How slow does the last 10 vanity pounds come off?

Okay so I lost at least 20 pounds (I didn't actually weigh myself at my heaviest so I'm not really sure, ) really effortlessly at the expected rate of about 1 pound a week. I was at the top end of my bmi in the healthy range ( maybe a bit over) and now I'm at a bmi of about 21 with a height of 5'8" and a weight of around 137? Give or take take a pound or two depending on the day. Well, I just can't seem to lose at this point. I honestly eat very healthy, weigh all my food, and yet it's been over a month without weight loss. I really can't eat less then this. ( my diary is open, I eat about 1290-1390) Is it normal to stall at this point and for how long? I don't workout right now because I injured my knee in January - I had started up a routine but was advised by my physiotherapist to stop until I'm back in alignment but I do about 8000-12000 steps a day. How slowly should I expect to lose ? Do I need to do more walking or just be patient ?

Replies

  • RedheadedPrincess14
    RedheadedPrincess14 Posts: 415 Member
    If you're already at a healthy weight, one that would be underweight for my body, why do you want to lose more? Are there areas that might benefit from recomposition rather than weight loss? Or do you really think you're still 10 lbs overweight?

    I'm not saying you don't need to lose 10 lbs, I'm just seeking more information as to your appearance, fitness and health goals.
    I don't really care if it's exactly 10 pounds or if I just lose some more of my jiggle. I definitely have visible body fat. I was 128 most of my life (sometimes less) so I do want to get back to that weight because then I won't have to reinvest in a whole new wardrobe. I am at the point where I fit into my clothes again but they're not as flattering as when I'm a bit lighter. :) just wondering why the weight loss has stalled when I'm being sooo diligent

  • Psychgrrl
    Psychgrrl Posts: 3,177 Member
    It sounds like you might want to look at body recomposition as opposed to weight loss. Once you can work out again. Your body will
    Lose the softness which still may not happen if you just lose weight. There's a good thread in the "maintaining" board all about it.
  • RedheadedPrincess14
    RedheadedPrincess14 Posts: 415 Member
    Psychgrrl wrote: »
    It sounds like you might want to look at body recomposition as opposed to weight loss. Once you can work out again. Your body will
    Lose the softness which still may not happen if you just lose weight. There's a good thread in the "maintaining" board all about it.
    Yeah that's probably the best move long term but why wouldn't I be able to lose weight right now in the meantime? That's the part I can't understand. Why did the scale stop moving? Temporary? It's not like my body would stop losing weight just cause it knows it's a decent weight.. otherwise there'd be nobody underweight or overweight. I'm eating less then I burn so shouldn't I still lose or is it really this slow once you're down to the last little bit? Thanks for the reply btw
  • Tried30UserNames
    Tried30UserNames Posts: 561 Member
    That completely makes sense...I wouldn't want to buy all new clothes either. It does seem like a recomp might be a better fit for your goals, but with your injury, it sounds impossible right now. Did your PT have any recommendations on what you can do that won't exacerbate your knee injury?

    I don't know why you aren't losing since your calories are so low. It shouldn't be completely stalled at that low level. Perhaps you could try mixing up your macros. Are you vegan? If possible, maybe you could try adding more protein/fat and cutting back on carbs for a while to see if that jolts your body into some kind of loss.
  • GoldenEye_
    GoldenEye_ Posts: 330 Member
    Ha, you have exactly the same stats as I do. Always stall at the same weight (137), feel most confident at 128, 5'8"long.. Working towards this point again too. Following for tips.
  • RedheadedPrincess14
    RedheadedPrincess14 Posts: 415 Member
    That completely makes sense...I wouldn't want to buy all new clothes either. It does seem like a recomp might be a better fit for your goals, but with your injury, it sounds impossible right now. Did your PT have any recommendations on what you can do that won't exacerbate your knee injury?

    I don't know why you aren't losing since your calories are so low. It shouldn't be completely stalled at that low level. Perhaps you could try mixing up your macros. Are you vegan? If possible, maybe you could try adding more protein/fat and cutting back on carbs for a while to see if that jolts your body into some kind of loss.

    Yes, I am vegan. I was thinking that upping my protein may be a good idea. I'll play with my macros a bit just to see if it gives me any change.

    The physio therapist originally said that I could do certain things but the knee didn't seem to be healing well ( it was a fractured patella and severe tendinitis originally) and I was off balance which caused me some back problems so she recommended stopping everything but the physio (which def can't be considered a workout) and walking. I'm not sure why she has a problem with stationary biking. I'm sad because I like weight lifting and it actually makes me care less about my weight because I feel great. Thanks for the advice
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    Psychgrrl wrote: »
    It sounds like you might want to look at body recomposition as opposed to weight loss. Once you can work out again. Your body will
    Lose the softness which still may not happen if you just lose weight. There's a good thread in the "maintaining" board all about it.
    Yeah that's probably the best move long term but why wouldn't I be able to lose weight right now in the meantime? That's the part I can't understand. Why did the scale stop moving? Temporary? It's not like my body would stop losing weight just cause it knows it's a decent weight.. otherwise there'd be nobody underweight or overweight. I'm eating less then I burn so shouldn't I still lose or is it really this slow once you're down to the last little bit? Thanks for the reply btw

    its really slow once you get down to the last bit, the less fat you have the harder it is to lose as well.if you do a recomp its possible you will gain some muscle and lose the fat.you may end up weighing a bit more but you wont be bigger,you may even get a bit smaller depending on how your fat is distributed.

    Im a smaller size clothing wise at a heavier weight than I was when I weighed less, I still have some to lose but weight lifting since I started has helped with how my body looks.take measurements too,sometimes you will lose fat and it could take awhile to even show on the scale.also some women will have more cellulite/fat than they want.some parts may jiggle no matter what you do.
  • RedheadedPrincess14
    RedheadedPrincess14 Posts: 415 Member
    Psychgrrl wrote: »
    It sounds like you might want to look at body recomposition as opposed to weight loss. Once you can work out again. Your body will
    Lose the softness which still may not happen if you just lose weight. There's a good thread in the "maintaining" board all about it.
    Yeah that's probably the best move long term but why wouldn't I be able to lose weight right now in the meantime? That's the part I can't understand. Why did the scale stop moving? Temporary? It's not like my body would stop losing weight just cause it knows it's a decent weight.. otherwise there'd be nobody underweight or overweight. I'm eating less then I burn so shouldn't I still lose or is it really this slow once you're down to the last little bit? Thanks for the reply btw

    its really slow once you get down to the last bit, the less fat you have the harder it is to lose as well.if you do a recomp its possible you will gain some muscle and lose the fat.you may end up weighing a bit more but you wont be bigger,you may even get a bit smaller depending on how your fat is distributed.

    Im a smaller size clothing wise at a heavier weight than I was when I weighed less, I still have some to lose but weight lifting since I started has helped with how my body looks.take measurements too,sometimes you will lose fat and it could take awhile to even show on the scale.also some women will have more cellulite/fat than they want.some parts may jiggle no matter what you do.

    Okay, thanks very much!! Yeah, my measurements have changed a tiny amount this month in my waist but nowhere else. I think I'm probably just less bloated though lol.
  • inertiastrength
    inertiastrength Posts: 2,343 Member
    How much protein do you get in a day? Often times people lose weight (some fat and some lean mass) and they're not happy with their body at a particular weight due to bf% and lost lean mass is probably the culprit. Adequate protein and a solid progressively heavier lifting routine would be ideal to prevent such a loss.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
    The reason it's so hard is that you have very little margin of error with your deficit. You should target about .5 lb per week at this point, that's only 250 cal per day deficit. But your TDEE is lower because you are lighter now and you can't really create a much larger deficit without harming yourself or being very hungry. A couple of estimating errors or extra treats per week can easily wipe out that deficit. I don't have an answer, aside from tightening up your weighing and logging and getting a little more exercise. 1 mile of walking burns about 100 cals for someone your size. So 2 more miles per day can help create that deficit.
  • RedheadedPrincess14
    RedheadedPrincess14 Posts: 415 Member
    lorrpb wrote: »
    The reason it's so hard is that you have very little margin of error with your deficit. You should target about .5 lb per week at this point, that's only 250 cal per day deficit. But your TDEE is lower because you are lighter now and you can't really create a much larger deficit without harming yourself or being very hungry. A couple of estimating errors or extra treats per week can easily wipe out that deficit. I don't have an answer, aside from tightening up your weighing and logging and getting a little more exercise. 1 mile of walking burns about 100 cals for someone your size. So 2 more miles per day can help create that deficit.
    I literally weigh my bites of food if I have a bite of something my boyfriend is eating lol so only thing I can do is walk more! But I think that's probably my best option because I really don't want to eat any less lol. When I eat 1100-1200 , the extra couple hundred calories really makes me feel hungry and I'll wake up at night from it. I also just really enjoy having two big meals so I can't see myself lowering my calories when they're already low enough in my opinion.

    Losing .5 pounds a week sucks lol but I guess that's just how it goes lol. Thanks girl!
  • RedheadedPrincess14
    RedheadedPrincess14 Posts: 415 Member
    I only ever had vanity pounds to lose and it took me 6 months to lose 12. I had my goal set to lose .5 lb/week and because my deficit was small (it had to be - I wanted to lose but I also wanted to be healthy about it) consistency was key, which can be hard when it's slow-going and you don't see progress right away.
    Well congrats! Slow and steady wins the race I guess
  • chrislee1628
    chrislee1628 Posts: 305 Member
    If you're already at a healthy weight, one that would be underweight for my body, why do you want to lose more? Are there areas that might benefit from recomposition rather than weight loss? Or do you really think you're still 10 lbs overweight?

    I'm not saying you don't need to lose 10 lbs, I'm just seeking more information as to your appearance, fitness and health goals.
    I don't really care if it's exactly 10 pounds or if I just lose some more of my jiggle. I definitely have visible body fat. I was 128 most of my life (sometimes less) so I do want to get back to that weight because then I won't have to reinvest in a whole new wardrobe. I am at the point where I fit into my clothes again but they're not as flattering as when I'm a bit lighter. :) just wondering why the weight loss has stalled when I'm being sooo diligent

    Jiggle.... love that lol
  • RedheadedPrincess14
    RedheadedPrincess14 Posts: 415 Member
    wytey wrote: »
    If you're already at a healthy weight, one that would be underweight for my body, why do you want to lose more? Are there areas that might benefit from recomposition rather than weight loss? Or do you really think you're still 10 lbs overweight?

    I'm not saying you don't need to lose 10 lbs, I'm just seeking more information as to your appearance, fitness and health goals.
    I don't really care if it's exactly 10 pounds or if I just lose some more of my jiggle. I definitely have visible body fat. I was 128 most of my life (sometimes less) so I do want to get back to that weight because then I won't have to reinvest in a whole new wardrobe. I am at the point where I fit into my clothes again but they're not as flattering as when I'm a bit lighter. :) just wondering why the weight loss has stalled when I'm being sooo diligent

    Jiggle.... love that lol
    Lol I think it's the most flattering word for what I'm trying to describe
  • bbell1985
    bbell1985 Posts: 4,571 Member
    Depends. I think the leaner you are, the harder it is. It can take me like 4 months to lose 5 pounds, but I'll also look very different for every 5 pounds lost.
  • Psychgrrl
    Psychgrrl Posts: 3,177 Member
    Psychgrrl wrote: »
    It sounds like you might want to look at body recomposition as opposed to weight loss. Once you can work out again. Your body will
    Lose the softness which still may not happen if you just lose weight. There's a good thread in the "maintaining" board all about it.
    Yeah that's probably the best move long term but why wouldn't I be able to lose weight right now in the meantime? That's the part I can't understand. Why did the scale stop moving? Temporary? It's not like my body would stop losing weight just cause it knows it's a decent weight.. otherwise there'd be nobody underweight or overweight. I'm eating less then I burn so shouldn't I still lose or is it really this slow once you're down to the last little bit? Thanks for the reply btw

    The body is weird and weight loss isn't linear. My weight fluctuates up to five pounds in a day. Water, food, hormones. I use a weight trending app and weigh daily so I don't get all bijiggity about my weight. I know I'm. It really gaining.

    Focusing on fitness gave me other goals. I used to be tied to a specific weight, but I'm not now. I am less frustrated now that I look at what my body can do versus what it weighs.

    And I lost a lot of body fat after reaching maintenance. Through exercise (weight lifting and yoga--lots of yoga).

    Those ten vanity pounds might not matter if you shift to fitness/recomposition.