Ugh, last ten pounds...go away. :<

cayadear

So I've been fluctuating the past few weeks between 132 and 127. It's maddening. My goal weight is 120, vanity weight 117, I'm 5'3" and have already lost about 25lbs--give or take--counting calories using MFP. Amazing results.

The thing is, I just want to lose that last 10-15 lbs or so and just be done, so I can focus on toning up! I'm doing some weight exercises now, so I'm not sure if that fluctuation is just me gaining (and then losing?) muscle or what. I'm confused and a little bit disappointed and discouraged.

I run at least a mile every day, stay within my 1200 calories and try not to eat too little. I've been running a mile and doing arm exercises every day now for the past month, and I really wanted to be 120 by Christmas, but at this rate it doesn't look like that's going to happen.

I'm not religious about my food logging online (I mainly keep a head tally), so viewing my food diary won't really help. I don't know if I should switch up my exercise routine, or maybe it's time for me to even out and increase my calorie intake and focus on toning...I don't know.

A little help, any help, would be greatly appreciated.

Jeff92se

Wha tis your bodyfat %? If it's low, your goal might not be realistic

cayadear

I don't even really know. I've talked to a couple of friends about this and they have also stated ~130 may just be my body's "petering out" weight, and if so, the most logical thing to do would be to increase calorie intake and build muscle, right?

psuLemon

Well if you only eat 1200 calories and you exercise, you are eating too little to start with. Start with setting your goal at .5 lbs per week and eat back at least 80% of the exercise calories. The other way of figuring out yoru caloric needs is use the BMR tool, post results and tell us your exercise routine and daily lifestyle (desk job,etc..)

VinVenture

I'd start lifting weights. Builds muscle and takes away the last, annoying fat. Also, you avoid the skinny-fat look

cayadear

I make sure to eat back most of what I exercise, along with the base 1200. And I've been lifting weights pretty religiously the past month or so, but have been doing the same arm routine daily, so my body may just be getting used to it?

I googled a BMR calculator and got about 1,400. Another gave me 1,313.

Edit:
My activity level is sedentary to light. I'm a vet tech/receptionist, so depending on where they have me (front or back) my activity level fluctuates.

healthyliving_girl

I feel the same way...and have been going up and down in weight for the last 5 weeks.

I've zigzagged my calories. I've increased weight. blah blah blah. I tell myself that maybe my body is changing even though the scale is not.

This helps me remember that the number on the scale is just that: a number.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/thecrossfitter/view/why-weight-doesn-t-tell-the-whole-story-171943

Look at those photos. THe girl weighs the same in all of them....

Hope that gives you some piece of mind.

cayadear

That does quite a bit, actually! Thanks for that. I kept thinking yesterday how I know the numbers say I gained 5lbs from where I was, but I didn't feel any fatter or bloated whereas before when I gained I would automatically feel the difference when I wrapped my arms around my belly.

cpow81

I also think changing up your workout routine will help. Have you tried zumba or another aerobics class like kickboxing? I also changed my goal from losing 1lb/wk to .5lb/wk and was able to get rid of the last 5lbs.

Jeff92se

I don't even really know. I've talked to a couple of friends about this and they have also stated ~130 may just be my body's "petering out" weight, and if so, the most logical thing to do would be to increase calorie intake and build muscle, right?

I wouldn't make a decision until I knew what bodyfat I'm working with. If you are arleady very low, you will drive yourself crazy trying to lose weight that can't realistically be lost.

Maryaly40

Try this site, it may help!


http://www.formerfatguy.com/articles/weight-loss/10-pounds-to-lose.asp

psuLemon

I make sure to eat back most of what I exercise, along with the base 1200. And I've been lifting weights pretty religiously the past month or so, but have been doing the same arm routine daily, so my body may just be getting used to it?

I googled a BMR calculator and got about 1,400. Another gave me 1,313.

Edit:
My activity level is sedentary to light. I'm a vet tech/receptionist, so depending on where they have me (front or back) my activity level fluctuates.

The best thing to do is get your body fat tested with calipers. Having this information will be very valuable to understand your BMR. But based on your estimated BMR, and your are probably lightly active at work and seem to workout at least 3 days a week, I would consider you moderately active (i include exercise as part of your lifestyle; this is also the approach that the Katch McArdle formula uses).

BMR x TDEE muliplier - deficit = Daily Caloric needs.

1350 * 1.55 - 250 = 1842.

If i were you, I would aim to eat 1850 calories a day (even when you don't work out). Of that, i would make 40% carbs, 40% protein and 20% fats. Monitor this for a month. If you haven't lost, but haven't gain 5+ lbs, then increase your calories by 200. I say 5+ lbs because a pound or two is just water weight. Also at this point, i would worry more about recomposition than weight.

kapeluza

I just wanted to post something about what to expect during the phases of weight loss.

Overview (why I'm posting this)
Over the course of about 7 months on here, I have seen many people suceed, I have also seen some drop off the map. I expect this is because some succumb to the demon that is temptation, and some to the devil that is dissapointment. I wanted to give a few "heads up"s to both new commers and vetrans to the site. Some may know already, some may not. But either way, if this helps anyone to set more realistic goals in their own head, I feel like it has done it's job.

Phase 1. The start of a brand new day! (or week, or month, or year)
Expectations are sky high, usually so is motivation and intentions. This is where most people lose the most weight. At the start it's not uncommon to see 4 to 8 lb losses per week. The reasons for this are mostly (sorry to disappoint) water weight. You drop excess water quickly, and you can have up to 5 lbs of water weight. The next biggest reason is the fat that is right next to the blood vessels, the stuff that you put on in the last month or three, it will melt like butter usually.

Phase 2. Reality setting in.
At about week 3 to a month or so, people suddenly realize that they are no longer dropping 8, 6, or even 4 lbs a week. This is a crutial phase in your journey. Expect this, it is natural. You have shocked your body by changing both eating habits and exercise routine. Now it has had a little while to become used to the new lifestyle, it's going to compensate. Your body still doesn't believe it's permenant yet, so it will still try to store some fat, so now that it knows how to regulate it's new metabolic levels, it tryies to store fat in earnest. It's not uncommon for people to hit a wall here, no loss for weeks. Expect this as well.

Phase 3. The routine.
At about 2 months or so, your routine is pretty much set, your body is beginning to believe that you really want to STAY the way you are going now. You will start to see more consistant (but lower, usually 1 to 2 lbs a week) loss, also, you should start seeing some muscle tone (depending on how much you had to lose in the first place). If you stop to think, you should realize that you have improved dramatically in your exercise levels. If you do cardio, you should notice how much longer and harder you can work. This is important to realize as it is just as big of an indicator as weight loss. Also, by now you may notice that your clothes no longer fit right. This is also very important. The weight may not be falling off anymore, but you are becomming a smaller person. Weight is arbitrary, if you are building muscle (which your body is doing at a furious pace by now) you won't notice huge losses, but you will notice wholesale changes in the mirror!

Phase 4. Really digging in.
This is where the second wall can happen. You're probably at between 3 and 4 months by now, and if you have gone this far, you feel like you have already suceeded. This is where many people stumble. they are tired of the routine, tired of eating different things from all their friends, limiting their alcohol intake. Basically the shine has worn off. this is when your really need to plant your feet. Maybe change up your exercise routine, make a concentrated effort to find different, but still nutritional food. Talk to people. And examine how far you have come. At this point, no matter how much external motivation you receive, it's all about believing in yourself!

Phase 5. End game.
5 or 6 months in you are probably working on that "last 10 pounds". This can be discouraging for many as it is a slow burn. Remember, your body probably feels like it is where it needs to be, your brain might think you need to lose 10 more, but your body is quite proud of itself now, it feels like it has "Done enough" and it wants to stay RIGHT HERE. The body LIKES to have a little fat around just in case, especially for the ladies (sorry girls, it's just human physiology). If you feel like you still need to lose it, prepare yourself for some guerrila warfare against your body. Design an exercise regimen that is very dynamic, forget the "same thing every day". Make a plan that challenges you both physically and mentally. Make sure you give yourself a day off here and there to just veg. And by all means, remember, muscle burns fat at rest. So get some weight or resistance training involved.
The last 10 may take 3 to 6 months to lose. I know nobody wants to hear that, but it's true. And forget the idea of increasing your calorie deficite, healthy bodies need good nutrition, your body no longer has the fat reserves to handle the large deficites you could when you were 30 40 or 50 pounds overweight. Better to make it a 3 or 400 calorie deficite (NET, please count your exercise calories too!). It may take a bit longer, but your body will like you for it. Plus it feeds those new muscles and keeps them burning fat, keeps your skin healthy (elasticity is important when you want those places that were stretched out to "snap back") and keeps you from getting head aches and depressed.

Conclusion:

this is what I have learned, not just from my journey, but from others as well on here. It saddens me sometimes to see people hit one of these stages and not recognize it for what it is, a part of the process. If we all can have realistic expectations, then we are more prone to win the fight and stay healthy in the long run. Note that some people will hit these stages harder then others, some may take longer, but for the most part, this is the rule that the exceptions will come from.

TavistockToad

So I've been fluctuating the past few weeks between 132 and 127. It's maddening. My goal weight is 120, vanity weight 117, I'm 5'3" and have already lost about 25lbs--give or take--counting calories using MFP. Amazing results.

The thing is, I just want to lose that last 10-15 lbs or so and just be done, so I can focus on toning up! I'm doing some weight exercises now, so I'm not sure if that fluctuation is just me gaining (and then losing?) muscle or what. I'm confused and a little bit disappointed and discouraged.

I run at least a mile every day, stay within my 1200 calories and try not to eat too little. I've been running a mile and doing arm exercises every day now for the past month, and I really wanted to be 120 by Christmas, but at this rate it doesn't look like that's going to happen.

I'm not religious about my food logging online (I mainly keep a head tally), so viewing my food diary won't really help. I don't know if I should switch up my exercise routine, or maybe it's time for me to even out and increase my calorie intake and focus on toning...I don't know.

A little help, any help, would be greatly appreciated.

up your cals to lose 1/2lb a week, or even maintenance and focus on toning NOW!

when i started a proper strength training routine my weight stayed the same but i lost inches like crazy and more or less dropped another dress size. (i am 5ft 5, and my maintenance is 122-126lbs)

try not to think too much about the figure on the scale, its how you feel that matters.

cayadear

Wow, thank you guys so much for the advice!

@psulemon, Geez, 1800 cals. I'm a little sticker shocked. 1200 is what I was and have been on for a while now, and adding 600 calories to my day makes me almost feel guilty. I work out at least 4-5 days a week, both cardio for at least a mile and weights. I've also added ab toning into the mix more recently. I know when I do that I lose more calories, but I don't even count those cals into the mix so that makes it even more that I need to eat. I guess I'm just nervous that as soon as I up the cal intake, the pounds will come roaring back and I'll need to work even harder to shed them.

@kapeluza, That makes a lot of sense. My confusion and disappointment are just even more reason for me to dig my heels in at this point.

I think it's just that it's so close I can taste it and I just want it here as fast as I had been losing weight before! But I'll reconfigure my activity level on here and change my weekly goal from 2lbs/wk to 1lb/wk, see if that changes anything.

Again, thank you guys so much.

psuLemon

Well you might gain a pound or two due to water weight but I have seen this work over 50+ times and there are hundreds of people on this board that eat more. Below the results of a study I did but eating more is good. I would suggest for the next few week eat at 1500 calories and then after that bump it to 1800 calories. Remember, food is fuel. If you don't have the right fuel, your system can't process. Its like putting unleaded gas into a jet engine, it just wont work.



http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/395948-caloric-intake-results?hl=caloric+intake&page=1#posts-5425208