Need Some Advice

justdoingit

Since I started a second time on MFP in January, I have dropped 26lbs and am down to my last 8lbs. I keep to my 1200 daily cals, I don't go over my carbs/fat and try to get in enough protein. I have been working out 5-6x per week doing some medium/ intense hiking. In the last two and a half months, I have even started to take a vitamin b suppliment to see if it helped (I get more energy now.) With all of this effort and knowing that I have been consistently making sure I am at a 500 calorie deficit minimum every day, I am only losing .5 lbs per week. The math is just not adding up.

I guess half a lb is better than nothing but if I am at a 500 calorie daily deficit minimum, wouldn't that mean I would be losing about 1 lb per week? I enter everything I put in my mouth into my daily log so I know I am not forgetting to put in food. I eat back half my excercise calories too.

Is this the amount of weight loss I can expect going into my last 8 lbs. and I should just get used to it? Or, should I increase the amount of calories I am eating (1200 plus half of my excercise cals)? I would love to get back to 1lb per week weight loss!:grumble:

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

gemiwing

Sometimes the last pounds are the hardest. Your body has less extra fat to pull from and the human body loves to keep something in reserve. Just in case of famine or all food disappears overnight

Also this is a good time to figure out what is your true goal. Is it a number on a scale? A certain size of pants? Is it a goal of keeping fit and active for the rest of your life? Running a marathon? Becoming a back-country hiker and packer?

You may already be at your goal and the rest is just number play.

I figure- I'm going to live healthy like this for the rest of my life- so there's no rush and no endpoint.

quinnybear

you should be eating those exercise calories.

justdoingit

Thanks for the advice. I will eat back all my excercise calories to see what happens. My goal isn't a particuar weight, I am going by body fat %. Right now, I am still at about 25% body fat and since I would like to be a more athletic type, want to get down to about 20% body fat. I bought a caliper and learned to use it and it has been an invaluble tool. By using it once per month, I can figure out how much muscle I have put on and how much fat I need to lose to get to a healthy, athetic level. With that being said, I need to lose about 8lbs more...

smg1010

you should also try varying your exercise- if you're doing the same thing all the time your body gets used to it and you actually start burning less calories for the same exercise. switch it up a bit and have fun! and your body will respond

Learning2LoveMe

Basing this off of what I hear Jillian say a lot on her radio show - the last 10 vanity pounds are hard to lose and very different than trying to lose 20+. Try eating all off your calories for a couple days (I've heard Jillian say to go up to as much as 1600-1800 for a day or two and then dropping it back down to shock your body).

Hope that helps! And congrats on getting to those last few pounds. :flowerforyou:

Learning2LoveMe

EDIT: Oops... slow computers make me trigger happy and end up in double posting. hahaha :laugh: :laugh:

justdoingit

you should also try varying your exercise- if you're doing the same thing all the time your body gets used to it and you actually start burning less calories for the same exercise. switch it up a bit and have fun! and your body will respond
[/quote

You are so right! I just got so comfortable hiking that I just keep doing it. I switched it up this afternoon and did Taebo instead then weights. I'll start switching it up to see what happens...

justdoingit

Basing this off of what I hear Jillian say a lot on her radio show - the last 10 vanity pounds are hard to lose and very different than trying to lose 20+. Try eating all off your calories for a couple days (I've heard Jillian say to go up to as much as 1600-1800 for a day or two and then dropping it back down to shock your body).

Hope that helps! And congrats on getting to those last few pounds. :flowerforyou:

Along with switching up my excercise routine, I will also switch my intake. I'm trying to eat 1600 cals today and it has gotten difficult since I think I'm cheating. But I will do it and then go back down to 1200 tomorrow (plus my excercise cals too). Thanks for the great advice!

I feel so good about having lost that weight. I know it's not as much as some people have lost here but that amount is/was my battle and it feels sooooo good to have lost those first 26lbs. I am determined to keep going until I can come back on here and switch to "mainain". :drinker: