The last few pounds ... ughhh!

MelissaMAuclair

Does anyone know how to lose the last few pounds that you need to before hitting your goal? I’ve plateaued a long time ago and I’m still struggling to get my weight down. I can’t lower my calories anymore than I have, and I have been running 8 to 10 K six days a week... I’m getting so angry and discouraged now. I’ve been stuck here for almost 2 months. I know for a fact that my body is able to lose a little bit more weight (about 6 lbs), it just doesn’t want to...

AnaFiaa

Have you tried switching up your cardio routine with some strength training? If you are running 8-10km 6 days/week, your body has likely learned to become pretty efficient at running and you may not be creating a deficit. Sometimes plateaus just happen for a little bit and you have to ride them out, but if youve been stuck there for 2 months it seems like you may need to get your body and muscles to learn some new movements to get it to lose the last bit.

sardelsa

The few lbs can be hard, slow, water weight can mask progress, also you don't have as much wiggle room in your deficit as you used to and it can be easy to go over your goal. Are you weighing and measuring your food intake accurately, everyday?

MelissaMAuclair

Not having a massive deficit is definitely a challenge! The first month I wasn’t really measuring my food intake because I assumed I was used to measuring by now; I have been measuring accurately for the last month, I do not eat back my calories after I run, and I have decreased my caloric intake to about 900 (just to make sure I’m not going over). I measure as accurately as I can, but this is just a precaution… It’s so hard to make sure you have the right amount of nutrients in your diet at that number... I’m just so discouraged right now. Some days I want to starve myself and other days I feel like bingeing...

sardelsa

You want to make sure you are fueling your exercise and daily activities properly.

Your intake is 900 but you are exercising on top of that? Do you track on weekends? There is no reason you should not be losing weight unless you are not as accurate as you think you are or overestimating your burnt calories from exercise. Plus i'm sure the added water weight from the exercise, stress, etc. can mask what is happening on the scale. Not to mention your intake could be having a significant effect on your non-exercise burns, so basically you don't move as much as a result and your TDEE, or total calories is lower than you think it is.

How long have you been in a deficit? Maybe you need a diet break, so eating at maintenance for two weeks to recharge. I know it seems counterproductive because you are so close to goal, but many times what happens is the extra calories give you more fuel and energy and you come back to your deficit ready to take on the last few lbs.

MelissaMAuclair

Oh my goodness thank you so much for your help! I have been going absolutely crazy!

I tryto keep my calorie intake at about 900 every single day (of course there are days that I go over). I exercise on top of that and use my FitBit to track how many calories I have lost for each run (yesterday I ran 8.9 km and the FitBit said I lost 496 cal. from that run, perhaps that is off?)

Perhaps the best thing for me to do right now is take a break in this diet. I started this diet July 10, 2017, so I’ve been on a diet for almost a year now.

I’m very proud of what I’ve accomplished so far, I’m just starting to get discouraged.

25lbsorbust

You don't want to be eating less than 1200! Really, I know it's tempting but I've seen the long-term effects on the metabolism (and the mind!) first-hand. Make sure you're putting 1200 calories in your mouth every day-- what you work off is up to you, but I think if you bump up your intake to 1200, and then eat back half of what you exercise off (and weigh everything, accurate measurements) you'll start to lose weight again. Your body's metabolism is reduced if you regularly consume less than 1200, so that could be why your weight loss has stopped.

In this study, subjects eating 800-1100kcal a day had a 15% reduction in resting metabolic rate, and an 8% reduction relative to fat-free mass.

And in this study, it showed that people eating ~700 cal a day (fasting) showed a 17% lower REE than those eating 1200cal or more. So just be careful, and be kind to yourself!


(edited to add sources)

MelissaMAuclair

25lbsorbust wrote: »

You don't want to be eating less than 1200! Really, I know it's tempting but I've seen the long-term effects on the metabolism (and the mind!) first-hand. Make sure you're putting 1200 calories in your mouth every day-- what you work off is up to you, but I think if you bump up your intake to 1200, and then eat back half of what you exercise off (and weigh everything, accurate measurements) you'll start to lose weight again. Your body's metabolism is reduced if you regularly consume less than 1200, so that could be why your weight loss has stopped.

In this study, subjects eating 800-1100kcal a day had a 15% reduction in resting metabolic rate, and an 8% reduction relative to fat-free mass.

And in this study, it showed that people eating ~700 cal a day (fasting) showed a 17% lower REE than those eating 1200cal or more. So just be careful, and be kind to yourself!


(edited to add sources)

Thank you so much for all this information. I actually think at this point I’m going to give my body a little bit of a rest, and take some time to re-evaluate what I’m doing.

I have actually changed my calorie intake to maintenance today. And will probably do this for a little while. I have a history of eating disorders (eating too little or too much), So I think I need to step away from this diet for a little bit.

Thank you so much for your response. It was very eye-opening.

MadisonMolly2017

@MelissaMAuclair Sounds like the perfect approach!! Your body is likely holding onto every calorie because of a longterm deficit, which it perceived as a scarcity of food. All My Best!