Struggling :(

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tlpayne2203
tlpayne2203 Posts: 6
in Introduce Yourself
Hi all, my name is Tracy, im going to be 40 in 2 weeks and im 5lbs over my goal. Really wanted to be at that for my birthday. I have been on weightwatchers and lost before but im now exercising 2/3 times a week, swimming for 30 minutes. Im not losing weight and im really down. Thought I would try this but I know I I wont be at goal so am gutted. Need some help and motivation not to just give it all up. Im well within ok ranges but bmi is 23.3 and I want to be lower. 9st 12lbs and want to be 9st 5. Any help would be much appreciated

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  • Stumblebee364
    Stumblebee364 Posts: 14
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    The closer you are to your goal, the slower the weight loss. How long has your weight stalled? Have you tried drinking more water? Do you weigh yourself on the same day, time, situation etc.
  • Stumblebee364
    Stumblebee364 Posts: 14
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    Also, it's only 5lbs. I know you want to be at the goal weight you have in your head, but keep in mind that your weight can naturally and normally fluctuate up and down by 2-6lbs a day.
  • paxbfl
    paxbfl Posts: 391 Member
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    First of all, don't get down. You're only 5 pounds away from your goal, which is great. It sounds like you're at a fairly healthy weight. Don't give up - focus on being healthy and keep going!

    Now a few thoughts... first, BMI is a "dumb" number. It doesn't know how much muscle you have, so it's practically a useless number. Instead, look at your body fat percentage. I found this site interesting:

    http://www.builtlean.com/2012/09/24/body-fat-percentage-men-women/

    I went ahead and had my body fat measured and found I'm around 12% body fat, which for my age is pretty much ideal. (BMI says I'm overweight, by the way, but I'm pretty muscular). I'm not quite like the photo but not too far off.

    It's hard to lose the last 5 pounds because your body is so close to ideal.

    If you still want to lose it, I think the easiest way to do it is by increasing your cardio and the intensity of your cardio. I would also recommend lifting to gain muscle, as this will boost your metabolism and help you burn more calories and lose fat. 3 days a week, lift and do moderate cardio like you're doing now. 3 days a week, do a higher-intensity cardio workout. I recommend HIIT - high intensity interval training. It will kick your butt. Rest on the 7th day, you'll need it.

    You may find that the scale doesn't move, but you notice differences in how you feel and how you look. If you got your body fat % measured, you'd see it drop as you gain muscle (lean body weight) and lose fat.

    Good luck!
  • tlpayne2203
    tlpayne2203 Posts: 6
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    Thank you all, going to give things a go. On my scales my body fat percentage was 27,6, got told that was ok and yes im not big but bigger than im happy with . I wanted to feel fab at 40. My weight just keeps fluctuating between 4 and 7 over goal, driving me nuts. Will try and drink more water but I have a problem with fluid retention to. Im swimming 2/3 times a week and I started at 20 lengths about 6 weeks ago and now have progressed to 40 lengths in about 45 minutes and I do wear a pedometer and try to do at least 5000 steps each day but will mainly do around 7000/9000 steps each day.

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