Last 10 pounds - Calories

ka_42

I'm seriously struggling with losing the last few pounds. My weight today was 133 and I'd like to be at 125. I've been stuck at this weight for months. I've been counting calories and staying around 1300 a day. On weekends I don't always log but I try to make good choices. I've been doing zumba 2x a week and taking walks on the remaining 6 days. I've been doing an occasional pilates video about once a week. On Monday I started going to a strength training class. My goal is to do zumba 2-3x a week, strength train 1-2 times a week, and a 20-30 minute walk about 5 days a week. Is that a good goal?

I recently read something in a healthy cooking magazine and it mentioned how a lot of people have trouble with the last few pounds and that you just need to remember now that you're smaller your body needs less calories in. I'm having trouble with this and I'm not sure it's right.. During my entire journey I've tried to stay at 1200 calories a day. I want to eat more! I can't imagine trying to eat even less now. When I do calculations on other sites to guess how many calories I should eat I come up with results like 1450 on inactive days and 1600 on work out days. I'm afraid to eat that much because I'm not losing- I'm actually slowly gaining. I've been as low as 128 (SO close to my goal!)

Anyone have experience losing the last few pounds? How many calories did you eat/day? What was your work out regimen? Thank you all so much! Any response is appreciated! :flowerforyou:

morganadk2_deleted

You should eat your calories from exersise back! on days i know i'm going to the gym, i log my exersie in the morning , then have bigger meals those days!


http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/61706-guide-to-calorie-deficit


This is just a part of it! please read the link above


Generally someone with a BMI over 32 can do a 1000 calorie a day (2 lbs a week) deficit
With a BMI of 30 to 32 a deficit of 750 calories is generally correct (about 1.5 lbs a week)
With a BMI of 28 to 30 a deficit of 500 calories is about right (about 1 lb a week)
With a BMI of 26 to 28 a deficit of about 300 calories is perfect (about 1/2 lb a week)
and below 26... well this is where we get fuzzy. See now you're no longer talking about being overweight, so while it's still ok to have a small deficit, you really should shift your focus more towards muscle tone, and reducing fat. This means is EXTRA important to eat your exercise calories as your body needs to KNOW it's ok to burn fat stores, and the only way it will know is if you keep giving it the calories it needs to not enter the famine response (starvation mode)



Good luck on your journey

timanda2

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Rubie81

I want to follow this thread. I am trying to lose these last 5 pounds and it is extremely hard. ugh.
I'm currently eating 1200-1350 calories. I also couldn't imagine having to eat less. At this point, to avoid frustration, I am focusing more on measuring myself and toning.

waverly9876

Im also 133 and trying to be 125. I know its not great but I eat around 1000-1270 a day. I was partially paralyzed so Im only able to walk, bike or do ellyptical. Usually the ellyptical.
Add me so we can both get to 125!!!!!

ericaq

I'm actually in the same boat as you. I plateaued around 135 and had the hardest time dropping weight. I refuse to eat less calories (I'm around 1300/day), so, I had to think of some other methods to "trick" my body. I recently increased my water intake IMMENSELY. I went from drinking about 32-40 oz a day to around 70-80 oz. Also, no matter what I burn through exercise, I don't eat back my exercise calories - some people will disagree with this method but its worked for me. Try to limit processed food - its full of sodium which may be hanging on (and can be corrected with, you guessed it, more water).

I'm currently in the 128-129 range and slowly but surely working towards the 125. Good luck to you!

BlueSkies_12

I used this a couple of years ago to help me lose those last few pounds. It is very low in carbs and i didn't have alot of energy but it worked.
Scroll to the bottom for a sample diet
http://web.muscleandfitnesshers.com/nutrition/dieting/diet-emergency

erickirb

Set your goal to lose 0.5 lbs/week and eat your exercise calories. The closer you get to your goal the smaller your caloric deficit should be. If your deficit is too large and you don't have much to lose you risk burning muscle, instead of fat. You may also want to change up your exercise routine. You should change your routine every 4-6 weeks to keep your body guessing.

Focus on BF%, how you look, and how you feel, instead of a number on the scale.

erickirb

Im also 133 and trying to be 125. I know its not great but I eat around 1000-1270 a day. I was partially paralyzed so Im only able to walk, bike or do ellyptical. Usually the ellyptical.
Add me so we can both get to 125!!!!!

even without exercise you will need to eat more to lose the last bit of fat, or you risk losing muscle, which will slow your metabolism down. Try setting your goal to 0.5lbs/week.

kvr414

first of all CONGRATS on your progress thus far! something to DEFINITELY be proud of!! I am pretty much in the same boat as you, so I too am interested. I was stuck at 10lbs to go for about a month and I did up my calories to 1500 net every day. It helped me lose 2 more lbs now I have 8 to go to my goal, I feel that 1500 net would work still for me, but I've been kinda lax lately. Interested to see what others say. Until then I will try to keep 1500net calories a day. I've heard from many people that is what does the trick to shed those last 10! good luck!

dlangenfeld

I also need to lose the last 10 pounds. I was eating 1200 a day and not losing at all. Then I took a metabolic test at the Y and found out that I should be eating more like 1600 a day because that's what my body needs. The more muscle you have the more fuel your body needs. I ate around 1600 a day last week and I lost 3 pounds!!!! Even if you don't want to eat more food, try having a protein shake or something to up your calories. Try it for one or two weeks and see how it goes. If it doesn't work, you can always stop.

ericaq

One more thing - my trainer recently suggested maybe doing a mix of low/high calorie days. So, one day at 1200, one day at 1500-1600, 2 days low, 1 day high, etc. The mix up might shock your body into losing weight.

E2011

We have a lot in common, and besides our name too:) I don't eat burned calories either...I feel like you're hanging in neutral at that point. And I too have seriously increased my water intake; as with green tea. I go to the bathroom about twice an hour, lol...I even awake several times in the middle of the night. Annoying at times but hey, at least my body isn't telling me to eat.

WashingtonGrown

I'm in a similar place as you as well, I'm 143 and wanting to be 135ish. My original goal was 140 but since I lost most of the weight in less than 3 months I felt I could lose a little more to have "wiggle room". I haven't changed much, my calories are between 1200-1300 daily, more if I exercise but not much more. I only eat half of my exercise calories back since I don't trust the amounts MFP gives me. I have no interest in getting a HRM when I am so close to my goal. What ever I am doing is still working (I'll probably be eating these words and stall out now lol) for me. I do do more of the zig zag calorie in take more often. I also try to mix up what I do with exercise, and what I eat. I don't exercise a ton, I don't have time since I am a stay at home mom, and my husband works out of town Mon-Fri, but I work in the exercise 4-5 times a week.
It's going to slow down as you get closer, you may not lose 1lb a week any more, it might be more like half a lb or less. Just give it time, and keep at it! You've come this fair!
Good luck!

michaelduke31

first off, how many times a day do you eat?? and how often? i'm sure you heard this a million times, but it's really true: eat every 2.5 - 3 hours... you need that metabolism to speed up and reach it's full potential.

i would strength train more than once a week.. try to go 2-3 times per week. people underestimate how much you can burn by working out with weights. and don't be afraid to use weights that are challenging, and not like 3 sets of 100 reps or something crazy like that.. do some heavier weights and lower reps... push those muscles!

also... you might want to try a carb cycle for a few weeks.. switching up the diet completely can really shock your body into some great gains!! and by gains i mean reaching your goal. maybe a high, moderate, low carb cycle.. do like 200 carbs one day, 100 the next, and around 50 for the 3rd, and repeat. of course you need to stick with the whole wheat/whole grain carbs.. the good stuff!

and if you really have your mind right and you want to reach that goal... you really need to push through the weekends and keep that diet on track!!! diet is 85-90% of everything!!!

just a few ideas... remember, everyone's body is different... its like an experiment.. you have to try different things to find what's right for you.

"99% of people wont listen once they hear it takes hard work, sacrafice, and discipline, they stop listening.. be the 1%"

Oompa_Loompa

Lift some weights!! seriously makes a differences. start doing some weight training.

girliegirl1822

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MissJennaBelle

Set your goal to lose 0.5 lbs/week and eat your exercise calories. The closer you get to your goal the smaller your caloric deficit should be. If your deficit is too large and you don't have much to lose you risk burning muscle, instead of fat. You may also want to change up your exercise routine. You should change your routine every 4-6 weeks to keep your body guessing.

Focus on BF%, how you look, and how you feel, instead of a number on the scale.

Wise words I feel! This is exactly what I needed to hear and here is why!...

Ok, so I maybe have a little more left to lose, the last 10-14lbs approx.... of course, this will all depend on the way my body looks and feels as I go on.

I have changed my goals to 'Lose 1/2 pound a week (previously set to ‘Lose 1 pound per week’) which has increased my calorie intake by about 200 cals p/day. The reason I did this is because for approx two months now I have hovered around the same weight, either maintaining or gaining 1lb one week and then losing 1lb the following week and so on. My workout routine is at least 30-60 minutes (depending on how much time I have available in the morning) 5 times a week. I am currently doing the 30 Day Shred following with a Wii activity, either a circuit on EA Sports Active 2 or Wii Fit Plus. At weekends I either go for a walk, go on a major house cleaning spree and/or do a workout on one day but this is just counted as extra exercise if I fancy a takeaway or a drink... as it will reduce damage to the calorie total a little lol.

Last week I finally had a loss on the scales and I'm hoping this is the result this week too but my focus is on inches as well and those have been slowly decreasing also. I think giving your body the extra calories (reducing the deficit) helps with the loss nearer the end of your journey, sometimes you just have to eat more but make sure the majority of the extra food is healthy and not sugary!

I do hope I’m heading in the right direction and I hope you find something that works for you too.... from all the helpful comments on this topic.

Good Luck!!! :flowerforyou:

MissJennaBelle

Oh and it might sound outrageous and I don't know what other people think although it kind of fits into their 'zig-zag' theory somewhere but try and have yourself one 'cheat day' a week. Just one day where you go over on cals and enjoy it!

absie107

its a number on a scale... what matters more is how you fit into clothing, right?

LynnW52

Focus on BF%, how you look, and how you feel, instead of a number on the scale.

This is the best and most important advice I've seen on this thread so far.

You have come so far Kim, and I am so proud of you! Do you remember how you felt at your highest weight? Try to put yourself back into that frame of mind, and how at that time, you would have given ANYTHING to be at 133lbs.

You are eating right, you are exercising and staying active, and you are leading a healthy lifestyle. Celebrate your accomplishments and try not to be so hard on yourself to get to 125, after all it is just a number.

Congratulations on what you've achieved! :flowerforyou:

ka_42

Thanks for all of the praise for my success and helpful responses!

Speaking of the way I feel and body fat percentages-- I feel confident when I say I really lack the muscle I could/should have. Strength training is VERY much a challenge for me when I do it. I see some of you suggested I work more of it into my routine... I'm sure you're right! I'll start easing more into my routine. I have no idea what my bf% is. I'm assuming like 35%.. I have an embarrassingly jiggly belly. I see other people at my height and weight with far less of a mid-section problem. I really want my waist to go down at least 2-3 inches. I think I'd be happy then. I'm not looking for the perfect body. I just want to look down and not see this big gut I've been working so hard for like 2 years to get rid of. It makes me feel as if I haven't made much progress at all. I know the numbers say differently but it's been really gradual. For me the more I get "into" fitness the more I notice things wrong with my body. It's affected my mental health/self esteem greatly.

As for switching up my routine- this is it! I just started zumba. After trying various classes in my area over the last month I signed up at the university (Where I work) gym. It was closed over spring break last week so this is really my first week of hitting it hard. I've done the 30 day shred with success. (although I didn't like it one bit - I need exercise to be fun so I'm loving zumba) Before that I was only taking short walks and not always logging calories -yet being mindful about what I ate- and maintaining successfully. My weight started creeping up more recently and since I started upping my exercise my weight has fallowed.

What I eat- Yes, I do eat several meals a day. My day goes something like this.. Breakfast, 250. Snack, 100. Lunch, 300. Snack, 50. Dinner, 450. Snack, 100. I cave for temptations and don't always make good choices on weekends. I eat out too often but I wouldn't say it's much more then I have in the past while maintaining/ still losing. I feel like in a way the weekends are my "zig-zag" and when I do eat more then my usual 1300 I see the scale go up and then I spend all week trying to fight off the weekends mistakes.

Don't get me wrong.... I love how far I've come! I just don't want to risk gaining. I also don't want to give up my goal... Not necessarily the weight of 125 being most important but to be happy with the way I look - which means a few more inches from my belly. I've lost 8 or 9" from my waist so far.. a few more shouldn't be THAT hard! Thanks again everyone!

summer_anne

Gotta really rev up your workouts!!! I love lots of High Intensity Intervals and Bodyweight strength training - and the more muscle you have, the more fat you will BURN! Make sure to move 6 days a week...this is my favorite website for free at home workouts www.bodyrock.tv

ka_42

The closer you get to your goal the smaller your caloric deficit should be. If your deficit is too large and you don't have much to lose you risk burning muscle, instead of fat.

Can anyone expand on this thought? Anyone who got to their last few pounds after a long journey and started raising their calorie intake with success?

I'm assuming the strength training will get easier. I was only going to go to zumba tonight because I did strength on Monday but you all have changed my mind! Now I think I should do my other class too. It's called hard core.. it focuses on abs mostly but my entire body -legs butt and abs- have been burning for the last two days so I know it's working multiple muscle groups.