Tips to lose the last 5-7 pounds?

Biker_SuzCO

Any suggestions, besides the obvious one of tracking every morsel of food? I have done that but am too hungry to stick with a deficit. Exercising is making me even hungrier! I’ve been back at it since January and haven’t lost anything (I originally lost 20 pounds from Aug. 16-October 17. Thanks! And would love to hear from people that were able to drop the last chub.

MelanieCN77

I powered on through but did slow down towards the end - cals at 1400 was a no for me so I raised them and just took things really slow. I've maintained for a year and decided to take off another 5lbs - I've kept my cals at maintenance and just avoid eating 1-200 a day as I can. It helps that I'm not really on a schedule.

If you've stopped losing you are not in a deficit any more - probably got a little lax on the weighing and such. The answer is always in tightening up the diary

quiksylver296

When you say "tracking every morsel of food" does that mean you use a food scale?

The closer you get to goal, the better you're gonna have to be about actually hitting your calorie allowance. No room for sloppy logging/measuring.

Biker_SuzCO

quiksylver296 wrote: »

When you say "tracking every morsel of food" does that mean you use a food scale?

The closer you get to goal, the better you're gonna have to be about actually hitting your calorie allowance. No room for sloppy logging/measuring.

Nope I’ve definitely become lax on weighing...but I realize if I’m maintaining I need to cut out some food here or there. I. just. Can’t. So. Hungry.

quiksylver296

Biker_SuzCO wrote: »

quiksylver296 wrote: »

When you say "tracking every morsel of food" does that mean you use a food scale?

The closer you get to goal, the better you're gonna have to be about actually hitting your calorie allowance. No room for sloppy logging/measuring.

Nope I’ve definitely become lax on weighing...but I realize if I’m maintaining I need to cut out some food here or there. I. just. Can’t. So. Hungry.

Have you tried playing with your macros to see if a change will help keep you fuller for longer?

Some people find protein keeps them full. For some it's fat, or fiber. I need some complex carbs with protein and a bit of fat.

middlehaitch

Couple of thoughts.

Switch to your maintenance calories for your goal weight now. (Concentrate on logging so you have good numbers to work with)

This may make it a slow last few lbs, but it is going to be anyway. It could take you mentally out of losing and into maintenance relieving the scale watching stress.

Up your daily activity, rather than exercise, which is leaving you even hungrier.
(For some upping exercise also drops daily activity levels NEAT and can make losing harder)
A few short, slow, walks during the day. Inefficient movements at work or home.

Honestly I spent decades making things efficient in my life only to undo it all so I moved more during the day. It gave me an extra 150 cals which was a ginormous amount when 1200 was my initial maintenance.

Cheers, h.

jennifer_417

Patience, mostly.


Sorry.

GirlVersusFat

I'm wondering the same thing because I feel like I've been trying to lose my last 10 for months

CarvedTones

I tracked carefully, weighing food and didn't go over my calorie allowance. at all. ever. Walking is my primary exercise. I didn't log it at all under 5000 steps.

Biker_SuzCO

CarvedTones wrote: »

I tracked carefully, weighing food and didn't go over my calorie allowance. at all. ever. Walking is my primary exercise. I didn't log it at all under 5000 steps.

Not what I wanted to hear but truth.

RoxieDawn

Make your calories work for you and stretch them as far and wide as you can. I do track my cals fairly meticulously, its the only way to know for sure I am in a deficit.

Here is what I have done. I have some fat to shed and I hate being in a cals deficit. This time I decreased calories slowly as I am in no hurry, so I cut 100 for a couple of weeks. The third week I cut another 100. The fourth week 50 more to reach the .5 week rate of loss.

Another thing you can do is couple your small deficit with volume foods and working with your macro ratios to give satiety to help you feel fuller longer. Protein for me is super satiating and if I add in healthy fats and fiber I am good until the next meal time.

Exercise doesn't have to be high impact, but what ever exercise you decide to do you can eat these back, or of course don't exercise at all. I strength train and do a little running, but I have been very comfortable and I am losing.

mywayroche

Try low intensity exercise. Try higher fat foods with low or no sugar

sardelsa

Patience, consistency, and sometimes adjusting your expectations on your goals including the sustainability of getting down to goal.

CarvedTones

The best reason to do no exercise is that you can be sure you didn't log too many calories for it. Long stalls happen when logging doesn't match reality for food, exercise and/or baseline.