really struggling to lose the last 14 pounds, any tips.

Options
2»

Replies

  • Coyoteldy
    Coyoteldy Posts: 219 Member
    Options
    I find for me small meals several times a day works wonders... but the other thing that got me over the hump ( as it were) is kicking up and changing my exercise...I do more but change the workouts between cardio and strength.. cardio in the morning and lifting / resistance in the afternoon.. I know it sounds like a lot but my scale did not budge for a month not an ounce.. made me nuts...nows its moving back in the right direction.. stick with it!!!!
  • LaurenAOK
    LaurenAOK Posts: 2,475 Member
    Options
    Thanks both, I've lost altogether in 18 months 182 pounds, but I've put 9 of those pounds back on, so I've now got 16 pounds still left to lose to get to 140 pounds. I don't want to get to skinny, just healthy. I'm 5 foot 2 inches so I shouldn't be heavier than 140 pounds, but struggling. Its my appetite I think, to be under 140 pounds, I think you have to eat like a bird.

    I love my food, and i do eat healthy, but its the volume of what I'm eating i find hard to cut down. I need to get there because both of my knees are painful. I came on this sight to help me with the last stone to lose. But i seem to be going up not down.

    You do NOT need to eat like a bird to be under 140! You also don't need to cut down the volume of what you're eating. You're only eating 3 times a day and 1200 calories, right? Please do not decrease that. I'm 5'4", 125 pounds and I'm eating around 1700 a day and losing. Eating 5-6 times a day, too. It feels so much better than when I was eating 1200 a while ago! In case anyone hasn't already linked you, here's a good thread to explain calories: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

    I'm not going to say "OMG YOU NEEEEED TO EAT MORE!!" but if what you're doing isn't working, it's definitely worth a shot. All I ask is that you please, PLEASE don't eat LESS.
  • Sweets1954
    Sweets1954 Posts: 506 Member
    Options
    First of all, when the scale doesn't move or goes up STAY OUT OF THE COOKIE JAR! You are only sabatoging yourself when you do that. Not to say you can't have an occasional cookie, include it in your daily totals. Eveyone has plateaus or even setbacks, just get back on track! Tomorrow, or even the next meal is a new opportunity to get back on the road to weight loss. If you slip, up your activity or cut back a little for a day. If you are really stuck, look at what you are doing, increase your activity and don't eat back all the calories--I think that is a strange way of looking at weight loss anyway. You might also try upping your calories a bit. If you are adding a lot more muscle (which weighs more than fat) you may need the extra calories. Sometimes the scale isn't the best way to tell if you are losing. How are your clothes fitting? Are you getting more toned? Hang in there it will happen.
  • Lesa_Sass
    Lesa_Sass Posts: 2,213 Member
    Options
    Eat more, try upping your calories to 1450 to 1500 plus most of your exercise cals back.

    It will start coming off, slower but IT WILL come off. You will also feel WAY better.

    Feel free to check out my diary for ideas. You will see that I eat several times a day but mostly all good, nutritious foods. I am weighing in at 114 getting down to 112. (lost too much weight last summer when my world fell apart, intentionality went on a mission to gain and went to far, now I am getting back to it) I am 5.3 and 44 years old.
  • ril0riley
    ril0riley Posts: 54 Member
    Options
    I know I've lost a lot of weight, but one would think I could lose the last 14 pounds and i can't. I go up and then back down, but I can't go under...its driving me nuts. when the scales don't move I just jump into the nearest cookie jar. why is it so much harder to lose fat at the end? fat is fat. any tips please. I eat three times a day, and I try not to go over 1200 each day.

    You've identified your own problem-- stay out of the cookie jar! As your body loses it gets more and more efficient at what it does, and you don't need the calories you used to in order to survive.

    When you're fighting for the last 10 pounds (as I am right now!) everything you did to get to that point may simply be the amount of eating/activity you need to maintain. There are a few options here: embrace your current lifefstyle and work on maintaining where you are now (which I refuse to consider as an option for myself) or commit to just one or two more lifestyle changes that you can commit to for a lifetime (a little more time at the gym, try a new sport, cut sodas, take the stairs). Embrace this as part of the healthier you that you've already made such great progress on, not a last ditch effort to push yourself to your goal-- or else you may find your goal weight impossible to maintain
    Good lucK!
  • BlueInkDot
    BlueInkDot Posts: 702 Member
    Options
    Calculate your BMR and TDEE. Use the scooby calculator: http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

    Check out EM2WL (eat more to weigh less).

    Get caliper measurements taken so you can keep track of your body fat percentage instead of your pounds.

    Be patient.
  • GamerLady
    GamerLady Posts: 359 Member
    Options
    Congrats on your successful weight loss so far! Way to go!
    Have you tried changing your workout routine a bit? I found by changing mine up and challenging myself again I lost the last 10lbs I was looking to lose. I think my body got so use to my usual routine, I wasn't challenging myself and burning as many calories as I was before. It worked for me. Best of luck. If you find yourself wanting to snack a lot and like peanut butter, get some PB2, it's filling and it's only 45 calories per 2 tbsps.
  • Veg_Kait
    Veg_Kait Posts: 3
    Options
    Try not to eat the same amount of calories everyday. Sometimes if you are dead set on eating 1200 calories per day you will hit a plateau because your body will adjust to that amount. If you are nervous about increasing your calorie intake overall, try increasing it to 1500 every second or third day. It will likely get your metabolism working a little faster and the pounds will come off slowly but surely.

    You said you had problems with your knees, so I'm sure that makes it difficult to do a lot of different cardio exercises, but maybe try researching some different cardio workouts that you can do that involve your upper body more so than your legs. You don't need to overdo it and workout for an hour a day or anything, even just 15 minutes more than your normal daily routine would potentially make a huge difference.

    Congratulations on your success so far, and good luck with the last few pounds!
  • Lesa_Sass
    Lesa_Sass Posts: 2,213 Member
    Options
    Congrats on your successful weight loss so far! Way to go!
    Have you tried changing your workout routine a bit? I found by changing mine up and challenging myself again I lost the last 10lbs I was looking to lose. I think my body got so use to my usual routine, I wasn't challenging myself and burning as many calories as I was before. It worked for me. Best of luck. If you find yourself wanting to snack a lot and like peanut butter, get some PB2, it's filling and it's only 45 calories per 2 tbsps.

    Stay AWAY from PB2 it is not good for you.

    Why eat fake food when the real deal IS good for you?

    http://foodbabe.com/2012/09/16/the-truth-about-pb2-powdered-peanut-butter/

    PB2 is Not Whole Real Food – When I talk about the foods I eat, I tell people I want to choose the most nutrient dense foods on the planet and PB2 is just not one of them. The beauty of a peanut is that it contains all of the nutrients nature intended. It has a healthy dose of fat, protein and vitamins. PB2 extracts almost all of the essential monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, leaching the vitamin E content which is fat soluble, therefore reducing the nutritional content of the whole food. The fat is what keeps you satisfied and reduces cravings making just a tablespoon of real peanut butter so satisfying. This powdered form looks pretty clean when you review the ingredients, but it’s just another way for manufacturers to trick you into thinking less calories is better for you. They have to add a mixture of sugar and salt into the powder to make it taste better without the fat. I know I’d rather have the fat vs. the sugar and salt!
  • sk2775
    sk2775 Posts: 703 Member
    Options
    First of all, congrats on your amazing weight loss. You should be so very proud of all that you have accomplished.
    The last 10-15 pounds is the hardest to lose. I have been doing this for two years now, and the 1st 60 pounds came of so very easily, but the last pounds (I have about 15 to lose as well) is taking forever. Just have the patience.

    Here are couple of things that seem to be working for me (as the scale finally has started to go down after I have maintain for the past 4 months or so).

    1) Eat more. I also ate at 1200 calories or so at the beginning, but you don't want to stay at this amount for the rest of your life. Try to increase your calories. I started increasing it by 100 calories or so and now I am up to 1500 + calories.

    2) Change your workouts from time to time. Your body is most likely used to all the current workouts, so try introducing new workouts or change the intensity of it from time to time. This keeps your body guessing and this is a good thing.

    3) At if you want to eat a cookie eat it. There is no point restricting yourself from things that you like to eat. Once again, try to remember that this is for the rest of your life and if you want to eat a cookie, then you should be able to eat a cookie.

    For the last 4 months or so, I have not lost any weight. I have just tried to maintain my current weight and I think this was good for my body as it has been put through so many changes the past two years. Now, I think I am finally ready to lose the last 10-15 pounds or so.

    Good luck.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
    Options
    If you're doing the 1,200 calorie thing, it is too aggressive for 15 Lbs to lose. With only 15ish Lbs to lose, you should be shooting for about 1/2 Lb per week and no more than 1 Lb per week. When you get within 10 Lbs, it should definitely be at 1/2 Lb per week.

    You simply don't have the fat stores to maintain that large of a deficit and your body is responding by not cooperating. Your body is smart...it wants to hold onto fat, just in case it needs it down the road. When you go too aggressive with not much to lose, your body just responds by slowing the metabolism down. It'll be very gradual, but your body will ultimately respond better to a much smaller deficit at this point. I'm in the same boat.
  • 4843191345
    4843191345 Posts: 1
    Options
    Ignore that...no one size fits all here...
  • aliciapenny
    aliciapenny Posts: 51 Member
    Options
    as you have less to lose it comes off a lot less quickly. Try eating at maintenance for a week or two then go back to your deficit level of calories. Your body probably needs a break from dieting.

    you really should be using a TDEE calculator NOT the calorie recommendation given by MFP.
  • santd
    santd Posts: 234 Member
    Options
    thank-you for so much advice. I must admit I've been on a diet for so long, I was starting to give up. But reading everyone's posts, its made me more determined now to lose it, thank-you. I will try and vary my exercise i did get into a routine, obviously my body has got used to it.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    Options
    thank-you for so much advice. I must admit I've been on a diet for so long, I was starting to give up. But reading everyone's posts, its made me more determined now to lose it, thank-you. I will try and vary my exercise i did get into a routine, obviously my body has got used to it.

    How long have you been at a deficit? Maybe it's time for a diet break before the last 14?
  • 4theking
    4theking Posts: 1,196 Member
    Options
    At your weight, eating at 1200 calories and not losing tells me your metabolism is running pretty slow. Take a two week diet break. Raise your calories to 1700 and don't weight yourself. After two weeks lower calories back down to 1200 and have one day a week to eat 2000 calories. This spike day will help to keep you losing.

Categories