Having problems losing last 15 pounds

Hi!! I'm Millie and have been working on getting my weight down to a healthy BMI which would be under 145 pounds. I have been consistently eating 1200 calories a day and sometimes a little less and have been very active with getting in a grarden, etc. I don't like doing formal exercises because to me if this is a lifestyle change it needs to be something I will keep doing. Also, I have some health problems which would be problematic for a lot of exercises. I am 67 years old and would like to continue to improve my health.

Replies

  • Sarcastic_Hate
    Sarcastic_Hate Posts: 6 Member
    since no one answered your question i will try to help , as for 1200 calories per day your body has gotten used to it try upping your calories to 1500 a day to get your body jump started also stop doing any type of work because your body is used to that also if you could walk 25 minutes a day that will start your body up along with the 1500 calories and you will start losing , i hope this helps take care and good luck :)
  • khall86790
    khall86790 Posts: 1,100 Member
    The last few pounds are always the hardest. I think you need to switch how many calories you are consuming to a different number, although you can't go lower because you are already at the lowest recommended amount.
    http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html
    Calculate how many calories your body needs per day via this calculator and then remove 15%/20% and it'll give you the amount you need to consume per day in order to lose 1lb per week. From this, play around with the numbers if you find it says you need to eat 1600 calories per day to lose, you might find it's too big a leap from 1200 calories so go to 1400 calories and see how that is for a week or two, gradually raise it as you get more comfortable with eating more to lose. It is a strange concept at first!
  • Hbazzell
    Hbazzell Posts: 899 Member
    You are already eating at your minnimum and if you don't want to build muscle I am not sure how you can. Maybe adjust your macos a bit for more protein less carbs and eat at 1500.
  • retiree2006
    retiree2006 Posts: 951 Member
    Hi Millie. I had that last 20 lbs. to lose but was stuck for 8 months around the same weight...give or take 2-3 lbs. I was pretty ok with where I was since it was already a 50 lb. loss but decided to switch up my exercise, as many have suggested. I'm not a big exercise fanatic and also use gardening (seasonal!) and dog walks as my main activities. Anyway, I began 20 minutes of exercise with Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred. Wasn't great at it but it kick started my loss and in those 4 weeks I dropped 7 lbs. I now will do about 20 minutes of casual exercises (combination of her moves) 3-4 times a week and I'm still dropping some pounds (14 total now). By the way, I'm 63. I adjusted some of the moves to work with my ability. So if your healthier eating and present activity has you at a standstill...you'll need to do something different. Just don't drop calories to an unhealthy level. Good luck.