Help me lose the last 10lbs?

melissaka7

I lost my weight rather quickly...I started on 5/7 weighing 188.8lbs & weighed in this morning at 154.8. I lost the weight by eating 1200 calories & running 6 days a week & a one hour yoga class once a week. I'm currently almost finished with month 1 of Insanity, have cut back on my running (1 to 2 days a week), & am still doing my yoga class. I also upped my calories, but still have a hard time eating more than 1300-1400.

I am NOT saying I'm at a platuau and I KNOW the last few pounds are the HARDEST to lose, especially when I lost the intial weight so quickly.

I did do my measurments this morning & they do appear to have gone down. Any suggestions on how to make sure I keep my momentum & am able to lose the last of this weight?

I am willing to concede that more calories will help, but I'd like the reasons why & anyone who has DONE this & had sucess. If you're going to tell someone to do something, you should always tell them why, and have the proof to back it up.

Please no snarkiness...I am less likely to listen to you & believe you if you're rude.

My diary is open...I do well with my breakfast, snacks, & lunches. I don't drink soda or eat real chips. I try to maintain healther dinners (but if they're not, I do good portions). It's hard with a husband who is a picky eater.

melissaka7

Anyone?

nomeejerome

How tall are you?
Do you log accurately?
Do you weigh everything?
How long since you have seen a drop in the scale?
Have you readjusted your goal to .5lb per week? (since you are so close to goal)

melissaka7

How tall are you?- Almost 5'6"
Do you log accurately? Yes. I scan everything. I usually try to overestimate on anything that I can't scan (like dinner).
Do you weigh everything? We don't have a scale. Hoping to get one soon. See above, I try to overestimate if I don't know for sure.
How long since you have seen a drop in the scale? The scale is still moving, like I said, just more slowly. And it fluctiates daily (which I know is normal).
Have you readjusted your goal to .5lb per week? (since you are so close to goal) I believe my goal is at 1lb per week (used to be 2).

grimendale

If you're losing inches, you're losing. I finished Insanity a month ago and didn't lose a pound. I did however lose 4" off my waist and 3 percentage points of body fat. If you are doing Insanity, 1300 a day is probably not enough. I was eating up to 3000 a day and still losing body fat. Insanity is intense, so it is extremely common for your body to retain glycogen as a result of the exercise. Glycogen is bonded to water, so you retain extra water as well. Water is quite dense, so it can easily balance or offset any losses from fat. Don't trust the scale; it lies. You should look into calorie dense foods to help you reach your goals (you are 500 under on a regular basis, which is going to make it harder to lose the fat). Nut butter, avocados, full fat cheese, etc. are all good ways to up your calories without adding a lot more volume. You should probably be eating more protein (0.8g per lbs of lean body mass is a good rule of thumb). When you eat at a deficit, you are going to lose some lean body mass along with the fat, but eating at a severe deficit long-term tends to cause you to burn more muscle and less fat, which is not what you want. Eat more and ignore the scale. That's the best advice I can give.

jwdieter

The last 10 pounds aren't necessarily the hardest. If you're not plateauing, there's no point in switching things up dramatically.

nomeejerome

How tall are you?- Almost 5'6"
Do you log accurately? Yes. I scan everything. I usually try to overestimate on anything that I can't scan (like dinner).
Do you weigh everything? We don't have a scale. Hoping to get one soon. See above, I try to overestimate if I don't know for sure.
How long since you have seen a drop in the scale? The scale is still moving, like I said, just more slowly. And it fluctiates daily (which I know is normal).
Have you readjusted your goal to .5lb per week? (since you are so close to goal) I believe my goal is at 1lb per week (used to be 2).

Your BMR is 1497. **(this is estimate)

Maybe readjust your goal to .5lb per week, grab a scale and start weighing everything for accuracy and be patient.

ETA: **

melissaka7

Your BMR is 1497. **(this is estimate)

Maybe readjust your goal to .5lb per week, grab a scale and start weighing everything for accuracy and be patient.

ETA: **

I had it an 1.5lbs a week & I know that is not doable at this point. I switched it to 1lb a week & it gave me a little over 1500. I know it sounds stupid, but is it really possible to eat MORE food & still lose weight?

jwdieter

I know it sounds stupid, but is it really possible to eat MORE food & still lose weight?

Any intake below your maintenance (TDEE) will result in weight loss. An estimated loss of 1 lb/week is trying to hit 500 cals/day below TDEE. That gives you a 500-calorie window between 1500-2000 per day to still lose weight, assuming all the estimates and your intake numbers are accurate.

nomeejerome

Your BMR is 1497. **(this is estimate)

Maybe readjust your goal to .5lb per week, grab a scale and start weighing everything for accuracy and be patient.

ETA: **

I had it an 1.5lbs a week & I know that is not doable at this point. I switched it to 1lb a week & it gave me a little over 1500. I know it sounds stupid, but is it really possible to eat MORE food & still lose weight?

Yes. At first, you may gain a few, but it will taper off. (and since you are so close to goal, setting it to .5lb would be appropriate) There are a lot of people who go full steam with the 1200 calorie plan and lose the weight, only to re-gain it because it was not sustainable for the long term. If you are that nervous about increasing your calories, maybe try to hit your calorie goal now everyday and increase it a little bit at a time until you reach the higher number? (and get that scale too)

ETA: aggressive calorie deficits also lead to loss of other things, such as lean body mass. (for those so close to goal)

melissaka7

Yes. At first, you may gain a few, but it will taper off. (and since you are so close to goal, setting it to .5lb would be appropriate) There are a lot of people who go full steam with the 1200 calorie plan and lose the weight, only to re-gain it because it was not sustainable for the long term. If you are that nervous about increasing your calories, maybe try to hit your calorie goal now everyday and increase it a little bit at a time until you reach the higher number? (and get that scale too)

ETA: aggressive calorie deficits also lead to loss of other things, such as lean body mass. (for those so close to goal)

Yeah, one thing I am looking forward to is maintaining & I don't know that I can do 1200 calories for the rest of my life. I also don't want to hurt myself by eating too little. I just am so close to my goal I am getting anxious.