So I am about 30-40lbs away from my goal of 155lb down from 364 and I feel like I have to much fat on me to only have to lose another 30ish lbs.  I know that I'll have some loose skin and I've never lost a huge amount of weight before, so maybe what I'm seeing is loose skin, but when I look in the mirror or in pictures I still look like I have a lot of fat in my thighs and my stomach.  Could those areas look big and only have 30-40lbs left to lose in them.  I'm sure others have had this experience and like I said I've never lost a huge amount of weight before.  I was thinking the 150's would be a good goal, especially attributing to the loose skin I would have but maybe if what I'm seeing is still fat I should aim even lower?  I would love any opinions or other people's experiences, because I'm hopelessly confused.  Thanks 

If you are still seeing fat...keep losing, your goal should be lower

I thought I still had a far amount of fat in my loose skin, particularly in my bum and thighs.  I mean, I can grab bulk there...how can the loose skin not have a fair amount of fat in it? 

But recently I had a dexa body composition scan which accurately measures fat (and muscle and bone) and where it is at.   It turns out that the loose skin isn't hiding anything.  It is just loose skin, no fat.  Losing more weight won't help with that bulk.  The dexa also helped with my own confusion/indecision about target weight and gave me the confidence to call goal.    

So yes, an area might have bulk ("look big") but not have much fat, if any, in there. 

Great stats!  You have done well for yourself! Congratulations and enjoy!

I agree with Skinny Scientist - plus the last 30 is where my shape changed the most.  30 pounds is about 6 gallons of fat!  You may look much smaller than you think when you lose all that or you may keep going and lose some more.

Thank you everyone for your replies.  You've given me some great info.  I am kind of excited to see what I look and feel like in another 30lbs, I know that the less you have to lose the greater the changes with a smaller amount of weight loss.  I think I may be having issues with my head catching up because if though my clothes are getting looser I don't see as much change when I look in the mirror, I guess that's just another issue lol.  Thanks again.

Are you taking your measurements? If not, you should start.

You may want to get your bodyfat measured as you get closer to goal to help you decide if you are where you should be.

Keep up the good work!!

I also had a dexascan done to evaluate my bodyfat percentage and help me determine a goal weight. The dexascan accurately measures your lean body mass(bones, blood, muscles, organs). I found out I have higher than average muscle mass, probably from toting around and extra 100-200lbs for all of my adult life. I thought the upper end of 'normal' based on BMI was 170... I found out for me, based on my lean body mass upper end of normal is 192. (provided I don't lose muscle mass) and I set my first goal at 189... just to be squarely in the 'normal' range. Where I will go from there I don't know. (I am tall 5'11")

When I was about 210 and said I still had 40lbs to lose I was getting a lot of 'that is too much'... even from my Doc and those in the WLS community. One day a woman said to me "look at your collarbones" as in - they stick out. I was like, Hmmmm?

I didn't trust my own judgement... that is why I went for the dexascan. It really helped.

How would I go about getting a dexascan and are they usually covered by insurance/what's the cost and what's the process, is it like that egg shaped thing I've seen people use on weight loss shows like the biggest loser.  I've also had people, not doctors because I haven't been to one in a while, but friends and what not think that I'm like 40-50lbs less than I am, but that happened to me when I was this weight years ago when I was gaining, I think I may just carry my weight "well".  I'm 5'5 so my upper weight range is the 150's so that's what I'm shooting for, because realistically with the excess skin I'd probably be in the 130's/140's without it and I think that's a good weight for me.  I'm kind of excited to see how I look even thinner, since I've been over 300lbs for most of my adult life, not scary skinny, just normal skinny, even though people think I look normal now...if that makes any sense

Absolutely makes sense... I had been over 300lbs for more than 20 years. The dexascan is the same test they do to see your bone density but they use different software. A regular bone density will not give you the same info, and it is not covered by Insurance. I had it done through this company when I was visiting my son in Chicago:

http://www.dexafit.com/

I also had the metabolism test which I wouldn't recommend because I don't think it really helps people like us who have had surgery know how much to eat.

The normal cost I believe is $150 but they regularly have Groupons and it is $75. I have seen people on here who have found it at local gyms or universities. Actually the place I went to have it done was an exercise place for elite athletes(bicycle)... it was very interesting. You just lay on a table and the machine just scans over you. takes about 10 min. They give you an extensive print out and explain your results.

We are not 'normal' because of the long history of MO. Some people do get down into that standard range of normal and even lower. If I got down to 170, I would be below 20% bodyfat. That is too thin. For me this test really helped me put things in perspective. I would have been striving and being frustrated to get to a number that wasn't realistic...

Thanks for all of the great info