Did anybody stop short of their weight loss goals because they realized they liked their body at a higher weight?

[wedemars]

Like many people, I gained a lil weight in quarantine, like 10 lbs, and in my attempts to lose it had set a goal weight that was lower than my pre-Covid weight because I used to be really tiny in college and thought I might as well lose more.

However, this time around, I’ve been lifting weights and generally a lot healthier about the whole ordeal. My weight in college was usually around 110-115 lbs and my current weight 125 lbs (I lost about 8 of the quarantine lbs already), and I was planning to lose that extra 10. But looking back at my old pictures, I don’t even think I want to anymore? A part of my worries this is some sort of impatient cop-out to be able to wat maintenance again, but genuinely, like my body doesn’t look as bad as I maybe thought it would at this weight?

Plus I wanna lift heavier and longer and doint that on a deficit is haaaard. Like I just want to power my body more lol

Has anyone else had this happen? Does it sound genuine or excuse-y?

edit: I’m 5’4” for context

 

[oranges]

@wedemars You are me?? I have been having these exact thoughts lately. I’m 5’2 and looked lean at 115. I went from 120 to 142 during quarantine, and was lifting the entire time. I was not happy with the weight gain so have been eating at a manageable deficit. I was trying to get down to 130. I am about 135 now, and noticeably thinner and ok with the way I look and my clothes fit, so I’m wondering if I should stop cutting. When I look back at my old photos I didn’t realize how thin I was and don’t want to go back to that look.

 

[michaelwb67]

@wedemars 110lb at 5’4” is just a couple pounds above medically underweight. So definitely not ‘excuse-y’ - having a super low BMI isn’t a great goal to cut towards IMO (though I understand some people have one without trying, me included most of my life). You’re in a healthy but slim weight range now and can focus on meeting endurance or strength or appearance goals without worrying about the scale or cutting. Ideal in my book

 

[renaissance]

@wedemars

I'm pinning this because YES I'm also 5'4'' and 125 lbs. (I think, I don't weigh myself anymore but it was consistent the last 2 times a doc weighed me), and sometimes I think I need to be smaller despite my current lovely curves and my strength/abilities. This entire thread lit me up today! Look at all these strong women!!

 

[burpaholic2]

@wedemars Yep! I used to be super passionate about getting back to about 135 ... but honestly I look better in the 145-150 range. I think in a lot of cases what we really have is a body composition goal but we happen to give weight the biggest weight in terms of metrics of measurement. I’m starting a cut soon and I have a measurement goal and a weight goal, I’ll be satisfied if I hit either one

 

[katiebug28]

@wedemars Started and maintained usually at 135, COVID hit then gained and maintained 145. Started exercising (cardio, HIIT) to lose the weight but eventually moved onto lifting and more muscle building oriented exercises, and have LOVED it since. Still remaining at 145, but saw so much more improvement than when I was just doing cardio. Feel overall better and much stronger! The belly fat doesn't bother me now and I even increased my daily caloric intake because I want to fuel myself for strength rather than just adhering to generic weight loss and maintenance goals. I definitely think I enjoy this me more

 

[athist]

@wedemars Wow I appreciate this thread so much! I am 5ft, currently 130 lbs and my goal has always been to reach 115 lbs mainly bec I think it's what is ideal for my height. I have been doing Sydney Cummings workout primarily and in a calorie deficit, but I do appreciate how I look now despite still being 15 lbs away from my goal.

I don't even know where I'm going with this ramble. I do like how I look, and my performance exercising but I'm scared to stop with my pursuit of being 115 (something I've never attained despite my chronic fasting and overexercising for a year) bec I just want to be able to achieve it.

Lol guess I'm just thinking out loud

 

[betelo995]

@athist 130 lbs is 59.02 kg

 

[zono]

@wedemars When I get severely stressed/depressed, I tend to stop eating and drop weight. For me being around 130lbs at 5’6 is my “happy” weight. When I drop below, while I technically like the feeing of being so skinny, I also know that I am not doing well mentally.

 

[jhark123]

@wedemars Yup. Exactly what happened to me.

I was my goal weight at one time but I had no muscle mass. Now I am 10lbs more than my goal weight and if I lost those 10 I’d look HORRIBLE.

 

[gomez2219]

@wedemars Definitely not excusey!! I mean you had an idea in your head and it has changed as you see results.. You are most definitely not cutting yourself short. You need to be happy with yourself, and if that means you are happy with where you are now, stay there!

There is a big difference between weight and body composition, I constantly struggle with that. Thinking if I hit a certain weight that means I made it, but would I be able to lift as I am now 5 lbs lighter? Probably not. I would rather keep my weight, but change the composition.

 

[craigp]

@wedemars For me, it wasn’t necessarily that I liked my body at a higher weight, it was that the effort it was going to take to shed a few more pounds and achieve a flatter stomach wasn’t worth it to me. I really like beer and food and to me enjoying those things is part of enjoying life. I found myself happy at the weight I had achieved because it was a good balance between liking and accepting what I saw in the mirror and feeling like I could enjoy aspects of life that I would have to cut back on. I found a good balance of mental and physical health.

 

[war_eagle]

@wedemars Before my current weight, 8 years ago I used to be around 118-120lbs. I’m 5’1” so I really could’ve been healthy at 105-110lbs which was my sister’s weight who was my height. However I just really liked being more “squishy” rather than having a flat stomach. My ass looked great lol

 

[one_who_seeks_light]

@wedemars I maintain really close to my ideal measurements, weight be damned. Booty arms and thighs could always be meatier!

 

[sj74]

@wedemars I resonate with this. After my second son, I pushed really hard through 6-7 days per week of HIIT, lifting, and running, with moderate calorie restrictions. I worked myself down to the bone, 5’3” and weighing less than 105 lbs at one point, but also missing entire periods and just looking/feeling gaunt/depleted. I was high off of the praise I got initially for getting so “fit,” but after a while I didn’t feel fit so much as exhausted, and my boobs flattened out completely.

I was 110 lbs last February. By the end of 2020, I was 120 lbs, but I had more booty, and despite my weight gain, I was able to do more pull-ups and chin-ups than ever before. All of that felt really good. And I love the shape that real muscle gives me! I still struggle a bit with feeling validated by the scale, but I’m definitely happy and thankful for the strength that eating more allowed me to gain, and I don’t want to lose that! Now I’m trying to move away from scale validation and focus more on performance and overall feelings of happiness.

 

[catrandy]

@wedemars Yes! I feel best at a cool 130 but my goal was 120

 

[pigjackey]

@wedemars If you look at scientific evidence, it's very difficult to maintain a weight lower than around 10% your usual weight. Most people will regain over the years. I would say try and maintain (or gain muscle mass!) instead for at least a year before deciding if you would like to lose more. Your body will be able to get more used to it. Also, lower isn't necessarily healthier!

 

[doublea0165]

@wedemars Yes! I have wider hips and tend to get bony looking when my weight is too low, so I need a little bit of padding to be the smoother shape I like more. For most of the people I know, weight is a useful indicator of progress for people who are very overweight, but as you get closer to what would be considered in a “healthy” range it becomes less and less relevant and it becomes more important to find other things to focus on

 

[flygirl556]

@wedemars I used to be 120, sometimes even 118 if I hadn’t eaten for a few days. I was not healthy at all. I was using amphetamines and starving myself. Now I weigh 160. The weight carries really nicely on me, I think. I’m curvy and my bra size has gone up several cup sizes. I do have more of a stomach but i would never want to be that skinny again.

 

[rafterdd]

@wedemars I desperately wanted to get to my college weight of 70kgs. It's been 13 years so this is probably quite unrealistic actually. I am 175cm and currently 76 kg (down 4kgs so far) and I am re-evaluting now as I quite like the way I look now. I am strong, have a flat stomach with some ab definition as well as arm definition. My back and bum are looking great too. I feel healthy and beautiful, so I will likely try to hover around the 75 kg mark. I don't remember liking my body at 70kg way back then either.