Why are the last pounds "slow"?

stephenearllucas

I've read several times in different posts that it is very common that as an individual approaches his/her goal weight, the last pounds come off slowly?

Why is this? Is there research that documents this, or is it just anecdotal perceptions?

And, if there is research, what is the point at which weight loss slows? Is it at a certain body fat percentage, or BMI, or within a certain number of pounds of the goal?

Just curious--I'm not experiencing this as I approach my goal, so I wanted to know if it really is common / researched / anecdotal / or ????

cerise_noir

They're slow as it would be difficult to decrease the amount of calories consumed without going lower than recommended and eventually developing malnutrition.

cityruss

I've never understood this concept.

Although metabolic and hormonal adaptations caused by a lower bodyweight, long term dieting and a steady reasonable deficit are at play they aren't going to be drastic enough to suddenly grind things to a slow down as you approach some arbitrary number you have set yourself.

Also, if you just review and change your goal so you suddenly have more to lose does this slow down disappear? And then come back when you're near your new goal.

Yours

Equally confused.

cityruss

cerise_noir wrote: »

They're slow as it would be difficult to decrease the amount of calories consumed without going lower than recommended and eventually developing malnutrition.

But if your goal is a reasonable one, why would calories need to be dropped that far?

cerise_noir

cityruss wrote: »

cerise_noir wrote: »

They're slow as it would be difficult to decrease the amount of calories consumed without going lower than recommended and eventually developing malnutrition.

But if your goal is a reasonable one, why would calories need to be dropped that far?

What I meant was one near goal could sustain a .5lb or even a 1lb per week loss no problem for the last 10lbs depending on their TDEE, but if they are already on the lower end of calories, to drop calories any lower to lose faster may not work out as it could mean someone may go too low. Usually those who are close to goal may be at the lower end of reasonable calories, but not always (depending on activity level/TDEE).

Deficits are usually smaller towards goal (for most).

GottaBurnEmAll

I have no earthly clue, but... they just do.

Signed, the one who only whooshes every 5 weeks now that she only has 5 pounds to lose and is already pretty tiny.

To be serious, a lot of it I think is diet fatigue, you're not as compliant and some of it is metabolic adaptation (this is why I'm currently eating at maintenance for a while).

This all depends also on how long someone has been dieting, the size of the deficit, if they've taken diet breaks, yada yada.

Another factor is that deficits are smaller at the end. It's really easy for small errors in either logging or exercise calories to wipe them out. It's also easy, if you're training harder, for water fluctuations to hide fat losses.

One of the things I've noticed is that I've been steadily losing body fat while the scale has been seemingly standing still for periods. It's due to exercise.

jemhh

When I was heavier I could aim to lose a pound a week. Now I need to aim at a half pound or less per week. For a woman, especially, water fluctuations easily mask losses at that rate. I am happy if the scale shows 1 lb difference each month at this point.

LivingtheLeanDream

As we get lighter so does our total calories being burned also means less room for logging errors.

Since I've been in maintenance I've dropped a further 7lbs over the last 2 years and my TDEE has went from 2200 to 1950 even with being very active (and only 5 ft 2) So the lighter we get means less calories in.

JaydedMiss

Because they weigh less so they burn less calories in their exercise. And the calories cant be cut to low so its harder to make a big defecit

TangledThread

Mine didn't slow until the last 2lbs.

The reason it did slow? Diet fatigue, increased hunger, and already being happy with the way I looked made it harder to stick to the deficit.

suzievv

I always thought it was because we weigh less. For me it always seems like 2 pounds when I'm heavier = 1/2 pound when I'm close to my goal. To make a gross exaggeration to make the point: It would be easy for an elephant to lose a pound, but very difficult for a mouse.

But maybe I don't understand it correctly.

Christine_72

If you're only at a -250 calorie deficit which most people are when they get down to the last few lbs, then logging needs to be pin point accurate. And as we know ci/co isn't 100% perfect and predictable and neither is most peoples logging/metabolism/energy expenditure etc etc

everher

I'll try to explain this as clearly as possible.

Right now I'm sitting at 201 lbs. At this weight, I burn more calories exercising than I will at 150 lbs (my goal weight). As I shrink in size I will burn fewer and fewer calories while doing the same exercise.

Right now, to maintain my current size at a sedentary activity level, I would need to consume around 2,100 calories daily according to MFP. I have MFP set up to lose a lb a week so I eat around 1600 calories a day (not including exercise calories). The smaller I get the fewer calories my body will need to maintain its weight. Therefore, even with adjusting my calories for weight loss, my deficit will naturally shrink over time until I am perhaps only in a deficit to lose .5 lbs a week or so.

Also, at that point any logging errors will have more effect on the scale. If you have a smaller deficit, say of 250 calories a day to lose .5 lbs a week, even logging errors of 50 - 100 calories a day will have a huge effect.

Sabine_Stroehm

Much smaller window. Of error, among other things.... and someone who isn't moments from bed will explain it much better. It just is. cheers.

vingogly

Seems pretty simple to me. The heavier you are, the more calories it takes to maintain your weight. Which means as you lose weight, your maintenance calories go down and as Christine 72 points out, small differences in logging will have a bigger effect than when you were heavier. Try putting your calories and info in the following calculator, and see what you get for maintenance; then put your info in with your target weight and you'll see that the number of maintenance calories is lower at your target weight.

http://www.calculator.net/calorie-calculator.html

Christine_72

I could lose these 6lbs quickly if i wanted to by creating a 1000 calorie deficit everyday, but I'd be incredibly hungry, lethargic and plain miserable.
And from what I've read on these forums i couldn't be sure how much fat v muscle i would lose on such an extreme deficit.

tomteboda

I thought when I started out that I'd be able to continue my 5 lb/ mo weight loss all the way to my goal weight, because my goal was the top of my BMI range. Here's what I learned

1. My goal weight is quite a bit lighter than I anticipated because I lost several inches due to scoliosis. I'm already 15 lbs under the goal weight I originally set, which was based on my pre-scoliosis height.
2. The lighter I get , the harder it is to live with fewer calories. While I managed just fine on 1500 / day while sedentary and 100 lbs overweight, now I get VERY cranky if I go under 1800 because I'm walking 3-4 miles a day and generally far more active. I think that the hunger signals have ramped up.
3. As others said, the room for error is smaller when you decrease your deficit
4. Obviously a small deficit means a slower loss.

Now I am losing at a rate of about 2.5 lbs / month. I am aiming for another 5 lbs, possibly another 10 at the most. I may never actually get there because I HATE BEING HUNGRY.

SusanMFindlay

That's pretty much it. Bodies have a tendency to "fight back" hormonally by making a person hungrier and hungrier as they get lighter (within a healthy range). This can make "vanity pounds" quite tricky to lose.

duddysdad

For smaller or short people, it's harder to create a deficit. I am 6'5'. When I got down to around 190, I could still easily lose 2+ pounds a week eating around 1300-1400 calories with no exercise. I don't exercise now, and never have. I am very sedentary because I have MS and it's difficult enough to have enough energy to do basic tasks. I also do not work.

emilysusana

2. The lighter I get , the harder it is to live with fewer calories. While I managed just fine on 1500 / day while sedentary and 100 lbs overweight, now I get VERY cranky if I go under 1800 because I'm walking 3-4 miles a day and generally far more active. I think that the hunger signals have ramped up.

Now I am losing at a rate of about 2.5 lbs / month. I am aiming for another 5 lbs, possibly another 10 at the most. I may never actually get there because I HATE BEING HUNGRY. [/quote]

Ok I was trying to quote tomteboda and have failed at using the quote function.


Anyway, this is super true for me too. I was losing a pound a week and had no trouble sticking to my calorie target, and now that I'm close, I'm so hungry! I recently read an article about bodies that have lost weight being 20% hungrier than bodies of the same weight that haven't lost weight. Or something like that. Sure feels true here.

dragon_girl26

emilysusana wrote: »

The lighter I get , the harder it is to live with fewer calories. While I managed just fine on 1500 / day while sedentary and 100 lbs overweight, now I get VERY cranky if I go under 1800 because I'm walking 3-4 miles a day and generally far more active. I think that the hunger signals have ramped up.

Now I am losing at a rate of about 2.5 lbs / month. I am aiming for another 5 lbs, possibly another 10 at the most. I may never actually get there because I HATE BEING HUNGRY.

Ok I was trying to quote tomteboda and have failed at using the quote function.


Anyway, this is super true for me too. I was losing a pound a week and had no trouble sticking to my calorie target, and now that I'm close, I'm so hungry! I recently read an article about bodies that have lost weight being 20% hungrier than bodies of the same weight that haven't lost weight. Or something like that. Sure feels true here.

Same here. A month or two ago I was at 10-15 lbs from my goal weight (145) and losing happily at 1 lb a week. It's like as soon as I transitioned to .5 lb/wk, something switched off in my brain and I went from steady weight loss to wanting to lay around and eat everything in sight. Took a diet break at that point, but I'm struggling to get back into my groove. Have also regained a few pounds, so I get to tackle those as well.