Odd Question About Fitness

I've been in weight loss mode for a while now. About 7 months or so. When I started this venture I was 250 pounds and am now 211. My goal is 180 pounds. For reference, I'm about 6 ft and have a medium to large frame. I'm combining strength training (every other day) with cardio (running 10-20 miles a week depending on how my body is doing and what the weather is like). I'm also eating healthy foods and no longer drink drinks with much calories if they have calories at all. But by, despite all the details, I've lost a lot of weight and have developed a new lifestyle that works for me.

Now that I'm more than half-way to my goal I'm curious about what I should do once I get there. I'm in weight loss mode kinda but really I don't see me not running, lifting weights, or eating the way I'm eating now after I get to 180. So I guess if I keep losing weight that means that my body hasn't reached its ideal weight yet. I guess? Right? I mean should I do something different when I get to 180? I'm sorry if this sounds dumb but I've never lost this much weight before and haven't really planned ahead very well. The goal just seemed so far away. But now I'm coming up on it and I don't know what I'm supposed to do once I get there.

The less you weigh, the less calories your body requires each day. So by the time you reach your weight goal you may plain out and what you are doing now will be your maintanence calories. Or you may plain out early and need to eat less or workout more to reach your goal. Or you may need to start eating a little more to stop losing the weight. You just have to see what happens along the way and when you get there.

@mcghee:

Fitness is complicated shit dude.

Yeah, I'm a life-long expert and gaining and losing weight. The most important thing is to not lose the drive and purpose that you have now. A few months ago I was at the fittest I've ever been, 5'11 and 176 lbs. Over the winter I gained weight all the way back up to 192 lbs. Goddamn winter makes me hungry ALL the time. Got to start taking it off now. I'll just call it my bulking phase because I have gained some noticeable muscle in that time.