Those last 6 pounds - taking forever!
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HM2206
Posts: 174 Member
I am 6 lbs away from the weight I used to be. They can surely be called vanity pounds, but I used to be there before I went to study abroad and developed bad habits, and I used to keep it up fine.
Everybody says you need to be patient, and take it slow. But I feel like I am standing still. And as vain as it sounds, I want to be in shape for summer.
After trying to stick just 100 cals under my TDEE, I am now thinking of doing ONE fasting day per week. Say Sundays I have 700-800 calories, so even if I haven't been that great during the week, I'll end up at a deficit.
Anyone tried this?
Other tips for those last impossible ones?
Everybody says you need to be patient, and take it slow. But I feel like I am standing still. And as vain as it sounds, I want to be in shape for summer.
After trying to stick just 100 cals under my TDEE, I am now thinking of doing ONE fasting day per week. Say Sundays I have 700-800 calories, so even if I haven't been that great during the week, I'll end up at a deficit.
Anyone tried this?
Other tips for those last impossible ones?
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Replies
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I understand how you are feeling and I've been on the same situation I tend to plateau a lot even when Its not near my goal weight or where I want to be, but you need to be patient, nothing lasts forever plateau wont last ever. I think you should change something, like the way you eat ( the calories, lowering or increasing the calories or doing carb cycling) or the way you workout (increasing strength training or amount of time you do cardio or do one more session per week of HIIT (making it 2 instead of 1). This all will shock your body making it to gain or lose weight, it will just depend on how your body reacts to that shock.
Obviously you want to lose weight and its important because you want to look good for summer but, I think you should make it a long term goal being in shape and be healthy. If you want to be healthy you know that fasting isn't the solution, you don't need to fast or eat 700-800 calories because you its not good, you will lose weight but your body will be starving itself for those 2 days and the following days chances of you ending up binging and craving certain types of food will be higher and you'll end up eating more than you aiming for that day.
So, you have so much time until summer, eat well and healthy (don't starve yourself) and change your training styles every 3 weeks and be patient normally good things that time.0 -
Have you recalculated your goals recently? You should reset those every 5lb or so to get an accurate estimate of how much you should eat. Fasting seems extreme. Switching up your routine will help. Plateaus don't last forever. Also, get really honest and disciplined about weighing every gram. It's irritating but it becomes habit after a while.
This is the lowest weight I've been since middle school, so every pound is a new goal set.
Don't make your goals arbitrary--stop when you're comfortable with how you look and feel, not when the scale tells you to. 0 -
Have you recalculated your goals recently? You should reset those every 5lb or so to get an accurate estimate of how much you should eat. Fasting seems extreme. Switching up your routine will help. Plateaus don't last forever. Also, get really honest and disciplined about weighing every gram. It's irritating but it becomes habit after a while.
This is the lowest weight I've been since middle school, so every pound is a new goal set. Don't make your goals arbitrary--stop when you're comfortable with how you look and feel, not when the scale tells you to.
Yes I have recalculated my TDEE and I have also set to do a very small calorie deficit per day. But it is still hard, my TDEE is so low. I eat back some exercise calories after workouts, but I seriously get to hungry. After my workout yesterday I had chicken with loads of vegetables, and it's like it went right through me. Though I got my period today, so that might explain my appetite the past few days...
I thought about doing a fast one day per week simply because it's getting too hard to scale back seven days a week..And yes, I eat loads of protein and vegetables.0 -
I started fasting this week doing OMAD (one meal a day) and it has been the only thing getting the last 10 pounds off. I also do the ketogenic diet which helps with my hormone levels. Try the intermittent fasting and see if it works for you!2
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The last few lbs are difficult especially if you are running an already low TDEE. You don't have a lot of wiggle room. Are you weighing and measuring all your food even on weekends? The weekends are always the killer for me. If cutting down one day works for you that might help as long as you don't indirectly overeat the next days to make up for it.
I don't really have any other tips besides patience. I was running an ultra-high TDEE plus I was weight training and while weight loss was slow (lots of up and downs) I got there. What kept me going was body composition changes those weeks where the scale stalled, my measurements and progress photos showed results so I just kept it up.0 -
It took me six months last year to lose 5 pounds (January to June). Holidays and work stress had me gain almost 10 pounds this winter so here I am again
Can you just hang on until spring? I find that I have a hard time shedding weight in winter, especially when I'm close to goal. Once it is light and warm out I naturally get a little less hungry and a little more active and the last few pounds come off.
I'll do a 24-72 hour green juice/smoothie fast occasionally to help break bad habits. But I think they can be a little extreme for incorporating into general weight loss.0 -
I've been losing between 12 and 17 lbs a year for two years. It is slow as hell. Usually if I can hang on through winter (not gain/lose a little) 6-7 lbs will come off in summer, just because it's safe to go outside in the frozen hinterland that I call home. The process got you here...it will take you the rest of the way. Don't be extreme, just be honest about what you're eating.1
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they sure DO take forever to get off .. and they come back on pretty easily too.
ARSGH0 -
Are you stronger now than you were before? Muscle weighs more than fat. Its a good idea to measure yourself as well as weigh yourself. Your weight could go up but your size go down if you are gaining muscle and losing fat. Watch your macros and check on your nutritional goals in your MFP app. Hang in there and keep up with your workouts. You can do it!1
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Hang in there! Perseverance pays off.0
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Fasting certainly works for some people my sister-in-law did the 5/2 diet and lost 15lbs! However, I found it very difficult as I'm at home a lot more and food is all around to tempt me. I do better on regular meals and being very concious of what I'm eating, which is why tracking is so helpful. I don't quite understand though why fruit puts my sugar level up so high shouldn't I be eating it, I thought it was good for me?0
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jackieTR46 wrote: »Fasting certainly works for some people my sister-in-law did the 5/2 diet and lost 15lbs! However, I found it very difficult as I'm at home a lot more and food is all around to tempt me. I do better on regular meals and being very concious of what I'm eating, which is why tracking is so helpful. I don't quite understand though why fruit puts my sugar level up so high shouldn't I be eating it, I thought it was good for me?
If you are diabetic or even borderline, fruit, starches, and milk might raise your blood sugar. They used to say that milk wouldn't because it is low GI but it does for some people. As with the other foods. It is trial and error. For my hubby, one brand of bread will cause a spike that hangs in too long and another the spike will be like for a non diabetic and go back down.
Good luck. Blood sugar problems can be very tricky.1 -
winejunky143 wrote: »Are you stronger now than you were before? Muscle weighs more than fat. Its a good idea to measure yourself as well as weigh yourself. Your weight could go up but your size go down if you are gaining muscle and losing fat. Watch your macros and check on your nutritional goals in your MFP app. Hang in there and keep up with your workouts. You can do it!
I do strength training now and then, but some say it's impossible to gain muscle and lose weight at the same time?
I don't have a measuring band, but I have some clothes I use for "measuring". For example one high waist miniskirt which barely fits when I'm on my period and is usually a little tight.0 -
winejunky143 wrote: »Are you stronger now than you were before? Muscle weighs more than fat. Its a good idea to measure yourself as well as weigh yourself. Your weight could go up but your size go down if you are gaining muscle and losing fat. Watch your macros and check on your nutritional goals in your MFP app. Hang in there and keep up with your workouts. You can do it!
I do strength training now and then, but some say it's impossible to gain muscle and lose weight at the same time?
I don't have a measuring band, but I have some clothes I use for "measuring". For example one high waist miniskirt which barely fits when I'm on my period and is usually a little tight.
Its definitely possible. That's what's happening to me right now. I started a strength training program and I've actually gained 3lbs from it but lost an 1.5 inch on my waist. That's why I suggest measuring. The measuring tapes you use for sewing are super cheap you might actually even find one at your grocery store. Its misleading to see the number on the scale go up when I'm struggling to keep my pants on my hips without a belt
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I LOVE intermittent fasting. In my case not for weight loss, but for overall health and helping me with regulating my ghrelin/leptin and understanding true hunger and stopping eating when full. I know many folks who do really well with IF for weight loss as well. Just be careful as if you are already eating at a deficit and adding fasting to it, could mess with hormones. True example of listening to your body with this. If you feel good, keep on fasting. If you feel crappy from it, don't. Also make sure electrolytes and water intake are good as you may think you're hungry but it is just dehydration!0
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I'm also doing Omad. Try it 1
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The last few days have actually been very good. For some reason I have not had a lot of appetite..
I think it's because I've just been better at filling my time with other things. I started dating again and had a first date I was nervous about, and when I'm nervous I don't feel like eating.
The next days I have just filled my time with more exciting things, and food has a smaller place. I still get cravings, but I can go for longer periods of time without eating.
Hope this lasts! 3
