For those of you close to goal...
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annalisbeth74
Posts: 328 Member
How did you adjust your eating for the last few pounds?
I am 10-ish pounds away from my goal and all of a sudden it feels like what I was eating before is no longer working for me. I adjusted my calories in mfp because I was no longer losing (after discovering that what used to be a 20% deficit is now maintenance for me) but now I just feel hungry all the time! I did just join a gym hoping to add some muscle, but I'm wondering if that's contributing to my increase in hunger. What all worked for you toward the end? More frequent, smaller meals? Less frequent but larger meals? Or should I just trust that eventually I'll add some muscle and things will even out?
Don't get me wrong, I'm ecstatic that I'm maintaining this 70+ lb loss for the first time ever. I just know I have room left to improve, and I don't know where to go from here. TIA!
I am 10-ish pounds away from my goal and all of a sudden it feels like what I was eating before is no longer working for me. I adjusted my calories in mfp because I was no longer losing (after discovering that what used to be a 20% deficit is now maintenance for me) but now I just feel hungry all the time! I did just join a gym hoping to add some muscle, but I'm wondering if that's contributing to my increase in hunger. What all worked for you toward the end? More frequent, smaller meals? Less frequent but larger meals? Or should I just trust that eventually I'll add some muscle and things will even out?
Don't get me wrong, I'm ecstatic that I'm maintaining this 70+ lb loss for the first time ever. I just know I have room left to improve, and I don't know where to go from here. TIA!
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Replies
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Meal timing is irrelevant, at least in my experience.
Because you are so close, you are going to have to be more precise. Don't let the carbs creep in.
The new exercise may be contributing to the increase in hunger, yes...but if strength training is a goal for you, then you need to eat to fuel your body. What does this mean? It will take longer for you to lose the last 10 pounds because you will have to be more precise and still eat enough to fuel your body for the activity.
Also, did you adjust your calories only or did you adjust your macros to meet your new lower weight? Try using the keto calculator in the launch pad to do so, as things will have changed since you first started.3 -
I keep adjusting my calories and macros as I lose. I'm not close to goal yet, I still have 30ish lbs to go but have lost nearly 40 already. I drop calories using the calculator found on the launch pad and I chose to drop my carbs from 25 to 20. I did that about 15 lbs ago and plan to recalculate again in about another 5-10 lbs.2
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@annalisbeth74 Been there...still there. Rather than me try to explain something I'm not qualified or articulate enough to explain, I suggest doing a google search something like "Why is it so difficult to maintain a weight loss". There you will find plenty of information regarding the hormones leptin and grehlin as well as metabolism changes after weight loss. I lost 63 pounds in 53 weeks (goal met 5/25/14) and have struggled in maintenance but have managed to keep the weight off.
To address your original post: I lost weight fairly evenly on a weekly basis UNTIL I was down to my last few pounds. Then I went through 2 or 3 weeks of no loss followed by a "whoosh" of 2 or 3 pounds so can only suggest patience.
After I hit my weight goal, I did GREAT for 6 months. I thought I was doing everything right by slowly increasing calories by a couple hundred, 50 at a time. I will admit though, I was never a person to weigh and measure everything so am only guessing this is what I did. I did maintain so must have been doing something right.
In 2015 (after the 6 months of "proper maintaining") all hello broke loose and I was always, ALWAYS hungry on what should be enough calories for maintenance. There-in lies the interest in metabolism changes, leptin and grehlin.
It was not until I found Keto (for something unrelated to weight loss-google dystonia) that I finally felt like I wasn't "starving" all the time trying to maintain my weight. Five keto months later the original feelings of fullness have diminished a bit but "my appetite" is better controlled via a ketogenic eating style. I am eating about 1500 calories which I consider maintenance calories given my gender, age and sedentary lifestyle. At least I don't feel like I am starving. It's either the high fat, extremely low carbs or just time that has helped.3 -
ETA to my above: I don't know if you are eating low carb or if you lost your weight (Congratulations!!) via low carb so my above post may apply only in regards "You're not alone. It happens" or directing you to research that just seems to be beginning. Also I went through a pretty significant "binge-restrict" period in most of 2015 but that is somewhat irrelevant here other than to point to the "always hungry" state I was in. I believe now that, for me, it was hunger causing me to binge because it is near extinguished now.0
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that's a good question. I've never been successful getting to goal, I'm like 5-10 lbs away and have been for about a year. I started exercising too when I got close to goal the first time and it did make me much hungrier and like you I couldn't eat as much if I wanted to stay at a deficit. after a while I had to let my mind relax on the getting to goal part on the scale and focus on how my body looked in photos. I found that to be more helpful, after all I don't care if I weigh 140 or 150 if I look like I want to in the mirror.3
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I'm maybe at goal? lol. I wouldn't care to lose up to another 5 lbs. but I'm ok where I'm at. I am kind of just eating normally (staying keto) and seeing what happens. Days I'm hungrier I eat a little more. Days I'm not very hungry I don't force it. Since the beginning I've had a general goal of no more than 30-40 carbs a day and I haven't adjusted that total at all. I also never really had a goal to lose a certain amount a week. Basically I started keto for my RA and just let my weight do what it wanted. Luckily what it wanted was pleasing to me!
For now I have just switched my focus to my fitness goals and workouts. I do monitor my weight to make sure I don't gain "real" weight. It's normal for me to bounce up and down by around 2 pounds I find and I don't stress about that.3 -
The problem with having a goal weight is that it doesn't seem to have much to do with what my body has decided it wants! I definitely felt like my body was trying to gain the weight back by making me hungry in the evenings. So I had stalled out about 8 lbs from my goal (which could be lower) but I realized a couple of things:
- in my mind I was secretly convinced that I couldn't weigh less than I do now.
- I was steadily increasing my intake of cream via coffee
- I was having chocolate (90%) every night and was starting to feel like I HAD to have it which is always red flag for me.
I'm making a few changes including dropping all dairy whenever I can, replacing HWC with coconut milk and NO MORE chocolate (I also reacted to it so stomach pain has made it easier to avoid). I'm also trying some bio-hacking experiments including a small carb-up with slow starch foods (squashes, sweet potato, some berries) after a heavy lift - my carbs go up from my normal 20-35 (total) to over 60. I'm only doing this twice a week. I'll let you know how it goes but where I was having issues blowing through my calories each day, now I'm back below and the hunger has abated and I've dropped 2 pounds this week - a loss I haven't had since before Christmas. It could also be that the chocolate and dairy were causing some inflammation I wasn't aware of. Could also totally be fat loss. Either way, I'm not complaining.
All that to say, take a look at what you are eating/doing and see what kind of tweaks you can make to shake things up with your body. Going to the gym is a great one! And remember muscle weighs more than fat! Go by inches not scale weight.4 -
I wish I knew!
I've been working on my last 10 pounds for about a year now! Though, not too hard because I don't like to exercise for that sole purpose. I don't mind being active if there's something I'm doing...
anyway, I played with macros and calories and fasting and never made any further scale weight progress.
HOWEVER, I have gone from a size 8 to a 4-6 at this same weight. I don't know how that works, but I've gotten smaller without losing anymore weight. Even stupid places have gotten smaller. I had to take my watch in a notch! Lol
Keep doing what you know works. I finally decided to relax and stop counting calories. I needed to learn how much to eat without looking at the numbers. I've stayed in the same 5 pound fluctuation doing this since April.
Keep it up and your body will change.7 -
Thank you all so much! I love knowing that this isn't just me. lol
I actually *may* have inadvertently stumbled on an answer to my hunger question today, though. A coworker (non-low-carb, but in crazy good shape) tried to convince me I need to eat every few hours, so I had a snack this morning when I usually wouldn't have, and I couldn't finish my lunch! Two bites and I was done. I ended up eating most of my calories in the evening and supplementing with some electrolyte lemonade (I always forget my electrolytes!) and I am so stuffed right now at just under 1500 calories. I may just try grazing or eating smaller meals during the day and supplementing with lemonade & broth, then eating most of my calories after work.
I need to quit weighing every day too! I know I'm not chasing scale numbers anymore. It's just such a hard mental transition, you know? When that number on the scale has defined me for so long.
@Sunny_Bunny_ yeah, my watch doesn't fit anymore either. Maybe one day I'll splurge on getting it fixed.1 -
I've found at times when I feel starved that I really need sodium, a little salt water and all better.
You'll get over the scale it just takes time, I still weigh from time to time but the number is kinda meaningless now. Try taking some photos so you have something to compare to when the number isn't changing.3 -
You could also try body recomposition which is a longer process but it's essentially changing the shape of your body but not really losing any scale weight.
You would be eating at maintenance or a little below and lifting weights.0 -
I don't know... I've been between 5 and 12 lbs. away from my initial goal for about a month or 2 now. I've been pretty terrible lately, though... only 1 day every week or 2, but it is too much. I need to get my nose to the grindstone again and get this done before year end.1
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Struggling with maintenance, hunger, carb binges, and regain every day for 4-6 months now.
Haven't figured everything out, but I keep strategizing and trying new things.
Currently focusing on relosing 16 pounds and realizing that after losing 110 pounds....the hardest part of this journey may lay ahead of me. And that would be to not regain it all, and to figure out how to maintain without triggering my food demons.
I know the support here in mfp is a big part of why I've been able to come this far. And I log in and connect with friends here every day for that reason.4 -
annalisbeth74 wrote: »Thank you all so much! I love knowing that this isn't just me. lol
I actually *may* have inadvertently stumbled on an answer to my hunger question today, though. A coworker (non-low-carb, but in crazy good shape) tried to convince me I need to eat every few hours, so I had a snack this morning when I usually wouldn't have, and I couldn't finish my lunch! Two bites and I was done. I ended up eating most of my calories in the evening and supplementing with some electrolyte lemonade (I always forget my electrolytes!) and I am so stuffed right now at just under 1500 calories. I may just try grazing or eating smaller meals during the day and supplementing with lemonade & broth, then eating most of my calories after work.
I need to quit weighing every day too! I know I'm not chasing scale numbers anymore. It's just such a hard mental transition, you know? When that number on the scale has defined me for so long.
This grazing strategy is similar to doing intermittent fasting with bone broth or loaded coffee/tea -- you skimp on intake through the day and eat most of your cals at night. That is about the only way I can budge the scale anymore. I have been within 4 kg (10lb) of my "goal" of 65 kilos for about 2 years now. I hover around 69-70 kilos. My body seems to like it there, but I have a bit of middle flab that would look better gone...
I found that not weighing so often helped reduce my stress too. Measure progress by how good you feel each day.2 -
The last few pounds can be oh so frustrating for sure. In the end I set a new lower goal and sailed past the first goal.4
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I'm at goal too! I had a hard number goal, at first, but have decided a range is better (to mentally deal with the normal fluctuations on the scale!). After reaching my goal a few months ago I added back some low carb veggies (I've been primarily carnivore since May, 2015). After three weeks my waist increased by 3/4 of an inch. I was so bloated! My goal of adding them was to stop losing weight (but not gain!)! I dropped them out of the diet again, but still wanted to maintain (really feel I've lost enough weight at this point!), so I began having a half cup of vanilla ice cream most evenings. It's been enough to stop the weight loss without any negative symptoms.
Finding what works for each of us is the key to being successful at maintaining what we've worked so hard to lose! Best of luck!!6 -
Every time I stick to a more firm intermittent fasting schedule, I do seem to lose a pound or two. I can easily push my first solid food back til 3 or 4pm during the week but my husband always wants breakfast on the weekends. It's always Keto foods, but my scale weight shoots right back up the couple pounds by Monday morning just by eating bacon and eggs shortly after waking up. (It even happens on weekends that I have no alcohol, which isn't often enough) It's weird because on the weekends I skip lunch because this breakfast always happens around 11 or noon anyway since I sleep in. So I'm still only eating 2 meals that day. I just start eating sooner... I figure the weight just comes from gut contents. I don't get any noticeable difference in clothing fit or anything.
If I go right back to the firm IF schedule, it drops back off. If I have hungry days that week where I eat earlier or have an egg with my morning coffee, I usually maintain the increase all week. Eventually, it will drop off again and this is how the past year has gone for me. I have learned not to stress it since I have still lost body fat.
I got the most dramatic loss in April (which didn't stay off) when I went carnivore. I didn't even follow it perfectly, but much better than right now. I am mostly still carnivore, but I do have a hard time skipping veggies completely on a consistent basis. They don't make my belly feel great but I push my luck by having a very very small amount almost every night because I like them and they hold butter so well And then there is my almost weekly alcohol. One weekend evening I'll have half a bottle of wine. This is definitely 3 out of 4 weeks for sure.
I think my problem with losing the last bit is that I am mostly happy with my current size. So mentally, I'm just not willing to be strict enough, consistently enough, to force the last few pounds off. I think that's part of the reason I can't seem to get into exercise. I don't really enjoy anything I've tried so far. At least not for long enough for it to become part of my lifestyle. And I'm not concerned enough about my remaining belly fat to push myself harder. I don't know if this applies to anyone else, but I'm kinda realizing this lately for me. I don't really like kind of "settling", but with no health issues and being about 90% happy with my appearance just isn't the push I think I would need. Plus, I'm convinced that I will lose the rest in time as long as I don't go back to carbs, which I won't because I have zero desires for them ever and I feel better mentally this way.
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Ugh... I don't think I could ever do true intermittent fasting. I love the heavy cream in my coffee way too much.
I've been scrupulous about the sodium today and it has made all the difference! I can't believe it has taken me this long to figure that out. Ah, well. Live and learn!2 -
@annalisbeth74 - Have you tried just using butter? Butter is heavy cream, whipped, and some of the liquid whey removed. As long as you emulsify well, there's sincerely not much taste difference. It takes some getting used to, but it's not that bad...0
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@annalisbeth74 I would add that you can cut back on cream and if you use a frother or blender (I have a glass blender so it can stand the heat of coffee), it will mix better and seem like there is more cream than is really there. It used to be that I would use 2-3 Tb of HWC (heavy whipping cream) for 1-2 cups of coffee. Now I use 1 Tb for 4 cups of coffee.2
