140 lbs., weight loss is slooowww!

courtney1189

I guess I am mainly looking for motivation or affirmation that I am doing things the correct way! I am 5'5 and have gone from 220 lbs. to 140 (yay!). However, since hitting 140, weight loss has completely stalled (for a very long time). And this is probably my fault.

I hit 140 almost two years ago and quickly discovered that what I had been doing to lose the rest of the weight wasn't going to work anymore. I wasn't working out at the time, just counting calories (typically around 1300 daily). And on friday night, I was eating a big meal and not counting calories. I did this for a while, as I was okay with being 140 and my schedule didn't allow very much time for working out. After getting married, I gained 12 lbs. back pretty quickly. I joined mfp to lose the weight, which I successfully lost back down to 140 within a couple months eating at a 1200-1300 cal. deficit (again, no exercise). And of course, the weight loss stalled out again at 140.

I finally decided about a month ago that it was time to get active if I wanted to see the rest of the weight come off. I joined a gym and have been eating 1200 - 1300 clean cals. on non-workout days. 1500 or so when I do. I am also no longer eating a high-calorie meal on Friday nights (sticking to the calorie deficit daily). I have been going to the gym at least 3x a week. Workouts include running, lifting, and zumba. But I am still at 140! ahhhh! I would be happy to just see 130.

So here is my question...am I doing something wrong? Or is the weight lost just going to be super slow so close to goal? Any advice appreciated!

psuLemon

Do you use a food scale? How long are your workouts? And can you open your diary?

deksgrl

Weight loss is very slow when you are close to goal. Set MFP to lose half a pound a week, and of course eat some more for exercise (I don't know if you have an HRM or not, most people say the MFP's calories for exercise are over estimated so they do not eat the full amount). Or calculate TDEE - 10%

And yes, it is possible you are underestimating your food calories if you do not weigh it.

BeeDeSilva

You may be building muscle since starting to exercise. It should be temporary and you should start seeing your body measurements change before you really see it on the scale. I've been right there and frustrated too. Keep looking for answers and figure out what works for you. I also had to pay attention to the value of my 1200 calories...more protein, less carbs. I'm starting again after being derailed last year by my child's medical problems. Hang in there!

deksgrl

You may be building muscle since starting to exercise. It should be temporary and you should start seeing your body measurements change before you really see it on the scale. I've been right there and frustrated too. Keep looking for answers and figure out what works for you. I also had to pay attention to the value of my 1200 calories...more protein, less carbs. I'm starting again after being derailed last year by my child's medical problems. Hang in there!

No, you do not build muscle if you are eating at a calorie deficit. There is often water retention when you start new exercise. Protein is a good recommendation though, MFP's setting is low.

geekyjock76

It may seem frustrating but, from a survival perspective, I'm content knowing that we're capable of burning less fat the leaner we get. If it didn't reduce, we'd die quickly during unexpected starvation.

cwolfman13

what is your BF%...some arbitrary number on the scale is arbitrary and doesn't mean a whole lot...if you're at a healthy BF%, your body is going to be reluctant to release your fat stores. The human body doesn't like being super lean...it's not really it's natural state. It's quite possible that you are at a weight where your body is simply comfortable maintaining relatively easily.

I know for myself, I can maintain 175- 180 pretty easily and 180-185 pretty much without any great effort at all...however, to be 170 or below is very lean for me and requires much more strict dietary adherence and work which I have determined to not really be worth it.