So I have lost a lot of weight, got a question.

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Here's a BMI calculator: Calculate Your BMI - Standard BMI Calculator

Take it with a grain of salt. Some people are healthier a little overweight.

Also, some people get a lot of adipose in the midsection. Sounds like you might be that way. Do your best to get rid of it--it's the worst place unfortunately!

Keep up the good work though.

Btw I'm the same height and I start to look a good weight at 190 personally, though lower is still good.

I don't think that means what you think it means.

for most men with a lot of body fat, your stomach will be the last place your body removes fat (all depends on genetics, of course, but im being general)

you can't spot remove fat, but you can do exercises to decrease overall body fat and increase muscle for certain body parts. i recommend you do a lot of cardio and ab exercises if you want to get your stomach smaller

and of course keep a caloric deficit

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thanks I am thinking I'll have a bit higher weight then standard people from years of lifting weight I have more muscle mass then they account for on a standard person (I think)
but it'll give me an idea
also 190 dosn't sound too bad, tho still pretty far (235)
my Brazilian Jiu Jitsu instructor said he was thinking 180-195 would be the weight I'd be best at athletically/competitively so I don't really have that as a goal, my goal is asthetic but if I'm that weight I'm fine with it

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according to the bmi thing I need to be at 170 lbs I think that's too low for me

honestly, the bmi is a complete waste of time

there are plenty of guys on my football team who are considered morbidly obese in bmi terms and they are in great shape

and there are plenty of people who are "good" on bmi but they are just skinny fat (eat shitty food, but not much of it) that's just as bad as being fat but you carry less weight

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I agree but I was using it as a guideline not a goal
then again I still think 170 is going to be too lite for me given my frame/muscle mass
my initial thinking was 220-230 but seeing myself at 235 I am thinking 190
but like I said it's more a visual goal so whatever weight I wind up at I'm good with I was just wondering how far I had to go

Don't know if OP is male or female.

As a female, I am also dieting. Currently would be classified as BBW, but in the end I should be hourglass. I take an approach that many would consider to be controversial. Some think that my approach is dangerous if they don't understand the science behind it.

I choose low carb, specifically Atkins. I can attest from personal experience that it is not dangerous, and the results are phenomenal. I love this way of eating.

As far as how much weight you need to lose before you see a difference, it will depend on how much you need to lose to begin with. The more you need to lose, the more it will take before the difference shows. For me, I have to lose about 45 pounds before a real difference can be seen. Most of my weight is in my stomach (which is dangerous). It's the first place I gain and the last place I lose. This time around, I have lost almost 40 pounds so far, but is seems to be mostly from my legs, butt, and face. My face looks completely different. I have lost in my stomach but it isn't significant compared to the rest (or it doesn't seem to be to me). What I do know is that I am almost to the point where it's about to start coming off the stomach dramatically. That's when everyone else will notice.

Just FYI... I previously lost 80 pounds after my son was born almost 2 years ago. I was looking fantastic, but an ugly divorce and a bad relationship afterward sent me into a depression, and I began to not care anymore. Comfort food is called that for a reason, apparently. But on Mother's Day this year, I looked at my son and decided enough was enough. Almost 3 weeks in, and I've lost 11 pounds (not bad for a female) so far. Still got a long way to go, but I'm committed. I know that my Way of Eating works for me. I'm not hungry, and my health is already improving. So to all the naysayers to low carb out there, I say this:

No heartburn.
No high blood pressure.
Cholesterol is 122.
Blood sugar is stable.
Sleep like a rock.
Atkins rocks!

fad diets usually don't work, and completely eliminating carbs (or anything) in your diet is not a healthy or smart way to do so. And it will probably just lead to you losing/gaining/losing/gaining

i hope it works for you, but i wouldn't recommend it

Figures there would be someone to call it a fad diet.

Carbs aren't completely eliminated. Just dramatically reduced in the first phase. You gradually add more to distinguish the point at which you can still lose weight from the point where you maintain or gain.

My opinion, backed up by the science, indicates that there is no healthier way to lose weight. Anyone who believes that living in a state of constant starvation (low fat/low calorie) is preferable, go for it. That's certainly the guaranteed way to yo-yo. Sooner or later you will get tired of starving and eat.

I don't disagree that you can lose weight on low fat/low calorie just as you can lose weight on low carb/high fat. But which is more sustainable? Constantly feeling hungry (low fat/low calorie) or reducing/eliminating cravings for foods that make you gain weight while never feeling hungry (low carb)?

Before I started Atkins, I was on medication for heartburn (severe acid reflux) and blood pressure (180/115). My total cholesterol was 240. I had chronic insomnia, and my blood sugar was unstable.

My blood pressure now never goes higher than 111/72. I can eat breakfast and still appear on a glucose test as if I am fasting.

What do you eat for breakfast? Yogurt and granola? Oatmeal?
What's for lunch? A salad with low fat dressing?
What about dinner? A bland chicken breast with brown rice and a whole wheat dinner roll?

Guess what I had this morning? A 3 egg omelette with ham, cheese, mushrooms, onions, peppers, and tomatoes and a side of sliced cantaloupe. For lunch, I'm having a grilled chicken cobb salad (romaine lettuce, grilled chicken, a sliced boiled egg, tomatoes, bacon, and cheese) with loads of blue cheese full fat dressing. For dinner, I'm thinking about a nice ribeye with a side of asparagus with hollandaise sauce. May even whip up some jalapeno poppers (jalapeno peppers filled with cream cheese and wrapped in bacon) for an afternoon snack. Yum-yum!

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I have never tried specifically low carb dieting of any kind really
I always have heard that carbs are what make you feel full but your never hungry on the atkins diet when you do it?
I'm a guy btw

Carbs make you feel full (and bloated) but fat is what satisfies your hunger. The only time I am hungry really is when it's time to eat again, unless I failed to eat enough fat during my previous meal. Snacks are fine so long as they fall within the plan. I purchase Atkins bars for my sweet tooth, but I typically eat one a day when I want some chocolate. They are fantastic! The Chocolate Peanut Butter bar is my favorite. It's fairly dense so if for some reason I got hungry between meals, I could eat one and be fine until the next meal.

I think the hardest part is the first few days when you have what is known as the Atkins flu, where you kind of feel crappy. Your body is shifting from buring carbs to burning fat. Yes, the first week is mostly water weight, but by week 2 if you're not cheating, the fat burning kicks in. The cravings will disappear. It depends on your level of addiction. Potatoes and corn were pretty easy for me (yes, I am still in induction because I have a lot of weight to lose), pasta and bread not so much. However, once you get into Phase II Ongoing Weight Loss (OWL) - which you can choose to do after 2 weeks, you can play around with food to a degree and see if your body can tolerate low carb tortillas and Dreamfields pasta. There is also a low carb bread available by Julien Bakery (not sure I spelled that right), but I haven't tried it yet. I plan to pick up some in July as it's not available everywhere, but they will ship. They also have a zero carb bread I plan to try as well.

If you are interested, pick up the book The New Atkins for a New You and/or log onto the Atkins website and register. The entire program is detailed with loads of online support. The Atkins nutritionist, Collette Heimowitz (spelling?), can answer questions if you run into problems.

Caution: if you are on blood pressure medication or on meds for Type II Diabetes, watch your blood pressure and your sugar levels closely. Let your doctor know you are trying Atkins. My blood pressure returned to normal in 3 days so unnecessary blood pressure meds could make you faint. Diabetes meds may need to be reduced and/or eliminated. My blood sugar stabilized on Day 1, but I wasn't on meds. I was insulin resistant so my sugar levels returned to normal but my insulin would stay high causing my blood sugar to drop, and I would start to shake. Atkins did away with that. My blood sugar doesn't go up so my insulin levels no longer fluctuate.

This Way of Eating is High Fat, Moderate Protein, Low Carb.

If you want more info, I'd be happy to give it.

Also, on the website, you can sign up for the kit, and you will get 3 free Atkins bars and some coupons. The shakes are fantastic as well! Depending on your body, you can introduce various foods at different points. The key is to count your Net Carbs, not total carbs. Net Carbs = Total Carbs - Fiber - Sugar Alcohols.

There is always a trade off when you have weight issues. Just depends on which way you would rather live. For me, Atkins is right. I can pass up the office sweets any day knowing that when I get on the scale, my weight is going down. Low calorie/low fat may allow you to eat something like that once in a while, but the price you pay is poorer health overall and the sluggish feeling after eating it. There are many ways to cook low carb, including the desserts, and there are websites (including Atkins) and cookbooks out there to help out.

Yeah, I'm not a fan of BMI, but it's the easiest way of getting some kind of baseline.

Yeah, I'm not a fan of Atkins, but it works for a lot of people.

haha hey as long as it works for you and you're happy do it up

and i try to stay balanced in my diet, eating fatty food all day isn't the way i would do it, but if you burn off more calories than you consume, than you will lose weight, that's just basic math

i eat anything from steak, to full eggs, to greek yogurt, veggies, fruit poultry etc. it all depends on if i want to gain or lose weight and how many calories i consumed or need at the time

btw, carbs get a bad rep because they are stored as fat only when people don't work out. if you tried to workout and maintain an active lifestyle on a low carb diet, your workouts will be shitty at best. that's why i don't like the whole "eliminate carbs" stuff, if you're not active than its ok, but carbs are best for a pre workout or the night before if you workout in the morning