How do you know when you have lost enough weight?

Tirzmonkey

Tirzmonkey

GLP-1 Apprentice
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For context my peak weight was 237. I got down to 224 with no drugs and hovered around there for years. Started Wegovy in March of 2025 and stayed on it for almost a year until my insurance booted me. Got down to 204. Started compounded Tirzepatide on March 18th and as of this morning I am 175.8. My wife says stop now it’s enough but to be at a below 25 BMI I would need to be at 164 and to be at what I would consider an ideal BMI of 23 I would need to be at 151. I want to be “ripped” for the first time in my life lol. I do resistance training 5 times a week so hopefully it’s possible.

When I look at myself I don’t know where another 24 pounds would come from but tbh I don’t know where the 60 pounds I lost went either. It’s mind boggling.

I am taking 10mg a week. Do I cut back to 5mg? Wait till I hit my goal? It’s a good problem to have but it’s still an issue I guess I need to deal with. How have others dealt with cutting a dose for maintenance? Thank you for reading.
 
Tirzmonkey said:
For context my peak weight was 237. I got down to 224 with no drugs and hovered around there for years. Started Wegovy in March of 2025 and stayed on it for almost a year until my insurance booted me. Got down to 204. Started compounded Tirzepatide on March 18th and as of this morning I am 175.8. My wife says stop now it’s enough but to be at a below 25 BMI I would need to be at 164 and to be at what I would consider an ideal BMI of 23 I would need to be at 151. I want to be “ripped” for the first time in my life lol. I do resistance training 5 times a week so hopefully it’s possible.

When I look at myself I don’t know where another 24 pounds would come from but tbh I don’t know where the 60 pounds I lost went either. It’s mind boggling.

I am taking 10mg a week. Do I cut back to 5mg? Wait till I hit my goal? It’s a good problem to have but it’s still an issue I guess I need to deal with. How have others dealt with cutting a dose for maintenance? Thank you for reading.
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Can you start to see a 6 pack on your belly? 🙂
 
BMI is not very useful. Hopefully, you have put on a lot of muscle to fight weight gain, be healthy etc, and your BMI will be higher than if you have no muscle.
But I find it very difficult too.
The body is not the same when you are around 50, like I am now, and say 10 y ago, where I weighed more.
I do have more muscle mass now, after 25 % weight loss (of my highest weight), but I feel more 'loose', because skin is not the same, even with additional peps and slow weight loss, as it was 10-12 y ago.
My BMI is now around 21.
 
miss-sanne said:
BMI is not very useful. Hopefully, you have put on a lot of muscle to fight weight gain, be healthy etc, and your BMI will be higher than if you have no muscle.
But I find it very difficult too.
The body is not the same when you are around 50, like I am now, and say 10 y ago, where I weighed more.
I do have more muscle mass now, after 25 % weight loss (of my highest weight), but I feel more 'loose', because skin is not the same, even with additional peps and slow weight loss, as it was 10-12 y ago.
My BMI is now around 21.
Click to expand...
We are around the same age. It is a different thing entirely than being in your 20s or 30s for sure😂. I agree about the usefulness of BMI. It’s just an easy measure to determine but I shouldn’t rely so strongly on it I realize. I am gonna do the dexa scan and see if those results can be useful.
 
Your only goal is your self-image. That’s not healthy, and you’d be wise to talk to a professional about it. Your wife already loves you just the way you are. What will happen is that this will trigger her narcissistic wounds (fear of abandonment, rejection, treason, etc.), and she might surprise you by becoming jealous and letting her feminine rivalry show. You should learn to negociate your weight loss with her, so it becomes a shared project as a couple.

BMI is an indicator, but the more muscle you have, the less relevant it becomes. And it’s still a measure based on the population, not the individual. It helps doctors make a diagnosis and dig deeper.

You can be in excellent physical shape with a BMI of 25. Take a look at the BMIs of Olympic champions, and you’ll be surprised.

I prefer to set myself goals like swimming comfortably at a steady pace for over an hour, or running more than 2,600 meters in the Cooper test without coughing my lungs out or ruining my sciatic nerve.

Unless, of course, your hidden goal is to be seen by the best American product, that is, petite blondes with AI (the ones with silicon). I shan't cast the first stone at you. And I wish you good luck.
 
I'm in my 60's. I lowered my goal weight 4 times. When I hit my last goal I titrated down on the dose and increased my calories roughly based on a TDEE calculator. I also do light resistance training. In the end, my goals really didn't matter. My body just sort of settled in to where it wanted to be even with tweaks to dosing and calories. I lost 46% of my body weight and my BMI is 21. This has been steady within 3lbs for 8 months.

Oh, and one big surprise. Yes, I can see my abs. But, while I was looking around at things I haven't seen in decades, I noticed a prominent buldge on one side of my lower abdomen. The doctor confirmed it is a hernia that will require surgery. It doesn't hurt at this time and I never would have noticed it if i hadn't lost so much weight that I could see the muscles.
 
m100568 said:
I'm in my 60's. I lowered my goal weight 4 times. When I hit my last goal I titrated down on the dose and increased my calories roughly based on a TDEE calculator. I also do light resistance training. In the end, my goals really didn't matter. My body just sort of settled in to where it wanted to be even with tweaks to dosing and calories. I lost 46% of my body weight and my BMI is 21. This has been steady within 3lbs for 8 months.

Oh, and one big surprise. Yes, I can see my abs. But, while I was looking around at things I haven't seen in decades, I noticed a prominent buldge on one side of my lower abdomen. The doctor confirmed it is a hernia that will require surgery. It doesn't hurt at this time and I never would have noticed it if i hadn't lost so much weight that I could see the muscles.
Click to expand...
Ironically I too found a cyst that has likely been there for years. Freaked me out but I have been assured it’s harmless. Getting it checked to make sure on Monday but from what I am reading it’s nothing to worry about. Probably never would have noticed it without the weight loss.

Thank you for your solid insight I just turned 60 and I want to live as healthy as possible for as long as possible.
 
BMI is very outdated. Use waist/hip ratio instead. Circumference of waist (measured at navel) divided by circumference of widest/fullest section of buttocks. Far more useful.
Men should be approx. .90. Google WHR for female spec.
 
Zydeceltico said:
BMI is very outdated. Use waist/hip ratio instead. Circumference of waist (measured at navel) divided by circumference of widest/fullest section of buttocks. Far more useful.
Men should be approx. .90. Google WHR for female spec.
Click to expand...
US military has always used the waist/hip for there weight requirements since I can remember.
 
Zydeceltico said:
BMI is very outdated. Use waist/hip ratio instead. Circumference of waist (measured at navel) divided by circumference of widest/fullest section of buttocks. Far more useful.
Men should be approx. .90. Google WHR for female spec.
Click to expand...
Fun way to look at how crappy BMI is for those who build muscle.

When Arnold Schwarzenegger was Mr. Universe, at 6'2” and 235 pounds, he had a body mass index (BMI) of 30.2—a number that would classify him as “obese.” But with a waist circumference of less than 34 inches, the bodybuilder had a body roundness index (BRI) of just 2.6, which classified him as “very lean.”
 
Pete369 said:
Fun way to look at how crappy BMI is for those who build muscle.

When Arnold Schwarzenegger was Mr. Universe, at 6'2” and 235 pounds, he had a body mass index (BMI) of 30.2—a number that would classify him as “obese.” But with a waist circumference of less than 34 inches, the bodybuilder had a body roundness index (BRI) of just 2.6, which classified him as “very lean.”
Click to expand...
I literally just heard about WHR today from this thread I will do that measurement and use that as an apparently more accurate indicator.
 
That is a good question. When is enough, enough? I am 5 lbs from my goal weight and I am still not satisfied. I have no doubt my goal weight will change several times before I am done. I do know that I need to up my toning game. My body looks a lot different now at 170 than it did 20 years ago when I was this weight and it took care of loose skin more efficiently. As for my dose of reta, I will stay at 5mg for a while and see how it goes.
 
My two cents: Been on glp1 2 years, lost 100#. Skin gets flabby as you loose weight. If you want to look ripped, do not loose too much. My skin has tighten up by 80% + over time. I still look wrinkled like an old prune and flaps are minimal but is not the body I am willing to show at a pool or beach. But I feel incredible. BMI is 26 but does not mean much due to bone structure and am not athletic.
 
Tirzmonkey said:
For context my peak weight was 237. I got down to 224 with no drugs and hovered around there for years. Started Wegovy in March of 2025 and stayed on it for almost a year until my insurance booted me. Got down to 204. Started compounded Tirzepatide on March 18th and as of this morning I am 175.8. My wife says stop now it’s enough but to be at a below 25 BMI I would need to be at 164 and to be at what I would consider an ideal BMI of 23 I would need to be at 151. I want to be “ripped” for the first time in my life lol. I do resistance training 5 times a week so hopefully it’s possible.

When I look at myself I don’t know where another 24 pounds would come from but tbh I don’t know where the 60 pounds I lost went either. It’s mind boggling.

I am taking 10mg a week. Do I cut back to 5mg? Wait till I hit my goal? It’s a good problem to have but it’s still an issue I guess I need to deal with. How have others dealt with cutting a dose for maintenance? Thank you for reading.
Click to expand...
Fuck the BMI, look into the mirror and decide from there if u feel good in that shape, u lost so much weight already, u dont even have to obsesse about the number on the scale honestly
 
I agree with others who say to base it on the mirror. I plan to stabilize at a weight where I can start to see stomach muscles. I don't plan on being ripped, but some definition would be nice. It is beneficial for long term health to have lower than average body fat, and higher than average muscle.
 
I agree with most of above and will add blood pressure monitoring, most over weight/obese have high blood pressure, track this also . it should become stable and more regular at 120/80 or slightly less at your optimal weight . And you should see this reduce longer term as you loose weight . I'd not it's another marker that you may be experiencing skinny fat.

BP simple to measure and track. If you reach a weight your comfortable with and your blood pressure is not below 120/80 then it's a good idea to have a conversation with your doctor who may recommend prescription only meds.
 
Sid the SeaGull said:
I agree with most of above and will add blood pressure monitoring, most over weight/obese have high blood pressure, track this also . it should become stable and more regular at 120/80 or slightly less at your optimal weight . And you should see this reduce longer term as you loose weight . I'd not it's another marker that you may be experiencing skinny fat.

BP simple to measure and track. If you reach a weight your comfortable with and your blood pressure is not below 120/80 then it's a good idea to have a conversation with your doctor who may recommend prescription only meds.
Click to expand...
I have been on blood pressure medication since my 20s it has gone down but I really do want to get down to 150ish (I am 5’8) I still see a lot of unneeded weight let’s see how I my BP reacts to maybe another 25 pounds. I have come this far might as well get to optimal.
 
CNCCurrency said:
US military has always used the waist/hip for there weight requirements since I can remember.
Click to expand...
Yes but it is based on Male physiology. It assumes fat is deposited in the belly, not the lower body, which for a large % of women (including myself) is the case.
I could be too fat and still have a great HWR
 
m100568 said:
I'm in my 60's. I lowered my goal weight 4 times. When I hit my last goal I titrated down on the dose and increased my calories roughly based on a TDEE calculator. I also do light resistance training. In the end, my goals really didn't matter. My body just sort of settled in to where it wanted to be even with tweaks to dosing and calories. I lost 46% of my body weight and my BMI is 21. This has been steady within 3lbs for 8 months.

Oh, and one big surprise. Yes, I can see my abs. But, while I was looking around at things I haven't seen in decades, I noticed a prominent buldge on one side of my lower abdomen. The doctor confirmed it is a hernia that will require surgery. It doesn't hurt at this time and I never would have noticed it if i hadn't lost so much weight that I could see the muscles.
Click to expand...
Wow, congrats on the amazing weight loss -- and keeping it off. These drugs are miraculous.
 
If you can even sort of see your Abs, then it does not sound like you have another 25 lbs of fat to lose. If losing that 25 lbs gets rid of half muscle and half fat , then you might be better off not losing it. Without more objective evidence of fat percentage it is pretty hard to say. You can calculate fat percentage with waist and neck circumference , there is an online calculator, or for more accurate assessment dexa scan. Getting to a lower BMI by losing muscle has very doubtful health benefits.
 
When I can look down in the shower and see it, I'll know.

Until then, I'm just going for how I feel. If I was 800lbs and felt like a million bucks and was healthy, I wouldn't give a damn about BMI, or hips to waist etc. I want to optimize how I feel and squeeze as much life out of my time on this spinning rock as possible. If I optimize how I look in the process, well that's cool too.
 
For me it's when I plateau?

I'm roughly 20 lbs off my weight in HS (and I was an athlete) so I know I'm going to probably plateau before the end of the year and will most likely have to hit the gym for weight training and to slim down.

My goal is to be functionally fit, so have a decent mile time, not get winded climbing up stairs, being able to jump, etc.

I'm not interested in titrating up, I'm cruising along at 7.5 T, and when I plateau I will switch into working out more/exercise. Currently I incorporate walks (1-2 mi/day).
 
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