'm quite active as well, so that probably helped a bit.