what happens when u get to the results u want....?

[xnew_kellyx]

what do you do?! lol. will they increase? like do you just keep the same weight or what?

sry if this was already posted

[Laurie]

I began lifting to lose weight and regain my health three years ago. Was 245 then and was sick and tired of being "sick and tired". Took a year's worth of college women's lifting classes to change all that.

Have my goals been reached? Well, that depends on what you want. At 50, I found myself beginning to look like some of the hobbling snowbirds that flock down to my part of Arizona. Forget that.

I did not really have any hard ones at first. Basically the openning sentence was "it". Was 245lbs (5'6"/largeboned) and just wanted to drop some of it. Been that way for over 30 years. It was getting harder to get out of my 79 Cordoba. Walking hurt my lower back and had lost flexibility over the years. Still had alot of natural strength from my rural lifestyle but it was not enough. My diet was "no diet". Would get involved in a project and forget to eat. When I did, it was either the wrong thing or too much. Pretty much stayed with this "no diet" during the first few months of the class. Until I found this site and learned better. (WOW, you mean I can eat 5-6 smaller meals and NOT get FAT? Umm...by eating properly, of course. First Revelation!)

By the end of that first year, dropped to 187lbs. So I reached that goal (drop fat). But after being so heavy for so long....I just wanted to stay distanced from 200lbs as far as possible. Too easy to climb back up if you dont learn self discipline...especially with diet. After two more years of lifting, hitting some plateaus and tweaking diet, I am 168lbs.....and went from size 48 jeans to size 36/34. Had not been this size since I was 16. WOOT!

(I can fit into some Women's 16/14 but the hips/thighs are cut too generously and I dont have a butt to speak of. The waists are too high and men's cuts fit me better....like the straighter leg cut too.)

For a time I thought my only class "goal" was to push how heavy I could lift in the class after finding out I loved doing it. My first semester instructor encouraged that after I found the low weights we started with....too easy to complete. Just picked up where I left off at the beginning of each semester. Had access to machines as well a freeweights and went far beyond anyone else. But this is more of a personal goal and up to you where it ends.

Build strength/muscle in the upper body was another goal. Ok, did that... and it certainly helped when needed.

Diet. Well this is most important to a good lifting routine and when you cant lift.

Now what are my goals? Just to keep what I gained through lifting and to keep off what was left behind. As you get older, you find "goals" are rather basic. To continue after reaching them, a good idea to keep it that way.

[mommy*2*3]

I think that it all depends on the individuals long term goals. Some just want to get in a better shape. Some want to just lose the weight. I know that with myself and a few other people who have gotten into bodybuildng...it's addicting and you just want to look better and better. When I started working out my goal was to look like some of the ladies at the gym who had muscle and a six-pack. I looked at them and said "this is what I'm going to look like". Well I achieved that goal and then was approached by a friend and told I should consider competing. Now, that's a whole new ball game. So now my goals have changed and I want to compete on the national level one day. This means more muscle of course, and staying as lean as I can off season without hindering muscle growth. So I'm always trying to increase my weights. I am a "never satisfied" type of person which is not a good thing as I have realized but it does help to stay focused and determined.

I just realized after typing all this that you're probably wanting to know if you will increase your weight from getting stronger? Yes, you will just get stronger to a certain point. As far as staying in the same shape...that's up to the individual and diet has a lot to do with that not just working out. If you stop lifting then you will start to lose all the muscle you have gained and your metabolism will slow down.

[xnew_kellyx]

thanks for everyones feed back. totally appreciated. :)

i meant like.... what do i do when i see the results i want, ofcourse i'll still diet and w/o. but do i keep it at the same weights or still increase?

[VanillaBean_21]

I don't think I will ever be "happy" with my results. I wanna keep progressing. :) It has become my life and I dont plan to ever stop or even be satisfied.