Any "Last Stubborn 20 pounders" out there?

12by311

I have absolutely no clue how I would look at my goal weight of 150. I graduated high school at 165, when I was in the best shape of my life and most physically fit (playing varsity sports year round, never a break). Right now I am 164.

However, I know my body has changed and I can definitely stand to get rid of the fat that is hanging on for dear life!

But I've thought about the same thing...is 150 even doable for me? How on earth will I look at that weight?

Oh, by the way, I'm going back down to 1400 for this week.

songbyrdsweet

I really think we should get away from the pounds and goal weights.
If you can fit into your goal pants, why does it matter if you're 5 lbs off of your goal weight? What if that last 5 lbs is mostly muscle? Is it really worth it to lose muscle mass to reach a number? I look very different at 130 lbs now than I did at 130 lbs in November. My back is more developed, my biceps are bigger, and my stomach is flatter. It's not about weight, it's about body composition. I could weigh 120 lbs and look flabbier than I do at 130 if I lose a good deal of muscle mass.

Shoppingqueen, are you doing any resistance training? Chronic aerobic activity releases cortisol, which breaks down muscle mass. A good way to combat that is to use all the muscle fiber types, and that requires intense resistance training. If you aren't giving your body a reason to maintain that muscle mass, it won't, because it's metabolically expensive.

My aerobics class is 40 minutes aerobics (floor and step) and 15 minutes weights and abs and 5 mins stretch. I do that 2-3 times a week.

I also agree with the number idea. I just want to get down around that. I might hate what I look like if I ever get down that low. I'm a very big boned person so it might come off too skinny. My ideal look is to have a skinny waist and hip area.

15 minutes 2-3 times a week of resistance training is actually far below the minimum you'd need as a beginner. If you've been training for a few months, it's not actually going to cause any changes. I've seen a ton of step classes and step/weight classes, and with the exception of one class I have yet to see a routine that is challenging enough to elicit any muscular adaptation. You need to start with 30 minutes, 3 times per week, and it needs to be intense and challenging. That means that a weight you lift 12 times should be too heavy to do 13, 14, 20 times. You have to reach muscular fatigue to cause adaptations.

12by311

Yay for fluctuations (This time. haha).

Still 164. :ohwell:

No loss. :grumble:

slieber

No loss, but no gain, either. That's pretty good, actually.

Sorry men, but I have to say I'm proud to have stayed the same this week. Why? Ahem. The, erm, bloaty situation one gets before "mother nature" arrives. If I didn't gain this week, that means I've actually lost between 2-4 pounds in the week before, because I usually GAIN that much in water just before IT arrives.

Weighed in on Saturday - no change in weight. Got IT on Sunday. I hope with careful exercise and eating this week, that the loss will show up big time. Even two pounds - well, actually, just two pounds - would be fine for me. :-)

One of my ballet teachers said to me tonight that she's noticed that I have most definitely lost weight since starting in August. YAY! It's nice to be noticed!

Mickie17

I started to lose, but I think I'm still hitting a mini plateu...I welcome any and all suggestions!!!

mrsyac2

I have been trying to lose the same 20lbs for-ev-er!!!
Then I set myself back by gaining 9lbs by being careless then I lost that and now I am back to trying to shake these 20 pounds that aren't going anywhere.
I decided to kick it up a notch so I am in my 2nd week of hitting the gym my goal is to burn 3500-5000 calories in 6 days of hitting the gym doing cardio/weight training.

raelee

There are 5 pages of advice so I'm not sure if anyone already mentioned, 30day Shred. Jillian Michaels. She kicks my butt good and this program says you can lose up to 20 lbs in 30 days. I just got the DVD and I've lose 5lbs already.

12by311

Slieber, Don't you love when people actually notice!

Someone actually asked me yesterday, "You've lost a lot of weight haven't you?"
I said, "Not a lot...5 pounds..."

So apparently, even 5 pounds shows a little. Maybe I actually am smaller. :huh:

slieber

Go to the grocery store and pick up 5 pounds of potatoes. Imagine that on your body. I've lost nearly 50 over the past few years (gained some back, lost about 25 of those). Every so often, I pick up a couple of sacks of potatoes and remember that I used the carry that around on my body.

My HRM said that in my 3 hours of warm-up and ballet classes (two of them - one a killer, the other a bit easier), I used about 1600 calories. :happy:

laurs

i sure am one! i had 8 more lbs to go and they haven't gone since november! i think i might've gained back one or two too because i've gotten lazy.

besides switching up the exercise (i've taken up hockey and am doing hiit, i also do yoga and run long distances) is there anything else i can do? should i try eating big meals early and then smaller meals?

12by311

I lost a pound this week. So I've lost 6 total since joining MFP.

Started at 169.
Now I am 163.

:bigsmile:

AND I did 60 pushups last night....doing 20 in a row. That is the most I've ever done in a row! (Hey....don't laugh! haha)

Mickie17

Go to the grocery store and pick up 5 pounds of potatoes. Imagine that on your body. I've lost nearly 50 over the past few years (gained some back, lost about 25 of those). Every so often, I pick up a couple of sacks of potatoes and remember that I used the carry that around on my body.

My HRM said that in my 3 hours of warm-up and ballet classes (two of them - one a killer, the other a bit easier), I used about 1600 calories. :happy:

A great suggestion I read (and tried...actually I should do it again) in Shape or Self some time ago was to put that much weight in a backpack, or carry that much weight in handweights and go for a walk. Then drop the weight and feel how much lighter you are!!!! It's amazing!!! And exhilirating!!! :happy:

slieber

Two pounds down!! I was hoping this would be the case. I kept very careful with the food and exercised pretty well - thanks HRM, and to Songbyrdsweet for the interval info. :-)

Mickie17

Two pounds down!! I was hoping this would be the case. I kept very careful with the food and exercised pretty well - thanks HRM, and to Songbyrdsweet for the interval info. :-)

Way to go!!!! Keep up the great work!!! :happy:

slieber

Thanks! <blushes>

mrsyac2

finally got past having 20lbs to lose now I am at 19lbs to go woohoo--

May not seem like alot to others but please let me explain

Prior to MFP I dropped alot of weight I came here because I had reached a plateau (I never passed my plateau being on this site however I did become addicted to posting lol) Then I ended up gaining some weight back that I already loss due to not paying attention to what I was doing and being careless (My down fall is I HAVE TO BE ACTIVE) so I had to lose that weight "again" and so far I have lost the extra lbs I gained + and additional lb which put me with just 19 to go until I reach my goal very exciting --

slieber

That IS quite exciting - one pound is a bonus. One thing I USED to do but don't do anymore is that I don't "reward" myself with a food treat when I lose weight. I've lost from a half a pound to a pound a week, except the week before last, when I stayed the same (pre-fem cycle time - so I consider that a good thing to have stayed the same!). One thing I changed, apart from the exercise style, WAS that I stopped the food "rewards."

And, like you, I HAVE to be active or I don't lose at all, or I gain easily back. Now my body's so used to it that when I miss more than a day (and lately I have missed two days a week in a row because of other commitments), my body hurts from LACK of exercise. No matter how much I don't want to do it, I'll HAVE to keep active.

Keep up the good work!

Mickie17

And, like you, I HAVE to be active or I don't lose at all, or I gain easily back. Now my body's so used to it that when I miss more than a day (and lately I have missed two days a week in a row because of other commitments), my body hurts from LACK of exercise. No matter how much I don't want to do it, I'll HAVE to keep active.

Me too! If I don't work out, I stay the same...although, I kinda like where I am. I never thought I'd be satisfied with that, but I think I am. Although, I still have knee pain, so that is driving me to meet my goal, so I can have less of that. For me, I;'ve noticed that the older I get, UGH!, the more I need to stay active to keep weight off. It's a bummer, but I'm just that much healthier for it! And I'm an active person anyway...it's just that I don't want to have to "work at it." Does that makes sense???

crazybigchick

Grrr....Me too! Been playin' with the same bl**dy two pounds for the past 2 months. I only need to lose about 15 or so, but it's not coming off easy. I've only just started interval training now to see if that helps. I DID lose 2 pounds this week, though, so perhaps it's actually beginning to work.

I know the feeling. 147-149 over and over again! I do so great for a week or tow and then am starving and my will power is gone so I splurge for a few days and all my hard work is undone. My 25th birthday is in a little less than 2 weeks and I desperately want to be 145 by then. Keep us up dated on how your interval training goes. I need some inspiration to get my butt back in gear! :sad:

slieber

Mickie, it makes perfect sense to me. I like being active but not being GYM active. However, it's the only way that's working for me at the moment.