Can't lose the last ten pounds

L_mills

Hey everyone! It's not easy for me to ask for help, so I really appreciate any advice and feedback! I have lost 20 lbs. & would like to lose 10 more to be at my goal weight of 140, however I am more frustrated than ever! Not only am I not losing anymore weight ( it hasn't gone down for about a month) but I also cannot get rid of my "love" handles. I have been working out more...I do tabata and Zumba classes 6 days a week, and have started taking 2 classes during the weekend to see if that would help...NOPE! I know I am supposed to eat 1200 calories a day, but if I burn 800 or so, do I need to eat all of that back? I lost the first 20 lbs. just by doing yoga a few days a week. Thank you in advance for any help!

Chameleone

I'm in a similar situation. I've lost about 18 and had about 5 more to go. Struggled getting that off and then ended up gaining 2 or 3 pounds. I was doing circuit training to get the first 18 off, and I'm still doing circuit training. I started adding a Zumba session to that and somehow ended up gaining a few pounds. I'm hoping eventually my body will just stop fighting it so hard and drop the last few pounds. But if anyone has any I'd love some good advice as well...

jsapninz

The frustrating thing about weight loss is the more you lose, the slower it goes. It is frustrating, but don't lose hope!! :flowerforyou:

Big question for you:
1) Are you using a HRM to track your burns? Frequently I see people, especially who are somewhat in shape, using average estimators and logging unrealistic (700 cals burned in 50 minutes, REALLY?!?!) amounts of cals burned. If you don't have a Heart Rate Monitor to track ACCURATE burns you could be shooting yourself in the foot if you are eating back more cals than you REALLY burned.

You can let your burned exercise cals go towards your cut or eat them, it is up to you. For example, if your TDEE is 1,800 and your cut is 500 cals (or 1 lb per week), your goal would be 1,300. If you burn 250 cals you can eat them and keep your 500 cal cut, or you can not eat them and have a 750 cal cut for the day. It is all up to you AS LONG AS you are calculating an accurate burn with a HRM.

Another thought is that MFP's automatic stopper for goals is 1,200 because they don't want people starving themselves. However, especially when you are in the healthy range and a shorter female, to lose 1 lb a week or so you may need to NET below 1,200. It's just the way the math works. So 1,200 net may be too high for you. Keep in mind that, you can eat as many cals as you want if you use your exercise to create your cut (so a 1,100 goal, you eat 1,300 and work off 200 daily to create your cut).

L_mills

thank you!!! this is exactly what i have been trying to find out!

kelseyhere

L_mills, you may also want to consider switching up your routine, doing 2 days of weights instead of 2 days of cardio. Having more lean muscle mass will make you look a lot tighter. You can't lift "sissy" weights though, you have to really work to gain strength. Search "Sohee Lee" on google and read her blog- she's a great example of what weight lifting can do for women.

Swissmiss

L_mills, you may also want to consider switching up your routine, doing 2 days of weights instead of 2 days of cardio. Having more lean muscle mass will make you look a lot tighter. You can't lift "sissy" weights though, you have to really work to gain strength. Search "Sohee Lee" on google and read her blog- she's a great example of what weight lifting can do for women.

This is what I was going to add. You are doing great with the cardio but not doing enough weight workouts to build the muscles.

LiddyBit

Also keep in mind that workouts like Zumba, after some time, are not as effective as they were when you started. This is because your body adapts. As you become more efficient in performing a type of movement, your body doesn't have to expend as much energy to do it. This is why a professional ballerina can dance a full evening-length ballet while a beginner is ready to keep over after a 90 minute lesson of simple exercises. So, it may be time to move on to more advanced cardio workouts.

cjack19

I would suggest calculating your TDEE to ensure you are eating ENOUGH! There is alot of good reading on people that get stuck because they are not eating enough - read the forums, caluclate your TDEE just to be sure. I was stuck and upped my calories from 1200 to 1300 and now see the scale moving again.

tdbernrd

I would suggest calculating your TDEE to ensure you are eating ENOUGH! There is alot of good reading on people that get stuck because they are not eating enough - read the forums, caluclate your TDEE just to be sure. I was stuck and upped my calories from 1200 to 1300 and now see the scale moving again.

This is what I was thinking, and it worked for me, too. I'm also going to Google Sohee Lee because I need to incorporate some weight training.