Those Last Few Pounds - Sustainability and Motivation Ideas?

bcallieoop

Last fall I got truly serious about my weight loss and health and made a commitment to myself to get healthier through diet and exercise.

At a height of only 5’0 and weighing over 200+ lbs., I knew I needed to lose some serious weight. I have always struggled with high blood pressure and was having to use 4 prescription medications to keep my BP at a reasonable level. I also had a relatively high cholesterol level and was having other health issues on top of that – including two very painful knees from my weight, osteoarthritis and loss of cartilage. I was pretty miserable, looking at knee replacements and concerned about my other increasing health problems.

I went to see my doctor and talked to him about my concerns and determined that it was past time to begin a new lifestyle. After we talked, I ruled out surgical options, popular diets and some of the other medically assisted diets (like HCG and Phentermine), as being a good option for me. I decided I wanted to do something that was sustainable, easy and effective. (I am not knocking gastric surgery, Keto, or any other method of losing weight, because in the end, any weight loss that works is beneficial, I just personally decided not to use those methods.)

My lifestyle change included improving what I was eating, committing to logging my food every day and increasing my daily activity level. I:
• purchased a Fitbit (I usually walk 10,000+ steps every day);
• dusted off my My Fitness Pal account (and loaded it to my phone, in addition to my computers);
• bought a new pair of athletic shoes; and
• purchased a nice, thick yoga mat.

I decided right at the beginning that I would not make any food “off-limits” and that I could eat whatever I wanted. I made a strong effort to stay within my daily calorie limit, limit empty calories (like a lot of alcohol) and stay within my macro range. I did some tweaking on the macro settings until I found a balance that worked for me. If I exercise a lot, I track the exercise and eat back about half of the calories that it gives me and that kept the weight loss going.

I celebrated the day I weighed in and was no longer “obese” on BMI scale, and was merely “overweight.” I’m now at 360+ days of logging my meals and incorporating a healthier lifestyle and have lost a total of 65 pounds. My blood pressure has improved dramatically and I have been able to reduce the BP medication I take. My cholesterol has dropped by 65 points. I am healthier, happier and more mobile than I have been in years.

BUT, despite continuing my regimen of eating healthy foods, watching my calories and exercising I am at a major plateau and have not been able to break past the weight I am currently at (3 months and holding).

I don’t have an end “weight goal” and don’t feel I have an enormous amount to still lose (in perspective to what I have already lost), I just need to lose another 10 - 15 lbs. to be in a healthy and sustainable weight range. I am at a point that I could use some advice, inspiration and/or tips on losing those last pesky few pounds. Suggestions? Comments? Motivations?

cheriej2042

First off congratulations on your major weight loss achievement! You should be proud of that because you have really accomplished something. I'm not an expert on this but I can say that as someone who is about 6 pounds off my goal that as soon as I get that close, I notice I'm not quite tracking my food as closely as I should or maybe the portions are just a little bit larger or you miss tracking a food. From what you've written, that doesn't sound like your issue. The one thing I might focus on is you weigh a lot less - have you adjusted the calories you are supposed to eat every day to lose weight? And secondly I would not be eating 1/2 my exercise calories back at this point. The calories on the app vary wildly depending on the exercise and I can just say if I ate 1/2 of mine back I would be gaining weight. You might at this point consider switching up your exercise routine because by now your body has adapted to it. Add in some weights so you can build muscle to help burn more calories. Even if it is just adding 30 minutes a day it will make a difference. As you sound like someone who sets a goal and goes after it, I know you can do this!

bcallieoop

Thanks for your comments. Actually, you may be right about the slightly slacking off part, although I do log every day. The biggest reason I started eating back half of my exercise calories was that I found that if I didn't, I was not losing any weight at all. Once I upped the calories I consumed by a few hundred a day I had much better success. However, because I'm now in this plateau I may want to reevaluate that and change-up my exercise routines (and maybe use any extra calories I consume on proteins or something other than extra carbs - which I have probably been doing). I can leave sugar alone, but I am a major carboholic and have to watch that like crazy.

I do free weights twice a week for 30 minutes and the weight machines once a week for 30 minutes, so that is probably not the problem - although weight training does add pounds. I walk religiously and do balance and strengthening yoga, but maybe should try to add some other cardio to my workout. Can't do cycling (bad knees) and stair stepper about kills me off. Maybe a water zumba class?

I appreciate your suggestions and support.

middlehaitch

Another short one here.
Great work so far
Those last few lbs are tough.

As @cheriej2042 said make sure your logging is tight and accurate.
For me it was having to change my generic orange, slice of bread, etc, to weighed and compared against the USDA or mfg web/packaging.

Also, check that your cal goal is apropriate for a 0.5lbs loss. This is suitable for those last few lbs even though it is sooo slow.

Instead of adding in more exercise, which can cause more stress (upping your cortisol levels causing water retention), and tire you enough to decrease your NEAT negating the cals earned, think about upping your everyday activity, NEAT.
(I include short casual walks in this. I inspect the neighbourhood gardens regularly for inspiration)

I found adding more to my everyday movement much less tiring than trying to add an extra hour a day to my already 5 x 60-90 I was doing.

As a plus, now, well into maintenance, my NEAT is still high (giving me more cals), and my exercise load has stayed manageable long term. I couldn’t have sustained a higher exercise level, it would have just been a means to an end.

Have a read of this thread,
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10610953/neat-improvement-strategies-to-improve-weight-loss/p1

Cheers, h.

denjan333

Congrats on your weight loss and healthier life! Well done!

If you’re not losing weight in three months, it means one thing only. You are consuming more calories than you’re using up. The last 10-20 lbs will be the hardest, and you should aim to lose only 0.5 lbs per week. However, you have less leeway for calories, meaning you have to be much more strict with your logging. Are you using a scale to weigh your food? If not, I guarantee you’re eating more than you think you are. I mean, you are eating at maintenance now, or you’d be losing or gaining weight.

Exercise more if that’s what you WANT to do. But if you are serious about losing that last bit of weight, you need to tighten up your food intake and logging. I know you can do it. You’ve come this far!

Diatonic12

Remember why you started in the first place. If you want that dream weight then don't settle for less.

I know many people who stopped short and eventually ate it all back. So much of this stuff is mental. If your goal is reasonable and only you and your medical professionals know what that is then do not take your foot off the gas pedal. Put your pedal to the metal and keep going.

bcallieoop

Thanks for all of your great comments. I am determined to not gain back the weight and to lose the additional pounds that I need to. I do weigh my food (I have a scale, measuring spoons, measuring cups, etc.) both at work and at home - but if I look at things objectively, I am not being as careful as I was when I started out my journey. I will have to work a lot harder at portion control. I will also need to eat only my allowed calories and not consume the extra calories from exercise.

Today I hit my one year mark for consecutively logging my meals on MFP. I am proud of making it to 365 days, but as I review the last few months worth of logging, I haven't been as careful there as I should have been. In fact, some days are down right sloppy and incomplete. So, I will have to be more careful.

I'm heading out on a camping trip in a day or two. As with most folks, I do tend to eat and drink a bit more on vacation, so I just made a note to make sure that my food scale gets put in the trailer. Fortunately, I also do a ton of hiking and usually lose weight on vacation. My meal plans for the trip are pretty weight loss friendly, but I will need to log my info better.

As painful as it is to admit, I've been slacking off without paying too much attention. So, I will have to crank up my resolve, make new goals (half a pound to one pound per week), and start paying better attention to my logging and portion size. I appreciate the ideas and support.