Those last few pounds

lavaughan69

Yes, it does adjust as you age - try googling healthy body fat % for women. It should show the healthy range creeping upwards as age increases, but it doesn't adjust by a whole lot. A percentage point or so per 10 yrs if I remember correctly.

FWIW, I'm not more tired as I get closer to goal - I'm readjusting mine down, my %BF needs improvement. If your %BF (which is what I'd use as a measure rather than a scale) is not in a range you like and you are still tired, maybe take another look at your diet. Are you getting a good balance of proteins, fats, and carbs - general recommended ratios are usually somewhere around 40/30/30, +/- ten percentage points?

I have noticed that if I undereat, I notice it much faster than I used to - I'll crash hard midday if I've skimped on fats, for example.

Thank you, this is very helpful!

hazeljordan1974

I only have a few pounds to go as well - I was starting to waiver on the motivation front, I had my weight loss set to 1lb per week and was spending a lot of the time hungry on 1360 calories (I know some of you survive on 1200 - I don't know how you do it!). I was also craving protein (eating sardines in brine 2 evenings running). I changed my weight loss goal as 1/2 lb per week and I am finding it so much easier to keep going with the motivation and don't feel hungry - plus I think this week I have lost weight and am closer to my goal!

sunshyncatra

Ha! I just posted to find friends who are in the final stretch, and may have an uncooperative scale like mine. Here you all are! My scale had been bouncing around the same 2-3 pounds for the last month. I'm changing my exercise slightly to see if that helps.

bubaluboo

These posts are so helpful and it's great to touch base with people experiencing similar issues. Well done to everyone for persevering to this point!

Stevesilk, thank you for taking the time to post so much useful info, I think for me that protein and weights are going to help. I'll also look into the group that you recommended.

Stealthq, thanks for the info on macros...I guess this is another issue to address!

Cwolfaman...I'm shocked at how much difference age makes. I hope that its not to late for me to achieve the BF % that I'd like.

Hazeljordan, I am on the same limits as you at 1lb /week and I think that I shall up to 0.5lb /week just so that I can keep with it. It would be nice to hit target by the new year.

happysherri

I was stuck at about 8-10 lbs from my goal and decided to not focus on the scale. I focus on bettering my time and numbers when exercising. I also started lifting, so more interested in building muscle than what the stupid scale says.

NoAdditives

Congrats on getting so close to your goal! Maybe you are just at a healthy weight now and don't need to lose anymore.

Yep. The number on the scale is every bit as arbitrary as your BMI. If you body composition is where it should be, you look good, and your clothes fit well, do those last pounds really matter?

Do you think this adjusts as you age? I'm worried about accepting the fact that this is where "I should be" when I know I've weighed less before. I used to weigh around 132-135 before I had my first child. After I had her I dieted to lose the baby weight but couldn't seem to get below 138, so I finally told myself that this must be my new weight. Then I had a second child and I've never been able to get below 146.

I guess I worry that I'm coming up with excuses not to stick with it.

The only reason I say the scale doesn't matter is because the more muscle a person has, the more they're going to weigh. I know there was a point when I weighed 115, but I know I had a higher body fat percentage than I should have. I probably won't get back to that weight, but I could get back to the size I was at that point. Weight in itself isn't as important as how clothes fit and body composition.

justlistening

I have about 10 lbs to lose too. It is the same 10 lbs I joined a year ago to lose. I lost 5 of those lbs last year netting 1200 calories daily and only losing 0.5 lbs/wk but then read those darn threads to eat more...well I gained the 5 lbs back. This time I am trying to net 1325 and get my BF% down but it is tough. Being super strict with my diet is key along with continuing to exercise and lift. It is just hard to keep up the motivation being older and already in shape there is not much room for improvement without some serious soul searching about what is really important.

stephanj

I don't know if there is a group or not, but it's a good idea.

Question: Is anyone else feeling more tired now? It's probably because I've cut my calories a lot in an effort to reach my goal, but I feel so tired all the time.

Yes!! This is exactly what I was talking about in a previous post.

Just popping in to say you ladies are singing my theme song!!!
I just decided I can't do 1200 anymore. Sticking at more like 1400 and trying not to eat back all exercise. I am 5'6", 142, want to be 135 (pre-pregnancy weight). Been trying like forever! My body just seems to have a really strong "set point" at 142, if you believe in that stuff....

..add to my frustration, I went super low carb and got down to 136, but of course it bounced right back up to 142 when I added back in carbs. I am in way better shape and have much more muscle than I did pre-babies though :-)

DianneP6772

I also joined in May of this year. If you started losing weight then - your loss per week is closer to 1.7 lbs which is super! I had set my goal at 129 originally which at this point puts me about 6 lbs away from it. But right now - i am thinking lower. When i set my goal, i thought it was "unreachable". Really! I have been 129 - but it was when i was in my 20's - i am now a very active 67. So really, i just didn't think i could do it. But now that i am so close - Yes - i can do it and maybe do better. The last 2 weeks have been the same for me. 2 weeks hovering at 135 - 136. I have been cycling almost everyday at a good pace and going 20-30 miles each day. BUT - i got a really bad cold over the weekend and decided i could take Off yesterday - today i was 133.2 ! I know that will probably go back up a lb or 2 by tomorrow - but i hadn't hit that figure before. Change up exercise! Thats all i can say. And today i played tennis - no cycling. I will resume cycling tomorrow as it has been very important in my weight loss along with calories in.
So don't give up - You are doing great! My body fat is still around 29% - so i figure i have lbs to lose and i will!

RonnieLodge

Aye, I have been vacillating a few pounds/couple of kilos for the last few weeks which is frustrating. But more frustrating is that I want to get an inch or two off my waistline measurement, which is the problem area for me.

So I started a different work out routine a few weeks ago and last week decided to change my way of eating (from 5:2 low carb/high protein to Keto/low carb/high fat).

I can see & feel my limbs getting more sculpted but that waist measurement isn't shifting.

Have eaten a almost a kilo of butter in the last 5 days and about the same of peanut butter so I am enjoying that!

And am pleasantly suprised to see that I am finding it hard to over eat calorie wise as the fat is so incredibly satisfying.

femjesse

I don't know about you ladies, but I set my goal weight artificially low to expedite the process. The program will not recommend less than 1200 calories a day. Although I've been hitting around 1200-1500 in reality. It seems to be indicating that I'll maintain my weight of 115-117. If I consume too few calories I feel tired at 115, so I think I'm at my ideal weight. If you're starting to feel tired, you might not be eating enough calories.

I hope that helps.

RychelleD

I am so happy I found this thread!

I became so demotivated when I had just ten lbs left to hit my goal. :S
I found it so much harder to lose the closer I became and do not want to drop my calorie goal any further than 1200. I work out a few times a week but am barely losing. I became inconsistent with my logging in August and gained 5 lbs. It sucks when you can gain so easily, but losing is such a struggle.I plan to keep at it tho but am glad Im not the only one struggling with this.
Thanks for sharing

Apicius

I have about 3-4kg to get to my target as well, and each kilo for ages has been a battle. I tend to lose less than a kg a month, and nothing for the last two months.

I think you can be a bit demotivated, but what's the alternative? Give up and pork up? Not for me, I have changed all my habits and routines.

So far each major plateau I have had to make changes to shift again. Calorie count, then took up running, then dropped calories. I am doing 5:2 and that has helped, but again I am now running further, and biking as well.

If nothing else I am getting healthier, so I have just had to accept that targets in a timeframe just set you up for disappointment when your body doesn't read your target schedule!

femjesse

It is entirely possible to be healthier at a higher weight. There are people I work with far healthier than me who can clear more flights of stairs than I can, even though they weigh more. Weight means nothing. Gauge how you feel and if you're happy with how you look. If you start to plateau you may have to reassess whether your goal weight is reasonable or not. It is not worth hitting your goal weight if it means you're going to be lethargic/weak. =(

summer8it

I'm suddenly feeling a little derailed.Then with a work event that sent my calorie count way over for the first time since I started counting calories and a ridiculous hunger today, I feel that I'm heading towards giving up.

OP, I excerpted the section of your post that I want to address. You're getting very close to maintenance -- and you recognize that, which is why you posted here -- so I suggest that you should start to adopt more of a maintenance mindset. Maintenance is about the long haul. It's no longer a temporary diet, it's the way you live your life, and life involves parties and holidays and business dinners and romantic dates and vacations and days when you've busted your butt in the gym and you just need to EAT. And it's absolutely 100% OK to have those days when you go over your calorie goal, because they balance out over time.

I've been maintaining for more than a year now (at a weight I hadn't seen since high school) and I've had at least one day "in the red" every week. I've learned to focus more on the weekly calorie goal, and I've never gone over the weekly goal. It works.

bubaluboo

I'm suddenly feeling a little derailed.Then with a work event that sent my calorie count way over for the first time since I started counting calories and a ridiculous hunger today, I feel that I'm heading towards giving up.

OP, I excerpted the section of your post that I want to address. You're getting very close to maintenance -- and you recognize that, which is why you posted here -- so I suggest that you should start to adopt more of a maintenance mindset. Maintenance is about the long haul. It's no longer a temporary diet, it's the way you live your life, and life involves parties and holidays and business dinners and romantic dates and vacations and days when you've busted your butt in the gym and you just need to EAT. And it's absolutely 100% OK to have those days when you go over your calorie goal, because they balance out over time.

I've been maintaining for more than a year now (at a weight I hadn't seen since high school) and I've had at least one day "in the red" every week. I've learned to focus more on the weekly calorie goal, and I've never gone over the weekly goal. It works.

I totally needed to read that! You're right and that's what bothers me. I do need to make sure that this is a lifestyle and not a diet. I find that if I have treats one day (which is usually fat/carb heavy), I am crawling the walls with hunger the next. So I have not gone over by more than 100 calories and that only a couple of times. Then with the works event I went 600 calories over the other day and now I'm finding it hard to reign it in again. I've now changed my weightloss rate to 0.5lb per week. I'm hoping that the extra calorie allowance will ease me into maintenance but I have got to learn to cope with off days!

lambchristie

I've been stuck for about 4 months! Hit my goal weight of 144. (I'm 5'5") Wanted to get to 138 for "vanity" reasons. Got down to 142, but jump between 146-148. I am much more toned and fit, so I know I am more lean, but damn those numbers on the scale! Coming to terms with being okay where I am at, living with a few pound fluctuation and staying fit.

ETA: My BF% is 19.5, which is FANTASTIC for me, IMO. Still working on wrapping my head around being great where I am now...especially compared to where I was before.

You've lost 201 pounds! CONGRATULATIONS!!! Amazing work .. so yes wrap your head around the fact you are where your body wants you to be!

deksgrl

Set it to half a pound a week. Be patient. Lift heavy, and you will drop body fat, and get the look you want, even if perhaps you don't lose any more.

audierae

I am in the same boat; I am also within 6 lbs of my goal (which just happens to be 140 lbs). I am finding that I am having to be more rigid in adherence to the program (what constitutes as "real" exercise, how many Calories I can go in the red, etc.).

This. I am now less than 3 pounds from my goal weight after losing the first 47 pounds relatively quickly (Since March). I have found to continue to lose I have to be much more honest with myself about how much and the intensity of exercise I do, and be even more careful about portion size and control. Just stick with it! You're doing awesome!

marjorianna

Great information, thank you!