The last 5 Lbs

jenkinsjerry

I've been on MFP for about 7 months and have happily lost over 30 Lbs. As I draw closer and closer to my ideal, "BMI" weight, the weight loss has become almost impossible. I'm maintaining weight, which is ok, but losing that last 5 lbs has proven to be more challenging than I had anticipated. Eat too few calories, and I go into 'starvation mode'; eat too many calories and a Lb or two shows up... Burn a ton of calories on a long run, then spend much of the day trying to consume my exercise calories...

Has anyone succeeded in reaching their BMI, "Ideal" weight range? If so, how did you make it to the finish line and did you struggle with the last 5 lbs?

shakybabe

I'm only losing a couple of pounds a month now usually when water comes off at TOTM, the rest of the month I don't seem to lose anything either whether I exercise or not.

I'm trying slim fast for breakfast & lunch and just salad or veg with fish or lean white meat (no additional carbs - bread, rice etc, already had cut wheat)

I just try and get as big a loss as I can when water comes off.

neanderthin

Lots of over fat people with normal BMI. My body fat is about 11% and I'm over my BMI....what to do, what to do. For me to shed fat I have to eat and workout like a mad man.

bhall33

I would switch up your exercise. If you normally do the same routine, switch it up with something different. In other words shock your body.

melsinct

I am smack in the middle of my "ideal" BMI. I lost 30 pounds total in about one year's time. It took me from August 2011 to February 2012 to lose the last 5 pounds. No joke! I tried all of the usual "plateau busters" touted on MFP...eating more, eating less, changing up the routine, zig zagging calories, eating exercise calories, not eating exercise calories....none of it worked. Finally, after going back to exactly what I was doing when I plateaued (set MFP at 0.5 lb/week loss, eating exercise calories) I dropped that last couple of pounds.

So yes, it was very frustrating and took me 6 months but I was able to conquer the last 5 pounds. As long as you are eating enough (so many people on MFP are blatantly eating too little then complain that they are plateauing), I think a lot of time you just have to be patient and wait it out.

Congrats on being in the home stretch!

jenkinsjerry

I am smack in the middle of my "ideal" BMI. I lost 30 pounds total in about one year's time. It took me from August 2011 to February 2012 to lose the last 5 pounds. No joke! I tried all of the usual "plateau busters" touted on MFP...eating more, eating less, changing up the routine, zig zagging calories, eating exercise calories, not eating exercise calories....none of it worked. Finally, after going back to exactly what I was doing when I plateaued (set MFP at 0.5 lb/week loss, eating exercise calories) I dropped that last couple of pounds.

So yes, it was very frustrating and took me 6 months but I was able to conquer the last 5 pounds. As long as you are eating enough (so many people on MFP are blatantly eating too little then complain that they are plateauing), I think a lot of time you just have to be patient and wait it out.

Congrats on being in the home stretch!

Melsinct -- thank you -- I'm going to try this... I also appreciate the other posts.

ottawagirl613

I've met and exceeded my last 5 pounds and it absolutely takes a lot time and patience. Maybe add some kind of strength/circuit training, if you haven't already, that way you can continue to see a loss in inches if not in weight to keep you motivated. I know once I finally hit my goal and was able to maintain for a few weeks (eating maintenance calories and all my exercise calories) my body continued to drop weight. I'm now 132.0 from the 135.0 I initially wanted to be. I think it just takes time for your body to adjust to a new weight, hence the plateaus, and once it has it will keep going depending on how consistantly you're keeping up with what you're doing.