How Do You Know When You Are Done?

I'm a lightweight, I went into this with a BMI of 37.5, I had diabetes and high cholesterol, at my heaviest I was 250 pounds. When I looked into WLS I weighed 229. I had RNY July 2010 (7.5 months ago).
Today, I put before you this question: am I done? I'm not asking so I can complain about a stall or because my weight went up 2 pounds, but I'm curious.
Right now I weigh about 137-138 pounds with my lowest 135 last weekend. I looked at myself, really looked at me in the mirror today and was happy with my reflection. I love my new body so much that I cried. My surgeon's goal for me was 145, my personal one was 125 and now I'm somewhere inbetween, and I'm happy here. I look great, my diabetes is in remission, my total cholesterol is 117, I'm active and happy. Is this the end of my weight loss phase? Should I shift my mentality to maintenance? I'm perfectly happy with my current eating habits and know I can maintain them, so I don't want to change that. But I'm wondering if maybe I should stop focusing on losing and getting to my goal (which really is just a number that I chose so I would have cushion for my potential bounce back). I really love where I am now, but I'm only 7.5 months. I doubt I'm done losing, but I don't want to focus on it anymore. But then there's this other part of my brain that wonders if I'm thinking these thoughts as some kind of self-sabotage. If maybe I think I should stop here because going any lower is just vanity or maybe even that I don't think I deserve it on some level.
Of course there's also that part of me that thinks if I focus less on losing and more on being happy with me and all I've achieved, the rest might come anyway since I won't be stressing over every pound all the time.
Any thoughts? Advice? Questions? Concerns? I love some input from people who have been where I am and could shed a little insight to my possible brain functions.

Thanks in advance

Congratulations on your success!

I feel that your body will know when to stop.  Like you said - its just a number. You didn't state how tall you were or what your BMI is currently.  I liked the "middle of the range of normal" BMI. 

My opinion is to take advantage of your weight loss time period.  I wish I was still in it!!  I have had 5-10 lbs of bounce back and am struggling to get 5 of it off.

 

Thank-you.

I'm 5'5" so that puts my current BMI around 22.9

I'm less asking about should I stop trying and thinking more should I stop focusing... I may regret later that I didnt push myself harder while in weight loss stage, but I dont want to kill myself for the sake of a number either.

I'm right where you are, including the same weight, except that I am 5'3" so my BMI is a little higher.
Since I am a revision I didn't have high expectations. My surgeon even told me that I might not lose any weight. So I was very happy to even be losing. My goal was to get to a normal BMI and I did it. I am comfortable with the way I am eating right now. I want to be at a weight that I am comfortable staying at, that I don't have to starve myself to stay at. I just wanted to be able to stop focusing on the trip and enjoy the destination for a while.

congratulations to you as well!
and thank-you, i think this is the kind of comment i needed to hear

Hey Jenna!   I've heard others say, "I needed to get my health under control.  I did not do this to be on a diet forever."  I think we all have slightly different cir****tances going on and, if you've thought it out (honestly) and know you could maintain your current good habits, why not do what works best for you? 

Also, if 120 is an ideal weight for me at 5'2", I would think that 125 is less than an ideal weight for you at 5'5"  You may need to revisit that goal weight.

Okay, so now that I've said that with all the wisdom of a "Just Shy of One Month" old WLS person... I'm prepared for my thrashing from the old timers.  rofl!!

my healthy ranges from 112 to 149, i chose 125 more as my low than my goal, i think. maybe thats why i am happy here cuz this is the weight i hope to spend most of the rest of my life at.

for me, i needed two things in order to lose weight, 1: i needed to stop being hungry all the time. i could go to popeyes and order a 4 pc meal with mashed potatoes, a soda, and biscuit and that's what it took to make me full. thats a half a chicken! it's insanity!! 2- i needed diabetes out of the picture, i hated being dependent on the number on my glucometer to tell if when i needed to eat or sick of looking at a high number and wanting to eat and then feeling guilt and shame with every bite.

once these were gone i learned i could portion control, and i could learn low carbing without fear of low blood sugar, so i am very grateful to my surgery for giving what i needed to become thin, healthy, and active. maybe i just dont want to seem ungrateful to the wls gods by pushing for something that may not be meant, or for killing myself to get to a lower weight... mostly i don't want to miss out on all the good that's come my way.

then again, i've always thought i looked fabulous, then looked back at pictures a month later and said, i'm smaller and prettier now. stupid brain, always has to mess with me. so i think that if i transition it to maintenance i can stop stressing over every pound and stop releasing cortisol and get these last couple inches off my gut without actually thinking of it.

i'm just rambling now. thanks for your advice

Hi Jenna!
You and I are surgery buddies!  Yay for July 19th!!!
I am at the same place you are.....I keep feeling like I'm "done".....I'll stay at the same weight for a couple weeks and then I'll lose another 3-5 pounds.  My goal is 130 but I actually have to be 128 to be normal BMI....i'm only 5 feet tall.  I REALLY would like to get to normal BMI....just for principle's sake!

BUT----------

I'm a perfect size 8 and can fit in a couple 6's....people call me "skinny" and "tiny", I have energy, I can do one hour of hardcore cardio without blinking an eye, my bloodwork is awesome,

.....I guess if I'm "DONE" then so be it!    I'm like you though....it would be nice to know so I can switch my brain to "maintanance"!

Nice to meet ya !!!!  Congratulations on all your successes!!!!

Hi surery buddy! i will friend you after i write this!
when they offered july 19th, i jumped at it, it was a sign of beautiful things to come (my birthday is august 19th) and i was to be my doc's first surgery after his vacation, couldn't ask for a better situation having a doc without the stress of being up and on call all night).

congratulations on your success! and screw the scale! i'm a size 6, sometimes 3-4, and i get the skinny/tiny too (i'm even getting less bristly over it those words have always rubbed me the wrong way).

maybe we can work on our brains but not change our eating/exercise just yet?

Most advice I have seen is to get to the middle of "normal BMI".  If I can get to the top, at 62, I will be very happy.  I thought my goal was 140 just because I thought that would be where I could maintain but I am almost there and certainly not done losing.  So in a few months, I'll be in your situation.  I know I also don't want to diet ever again but am quite happy eating the way I am. 
There are lots of light weights *****ach goal in less than a year.  I think you may be there.  You and your body are the only ones *****ally know. It seems to be a question lots of folks have.