Weight loss hard when you get to a weight you haven't been in years?

Lizzypb88

I'm down 70 pounds (yay!) but it's slow going, and I haven't weighed this much in 6 years at least... I also do weight watchers alongside this app, so when I was telling the leader about how my 1/2-1 pound loss per week is so tough and I really need to exercise a lot to move that scale, she asked me; well when is the last time you were at this weight? She said fat is stubborn if it's been on you for so long, so when you start getting to a weight you haven't been below in so many years, it's more difficult to burn off... It kind of sounds silly to me, and I'm just genuinely curious if any of you have heard of this theory?

AlabamaMama224

No..... I call shenanigans. That's ridiculous. Though the closer you get to goal, the more on point your tracking will need to be as your margin of error is small.

ew_david

She said that? With a straight face?

Lulz.

DanerTee

I've heard of people struggling to get below their "set-point" which I guess is whatever weight you've spent the most time at. When I lost my 97 lbs (re-gained UGH) I blew past my set-point, but in all honesty, I was full-on starving myself, so maybe my body had no bloody choice but to drop weight. I did however have a much harder time at the lower weights....I'd eat nothing and the scale would hold still for a week or more.

Sorry, that was zero help to you, I'm sure.

bluelilac102

Fat isn't a living thing with emotions - it can't be 'stubborn'. Like Alabama said, you'll just have to make your margin of error smaller.

MrsKila

I have been told what you've been told by some, and what the responders say also. I do not believe it is stubborn, But have never received a valid answer regarding why it slows down when you already "on point" with your intake. Measuring all foods etc..... good luck

kommodevaran

bluelilac102 wrote: »

Fat isn't a living thing with emotions - it can't be 'stubborn'. Like Alabama said, you'll just have to make your margin of error smaller.

This (agree with all of you). Habits have had longer to form, and habits can be stubborn.

PaulaWallaDingDong

Nonsense. Having unrealistic expectations can make slow progress hard to cope with. But, if you accept slow progress as what it is - progress - you realize it was all in your head.

When you have less to lose, a large deficit becomes difficult to manage, physically and psychologically. Losing at a smaller deficit results in slower loss and a more narrow margin of error. That's the long and short of it.

CatchMom11

I read something on the elliptical in the early part of the summer and it's really put me in a different mindset than I have been:

Expect nothing. Appreciate Everything.

I've always been one of those people that if I didn't see a 3lb loss every week, I was pissed. That's why I could lose but it always came back. You can't rush perfection! Slow and steady wins the race! Take the good with the bad!... whichever saying motivates you, repeat it... over and over and over again.

I stopped going to WW this summer because I realize that it's not about what works for YOU, it's what works for them. I had modified a few things to fit what worked for me and it was like getting a finger wagged in my face "Stick to what works. WW works." So, I stuck to what worked and stopped going.

You've got a lot of good advise above here! One thing that I haven't seen mentioned that I've found helps is tricking your body. Totally flip up your workout routine and give it some extra umph - that's always helped me moved past a plateau.

Best of luck!!!

JessicaMcB

This sounds like some variation on set point theory she is espousing? Either way I feel like it's unlikely, weight loss just naturally slows at a point. My losses have been a half pound a week with vey consistent effort because I'm in home stretch, not because I haven't been 130lbs in 10+ years

rybo

So while she stated it in an odd and nonsensical way, there is merit to the fact that the less fat you have, the harder it is to get rid of. Otherwise a lot more people would be walking around with 6 packs. And why physique competitors can't maintain that look more than a couple days

lorrpb

You can lose any amount of weight regardless of when you were last at that weight. The more you lose, the smaller deficit you can create, so the slower you lose. But you still can whiz right past where you were 1,5, or 20 years ago.

elisa123gal

You're doing great…of course it was easier to lose when you were bigger..now things will slow as you get close to your goal. Up your exercise, lift weights which will make you fit and lose inches.. work it every way to sunday ..you can do it.

frankiesgirlie

rybo wrote: »

So while she stated it in an odd and nonsensical way, there is merit to the fact that the less fat you have, the harder it is to get rid of. Otherwise a lot more people would be walking around with 6 packs. And why physique competitors can't maintain that look more than a couple days

And this is why losing the last 10 lbs can be painfully slow. Especially when you were not really overweight to begin with.

Lizzypb88

Thank you everyone for your opinions and info!! I still have 50 pounds to lose to technically be at a good BMI, but 35 pounds to lose to where I will feel happy, I'm still going slow and steady, also sometimes I feel that weight watchers tends to baby people instead of saying what needs to be said to some people

Rocknut53

I honestly don't know how many years it's been since I weighed what I do now. 30? 35? Even though I'm below my goal weight right now, my doctor gave me the go ahead to lose a little more. That said, because I was at 1200 calories for the first 6 months, I upped my activity level to lightly active so I can eat 200-300 calories more. My weight loss has been slower this past couple of months, but that's OK because I'm approaching maintenance and want to play with the numbers a bit. I'm confident it will keep coming off as long as I'm eating at a deficit. The only "stubborn" fat I have is my belly fat, but I'm more stubborn so it has to go!

PaulaWallaDingDong

ebaroldy wrote: »

Thank you everyone for your opinions and info!! I still have 50 pounds to lose to technically be at a good BMI, but 35 pounds to lose to where I will feel happy, I'm still going slow and steady, also sometimes I feel that weight watchers tends to baby people instead of saying what needs to be said to some people

I think this is it. It's less "uncomfortable" to soothe people with magical thinking than to tell them to suck it up and push through.

Christine_72

PaulaWallaDingDong wrote: »

ebaroldy wrote: »

Thank you everyone for your opinions and info!! I still have 50 pounds to lose to technically be at a good BMI, but 35 pounds to lose to where I will feel happy, I'm still going slow and steady, also sometimes I feel that weight watchers tends to baby people instead of saying what needs to be said to some people

I think this is it. It's less "uncomfortable" to soothe people with magical thinking than to tell them to suck it up and push through.

Personally I'd much prefer the suck it up and get on with it approach, than have everything sugar coated and be treated like a sensitive 5 year old..

duddysdad

I've been so many different weights throughout the years, but my lowest was 179. I would say I was at least 300 for the majority of my life. I lost weight consistently, never slower, always faster, and never had a plateau. I had no problems maintaining it. I did gain 50 pounds recently, but that is because I have BED. It comes and goes if not treated. It wasn't because my body had a set point, it was because I was binging non stop because of my disorder.

I am now being treated again with Vyvanse, and the binging has stopped and I am now losing weight again.

I don't believe that fat is stubborn, I believe people get either lazy, hungerier, or lose motivation. You see a lot of posts about people struggling with the last 10 or so pounds. It's not the fat being stubborn, it's the people losing motivation and getting tired of losing weight. It also has to do with appetite. The closer you get to your goal, the less calories you can eat, so the more calories you have to cut. This makes you hungrier, since you are now eating lower than you ever did before. This is why you don't set your deficit for two pounds per week until you hit your goal. The less you have to lose, the slower you need to lose it so you don't get too hungry and binge.

Also, the closer someone get's to their goal weight, the harder they try to get it off. Usually they increase their exercise, trying to burn more calories. Exercise can make you extremely hungry, which doesn't help the cause. You need to slowly lower your rate of loss the closer you get to your goal.

kommodevaran

lorrpb wrote: »

You can lose any amount of weight regardless of when you were last at that weight. The more you lose, the smaller deficit you can create, so the slower you lose. But you still can whiz right past where you were 1,5, or 20 years ago.

I'm on an unexpected/unintended low right now - and I haven't weighed so little since primary school. 33 years ago