how do you know when you have reached that 'magic number' on the scale to start maintenance phase?? i have lost 22 lbs and went from 158 to 136. i have also lost 4.5 inches in my waste, 2.5 inches in my chest and 3 inches in hips...everything i read says i should weigh by my height at 5'5'' and age at 29 around 128. i do cardio 4-5 times a week and strength training 3 times with 2 intense pilates classes. i am a 'slow loser' as i lose about 3 lbs/month per the scale but by the measurements have apparently been replacing muscle with fat (YEAH!!). i definitely think that i could lose some more fat as i know you cant spot reduce but in my arms,chest, belly area...but i dont want to focus so much on the # on the scale b/c of all the exercise i do..however, now i am stuck as i am confused on where i call it quits on losing and work on maintaining and being healthy overall.. any suggestions??

thank you in advance for any suggestions or guidelines that yall may follow!!

i couldnt have done any of this w/o this forum...thank you all!!

way to go skyler!!!

I'm in the same boat as you I think... weighing about the same amount... unfortunately I haven't kept up my exercise routine like I should...

I would suggest that you keep up with your exercise routine, and keep replacing the fat with muscle - I know my plan right now is to do that so that my total body fat/muscle ratio is better - because I do have areas that definately need "spot reduction" and unfortunately it doesn't work like that =)

With the realization that muscle does weigh more than fat, stop watching the scale or worrying about that magical number and focus on where you feel good/comfortable and are healthy overall... the number may be higher than you want, but you might be much more toned than someone who is unhealthy at that "magic number"

Hi, Skyler, I'm with amomono here. I think at this point with all the exercise you do, you need to judge by the inches lost, by the look and most importantly by how you feel. The thing about the muscle is that if you stop using it, it will get lost. So you have to keep using it and building it as part of your maintenance plan as well as weight loss plan. I think the number on the scale is not very important for you right now, as it does not tell you anything. If you have more muscle you are much healthier then someone the same weight and much more fat.

I think it is purely up to you when you want to switch maintenance mode. You are at healthy weight right now, so any further weight loss is going to be more for your outlook rather for health. If you're happy with current look and feel, and you don't feel like keeping going with weight loss, then you can switch to maintenance mode now. If you still feel like you could shed some more fat and it would be beneficial to your body, then by all means keep sticking with the program and re-evaluate yourself in a couple of more months to see if it is a good stopping point.