Taking a break near the end

etherealanwar

I am officially only 10 lbs away from my goal weight of 125 lbs (I am 5'4" btw). The progress has slowed down as to be expected but it has still taken a toll on me even though I know it shouldn't. I decided to take another maintenance break but this time only for one week(had one about a month ago that lasted 2 weeks) but I am sad that I am extending the date of reaching my goal.

I REALLY want to get there in time for my bday near the end of October, hopefully I will or be close enough. Have any of you taken breaks near the end of your weight loss or did you power through it all in one go? Was your expectation of how long it will take you to lose the weight accurate? I was foolish in thinking I would lose it all in one year, looks like it's going to be 2 years in reality (Starting from a weight of 200 lbs) .

sardelsa

I lost about 11-12lbs last year (took me about 6 months) and during that time I took two 10-14 day diet breaks, first was 10 weeks in, last was 8 weeks after that.

It actually took me a lot longer than I thought it would. I did have periods of quicker weight loss, but also periods of very slow loss. But those diet breaks were really worth it to me and helped me get through and keep motivated the whole way through and not get burnt out.

I wouldn't rush it. Try taking a 1-2 week diet break especially if you are starting to feel a bit tired and over the deficit.

slbbw

Celebrate how far you have come losing 65lbs and not the 10 you have left. If you are at 130 at your birthday it is still a huge accomplishment. A diet break at maintenance sounds like it might be worthwhile, but even if it is for a whole 4 weeks. I recently realized my goal weight is about 5 lbs less than I originally thought it would be. It will likely take me 6 months to do it, but that is partly because I am fatigued from the 6 months of deficit and eat just slightly under maintenance seems like it will be a better long range plan.

courtneysmith34

I just stopped my break! My original goal weight was 150 (I'm 5'6) but decided at that weight I still had a lot of excess fat so I changed my goal down to 140. I think taking breaks is a good thing. For me personally if I wouldn't have taken the few breaks I have I probably would have given up entirely. It's better to make a conscious decision rather than throwing in the towel and losing all your progress.

LivingtheLeanDream

At the end of the day it doesn't matter how long it takes you to lose those last 10lbs, you have done fantastically losing a huge amount already, be kind to yourself. It sounds like a maintenance break for you frequently is just the thing.