Weight Loss Slows as You Approach Goal Weight?

NCchar130

I couldn't find the exact posts but I've read a few times in the forums that weight loss will naturally slow down as you approach goal. Have you found this to be true? Is that around the last 10 pounds or 20 or what? What's the reasoning behind this?

CristinaL1983

The less weight you have to lose, the smaller your deficit can safely be. A smaller deficit naturally leads to less weight loss.

Edit to add: I'm about 15-20 pounds away from my goal weight and my weight loss has slowed down a bit.

Mokey41

Definitely gets very slow. Especially if it's really the last 5 vanity pounds. You have to maintain a smaller and smaller deficit as you get closer to goal and you really fight to even get 1/2 lb per week.

NCchar130

If you maintained the same deficit, it seems like there shouldn't be a slow down. Though, I get that the lower and lower your TDEE goes along with your weight, you would have to keep eating lower and lower to maintain the deficit, which would be hard.

cwolfman13

If you maintained the same deficit, it seems like there shouldn't be a slow down. Though, I get that the lower and lower your TDEE goes along with your weight, you would have to keep eating lower and lower to maintain the deficit, which would be hard.

Your body is a very intelligent and all at the same time, very primal machine. The last 10-20 Lbs are really cosmetic more than anything. Your body doesn't care about cosmetics...it only knows that it's fat stores have been depleted and doesn't want to relinquish what little is remaining. With 10-20 Lbs, you're talking about primary fat stores...around the mid section, etc. Your body absolutely does not want to relinquish primary fat stores...it wants to maintain those fat stores as a primal response to potential future famine and leaner times ahead. It will eventually, but it's tough sledding and very slow; I've found this to be true regardless of the size of the deficit, but the body does respond better with a much smaller deficit once you're in your last 10-20 Lbs. Really, once you're within 15 Lbs of goal, your body responds a lot better with a 1/2 per week loss deficit.

NCchar130

That makes sense, thank you. I'm about 25 lbs from goal right now so I'll plan to up my calories slightly about 10 pounds from now.

nwg74

I am coming to that stage and I find my weight stays around the same for weeks and suddenly it will drop a little bit. So far, I have only lost 1.5 pounds this year at the end of Janaury and now suddenly this week it looks like it could drop again. I don't have a goal weight but it is something like 10 pounds left to go.

roiLEI1554

it definitely does! though it also depends on how much the person had to lose in the first place...
for me, I had 15 pounds; the first few were slow (getting started), the next two were quick, and then now I'm approximately at the 10 pound mark.
it always helps to switch things up when things slow down too much (a little more exercise, a different type of exercise, more protein, etc).