"Those last few pounds are the hardest to lose" <--??

amberlineilene

"Those last few pounds are the hardest to lose"

I am getting close to my end goal (@ 124 lb) and keep hearing this from people on MFP. I don't understand WHY the "last pounds are the hardest" If I keep doing what has been working for me the last -50lbs, why would my last 10 be any different? It really doesn't make sense to me, but there must be a reason I keep hearing this over and over?

What are your thoughts? Is there any truth to this? I am sick of hearing it. It's kind of bumming me out!

Thanks

cheddarboy

I don't think its necessarily the weight. I think when people get to their desired weight, they don't look exactly how they dreamed or thought - so theres always a couple lbs of fat lingering. Thats how I am anyways..

miss_ally08

Unfortunately, its not just an myth, it is true. I think its usually because the less weight you have, the harder it is to lose rather than maintain, if that makes sense? Just like its easier for a heavier person to loose weight quicker than someone of average weight by doing the same type of exercise regimen/diet. I am pretty sure that makes no sense, actually, but I'm having a hard time wording it, lol.

withchaco

The reasoning behind the last few pounds being extra stubborn is that once your body is down to a low-ish body fat %, it doesn't want to lose any more fat. Due to evolution, the body likes having a bit of extra fat just in case famine happens, or for insulation/ thermogenesis during winter.

Every body is different, though. Some people shed the "last few pounds" with ease. My dad was one of those people... in fact, his last few pounds melted away FASTER.

cmriverside

Especially for women, but for everyone: Once you get down to a certain percentage of body fat, your body will be "happy" where it is.

It is a survival mechanism for our bodies to hold on to a certain amount of fat in case of a food shortage. Plus most of us pick an unrealistically low number to try to reach on the scale.

NikkisNewStart

The closer you are to your goal weight, the less "room" you have, caloric wise, to meet a substantial deficit. You will continue to lose, but it will be at a slower rate.

For instance... when I was 200 lbs, my "maintenance" calories (fictional number) was 2200. I could easily lose the weight when I was consuming only 1200 per day. Now, at 128 pounds, my "maintenance" calories is 1810. Even if I ate 1200, that's only creating a 610 calorie a day deficit vs the 1000 per day I was getting when I was heavier.

You just don't have that much wiggle room to create that deficit to continue a fast (i.e. 2 lb a week) loss... so realistically, you'll be losing 1/2 lb a week... thus making it take longer to take off those last few pounds.

My numbers are fictional... but you catch my drift (I hope)

LorinaLynn

Our bodies don't want to be thin. We're fighting thousands of years of our bodies wanting to hold onto some fat stores because lean times (famine, war, winter) might be right around the corner.

The closer you get to your goal, the more you have to convince your body that it's ok to let go of the fat.

Personally? The weight loss is slower for me, because I'm eating more now, but it's not harder. I'm working harder - running longer and faster, for instance - but I'm more capable so it's not as bad.

leomom72

maybe the body knows where it NEEDS to be, and it feels it's not safe to lose those lbs WE think need to be gone..good question, i wondered the same thing

kelseyannxo

It's true, unfourtunately.
Like the above users have said, once your body hits a certain weight and the closer you are to being under your body's "target" weight, the more stubborn it's going to be and going to try to hold on to the last bit of fat you have. I can say this is pretty true for myself. The first 10 pounds dropped fairly quickly and the last 5 will be tough. You have to push harder than you ever have to get your body to lose the rest of that fat!

cheddarboy

all true, i guess our bodies weren't meant to look the way I want them to :grumble:

tameko2

Like clintswifey says - but just to clarify -- If you have been losing 2lbs a week (and the first month or a lot of people lose even more) its a lot harder to maintain that scale of loss at the end.

But if you've been losing 1lb or .5 lb a week I think you won't see as much of a 'slow down'.

Pebble321

I think it depends where your goal weight is... if it is at a low end of the BMI (flawed I know!) then you are more likely to have trouble that if you are aiming for the high end.

W0zzie

Also, at least for the majority, it's harder (not the right word) to get the burn from exercise/activity. The less weight we hold and the fitter we get the harder we have to work to get the same cal burn from activity. Your heart rate doesn't go as high doing so little work and when it does it drops faster. So if I do want the same cals burned in a workout session I have to do more strenous activity &/or workout longer.

RachelJE

Less weight you have to lose = harder to lose. For example, the first 30 came off me like water in the first month, now I lose about 10/month. However my body also cycles with plateaus, which sometimes seem to be related to absolutely nothing. About every 30 pounds I hit a plateau that lasts 3-4 weeks where I lose and gain the same damn 2 pounds over and over again!!

xomakaxo

If you're having trouble losing and you've lost a substantial amount of weight, try wearing that much weight again while you're working out (arm/leg bands, weights, etc). If you think about it, you would have been working much harder to do the same activity if you had to lift those extra pounds on your body. Your heart isn't having to work as hard, and you're doing less work simply because you weigh less. I mean this in addition to what everyone else is saying.

EDIT: Agree with W0zzie!

amberlineilene

THANKS EVERYONE!