Losing last 10 lbs

jessmessmfp

Hi everyone,

I'm in the last 10 lbs of my weight loss. I've lost 20lbs so far. I'm 5'2, 125, and would like to get down to 115. I'm short - so 10lbs is a huge deal. I seem to get down to 120-121 - but then balloon back to 125.

I'm down because before to lose weight - if I kept my calories at 1500, I'd lose weight (slowly, but maybe 1lb every week or so).

Now, it seems for me to lose weight I need to drop to 1200. This is hard for me - I can do it for 2-3 days, but then I become ravenous. I'm eating tons of veggies and fresh fruits. I just want to gorge myself on chocolates, pastries and fatty-carbs (pizzas).

Any advice on tackling the last 10lbs?

TimothyFish

Exercise more, so you can eat more and still lose weight.

healthygreek

If you drop down to 1200, make sure you eat at least 1/2 your exercise calories back.
Also weigh and log every morsel you eat! That really helps with the last few pounds!

versuga

I can't seem to budge my last 10 pounds!!!

lbride

I have 10 lbs to lose; I find if I eat lower carb (not low carb, but limit the fruit to breakfast, and then I have fiber one for nighttime snack) that it seems a "bit" easier. But overall, if you hit 4 out of 7 days you are doing good!

alabella

I'm the same height and weight as you, with similar goals. I've found if I want to lose those last few pounds, I'm going to have to eat at 1200. Otherwise I stall for weeks. A tip I've found is to cook more at home and eliminate snacks. I find if I'm cooking something lovely for tea I don't waste my calories on chocolate or other 'junk' food. I've really got into cooking now and it's saved me money as well as calories.

Oh, and exercise! I got a fitbit and on days where I need more calories, I make sure to be more active.

Jolinia

Right there with you. About ten more to go now. Doing low carb to control hunger, but even so it looks like I'll have to add 5:2 intermittent fasting back in so I can lose weight and still have some days where my plate doesn't look sadly empty. You could give it a try if you're someone who doesn't do well with day in, day out calorie restriction. Might work, might not. Varies by person.

NekoneMeowMixx

Girl, I'm in the exact same boat. I'm 5 foot 6, and decided once I started cresting 140 that I wanted to try and get back around 120 - 125 (my High School weight). As I started working out more, I noticed that my goal was more based around muscle and inches lost, rather than pounds. Currently I'm at ~135, and hoping to at least drop back down below 130. After doing some research (and per MFP's suggestions) I'm currently at a 1200 calorie limit, and I agree, it feels nearly impossible some days...

I guess my best advice-- muscle weighs more than fat, but you'll look better with that 10 extra pounds of muscle vs. the 10 pounds of fat you're trying to lose. Have you considered weight training at all? Muscle also burns more calories when you're *not* working out, so it's a win-win, really

Keep up the good work! ^_^

Ellaskat

Same boat here. I only had 18 to lose. I lost 8 in the first 3 weeks, and now my weight hasn't budged for 3 weeks. I eat 1200 a day no problem, but I focus on weekly instead of daily numbers, so my 1200 is the average. Don't know what I'm dng wrong. With calories so low ,I should be seeing my weight continue to drop.

healthygreek

Jolinia wrote: »

Right there with you. About ten more to go now. Doing low carb to control hunger, but even so it looks like I'll have to add 5:2 intermittent fasting back in so I can lose weight and still have some days where my plate doesn't look sadly empty. You could give it a try if you're someone who doesn't do well with day in, day out calorie restriction. Might work, might not. Varies by person.

Jolinia, your plate never has to look sadly empty!
Fill it up with lots of veggies and add some protein!
It will keep you satisfied and happy!

kelleybean1

I'm right there with ya. Drink more water, lower carb, veggie soup is your friend. Cut out chips and sweets and go for unprocessed instead, that's my plan.

rosebette

I'm in the same boat and the same size. I'm 5'1.5" and currently 122 and my goal is 115. I've been with MFP for a year, got down to as low as 118, but can't seem to hold below 120. I gained 6 lbs. back over the holidays and now am losing the same 6 lbs. I started with. I'm older, 56, and had a fitness assessment in November and learned my BMR is only 1136, which means that if I'm sedentary, 1200 calories is too much for me. So I really can't afford to skip any workouts. I have set my "base" to 1000 calories but eat back exercise calories so I don't go below my BMR. I eat 3 meals plus two small snacks a day, trying to stick to nutrient rich but lower calorie foods. The weight comes off very slowly, and some weeks I lose nothing. One poster suggested intermittent fasting, but I feel weak and light-headed eating under 1000, so I don't think I could deal with a day that's only 500 calories. Of course, on a short person, 10 lbs. is like 20-30 to someone 6 inches taller.

HeidiHirtle

Yup, those last 10lbs are hard to budge, I'm right there with ya! My strategy right now is to eat 1200 but burn 200 calories through exercise, so basically I want to have a net of 1000 at the end of the day. Hopefully with that, and eating healthy and drinking lots of water, it'll come off.