"Last Ten Pounds" question

Hertford86

I've been reading some of the threads on losing the last ten pounds. I get it it's hard, and takes time and patience. That's fine. Lots of the posts recommend lowering goals to 0.5lb a week. Cool, I can do that. But I'm curious as to WHY it's best to slow down. Does anybody know?

nicleed

I'm assuming it is as much about getting used to a new "normal" (ie: not putting the weight straight back on the minute you stop dieting), than any physiological reason, but I would love to know the answer too as I am on my last 10 pounds as well.

LorinaLynn

It's all about percentages. The more excess body fat you have, the faster it can come off. The less you have, the slower it comes off. When you have too large of a deficit for the amount of fat you have to lose, you risk losing muscle.

withchaco

The more you have to lose, the faster the weight comes off. It's happening to me (was dropping weight very quickly when I was obese; now I'm down to the last 10, and it's very slow).

It makes sense when you think about evolution. Your body likes having a little bit of spare fat on it. Not so much that it hinders your survival abilities, but just enough that you can survive through a famine. Your body will put up a fight when you're trying to enter that lean territory. Its strategies include eating up more muscle mass, reducing your energy, making you constipated, etc. You have to coax it into cooperating, or else you'd lose too much muscle mass by forcing the body into it.

That's my theory anyway. I haven't done any scientific studies on it or anything, but hey, it makes sense to me! :bigsmile:

wackyfunster

There is a limit to how much body fat you can burn in a day. For people who are obese, it is completely irrelevant, as they could eat 0 calories and all their expenditures would come from body fat, but the lower you get, the less fat you can burn in a day. If you exceed that number in terms of a caloric deficit, the rest of the deficit comes straight from lean body mass (depending on what you are doing, you'll probably lose lean body mass anyway, but this can be avoided, more on that in a sec).

The rule of thumb is 23 calories/lb. of lean body mass. E.g if you are 150 lbs and 20% body fat, then you can carry a deficit of 150*.2=30*23=660 calories per day, or about a pound a week, assuming you are doing everything right.

By doing everything right, I mean "lifting heavy" at least 3 days a week, and consuming at least 1g-1.5g protein per pound of lean body mass per day. If you are e.g. doing cardio but no resistance and not getting enough protein, you're going to lose lean body mass. The exact ratios of fat:LBM depend on a number of factors, and are heavily influenced by genetics (which is why some people are naturally lean looking no matter what they do, etc.), but fortunately a proper diet/exercise regimen will overrule any genetic factors.

Why does it matter? Every pound of lean body mass you lose reduces your metabolism, and makes it harder to lose subsequent weight. Additionally, lean body mass is what gives the 'toned' aesthetically appealing look... you can lose a ton of weight, and if you don't have enough LBM, you will either look skeletal or skinny-fat.

I hope this is helpful.

hendinerik

First, congratulations on getting to this point!

I reached what I originally thought was my goal weight (pretty much when I joined MFP) and realized it was maybe a couple more pounds but that's provided I didn't lose muscle.

I know from experience that just losing weight doesn't necessarily mean losing fat - last summer I weighed a little more than I do now but looked much skinnier - however I still had my tummy fat and my body fat percentage didn't go down very much (that was from a TON of cardio). Speed ahead through gaining it all back fall/winter and then losing it again may-september, and now I weigh slightly less but I think I am stronger and more toned due to the combo of strength training, cardio and nutrition (the last one is really the toughest one to stay the course with - and I certainly have my share of "slips").

I also think there are "plateaus" that your body gets used to, and breaking those can take some time. Some days where I feel very hungry(almost like an emotional craving) and I resist overeating and the next day I see a loss. Other times I just know I need to eat and I do.

I like the .5 because the calorie target is less extreme and I am someone who needs to eat frequently. Also because I want these changes to be sustainable so I can keep good habits for the rest of my days.

magj0y

I've been reading some of the threads on losing the last ten pounds. I get it it's hard, and takes time and patience. That's fine. Lots of the posts recommend lowering goals to 0.5lb a week. Cool, I can do that. But I'm curious as to WHY it's best to slow down. Does anybody know?

congrats on getting to the last 10!
The only conclusion I have been able to come to, is the more fat you have to lose, the easier it is to shed it.

These are some of the things that have worked for some people;
adjusting the amount of calories you need and then maintain in for 3-6 weeks and then go back to a deficit

measuring fat % to see progress so you don't feel defeated, along with measuring your body. work on measurement goals instead of weight goals for awhile.

Switch up your exercise routine.

Hertford86

WHOA! Are you serious? Does the last 10lb syndrome include constipation? I was wondering what in the heck was going on!

withchaco

WHOA! Are you serious? Does the last 10lb syndrome include constipation? I was wondering what in the heck was going on!

My totally bro-science theory: your body is trying to squeeze out every last nutrient from the little food it gets. Food stays longer in there, and consequently gets harder.

nicleed

So, the answer does seem to be to drop to .5 for the last 10 pounds, or risk losing too much LBM instead of fat. And then move on to more strength training to tone. Yes?

Hertford86

WHOA! Are you serious? Does the last 10lb syndrome include constipation? I was wondering what in the heck was going on!

My totally bro-science theory: your body is trying to squeeze out every last nutrient from the little food it gets. Food stays longer in there, and consequently gets harder.

"Bro-science," Love it.
Really, so this is normal? Does it correct itself when you switch to maintenance?

BinaryPulsar

I've never needed to lose more than ten pounds, so I have nothing to compare it to. But, when you have ten pounds to lose you are very close to your goal weight and it does not happen quickly like it does when a person has a lot to lose, but that's ok because at that point you don't know how much more you would even need to lose. You just eat right and exercise and shape up and then one day you realize you lost some weight after many months. At that point it's more about fine tuning your fitness and less about weight loss. And as others said, you are more cautious because you don't want to lose lbm, you want to keep your firm, solid musculature and just watch for more definition as you shed the last few pounds. You may lose an inch also, but even for me I never needed to lose many inches. So, be casual about it.

withchaco

Really, so this is normal? Does it correct itself when you switch to maintenance?

It does for me, like, near-instantly. The day I start eating at maintenance, the constipation goes away -- sometimes right after the first big meal. If I've been SUPER backed up though, the first BM might require a bit of... ab workout on the toilet.

Do make sure you're getting enough fiber and water, though!

Hertford86

Really, so this is normal? Does it correct itself when you switch to maintenance?

It does for me, like, near-instantly. The day I start eating at maintenance, the constipation goes away -- sometimes right after the first big meal. If I've been SUPER backed up though, the first BM might require a bit of... ab workout on the toilet.

Do make sure you're getting enough fiber and water, though!

Yay! Thanks. And fiber and water - check and check.

mockchoc

Bumping because I'm close to maintenance too.

gingerveg

I also started here in healthy BMI range so I've never had a lot to lose. My experience went like this: first year I lost no weight -zero. But my body changed tremendously and I looked completely different (much better). I just recently began to lose weight over the summer and I've just hit my first real goal last week. I've only got about 5 more lbs to lose (and honestly it is not dire or likely even necessary I just feel better on the thinner side so I can occasionally eat cake and there is also this tight dress I want to wear... . For me it has been all about consistency and not getting too crazy about the scale. I've also been focussing on creating really good eating and exercise habits (not crash dieting). If you keep working out and eating well you are going to gain muscle and look better. I also try to change my workouts up and I haven't reached another plateau (at least not yet). But yeah the last 10 lbs are hard. I started in a place where some folks might consider it closer to their "finish line" and it took me a year to see the scale move.

ETA: my profile pic is after about a year of working out, but before I lost any actual weight. Just to give you a sense of numbers I was 130lbs in that picture and now I am 121 lbs. I need to take a new picture, but trust me I do look thinner/healthier now (especially my belly). So if you ask me consistency is key-don't give up!