Those stubborn last few pounds
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Soxiez
Posts: 39 Member
I am 5ft6 and currently weigh 61-62kgs/135lbs. I have been losing weight since June and of course, at first it fell off eating around 1200 calories a day. I have lost about a stone and a half and only have about half a stone (7lbs, 3kgs) left to go. But in August I hit a plateau. The only time the weight came off was when I upped my calories to around 1500-1600 calories a day, but even then it was slow, slow, slow, like my body was fighting it. It took around 2 months to lose 1.5kg, and it's proving a struggle to keep it off, the scales just want to go back up!
Recently, I've been eating probably the best I have in a long time. High protein, low carbs, and I feel satisfied all the time which is great, but that means I don't feel like I want to eat more calories again. I have also been drenching myself in water for a while, thinking that may help, around 2+ liters a day, but alas to no avail. I am at a perfectly healthy weight, and don't have much left to lose.. So maybe this is why; my body is just happy where it is? Or am I just making excuses for myself? Haha.
Any ideas what I should do to shake it up? Up my calories again? Or stick with 1200 calories, have faith in high protein and low carbs and ride it out? Try to reduce sodium? Someone help me break out of this, I'm out of ideas!
Recently, I've been eating probably the best I have in a long time. High protein, low carbs, and I feel satisfied all the time which is great, but that means I don't feel like I want to eat more calories again. I have also been drenching myself in water for a while, thinking that may help, around 2+ liters a day, but alas to no avail. I am at a perfectly healthy weight, and don't have much left to lose.. So maybe this is why; my body is just happy where it is? Or am I just making excuses for myself? Haha.
Any ideas what I should do to shake it up? Up my calories again? Or stick with 1200 calories, have faith in high protein and low carbs and ride it out? Try to reduce sodium? Someone help me break out of this, I'm out of ideas!
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Replies
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Calculate your TDEE and BMR and check that your daily deficit is no more than 550.
Try not to eat below your BMR and make sure you keep eating healthy.
I eat 1310 and on the days I walk I eat around 100 more calories. When I stick to it I lose weight and yes I only have few kilos left as well and have struggled with them for many months. So I changed a couple of things and the weight is coming off
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Btw I am 174 cm (5"8.5)0
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Stick with it. It will come off. And then some if you are not careful!0
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Calculate your TDEE and BMR and check that your daily deficit is no more than 550.
Try not to eat below your BMR and make sure you keep eating healthy.
I eat 1310 and on the days I walk I eat around 100 more calories. When I stick to it I lose weight and yes I only have few kilos left as well and have struggled with them for many months. So I changed a couple of things and the weight is coming off
The problem I find with BMRs is the massive differences different calculators give you. For example I've worked mine out on a couple different websites and have been given anything between 1300-1500 a day, so I never know what exactly to believe.. Congrats on almost hitting your goal weight! Comforting to know you can get those last few kilos off 0 -
BMR uses a standard formula for men and women, if you are getting different results, you are entering something wrong.0
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BMR uses a standard formula for men and women, if you are getting different results, you are entering something wrong.
I find they tend to be different if they try to incorporate the Harris Benedict formula. Even if they give a plain BMR figure alongside, it's often different from what a simple BMR only calculator would produce. I've checked my workings out don't worry I know it's somewhere around 1450 if I go on averages.. 0 -
It's a bit like saying that you aren't going to stick to the speed limit because your car determines speed differently to other cars. It may not be 100% accurate, but you are a lot less likely to speed if you use your car's speedometer than to just ignore it altogether.
Same thing with BMR and TDEE. Just blindly following some calorie plan with complete disregard to your own body's requirements is like teaching yourself to drive at 20mph all the time - it might be safe if you are driving past a school and you will get through life without getting speeding fines, but if you were to get on the motorway, you'll endanger yourself and others.
Use the tools out there to help you determine what your body needs.0 -
You are right at my height and weight. At the beginning I was able to drop weight at 1200 calories and then got stuck since I was working out more. Recently I have had to up mine to around 1300-1400 per day and the weight is starting to come off again. I used this site to get my average
http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm0 -
I am 5ft6 and currently weigh 61-62kgs/135lbs. I have been losing weight since June and of course, at first it fell off eating around 1200 calories a day. I have lost about a stone and a half and only have about half a stone (7lbs, 3kgs) left to go. But in August I hit a plateau. The only time the weight came off was when I upped my calories to around 1500-1600 calories a day, but even then it was slow, slow, slow, like my body was fighting it. It took around 2 months to lose 1.5kg, and it's proving a struggle to keep it off, the scales just want to go back up!
Recently, I've been eating probably the best I have in a long time. High protein, low carbs, and I feel satisfied all the time which is great, but that means I don't feel like I want to eat more calories again. I have also been drenching myself in water for a while, thinking that may help, around 2+ liters a day, but alas to no avail. I am at a perfectly healthy weight, and don't have much left to lose.. So maybe this is why; my body is just happy where it is? Or am I just making excuses for myself? Haha.
Any ideas what I should do to shake it up? Up my calories again? Or stick with 1200 calories, have faith in high protein and low carbs and ride it out? Try to reduce sodium? Someone help me break out of this, I'm out of ideas!
Yes! I've been there! I've only recently hit my goal (57 kg; I'm 154 cm so that's on the heavier range of normal weight for my height) but it's taken me about 2 months to get it stable (it keeps swinging up to 59, then crawling back down again) and the whole process has been pretty frustrating. Weirdly, what seemed to work for me was relaxation: I had a couple of weeks of vacation in that period and at vacation I just ate anything I wanted - I did try to write it all down and keep more or less to the calorie allotment but I wouldn't stress if I went over... Repeat for a week... though I do notice now that some of my cravings have changed rather a lot, so I didnt'end up eating as many calories as I would have a year ago. Anyways, immediately after the vacation, when I weighed I was a bit heavier than when I started the holiday, but not massively so.... and within about 3-4 days I dropped like a kilo in one go...0 -
I wouldn't be surprised if you need a few more hundred calories, but lets start easy... what do you do for exercise?
Also, there is a good chance the reason your body is struggling to lose weight is that you suppressed you intake for so long, that you body needs to readapt. Eating below your true calorie requirements for a long period of time will cause a metabolic slow down, and under eating will lead to catabolization of lean body mass, another thing that will slow down your metabolism.0 -
It's a bit like saying that you aren't going to stick to the speed limit because your car determines speed differently to other cars. It may not be 100% accurate, but you are a lot less likely to speed if you use your car's speedometer than to just ignore it altogether.
Same thing with BMR and TDEE. Just blindly following some calorie plan with complete disregard to your own body's requirements is like teaching yourself to drive at 20mph all the time - it might be safe if you are driving past a school and you will get through life without getting speeding fines, but if you were to get on the motorway, you'll endanger yourself and others.
Use the tools out there to help you determine what your body needs.
I haven't been ignoring the tools, in my post it said I increased my calories a few months ago. This was to meet and exceed my BMR as I had read about people eating above their BMR for a few weeks then dropping calorie consumption once again, and it working. I apologize for not making that clear enough in my post!0 -
I wouldn't be surprised if you need a few more hundred calories, but lets start easy... what do you do for exercise?
Also, there is a good chance the reason your body is struggling to lose weight is that you suppressed you intake for so long, that you body needs to readapt. Eating below your true calorie requirements for a long period of time will cause a metabolic slow down, and under eating will lead to catabolization of lean body mass, another thing that will slow down your metabolism.
So the consensus is to go back to at least hitting my BMR then? With pleasure Exercise wise I go to Salsa classes 2-3 times a week, run 2-3 times a week and walk every day, as I'm a student and don't need a car in my city. Just moved to Spain and been a bit too scared to find a gym here due to the language barrier! 0 -
Also thanks astheygrowup and yksdoris, very helpful to hear how you guys have done it! Especially nice to hear from people who have around the same stats/goals as me and you've both done great jobs! Always seems funny to me to eat more towards the end of weight loss as your body needs less to function. Definitely not complaining about eating more mind! Looks like I will be increasing my calories again and see how it goes! 0
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When you say "to no avail" - are you actually losing anything at all? Say, in the last several weeks? I've found that for the last few I'm trying to lose, what is working is eating at a very small deficit, very close to my TDEE (so even above my BMR). It's coming off very slowly, but that's to be expected really when you are already a healthy weight. Some weeks I even gain weight, but then I usually lose more the following week, so the overall trend is still going down.
As I get closer to my goal, I'm also finding that the actual number on the scale is less important. I actually have a size/measurement goal too, as well as a general idea of how I'd like to look in the mirror. I'm doing strength training, which is helping to change the shape of my body. If I hit my measurement goal before I hit my weight goal, then I'll be satisfied. Now that I'm a healthy weight, it's how I look that is going to determine when I stop losing.
So basically, try and eat closer to your TDEE, and accept that it will take some time. Patience is key at this stage!0 -
I wouldn't be surprised if you need a few more hundred calories, but lets start easy... what do you do for exercise?
Also, there is a good chance the reason your body is struggling to lose weight is that you suppressed you intake for so long, that you body needs to readapt. Eating below your true calorie requirements for a long period of time will cause a metabolic slow down, and under eating will lead to catabolization of lean body mass, another thing that will slow down your metabolism.
So the consensus is to go back to at least hitting my BMR then? With pleasure Exercise wise I go to Salsa classes 2-3 times a week, run 2-3 times a week and walk every day, as I'm a student and don't need a car in my city. Just moved to Spain and been a bit too scared to find a gym here due to the language barrier!
Try adding 200 more calories, but more importantly, start weight training and worrying about body composition instead of weight. Ideally, you want to cut fat and maintain lean body mass (muscle). This will help you have a tight lean body. If you need a program, you can do strong lift 5x5 or beginner lift 5x5.
Also, adjust your macro's to 35% c, 40% p and 25% f0 -
SOXIEZ I am in exactly the same position as you 135.5 lbs 5ft6 and my body is refusing to budge!
I'm loving reading this post because my lowest weight earlier this year was 127lbs which was my goal & I actually reached this after a 2 week holiday where I ate pretty much what I wanted, high carb plus lots of walking. (someone else on the post also had this weird reaction to realxing on hol)
My usual routine is low carb high protein & strength training. So Ive been so confused why doing the opposite to my usual made me hit my goal weight!
Now I think part of the reason my weight has crawled up since July is muscle gain, but for now Im sticking to around 1400 cals of protein, healthy fats & non-starchy veg & hopefully my weight will eventually level out at 130, sometime soon!!
Im hoping if I just chill out & not put so much pressure on myself this might help.
Let me know how you get on!0 -
SOXIEZ I am in exactly the same position as you 135.5 lbs 5ft6 and my body is refusing to budge!
I'm loving reading this post because my lowest weight earlier this year was 127lbs which was my goal & I actually reached this after a 2 week holiday where I ate pretty much what I wanted, high carb plus lots of walking. (someone else on the post also had this weird reaction to realxing on hol)
My usual routine is low carb high protein & strength training. So Ive been so confused why doing the opposite to my usual made me hit my goal weight!
Now I think part of the reason my weight has crawled up since July is muscle gain, but for now Im sticking to around 1400 cals of protein, healthy fats & non-starchy veg & hopefully my weight will eventually level out at 130, sometime soon!!
Im hoping if I just chill out & not put so much pressure on myself this might help.
Let me know how you get on!
The reason stuff like that worked is because you replenished your body with adequate nutrition. 1400 calories probably isn't enough for you. You probably need more like 1800. Also, it's good to take a break from a calorie deficit every so often to allow your body to regulate your hormones. Also, your body might benefit from additional carbs. So not only increase calories, but add more carbs. Try that for a month or two and see if your body composition changes.0 -
When you say "to no avail" - are you actually losing anything at all? Say, in the last several weeks? I've found that for the last few I'm trying to lose, what is working is eating at a very small deficit, very close to my TDEE (so even above my BMR). It's coming off very slowly, but that's to be expected really when you are already a healthy weight. Some weeks I even gain weight, but then I usually lose more the following week, so the overall trend is still going down.
As I get closer to my goal, I'm also finding that the actual number on the scale is less important. I actually have a size/measurement goal too, as well as a general idea of how I'd like to look in the mirror. I'm doing strength training, which is helping to change the shape of my body. If I hit my measurement goal before I hit my weight goal, then I'll be satisfied. Now that I'm a healthy weight, it's how I look that is going to determine when I stop losing.
So basically, try and eat closer to your TDEE, and accept that it will take some time. Patience is key at this stage!
I say to no avail, but I don't have digital scales, only regular ones and a tape measure, so I can't tell if I'm losing a tiny bit at a time or not. But the tape measure isn't budging and the only change I see on my the scales only a bit of water weight making me go up a kilo before coming back down again every now and then. Very annoying! But you are correct, I'm happy with my weight, I only want to lose the last bit because I want my stomach and arms to be trimmer.. which can be dealt with better weight training I guess, just too scared to join a gym here as I said before. May just have to suck it up haha!
Thank you, i'll try to be more patient Always difficult to adjust when it was so easy to lose before and you read horror stories of people stuck in a plateau for a year or so! 0 -
Try adding 200 more calories, but more importantly, start weight training and worrying about body composition instead of weight. Ideally, you want to cut fat and maintain lean body mass (muscle). This will help you have a tight lean body. If you need a program, you can do strong lift 5x5 or beginner lift 5x5.
Also, adjust your macro's to 35% c, 40% p and 25% f
I think I'm going to do just that! As I just said in the post before I only want to lose the last few lbs to trim up areas like my arms and stomach so I will give weight training a try, thank you! Macros have also been adjusted0 -
SOXIEZ I am in exactly the same position as you 135.5 lbs 5ft6 and my body is refusing to budge!
I'm loving reading this post because my lowest weight earlier this year was 127lbs which was my goal & I actually reached this after a 2 week holiday where I ate pretty much what I wanted, high carb plus lots of walking. (someone else on the post also had this weird reaction to realxing on hol)
My usual routine is low carb high protein & strength training. So Ive been so confused why doing the opposite to my usual made me hit my goal weight!
Now I think part of the reason my weight has crawled up since July is muscle gain, but for now Im sticking to around 1400 cals of protein, healthy fats & non-starchy veg & hopefully my weight will eventually level out at 130, sometime soon!!
Im hoping if I just chill out & not put so much pressure on myself this might help.
Let me know how you get on!
Haha, we are in the exact same position! The only time I lost anything was when I was much less strict with what I ate, but loosely kept track of calories and didn't weigh myself. Strange how things go! Perhaps it is stress related, I've just moved countries and the first month or so was absolute hell in terms of stress. It's started to become far more chilled now though so maybe that will help. What sort of strength training do you do? I'll add you so we can keep track!
Also sorry for posting about 8 times in a row, I can't work out how to reply to everyone with quotes on my phone any other way!0
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