Know when to stop

[Freddy]

We often talk about knowing limits, so we don't push our bodies too far and don't injure ourselves, finding out what motivates us to keep up with our diet and exercise, etc. etc. but something else that is REALLY important when you are losing weight is to know when to stop losing weight. Your target should be to reach your healthy and normal BMI. Just as you don't want to be overweight, you don't want to be underweight either. Sometimes, you don't even need to be in the "underweight" BMI range to lose too much weight. You need to pay attention to how your body feels. You can have several small weight loss goals, but you should also have an ultimate goal weight that you are working toward. Once you reach this ultimate goal, be satisfied with what you have achieved and maintain it. Sometimes, stopping is just as important as starting.

[TeensyTiff]

A good tip Freddy. Becoming obsessive with weight loss is bad. The objective is not to keep losing and losing or seeing how much you can lose, but to achieve a healthy weight for your age, gender and height.

[PennyThoughts]

It's really funny that you posted this because I was just about to write my own post here that is asking how do I know when to stop. I'm about five pounds away from my goal but I really think that my body could be better. Should I keep losing weight until I really like it?

[KenTraver]

If you aren't sure, you really should talk to your doctor. You can't judge just by looking in the mirror.

[BigBobby]

There will always be parts of you that you think are too big. Stick to the numbers.

[brightstar]

The mirror can be your worst enemy when it comes to knowing when to stop dieting. Careful!

[TracyK]

It's really funny that you posted this because I was just about to write my own post here that is asking how do I know when to stop. I'm about five pounds away from my goal but I really think that my body could be better. Should I keep losing weight until I really like it?

I think you should meet your goal and then maintain it for a while and see how you feel. If after a while you still want to lose weight and you have room to spare (as in you are still on the very high end of your healthy BMI) then you might want to consider losing a little more if this will make you healthy.