Thread: How do you know when the right time to stop is?

I still feel slightly chubby.. I'd have liked to be a size ten all over, but I'm a 10/12 in jeans, but then a 6/8 on tops. My BMI is 19.2. I feel as though almost I'm not living up to my full potential if I don't slim further but.. I don't know when it'd ever feel right to stop. Slimming has been a way of life for me.

how about toning, you could drop a little more in inches, and not weight by adding weight training? x

I'm the same height, look pear-shaped when slimmer and the thinnest I ever have been when younger was 9st 7. I was still a size 12 in trousers then, because I've got big hipbones. No amount of slimming is going to change that, if that's the case for you because you can't alter your underlying bone structure.

I think it's quite normal for dieters to not feel sure quite where to stop, but where it becomes a matter for concern is when you can't really afford to lose any more. Your current and goal BMIs both fall below some recommended healthy weight ranges and if you were a member of some slimming clubs, your membership would have been suspended below BMI 20. There are health risks associated with being too thin - early osteoporosis, infertility etc. You may be absolutely fine now but continued weight loss may be putting you at risk.

That extra pound won't make much difference so why not try going onto a maintenance plan now and see how you find it for a while? Certainly work on toning (Pilates is good), but be aware that if you are caught up in a pattern where you feel your weight loss is never good enough, there's a risk it may end up manifesting itself in a different form. If you're exercising you may need to increase your food intake somewhat, over and above your maintenance intake but that will be a matter of trial and error.

I completely agree with Stella. Toning seems to be the best idea. Don't lose anymore! 10/12 in jeans and 6/8 in tops is pretty tiny, you know. It takes time to learn to love your body.