the last few freaking pounds

jackieatx

I keep bouncing between the last few pounds. Five pounds may not seem like a lot but I've come so close, just to go up a pound or two again! I really want to be below 145 before I start working on toning so that if I gain a little I'll still be in the range I want to be in. How did you guys lose the last couple pounds and KEEP them lost?

jzammetti

I say start toning now - it is really not about the number on the scale - toning will reshape your pounds into something smaller than just losing a few more pounds.

jackieatx

I understand where you're coming from, but it is very important to me to be below a certain number. Trying to prove to myself that I can do it.

themommie

I dont know i am struggling too to get those last few pounds off

uwdawg07

Wish I could help you. I have 5 to go and the scale hasn't budged in over a month. And before that I'd lose like only one pound a month. SO FRUSTRATING!!!

Good luck! Hopefully you'll get some good tips.

megansmith11111

If you find yourself unable to lose those last 5 pounds your metabolism is starting to slow down. You need to get yourself in the gym. Once you start exercising a building muscle, you'll find those next 5 or even 10 pounds will come right off.

taytaylynn3

I agree it is very hard. I can't seem to lose these last 7 pounds. Just keep trying.

heatherloveslifting

Obviously, I'm no help! But I do think the weights make you *feel* better while you're waiting for them to come off!

jacksonpt

You've lost 17, have 5 more to go... Is that right? The lighter you get, the harder it is to lose.. Make sure your diet and commitment are dialed in.

JenKillough

I lifted heavy weights for about 4 months and then I took a 2 month break from it. During that 2 month period I dropped the last 7-8 lbs. I would say that maybe 3-5 lbs of that was water. The big difference is that I can see more muscle and less fat now. I gained about 3 lbs of it back since I started my 2nd round of lifting. And that's the water that accumulates in your muscles. So... there were maybe 5 or so lbs lost... which is a combination of fat & lean muscle. At this point I'm no longer watching the scale... it no longer matters.... heavy lifting, along with macro balance and diet seems to be what it takes to get that last bit of fat to budge... unless you plan to starve yourself and lose lean body mass along with it.

JesterMFP

I would also start "toning" no; it's not going to prevent you from losing more weight in the long run even if it slows you down a little initially. You're not going to be having serious muscle weight gain while you're eating at a deficit. You might gain a little water, which would soon come off again. It's much easier to get a toned look though if you can maintain as much muscle as you can while you're losing.

robin52077

1. throw the scale out the window.

2. raise your calories a bit.

3. pick up heavy things.

Do this if you want to look good naked.

If you only care about some arbitrary number showing on a plastic box on the floor and not how you actually look, then keep eating low calories and shunning the weights, run like a fiend and starve yourself, you'll get there and then look like crap and wonder how to fix it.
At that point, go to the top of this post and start at number one.

dad106

1. You can't tone anything

2. By lifting weights this entire time, you would have retained muscle mass, which would have made these last 5 pounds come off a little bit easier, since lean mass dictates metabolism.

My suggestion is to start lifting now and cut your loss down to half a pound a week or so... and I bet you'll see results soon.

LorinaLynn

What they all said. The number on the scale is meaningless when you're this close to your goal.

These photos show only about 2 pounds difference in about 2 months: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/744311-free-weights-vs-machines-holy-crap

If I was worried about losing pounds instead of being fit, there wouldn't be as much of a visible difference.

katevarner

Shake up your intake--I see way too many carbs and not enough protein. You are probably retaining some water (which you will do again when you start toning). Change your macros to something more like 30/30/40 (protein/fats/carbs) and see if that helps.

ka97

If by "toning" you mean lifting weights - start now; it will help with those last five lbs. Switch up your cardio and add more intensity. It looks like you are mostly walking. Try some walk/run intervals, or try biking or an exercise class. You also need to increase your protein. I'm guessing you're set at the MFP default, which is already too low, and you are not even hitting that. You don't need to go "low carb" but unless you are endurance training, you don't need the amount of carbs you are currently eating. I'd try to cut that down to 40-45% and adjust your protein up accordingly. Adjust your goal to 0.5lbs per week, and be sure you are accurately measuring everything. The last 5lbs are hard and there's not a whole lot of room for error. It will be slow, but keep at it.

jackieatx

1. You can't tone anything

2. By lifting weights this entire time, you would have retained muscle mass, which would have made these last 5 pounds come off a little bit easier, since lean mass dictates metabolism.

My suggestion is to start lifting now and cut your loss down to half a pound a week or so... and I bet you'll see results soon.

Actually I do lift two days a week, not to mention I carry around a twenty two pound child around everyday. I am not a weakling, and I'm not FOCUSING on toning right now. My question was not, "should I lift or not?"

BusyRaeNOTBusty

I understand where you're coming from, but it is very important to me to be below a certain number. Trying to prove to myself that I can do it.

Why? Why is that number so important? Prove you can deadlift your body weight, not that you can get your body below a magical meaningless number.

robin52077

I understand where you're coming from, but it is very important to me to be below a certain number. Trying to prove to myself that I can do it.

Why? Why is that number so important? Prove you can deadlift your body weight, not that you can get your body below a magical meaningless number.

♥

dad106

1. You can't tone anything

2. By lifting weights this entire time, you would have retained muscle mass, which would have made these last 5 pounds come off a little bit easier, since lean mass dictates metabolism.

My suggestion is to start lifting now and cut your loss down to half a pound a week or so... and I bet you'll see results soon.

Actually I do lift two days a week, not to mention I carry around a twenty two pound child around everyday. I am not a weakling, and I'm not FOCUSING on toning right now. My question was not, "should I lift or not?"

Problem is, thats what you need to be focusing on.

What do you lift two days a week? Like 5 pound dumbells or do you lift heavy?

Plus carrying around a child everyday, means you get to used that weight.. and it doesn't do anything for you.

Weights is what is going to change your body more then some magical number on the scale that you think you need to be at.

jackieatx

I understand where you're coming from, but it is very important to me to be below a certain number. Trying to prove to myself that I can do it.

Why? Why is that number so important? Prove you can deadlift your body weight, not that you can get your body below a magical meaningless number.

It is not meaningless to me. I am sure you can respect that. I have an lbm of 106 and I know I can lose a few more pounds. I am not ready to start deadlifting, my form sucks and its not happening right now. Again, this wasn't a should I lift or not post.

meeka472

I think many people in this thread are trying to give you the advice to lose the last 5 lbs. I know you don't want to lift, but if you want to lose that last 5lbs and possibly some inches too it might be what you need to do to get to your weight goals.

I agree with the others that you should lift. It may not be what you want to hear but it's great advice to get down to your weight goals.

Jackie218

Im struggling with this too!! Its alot harder now then it was before. Ive been switching up the exercise and my calorie intake lately and i just saw a loss. Everytime it budges its time to switch something up

kooltray87

I've been 5lbs away from my "initial" goal for a while now. Last month I only lost about 1.5 lbs :-( Its a lot less than I wanted but at least I've kept it off. Its important that you don't get fixated on scale numbers or even just one goal, because it can hinder your overall progress. Keep moving forward with your goals of getting toned and the weight will eventually come off. gaining more muscle can help you burn more cals throughout the day and possibly help you get over your hump, so go for it and don't let setbacks hold you back.

BusyRaeNOTBusty

We know this wasn't a questions about weather to lift or not. You were expressing a desire to lose the last few pounds. We are telling you to let go of this desire. I do understand the want to be at a certain weight. I wanted to be under 150lbs for a really long time. I did it a few years ago. Now I weigh around 160 and look better and don't care about being under some silly goal weight and it's a much more enjoyable state of mind.

jdoll1

I've read the whole string of responses. If that magic number is so important to you then do it. It won't be healthly. You'll have to starve yourself. It will be hard and you will most likely gain it right back. You will be irritable. Lose by dropping your current calorie intake by 100-150 per day. Eat vegetables, protein and a little oil. LITTLE OIL. Cut out all carbs for a week, not the carbs in vegetables unles it is starch carbs. No peas, corn, beans or potatoes. Do you like sardines? Eating the whole fish keeps the starving from damaging your health, to an extent. Steamed broccolli helps you feel full. JUST ONE WEEK. Good luck.

Flixie00

Plateaued for coming up to 4 months, with just 7 lb to go. I do a lot of strength training, and yes I lift heavy, as well as cardio. I am still technically overweight, but I can wear the same size clothes I used to wear 15 years ago when I weighed 33 lb less. I don't want to get smaller, so I may just stop trying to lose those few extra pounds and stick at where I am now. The scales are just one way of measuring your progress, being the right size with low body fat is more important to me.

cara4fit

LorinaLyn - You did GREAT, and look great! Living proof, as I often tell people in real life, that after a certain point, the scale doesn't tell the whole story. Firm, muscular weight ALWAYS looks more compact than unconditioned, fatter weight, even if the numbers are pretty close, like your experience. Awesome!

jackieatx

I think many people in this thread are trying to give you the advice to lose the last 5 lbs. I know you don't want to lift, but if you want to lose that last 5lbs and possibly some inches too it might be what you need to do to get to your weight goals.

I agree with the others that you should lift. It may not be what you want to hear but it's great advice to get down to your weight goals.

It's not that I don't lift at all. I understand resistance is important but I am not going to focus on that right now. In my family women have large thighs and I would like to lose a couple more pounds because they don't need to be bigger. I'm not daft. I understand what is being said, but for my body and my goals beginning to deadlift will not work. I wanted to know how others lost the last five pounds, I don't need a string of posts telling me to throw my scale out the window and that my goal to lose a couple more pounds is irrelevant.

Muscles_Curves

This was the advice given to me:

1. Cut your sodium to 1,000 mg a day.
2. Drink at least 80 ounces of water daily.
3. Cut out processed foods.
4. Abstain from alcohol.
5. Train at 85 percent of your MHR (maximum heart rate) for 1 hour 5 times a week.

It worked for me. Tailor it to fit you. I hope it helps.

becon1022

i have a easy way theres a little knob on the front of your scale if you turn it so the line is to the right of 0 then step on it your lose those 5lbs, or just weight on a different scale and hopefully that one makes you hit your magic #. but seriously i know the scale at home weights me less then the one at the gym. i think thats the point everyone is trying to make about the scale, anything & everything can throw it off. if you truely want to know if you are losing fat/getting "fit" take pictures, do measurements, & have your body fat taken. you should have already been "toning" you can get lean sexy muscle & still lose weight & more importantly become strong, powerful, & healthy "fit". also being "toned" will help you look smaller to the eye promise. but lifting heavier or adding an extra weight day into your program & doing the food changes everyone suggested maybe exactly what you need to lose that extra 5lbs. but i know to a lot of people getting to that certain weight means everything so i hope you get to your goal, good luck.