10 lbs

I'm kinda with u on this. 10-14lbs I'd love to lose! Finding it hard to get Motivated though

Hey everyone,

I just was hoping to have some motivating chat with folks who are looking to lose just 10lbs (or the last 10lbs). I know for many that seems like small potatoes but I want to lose these 10 lbs rather than keep putting on the pounds until it becomes a bigger problem. I was one of those teenagers and twenty-somethings that could eat everything but now in my 30s its catching up with me and like all women I'm putting on the love handles in the waist.

I know that its harder to lose the final 10 lbs than it is to lose 10 lbs when you start at a larger weight because you simply burn fewer calories a day. Anyone have any tips of advice on what is a reasonable amount of time to expect to shed those pounds? When do you begin noticing a difference, etc?

I am trying to do a workout every day (30 day shred at the moment) and keeping track of calorie intake but when MFP says you can only take in 1400 calories (lightly active, 5 workouts of 25 minutes a week) its amazing to see how quickly that adds up and how hard it is to create a calorie deficit of any substance. I don't want to starve myself and be hungry-there's no point in that so any motivating tips would be helpful.

Thanks!

In my experience, it isn't harder to lose the last 10 lbs than when you are bigger, it's just that it takes longer when you are a healthy weight. There is a difference in calorie burn based on weight, but it's really not enough to make or break your success. The main thing you need is to have reasonable expectations. For example, when you only have 10 lbs to lose, you're not going to be able to lose 2 lbs a week, not if you want it to be mostly fat anyway. 0.5 lbs a week is a much more realistic expectation. So, you need lots and lots of patience and determination. Other than that, it's pretty much the same as for anybody trying to lose.

Remember that when you add your exercise into MFP, it adds those calories on, and you're supposed to eat those back. That gives you a bit more wiggle room.

The best advice I can give you is this:

1. Have a small deficit, 1/2 -1 lb max is what you should for.

2. start doing heavy weight training. You will see much greater composition changes with WT than you will with a program like 30DS. Higher protein and fats will help with satiety and increases in protein will help with muscle retention.

3. I would suggest not having a weight goal too. I would suggest taking pictures and measurements to see progress. Weight is very deceiving. If you monitor body fat, then you can see if you are losing fat or fat and muscle. Minimizing muscle loss is key to a lean and tight body. This is where WT will be very beneficial as it can help.

This is the best advise you are going to get.
My LW and HW are within 25 lbs of each other. But body compisition is everything. You set yourself up for success by thinking long term. Yes, you can starve and run for weeks and lose 10 lbs but when you eat a sandwich it will come back. When you weight train, 3-5 times a week (start light as to not injure yourself until you get comfortable with the forms!) and gradually add on as you gain strength and confidence. Within 4-8 weeks you will notice composition changes in your body that you simply CAN NOT GET with diet alone. Each a variety of satisfying whole foods, without restriction. allow yourself as much fresh raw veggies as you wish! without guilt. keep on hand strawberries, cucumber, carrots and light hummus, yummy salad items - you get the idea. Try to by physically active everyday. And dont expect your body to become a fitness models by June 15. Put down the weigh scale. Take a picture for yourself in your undies or a swim suit in the mirror. Do the weight training. Do some fitness you enjoy - yoga,pilates,rowing,biking,hiking - just be active, do some weight training. Take the picture again in 4 weeks. And in 4 weeks. and repeat for the rest of your life. It takes 6 weeks for your body to start breaking down muscle once you have built it. The more muscle you have the higher your metabolism will be. (that's why men as a rule can eat more the ladies and lose weight faster while dieting because of their muscle mass.) The scale might not respond as you wish but your tush will be tighter, and higher, your shoulders sleek and curvy and sexy, your abs contoured...so important for your health and physcique especially as you continue aging. I cant describe the benefits enough to you, but do some research into this topic please it will change your life. You dont have to be the incredible hulk. Weight lifting is F U N. One of my favourites to go the gym, grab the bars with all the muscle dudes and start lifting more than some of them with my ipod on. and I am quite a girly girl. Plus this way you dont have to agonize over ice cream.

EAT A VARIETY OF NUTRITIONS WHOLE FOODS

STAY ACTIVE

WEIGHT TRAIN

=
STRONGHEALTHYSEXY

with a remainder ICE CREAM (that you can indulge in because your metabolism is higher.)


;-)

IF you are a gym member, a lot of gyms have weight training group exercise classes, that not surprisingly are filled with women of all shapes and sizes. There are womens only gyms, there are drops in classes, introductory rates, friend passes, monthly passes and trials. So find something that works for you. And i sincerely hope you do!

Remember in 4 months you may lose 2 pant sizes and 2 pounds. Muscle is 3x more dense than fat. and immeasurably healthier for mind body and soul.

BEST TO YOU!

Thanks for the advice. I agree that .5 - 1 lbs a week is probably the max I can realistically expect for sustaining...but its so hard to judge that because my weight can fluctuate 3-4 lbs on a daily basis which I know is water etc....still if I can see the inches come off....or even just shrink in because my stomach muscles are stronger and thus holding in the flab a bit tighter ....

I am not tied to the scale, in fact I've never really owned one until recently and even then only step on about once a week to every 10 days. My weight goal is not tied to an arbitrary number. But it is based on what I weighed at a healthy, fit, lean muscular build and is still about the middle of all the indices for my stats. I base my fitness level on pictures, clothes fit, cardio/strength fitness and less a number, the number is more a tool I use with everything else. At the end of the day I don't care if I'm 126 or 132 if I know from my other measurements that I'm fit....but I do know that right now I'm outside of my range and have that dreaded and dangerous middle fat bulge....

I like the 30 day shred because its fast and its the only workout I've ever done where I feel better the farther along into each session I am and at the end of it rather than being tired I am ready to go work out again lol I enjoy the circuits and the cardio and just the idea of weight training bores me. I would never stick with it. Plus within 10 days of doing the shred I notice amazing differences in my strength, cardiovascular endurance, muscle tone and inches lost-its as near instant gratification as I can get.

:happy: When I attempted weight training before I hated it, was bored and didn't notice results after a few weeks so I gave it up. Maybe I didn't pair it with the right types of proteins and eating etc that are necessary when weight training but honestly I can't be bothered with all that. I just want to be fit and healthy. I know it takes work and diet modifications but I'm never going to spend time in a gym (other than maybe a studio zumba or pilates class) and I'm never going to have a strict diet (I don't know how people eat hummus....really? ewwww lol ) or monitor a bunch of nutrition components or drink health shakes etc. I know it works for a lot of people and they enjoy it and more power to them, but its just not me.

There are plenty of ways to do strength training and not be bored and there are plenty of programs. Also, if you expected to see huge results, you would just set yourself up for failure. There are quick in home programs that are good if you prefer that route. I like Chalean Extreme and Body Beast. Most of CLX workouts are 35-45 minutes and BB can range from 30-55. BB is more of a program to maximize strength gains and can be used for a cut program. CLX is an overall fun program that mixes weight training and HIIT. CLX is what i suggest to new people. Out than that, there are tons of programs such as: strong lift 5x5, new rules of lifting for women, and plenty of beginner programs on nerdfitness.com. Realistically, if you start setting goals while weight training and trying to beat that each week, you will enjoy it more. Also, given the right calorie deficit, your composition will change much more but you need to give it more than 2 weeks. Heck, after 30DS, why don't you try a weight training for 90 days and compare pictures to see how much more progress you have made.

I feel like it's just as hard to lose 10, you say you're striving for a lifestyle change and that's the struggle bus we're all riding. There is a lot of good info in these forums and you've got some great advice already. If you search in groups I saw there was a group for people who wanted to lose 10 pounds.

You've got this!