Last 10 lbs

bevdc

I CAN'T seem to lose the last 10 pounds & 7 ounces! I've been stuck here for a few weeks. I Eat 1200 calories & use all my exercise calories. Maybe I should stop using them??? :sad:

pavang82

I'm in the same boat as you. I wanna give up.

Chenoachem

The last 10 are very hard and slow. I have been within 4 for a couple months.

If you are really frustrated go to maintenance calories for a bit and try again. But don't give up. You can do it.

courtney_love2001

I actually upped my cals to boost my metabolism. The going is still slow, but at least it's moving a little!! I just upped it to 1300 so it is set at 1 lb. a week (If I am realllllly lucky).

VballLeash

You should probably try upping your calories, your body is at a comfortable spot and it will come off slower now, you just have to stick to it but I'd change your goals to 1/2 or 1 pound a week and eat your exercise calories still or at least most of them. Good luck!

~Leash

jessvdm

That is frustrating when you are doing all the right things. It sounds like you may not be consuming ENOUGH calories and your body's metabolism has slowed. Try adding an extra 100-200 calorie snack for a couple weeks and see if that works. Counter-intuitive, I know, but the body needs food!

SHBoss1673

ok bevdc, and everyone else in this situation. I'm going to give you some information that may be bitter sweet, but it's important.
And before you start thinking, why should I listen to this guy. I'll just say that not only have I been in the "last few pounds" situation, I've also made is somewhat of a mission in my life for the last year and a half to learn as much as I can about nutrition and health. With my Chemistry background I am able to intimately understand the studies done by clinical labs on health and nutrition, and because of that, I can say with a lot of confidence, that my views and information aren't just wacky theories, but are based upon large scale studied done, and medical research that has been documented and is repeatable (repeatability is THE best way to validate a study).

Now, with that said, here's the thing. As we approach our "perfect" weight, our body starts normalizing chemicals, and as many already know, but some don't, the human metabolism is basically a giant concoction of chemical energy storage and release. So, when we are close to our ideal weight, the body no longer has either the means (extra fat stores) or the desire to burn more than it needs. Which is why, weight loss becomes more difficult and slower as we lose the weight.

SO, with that said, here's what to expect.

1st, assuming the goal weight you've chosen is actually achievable and healthy for you as an individual, you should expect each pound you lose to take up to, and sometimes more than a month. Why? Because, the metabolism is a balancing act, if it's working correctly, it will use exactly as much energy as it needs. Give it too much and it will store it as fat, give it too little and it will adjust to compensate by slowing down the "rate of burn". I.E. partially (or fully in drastic cases) shutting down non-essential organs and function. This is what's commonly known as starvation mode, and is far more prevalent as we approach a healthy weight (this means, you can't have a BIG calorie deficit, or you'll be defeating your own attempts)

2nd, expect plateaus. As your body adjusts, there will be times when it changes facets of it's chemical makeup, sometimes this causes you to stop losing weight, the only way to combat this is to wait it out and keep giving your body the energy it needs. If you find yourself at a plateau, and decide to give yourself LESS energy (food) then you're probably interrupting the natural changes that your body needs to make to be healthy. NOTE this is all regarding people at or near a healthy weight, this is NOT always the case for people who are overweight or obese

3rd, if you don't do any strength building activity, a disproportionately large percentage of any weight you lose will be from lean tissue mass and bone density. This is especially bad for Women over 30 because of the high risk of osteoporosis. You fight this by doing strength building (anaerobic) activity which stimulates both muscle growth and bone growth and repair. Of course it's also important to eat right as well, you NEED your good fats, proteins, and minerals to keep healthy lean tissue and bone.

So in short, a few weeks without loss when you are near your ideal weight is NOT unexpected, continue the course, continue eating healthy, and continue exercising, you'll get over it. But expect months, not weeks.

I know this is long, sorry for that, but this isn't a "short answer" type of issue.

regards,

-Banks