The final 15 lbs

Sojo15

5.5, 146.4 lbs, 34 days in, and ca 7 lbs lighter! I am encouraged. However, I am wondering how to approach the final 15 lbs (from 140 to 125). Right now I am mainly just restricting to 1200 per day, rethinking how I have been eating and reducing carbs and sugar. I have a hard time getting in exercise. Since I am in the upper but normal BMI range, I expect a plateau. I am hoping I will reach 140 by the end of February. How do people lose the final pounds? Heavy exercise? I know it is fast, but I have a nice event beginning of May, and I would love to look good and wear something fun.

Also wondering about macros. I am always over on the sugar, just by eating fruit and berries. I usually have carbs in the green and fat and protein in the red. Should I care?? I am cutting out the honey on my oatmeal. Sugar is a big trigger for me.

janejellyroll

I lost the final pounds the same way I lost the pounds before that -- accurate logging and consistently hitting my calorie goal. The difference I found is that when you're close to goal any deviations from either of those can hold you back more than they might do when you have more weight to lose . . . just because your margin for error is much less with a smaller deficit.

Heavy exercise isn't necessary, although feel free to do it if you enjoy it or you have specific fitness goals you're trying to achieve during this time. Just make sure that if you are, you're accounting for those calories in your daily goal (because 1,200 is quite low).

I didn't reduce carbohydrates in order to meet my goal. I just focused on calories overall. But if you find that limiting sugar makes it easier for you to consistently meet your calorie goal, it may be a useful strategy for you to consider.

toxikon

Hey! We have super similar stats. I'm 5'7", currently 146lbs and aiming for 130lbs (hopefully by May). I'm also hoping to reach 140lbs by the end of Feb.

I'm also aiming for around 1200 net calories every day. It's slow-going but I'm making progress. The key is to buckle down and track as accurately as possible. My TDEE is only 1700, so a few extra tablespoons of peanut butter are enough to kill my deficit.

Keep in mind that it all comes down to calories for weight loss. You can eat sugar and carbs and lose weight. I haven't limited any of my food choices and I've been losing at a steady pace.

Sojo15

toxikon wrote: »

Hey! We have super similar stats. I'm 5'7", currently 146lbs and aiming for 130lbs (hopefully by May). I'm also hoping to reach 140lbs by the end of Feb.

I'm also aiming for around 1200 net calories every day. It's slow-going but I'm making progress. The key is to buckle down and track as accurately as possible. My TDEE is only 1700, so a few extra tablespoons of peanut butter are enough to kill my deficit.

Keep in mind that it all comes down to calories for weight loss. You can eat sugar and carbs and lose weight. I haven't limited any of my food choices and I've been losing at a steady pace.

We are very similar! Do you want to share food diaries and motivate each other during February?? I am traveling to SF with all its amazing Mexican good. Will be hard! You are also losing fast, everyone keep saying to up my calories and lose slower, but I just want to do it this way. Cheat days do not work for me.

My TDEE is also low, I think 1650!! Currently, I am trying to stop the late night snacking. Adding herbal Tea and such. Avoiding those late nights habit of eating a spoon of peanut butter really is a challenge.

Do you exercise?

SteamPug

I reached 124 without exercise at all and 1,600 TDEE, but now I’m here I’m all flabby and wished I’d started strength training earlier, so that might be something you could start now, just 10-20 mins a day could be useful

toxikon

Sojo15 wrote: »

toxikon wrote: »

Hey! We have super similar stats. I'm 5'7", currently 146lbs and aiming for 130lbs (hopefully by May). I'm also hoping to reach 140lbs by the end of Feb.

I'm also aiming for around 1200 net calories every day. It's slow-going but I'm making progress. The key is to buckle down and track as accurately as possible. My TDEE is only 1700, so a few extra tablespoons of peanut butter are enough to kill my deficit.

Keep in mind that it all comes down to calories for weight loss. You can eat sugar and carbs and lose weight. I haven't limited any of my food choices and I've been losing at a steady pace.

We are very similar! Do you want to share food diaries and motivate each other during February?? I am traveling to SF with all its amazing Mexican good. Will be hard! You are also losing fast, everyone keep saying to up my calories and lose slower, but I just want to do it this way. Cheat days do not work for me.

My TDEE is also low, I think 1650!! Currently, I am trying to stop the late night snacking. Adding herbal Tea and such. Avoiding those late nights habit of eating a spoon of peanut butter really is a challenge.

Do you exercise?

Sure! Sounds like a great trip, I looove Mexican food. I'd definitely struggle to keep a deficit, hah.

I enjoy eating and snacking in the evening, so I generally keep my breakfast and lunch pretty light to allow more evening calories. This seems to work well for me. I'll sip on tea during the workday morning to keep myself distracted.

murp4069

janejellyroll wrote: »

I lost the final pounds the same way I lost the pounds before that -- accurate logging and consistently hitting my calorie goal. The difference I found is that when you're close to goal any deviations from either of those can hold you back more than they might do when you have more weight to lose . . . just because your margin for error is much less with a smaller deficit.

Heavy exercise isn't necessary, although feel free to do it if you enjoy it or you have specific fitness goals you're trying to achieve during this time. Just make sure that if you are, you're accounting for those calories in your daily goal (because 1,200 is quite low).

I didn't reduce carbohydrates in order to meet my goal. I just focused on calories overall. But if you find that limiting sugar makes it easier for you to consistently meet your calorie goal, it may be a useful strategy for you to consider.

Yes, this exactly. I have very similar stats and goals - I'm 5'5", currently 135 with the ultimate goal of 125. I've largely been maintaining at 135 for the last year + after losing 35 in about 10 months. While I've found maintenance at this weight to be relatively easy, additional loss has been very difficult. I largely attribute this to the small margin of error. Without even accounting for regular, minor errors, if I go way overboard on one weekend meal, it's possible to blow my weekly deficit. Over the last month or so, I've tightened up my logging and added a bit more exercise including more lifting. My goal is to lose the last 10 by the end of the year.

As for your macros, if you don't have a health reason to be concerned about (diabetes, for example), you probably don't need to be concerned about going over on sugar by eating fruits and berries. But if cutting back on sugar helps you stay within your goals, go for it by trying to cut back. It certainly helps me stay within my goals - I avoid sugary foods until after dinner because if I have them during the day I'm more likely to indulge throughout the rest of the day and blow my calorie goal.

So TL;DR, in about 2 months, you may be able to lose the last 15, but it will require very tight logging given the small margin of error. If not, don't fret, you'll get them off eventually, it just may take longer than you'd like.

AnnPT77

I lost the last 15 just as I'd lost the first 35 or so before that: Careful logging, and eating to my calorie goal the majority of days, with varied nutritious food I enjoy and expected to continue eating permanently, and with the same workout/activity schedule I'd had for years and planned to continue.

The last pounds were slower, but only because I gradually increased my calorie level to slow down the loss, knowing that it was a lower health risk to lose at 0.5 lb/week or less for the last 10 pounds, and 1 pound or less for about 25-10 pounds left to lose.

Coasting into maintenance calories had the added benefits of adding back small numbers of calories gradually with nutritious tasty things instead of being tempted to fill a big calorie gap with some routine blow-out non-nutrient-dense, non-satiating single big item; and avoiding the scary several-pound scale jump (from glycogen replenishment water weight and increased average digestive system contents) that can happen with a single big calorie jump to maintenance.

Two years later, I'm still at a healthy weight, so I think those strategies worked pretty well, for me.

You may want to start reading a bit in the "maintaining weight" MFP forum topic, to see how others handle the last few pounds transition and what issues arise.