Getting those last subborn lbs off....

angelinaz

I just read this and it has a lot of points that I think will help me. It's a topic that comes up often....Here goes:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::;;;;;;;

I've lost 45 pounds in the last two years. I'm now a size 6, at 150 pounds and 5 feet 10 inches tall. I owe it all to sensible portions and exercise. But for the past six months I've been unable to lose the last five pounds.

Four days a week, I do an intense cardio videotape for 60 minutes, followed by a 30-minute tape of tough upper-body weight lifting. I injured my Achilles tendon, so any other workouts—including using cardio equipment—aggravates it. Everyone tells me that I'm not losing more because I'm adding muscle. I'm wondering if I should add more low-intensity activity. (I'm doing more housecleaning and gardening to see if that helps.) Any suggestions on how to lose the last few pounds? This is very frustrating and I don't want to give up.

A: You've lost 23 percent of your initial body weight, and if you've kept this off for six months or longer, by all clinical measures, you are an inspiring success story! This isn't easy and most people are lucky to lose five to 10 percent and keep that weight off in the long term. Your BMI is at a healthy 21.

Still, weight loss can be addictive, and like other pursuits, it can be a bit anticlimactic once a goal is achieved. So you set a new one. Once you've lost weight and felt the psychological, physiological and social benefits, it's understandable to keep wanting to lop off another five pounds every time you lose five more. But do you need to, really? And, more importantly, is it healthy and feasible to do so?

You have several things working against you.

How weight loss affects metabolism

First, you are near, or at, your ideal body weight. But that may not stop you from micro-analyzing your body and spotting areas that you still feel need improvement. Or worse, you may be so fixated on a number on the scale that you're blinded to how great you look and feel at your present weight. Even though you may be convinced that five more pounds is where you should be, your body may not feel that way—and mechanisms to prevent further weight gain may be kicking in because you are at a healthy weight right now.

Second, you are now what's known as a "weight-loss loser." You've successfully lost weight and appear to be maintaining that weight loss. But your body has been in a state of flux for the past two years. And your physiology is different than that of a person who has always been a weight-stable 150 pounds.

From a physiological standpoint you are highly susceptible to regaining weight now. Your now-emptier fat cells may be clamoring, from a metabolic level, to be filled. Various neurotransmitters that affect caloric intake (how much you eat and how much fat you store) and caloric expenditure (how many calories your body burns) may be triggered to replace the vital energy stores (fat) that were lost. This may lead to food cravings.

You're on the right track to wage the battle against regaining weight by doing intense cardio, increasing your physical activity, lifting weights and continuing with dietary portion control. Lifting weights while dieting by following portion control is unlikely to lead to major muscle-mass gain; this explains your body's current resistance to weight loss. But it may be preventing you from losing as much lean-muscle tissue as you might lose from dieting alone—and that's a good thing.

What's the real struggle here?

If you weren't sticking to these textbook weight-maintenance recommendations, it's likely you'd be gaining weight. Saying that, your body may be on a plateau as a result of an internal energy struggle. And because of that, it may be very difficult to lose any additional weight in a healthy way.

Also, your struggle may be more about your self-image than your fat cells. Changing your outward appearance may have boosted your self-esteem, but that alone may not have helped you improve what may have been a poor body image to start with.

If you think this may apply to you, shifting your focus to something more meaningful than those last five pounds may be the next necessary step in your transformation. You can probably continue to improve the way you look, but your progress will be made in smaller increments over a longer period of time.

Shifting gears

So instead of looking for the magic solution to lose those last five pounds, shift gears:

When you eat, focus on pumping yourself up with nutritious food that will help your body flourish and feel full of energy.

When you exercise, aim to meet your weekly cardio- and weights quota in order to continue maintaining your muscle strength, but ease off on your expectations.

Your injured heel is clearly a signal that your body is weakened (and losing weight while potentially over-exercising in prior months may have contributed). For variety's sake, try new forms of cardio that may be okay for your foot: swimming, walking (but not up hills), recumbent cycling, or dance classes. If the Achilles pain persists, see a doctor. And let your body heal while you aim to strengthen your self-esteem.

Find more from Martica.

Do you have a fitness or weight-loss question for Martica? Send e-mail to experts@microsoft.com. Please include Ask Martica in the subject line. Each of our experts responds to one question each week and the responses are posted on Mondays on MSN Health. We regret that we cannot provide a personalized response to every submission.


Martica is a Manhattan-based exercise physiologist and nutritionist and an award-winning fitness instructor. She has written for a variety of publications including Self , Health , Prevention , The New York Times and others. Martica is the author of seven books, including her latest, - Cross-Training for Dummies . (Read her full bio.)

angelinaz

I just read this and it has a lot of points that I think will help me. It's a topic that comes up often....Here goes:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::;;;;;;;

I've lost 45 pounds in the last two years. I'm now a size 6, at 150 pounds and 5 feet 10 inches tall. I owe it all to sensible portions and exercise. But for the past six months I've been unable to lose the last five pounds.

Four days a week, I do an intense cardio videotape for 60 minutes, followed by a 30-minute tape of tough upper-body weight lifting. I injured my Achilles tendon, so any other workouts—including using cardio equipment—aggravates it. Everyone tells me that I'm not losing more because I'm adding muscle. I'm wondering if I should add more low-intensity activity. (I'm doing more housecleaning and gardening to see if that helps.) Any suggestions on how to lose the last few pounds? This is very frustrating and I don't want to give up.

A: You've lost 23 percent of your initial body weight, and if you've kept this off for six months or longer, by all clinical measures, you are an inspiring success story! This isn't easy and most people are lucky to lose five to 10 percent and keep that weight off in the long term. Your BMI is at a healthy 21.

Still, weight loss can be addictive, and like other pursuits, it can be a bit anticlimactic once a goal is achieved. So you set a new one. Once you've lost weight and felt the psychological, physiological and social benefits, it's understandable to keep wanting to lop off another five pounds every time you lose five more. But do you need to, really? And, more importantly, is it healthy and feasible to do so?

You have several things working against you.

How weight loss affects metabolism

First, you are near, or at, your ideal body weight. But that may not stop you from micro-analyzing your body and spotting areas that you still feel need improvement. Or worse, you may be so fixated on a number on the scale that you're blinded to how great you look and feel at your present weight. Even though you may be convinced that five more pounds is where you should be, your body may not feel that way—and mechanisms to prevent further weight gain may be kicking in because you are at a healthy weight right now.

Second, you are now what's known as a "weight-loss loser." You've successfully lost weight and appear to be maintaining that weight loss. But your body has been in a state of flux for the past two years. And your physiology is different than that of a person who has always been a weight-stable 150 pounds.

From a physiological standpoint you are highly susceptible to regaining weight now. Your now-emptier fat cells may be clamoring, from a metabolic level, to be filled. Various neurotransmitters that affect caloric intake (how much you eat and how much fat you store) and caloric expenditure (how many calories your body burns) may be triggered to replace the vital energy stores (fat) that were lost. This may lead to food cravings.

You're on the right track to wage the battle against regaining weight by doing intense cardio, increasing your physical activity, lifting weights and continuing with dietary portion control. Lifting weights while dieting by following portion control is unlikely to lead to major muscle-mass gain; this explains your body's current resistance to weight loss. But it may be preventing you from losing as much lean-muscle tissue as you might lose from dieting alone—and that's a good thing.

What's the real struggle here?

If you weren't sticking to these textbook weight-maintenance recommendations, it's likely you'd be gaining weight. Saying that, your body may be on a plateau as a result of an internal energy struggle. And because of that, it may be very difficult to lose any additional weight in a healthy way.

Also, your struggle may be more about your self-image than your fat cells. Changing your outward appearance may have boosted your self-esteem, but that alone may not have helped you improve what may have been a poor body image to start with.

If you think this may apply to you, shifting your focus to something more meaningful than those last five pounds may be the next necessary step in your transformation. You can probably continue to improve the way you look, but your progress will be made in smaller increments over a longer period of time.

Shifting gears

So instead of looking for the magic solution to lose those last five pounds, shift gears:

When you eat, focus on pumping yourself up with nutritious food that will help your body flourish and feel full of energy.

When you exercise, aim to meet your weekly cardio- and weights quota in order to continue maintaining your muscle strength, but ease off on your expectations.

Your injured heel is clearly a signal that your body is weakened (and losing weight while potentially over-exercising in prior months may have contributed). For variety's sake, try new forms of cardio that may be okay for your foot: swimming, walking (but not up hills), recumbent cycling, or dance classes. If the Achilles pain persists, see a doctor. And let your body heal while you aim to strengthen your self-esteem.

Find more from Martica.

Do you have a fitness or weight-loss question for Martica? Send e-mail to experts@microsoft.com. Please include Ask Martica in the subject line. Each of our experts responds to one question each week and the responses are posted on Mondays on MSN Health. We regret that we cannot provide a personalized response to every submission.


Martica is a Manhattan-based exercise physiologist and nutritionist and an award-winning fitness instructor. She has written for a variety of publications including Self , Health , Prevention , The New York Times and others. Martica is the author of seven books, including her latest, - Cross-Training for Dummies . (Read her full bio.)