20lbs or less to lose

alanaosu

This post is for anyone who is not hugely overweight to respond to.

I'm just wondering what tips and strategies you use to help shift those last few 'vanity pounds'. I have to keep my cals really low (1200 when not exercising) just to lose 0.5lbs a week. I have listened to Jillian Michaels podcast on the subject and she advises that there's no harm in eating between 1200-1400 and exercising around 500-700 away without eating them back.

Before everyone jumps on the 'you must eat them back bandwagon' please remember that I'm talking about a slightly different type of weight loss to the person who has, say, 50+ lbs to lose. Jillian seems to be saying that as you near you goal weight, you will get to a point where it's unsafe to lower your cals any further and so you need to create a deficit using exercise to lose more than half a pound a week. Has anyone had any success with this?

Thoughts?

SueInAz

Everyone is different. Some people can lose weight netting less than 1200 and some can't. You'll need to determine for yourself which you are. I'm one who can't. Since I couldn't cut calories or exercise more, I cut carbs and that works for me.

kimber_av

I only have 15lbs to lose.
and I also eat 1200 calories a day and then burn more to create that deficit you are talking about. those of us with less to lose do have to do it this way. We cannot eat back the calories ( I never understood why you would want to anyways! haha)

so my schedule is...
I eat 1200 calories a day and I workout mwf and do a little walking tues,thurs and maybe sundays if i can.
so far its working well.
feel free to message me if you want an exact breakdown of what i'm doing.
been doing this schedule for almost 3 weeks and have lost 3lbs so far. (weight check tomorrow for an update)

elizamc

I just don't know what to cut, add or anything....stuck stuck stuck.....

Angieeeebabayy

Stop drinking pop and milk. (I know that people say milk is healthy, but actually if you research this- you'll notice milk is bad for you. Read Skinny B**ch. Changed my opinion of milk.)

Avoid white refined carbs. (Say no to the bread at dinner, limit pasta and starchy potatoes intake, avoid bad sugars, etc.)

Drink a cup of green tea once a day!


I've dropped 34 pounds and counting practicing these habits.

bhoochy

I have...I eat less than 1200 then exercise between 200-700 cals. I do not eat them back. I"ve lost alot of weight and haven't stalled yet!!!

My food journal is open

ebaymommy

Cut back on pop (any, even the diet stuff) and sugar. Last summer when I was trying to just ditch a few pounds before my brother's wedding I gave up my 1 diet pop a day habit and cut out both artifical and real sugar and lost 4lbs in a week.

DeirdreHamilton

I would definitely look at the QUALITY of those calories you're taking in. Those last few pounds can be tough, even with a caloric deficit and ample exercise. I cut gluten a few months back, because it was determined I had a slight sensitivity to it, and I dropped 10lbs almost overnight (ok, not overnight, but definitely in 7 or 8 days). Even though before then, I was still operating at a caloric deficit (I worked out HARD - I trained for triathlons and was working out 2 or 3 hours per day), those last few pounds were not budging. Once I cut the gluten (but maintained my very necessary for training carb intake through such items as fruits, vegs, legumes & nuts) it was amazing how quickly the pounds dropped (especially from the mid-section). Oh, and I cut diet soda also, I think that definitely helped with some bloating. Just do your best to figure out your own body and how it responds to different types of foods. Hope this helps!

ayummymommy01

I am still trying to grasp this myself...sure not eating exercise cals may work for some and may work for a while...it's when a plateau hits that we then have to cut back even more...at least that is what I USED to think. AH HAH...that may have been what I was doing wrong all along.
I am going to follow MFP the way it was intended (eat exercise cals) and see how I go...in the past I do not think I was eating enough and that is why I could not go below (or stay below) a certain weight. I know it sounds backwards but it works!! I only to lose about 15lbs. and this is what I am going to follow.
Just my 2 cents...

CaptainMFP

Metabolically, at the stage you describe, you have to be careful. On one hand, you're right, you can't create as big a deficit. However, as your body fat drops so does the production of the hormone leptin which normally promotes high metabolic rate. The reduction in leptin creates a metabolic drag. (Everyone is not different on this point...it's part of how metabolism is regulated.) Thus, if you create too big of a deficit (for example, by eating very little) you can stall further loss by further lowering your metabolism.

The best universal advice (and I'm close to but not quite to the place where you are, so I'm speaking from professional knowledge and not personal experience here) is to set your goals lower. That is, max your rate of loss out at 0.5 lbs. a week. This allows you to eat a few more calories (thus mitigating the metabolic drag from excessively low calories) while still maintaining a deficit. Loss will be slower but it will still proceed. If you read what you wrote carefully, this is in essence what JM was advocating. If you eat 1300 to 1500 calories a day you are eating at or above your BMR (it is universally a health risk to gross fewer calories a day than BMI...there are no real exceptions to this) but will still run a deficit with moderate exercise.

Keep in mind a lot of the calories used by someone in your position is for central nervous system function, and you don't want to starve the CNS. If it were me, I'd follow the JM plan you laid out but allow myself to eat 100 - 200 extra calories on days where I exercise vigorously (i.e. > 600 calories burned in a day from exercise) to keep my metabolism fueled. And if you find yourself chronically experiencing fatigue, headaches, or other neurological issues then you would definitely need to eat more...these are never good signs as they indicate an under-fueled CNS.

alanaosu

Thanks scschenk. It's always good to hear a clearly laid out pov.

I never eat less than1200 cals a day and I do tend to eat a little more on days when I kill it with Insanity or a run (I just feel hungrier and think you should always listen to your body).

Another controversial point I'd like to bring up is breakfast. I find that on the days when I do eat it (which has been most days for the past 6 months) it seems to kick off my hunger for the day. I'm never actually hungry at breakfast time and have to force it down me. However if I put it off until around 11am or lunch (when I wouldn't say I feel hungry but can eat without it being forced) my hunger seems more manageable for the day. Actually 'hunger' is the wrong word here. I tend not to think about food so much on the days when I miss breakfast. I'm a night own by nature and always want to eat something in the evenings so I find that on the days where I have a proper breakfast it leaves me with very few (if any) calories to enjoy later in the day. In all of my years of dieting I have only ever seemed to lose (and keep off) weight when I skip of have a very light breakfast (just an apple or piece of fruit). I'm not saying this is right and am not suggesting anyone else tries it but it seems to work for me. I'd be interested to see if anyone else has found this?

Ral263

I only have 10 lbs to lose (thanks birth control and senior year...), and as far as what I can tell so far, it's really those small "tweaks' that end up making a HUGE difference.

I already eat extremely clean and healthy, so that was difficult for me to do. Here are the changes I've made so far:

1) Consume more carbs at breakfast, and cut out the ones later in the day. I found that having a carb heavy breakfast (complex/whole carbs of course!) made me crave them less at night (when I would ALWAYS binge on them)

2) Make simple "swaps"-- instead of soy milk (I have a cup/day in coffee), use almond milk. An easy 70 cals a day gone.

3) Switch up your workout. Instead of ellipticalling 10 miles, I'm now running 8 and doing 2 on the elliptical.

These are obviously just a few things, but really small things can make a huge difference!

SueInAz

Another controversial point I'd like to bring up is breakfast. I find that on the days when I do eat it (which has been most days for the past 6 months) it seems to kick off my hunger for the day. I'm never actually hungry at breakfast time and have to force it down me. However if I put it off until around 11am or lunch (when I wouldn't say I feel hungry but can eat without it being forced) my hunger seems more manageable for the day. Actually 'hunger' is the wrong word here. I tend not to think about food so much on the days when I miss breakfast. I'm a night own by nature and always want to eat something in the evenings so I find that on the days where I have a proper breakfast it leaves me with very few (if any) calories to enjoy later in the day. In all of my years of dieting I have only ever seemed to lose (and keep off) weight when I skip of have a very light breakfast (just an apple or piece of fruit). I'm not saying this is right and am not suggesting anyone else tries it but it seems to work for me. I'd be interested to see if anyone else has found this?

I'm not a breakfast person, either, and I'd usually rather eat later in the day. I have found no difference in my weight loss if I don't eat anything until an early "lunch" and then snack after dinner, as long as I stay under my calorie and carb goals. I have a tendency to have a "breakfast" of about 100-150 calories, which is usually some Greek yogurt with berries or a protein bar, after I arrive at work. I then eat lunch around 10:30-11:00am.

DeirdreHamilton

For breakfast, like you said, I listen to my body and eat only when I'm hungry. I also switched from carb-centric breakfasts to protein-centric breakfasts - and feel much fuller for much longer after a high-protein breakfast (i.e. - eggs - and lots of 'em). The more I eat at breakfast (again - my breakfast simply being when I was hungry - not necessarily at "breakfast time"), the stronger I am during the day. I've actually started simply calling breakfast - "Meal 1" - because eating at 7am sometimes just does not work for me. I generally eat my first meal around 9am or 930am ... when I've already been up for 3 or 4 hours (and have likely already done a workout). I tend to start getting a little "hungry" at this time - but certainly not "starving". My one main goal is to never allow myself to get to the "starving" point - or else I make some really poor food decisions. My body seems to do just fine with this. I never feel faint or hungry. I actually feel really strong in the morning and don't feel the need to eat (on the contrary, the thought of eating that early sometimes turns me off). However, if I woke one morning just starving, I'd listen to my body and feed it.

Because I'm in bed super early each night (because I train so early in the morning), I strive to not eat after 7pm also, when I can help it. But hey, life is to be enjoyed, right, so if I'm out with friends an it's 8pm ... I'll eat. ;-) Balance!

LindsayInNYC

I only have 15lbs to lose.
and I also eat 1200 calories a day and then burn more to create that deficit you are talking about. those of us with less to lose do have to do it this way. We cannot eat back the calories ( I never understood why you would want to anyways! haha)

so my schedule is...
I eat 1200 calories a day and I workout mwf and do a little walking tues,thurs and maybe sundays if i can.
so far its working well.
feel free to message me if you want an exact breakdown of what i'm doing.
been doing this schedule for almost 3 weeks and have lost 3lbs so far. (weight check tomorrow for an update)

I love to see a breakdown!! It's been tough for me to stick to 1200 calories =/