When will I stop losing weight?

[martinb]

I've been on a mission since the start of this year to get into the best shape of my life. So far, it seems to be working!

My original weight loss target was to get to 185lbs, from a starting point of 228lbs on 1st January. As at this morning, I've basically done it, weighing in at 185.4lbs (19.3% body fat) - although I'm a bit dehydrated today so I will wait until my 7 day average is 185lbs before officially declaring victory!

One thing that's been playing on my mind a lot recently is when I will stop losing weight. When I was (technically obese) at 228lbs at the start of the year, I simply didn't believe 185lbs was possible for my body type. Now that I'm there, my rate of weight loss shows no sign of slowing - although the pattern of weight loss has changed over the last couple of months, with much bigger daily swings (still trending downwards).

I'm 6'1 tall, 33 years old and have been eating a strictly primal diet since the start of February, which I love and plan to continue forever! Since the end of April I have been running three times a week, typically 20k a week. I also lift weights once or twice a week and go cycling or kayaking once a week.

I can see that my daily calorie needs at 185lbs are 2,988 (according to the Basal Metabolic Rate calculator, assuming I'm 'moderately active' so multiplying the base figure by 1.55x. I've tried calculating my daily calorie intake before using various online calculators and it tends to be in the region of 2,700 to 2,800 calories.

Is there any way of working back from say 2,750 calories a day of primal food and determining what my final rate is likely to be (and when) based on these activity levels?

[deerskin]

First, congratulations on reaching your goal! That's awesome.

As to whether or not to lose more, that's completely up to you. It's your body, and, judging from your weight loss so far, you have the willpower and strategies to change it as you see fit. Seriously, you could do anything. If you want to continue losing, great. If you want to stay where you are for a while to regroup and strategize, fine. I think our bodies do come to a certain weight range where they are comfortable, but you by no means have to stay there. That's kind of why we're all here.

One strategy would be to eat maintenance for a while to give your body a break from the weight loss and focus on fitness goals for a while instead. Maybe you want to take the next six-week challenge that's starting tomorrow to try and up your running time or add another day of lifting. Depending on how you look and feel at the end of it, you could reevaluate your caloric intake based on whether you want to lose more or not.