Tips for losing the last 10 pounds?

Nashville96

Hi everyone,
I've been losing weight slowly since 2013. I started at 191 lbs and lost the first 20 lbs on my own, then joined Weight Watchers and lost another 40 lbs over the next few years. I just recently joined MFP because I felt like I was in a rut after doing WW for so long and I needed a change.
I'm 5'5" and currently 132 lbs. My goal is 125 lbs. I'm also trying to build a little muscle so my legs and arms look a little more toned and less... floppy.
Does anyone have any suggestions or things you did to lose those last few pounds? I'd also love to get some tips on what to do to tone up my arms and legs to get rid of that lingering baby fat.
It's been a long road, but worth it! I'm trying to stay positive and not get discouraged, but it's definitely frustrating to be so close to goal and unable to get off this plateau.
Any suggestions, advice, and even encouragement would be much appreciated.

DX2JX2

Keep doing what you're doing. Great job!

The good news is that the same thing that will help you to lose that last 10 pounds will also help you to tone up your legs and arms. Hit the gym harder than normal! Use the motivation that you're in the home stretch and that in 5-10 weeks the hardest part of of your 4 year journey will be over!

Focus on interval training and resistance training in your workouts. Both will continue to burn calories and the added muscle will make you burn through them even faster!

If you doubt your motivation, it might help for you to try out a new workout program that includes the above. Whenever I try a new routine, I find that the first month flies by because of the novelty and it's only in the second month that programs can start to feel like a slog. You're lucky in that by the time you lose the novelty factor, you'll basically be where you need to be.

I definitely envy you...I've got another 5 months before I'll be where I want to be body-wise. Unfortunately, that means I'll hitting my target weight right around Thanksgiving...

susanp57

Hi Nashville96,
If you are, in fact, in Nashville, you are just a few miles from me. We are also about the same height and weight with the same goal. The big difference is that I have about 40 years and 2 pounds on you.

Almost everyone here will tell you to weigh your food religiously. I'm guessing MFP has set a goal of 1200 kcal/day if you set your activity to sedentary. I'm losing consistently though I have had a couple of blips on weekends.

Right now for exercise I'm primarily walking weekdays and hiking longer on weekends. That pretty much covers my legs. But for the rest, I'm looking at resistance training in the near future. I have lifted in the past.

My diary is open if you need to look.

kimny72

Honestly, the key is patience. The last 10 are so hard because there's no wiggle room. Get a food scale if you don't have one, and use it to measure your portions as often as possible.

The other issue is water weight can fluctuate 5-10 lbs and basically cover up any progress you are making. I'm your height, and last year I got down to my goal range, fluctuating between 127 and 132. I've decided I'd like to lose another 5 and see how that feels but I know I can't focus on the number on the scale day-by-day or even week-by-week. I'll know by the end of the year whether it worked or not LOL.

If you aren't doing some kind of strength training, that's what you want to add in. Building a little muscle may actually change how you look more than losing another 5-10 lbs. Read the sticky posts in each of the different forums, they will be really helpful too. Good luck!

kommodevaran

You are at a good, healthy weight, BMI 22. Going lower at this point, will be harder and harder, both to lose, and to maintain. You will need increasingly more patience and accuracy, more exercise, less food. Only you will know if the tradeoff is worth it. You decide which pounds are the last. Can 7 pounds make such a difference? And what if you aren't happy with your body at your goal weight? Will you go lower still?

GoLizB

kommodevaran wrote: »

You are at a good, healthy weight, BMI 22. Going lower at this point, will be harder and harder, both to lose, and to maintain. You will need increasingly more patience and accuracy, more exercise, less food. Only you will know if the tradeoff is worth it.

^^^ THIS.

At this point, you are at a healthy weight. If you are going for a more toned LOOK, I'd suggest focus on weight training - lift weights instead of cardio. That will change how your body looks. Most gyms offer a free session with a personal trainer, it is worth checking out. I am still 10 pounds from my goal for the last 10 years... but it wasn't until I started working out with weights that my body looked more like I wanted it to, more toned, etc. When I started weight training a million years ago, I had no money for a trainer, so I started by following the workouts from Body For Life (Bill Phillips). You can do all of them using machines in the gym.

GoLizB

Oh, and despite being 10 pounds over my "goal" weight, I really love how I look. It's not necessarily about the scale number...