When do I stop losing weight?

I went through the same thing last year.

I am 6'4" and went from 225 down to my current weight of 175.  I had spent the better part of 20 years at over 200 lbs and never though that I would get back down below that level.  When I first broke through the 200 lb level, I begin to wonder whether or when I should stop.  Basically, what I did was to look in the mirror.  At the time, I still had some obvious excess fat around my mid-section, so I set a new goal to lose 5 more lbs.  When I reached that goal, I did the same thing again.  When I reached 180 lbs., the excess fat was pretty much gone, and I stopped trying to lose weight.  I have continued to lose weight, but at a much slower rate.

Are you eating healthy?  Are you hungry all the time?  Are you tired all of the time?  If you are eating healthy, you are not starving yourself, and have enough energy, I wouldn't worry too much.  As your weight goes down, your body burns fewer calories.  Your weight will eventually stabilize.  You could try eating just a little more, and see how you feel.  If you end up with more energy, you probably needed the extra calories.

Its very difficult to give any advice based on what you provide, so dont be suprised about all of the views, its not that we dont want to help. When you say pretty lean, how are you measuring that? When you say you eat pretty well, what are you eating? I would have a bodyfat test if you are worried about your weight, that way you will have an idea if you are burning bodyfat or muscle. If you are burning fat and are becoming leaner, I dont think you should worry too much, your body will let you know when its time to consume more calories, you can bet on that, Ive had my bodyfat at 5% and was going insane craving food and very tired! If your body is feeding muscle I think you would be having performance issues and possible injuries, which does not seem to be the case.

I say keep doing what you are doing and I believe you will discover soon what weight you are comfortable at. 

x2! Grrrrrr...

If you're not feeling well/energetic during workouts and if you're tired a lot that's probably a sign that you are not eating enough.

I'd say at 2500 calories you are probably too low (checked your logs and it looks like you're at about 5-6 hours per week) - try upping it to around 3000-3500 and see how you do.  Seriously, you need to start tracking what you are eating better so you know EXACTLY what breakdown of nutrition you are getting, and I would think at this point going and getting a professional bodyfat % test would be a good thing.

When you look at yourself in the mirror - do you look too skinny or ok?  If your wife is worried, I'd take that as a sign that you might be getting into the too skinny range.

Trying to maintain weight while doing tri training is just as hard (I think) as trying to lose.  Some people have one problem some the other - but at 6'1" I'd say you're getting close to where you're going to be losing muscle mass.  

I have to commend you for having the courage to post this question.  I've had the same question but didn't want to post it out of fear that people would think I was bragging.

I can't say I have the correct answer, but I can share what has happened with me.  I am 5'11" and similarly lost the weight quickly, starting at 202 pounds in June 2007 and hit 160 pounds by December 2007.  At that point the weight loss just stopped, and my weight has fluctuated in a tight range ever since.  While the weight is not coming off anymore, I have been pretty happy with the mirror test as I have really started to notice more muscle definition.

I'm glad that I'm not the only one whose wife is worried about how skinny they are.  Except with me I also get it from the rest of my family and my co-workers.  Funny thing is that I eat as much as all of them, I just move more than they do.

You know another thing is WHY are you trying to get to your high school graduation weight?  That is probably WAY too skinny, especially at 6'1".  Guys especially tend to graduate high school at a "bony" weight and then put on a few pounds after and look a WHOLE lot better. Honestly, IMO, 165 and 6'1" is TOO THIN.

Comparison - my daughter is 6'2" and weighs between 175-180, and she looks good and definitely thin at that weight. 

I'd think you'd want 170 to be your absolute minimum on weight, with somewhere between 175-185 as a better range.  And yeah, if you don't have enough fuel and your body is low on what it needs, what you described on workouts is what happens.  You just can't do it.

Here's a basic guideline I found some time ago (sorry, I don't have the source.)

Calories: 12-30 calories per pound

Breakdown:

12-14 cpp rest
15-17 cpp 1 hr training
18-24 cpp 1-2 hr training
25-30 cpp over 2 hrs training

So - at say a weight of 175,you should be eating between 2100 -  5250 calories per day.

(rest day vs. over 2 hours training day) 

I really don't think the generalizations about what the OP should weight, especially when you haven't seen the OP, are really very helpful.

FWIW, I am 3 inches taller than the OP, weigh 3 lbs less, and I am definitely not TOO THIN.  Any sort of generalizations about what someone should weight are just that, a generalization that can't be applied to an individual. 

According to your chart and based on the hours of exercise from the OP's logs, it suggest the OP needs about 2600 calories, but that is also a generalization.  If the OP is taking in 2500 calories, its obviously not enough to maintain weight.

To the OP:  My suggestion would be to go by what you see in the mirror, how you feel, and how your workouts are going.  If you are feeling good, I wouldn't worry too much, and let your weight settle out wherever it does.  If you are not feeling good or you are having trouble with your workouts, I would definitely eat more.  Since you are concerned, you could just eat a little more as an experiment and see how you feel.  If you feel better and more energetic, you probably needed the calories.

My suggestion is to go to the doctor and get a physical.  Tell the doctor about your weight loss, your training routine, and what you are eating.  See what the doctor thinks would be a good weight for you.

I am not a nutritionist or personal trainer but I have also lost a significant amount of weight over the past year. I ST 3-4 days a week and I always make sure to eat before and after workouts. I also have had great success with EAS whey protein and myoplex. 100% of the time I will have a protein shake after ST and something with lighter/more natural protein before. When im endurance training I have light carbs before and protein after.

These are the only supplements I use and I am convinced they have helped me build and maintain muscle.  As a side note I am 6'0 and weigh 174 and I easily have 10-15 pounds of body fat to give. 

The best money I have spent was on a personal trainer and the diet information provided was worth the money. Steady weight training three times a week + daily cardio has given me a blueprint,  motivation,  and somebody looking over my shoulder. Also, a physical is a no brainer. The bloodwork/visit I think was $200.

In mid May I did bloodwork for my physical and they determined my BMI(?) at 26% while I tipped the scales at 193. (I'm 5'9 and typical middle aged paunch)

Late June...  after a daily dose of cardio and not enough calories, I tipped the scale at 180 and a 23% BMI according to the personal trainers calculations.

 Another two weeks and five more pounds under supervision, I'm having a hard time eating the prescribed 1900 calories and keeping my bloodsugar in check(type 2).

It's taken time to get a handle on my diet, and actually eating enough. I feel great, look better and hope to reach 165 and a BMI of 13%. My blood sugar has never been under such control and once I add a second daily session of cardio I may be off the meds.

 Off to the gym...  

My goal is

Yep, me too.  Skipping meals, especially when you are training hard is really hard on your body.  Food is fuel.  Would you skip filling your gas tank before heading on a trip?  

And, yes, while I am jealous that you're at this point you deserve to be, you've worked hard for it!  I'm 47lbs from my goal as of this morning (about 30% of the way there) and I worry about finding that balance when I get there between not loosing any more but not gaining it back.