Dissatisfied with slowing progress...

trudijoy
trudijoy Posts: 1,685 Member
edited February 1 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi everyone

I've lost 22 of the 30 kg I want to lose. My gut feeling is that my ultimate goal weight will be too low for me but it's technically my 'ideal' weight so I want to see what it looks like and decide from there if I want to gain a little.

I was trucking along nicely at 1kg a week, then it moved out to 1 every 10 days, now it's 1 every 2-3 weeks. It still seems to be working at the moment, but slowly. I'm still eating TDEE - 20%. I work out (lightly, mostly netball coaching, umpiring and walking, with some weights). I have a gym membership but I pinched a nerve in my neck and I have some spinal damage (very light but still) at the moment and so I haven't been gymming. I'm happy with my body in clothes at the moment, but not without them. Well not totally. It's still a LOT better than what it was and some parts of it (like my back and ribcage, and legs) look pretty epic to me :p

In my position, would you:

a) keep going but throw in more toning and strength work?
b) up the cardio
c) change to TDEE - 15%
d) get over it and keep doing what has been working
e) something else

I'm 175 cm tall. I weigh 83 kg (183 lb) and my goal weight is 75 kg (165 lb). My BMR is 1616 and my TDEE is 2220 (worked out on light excercise but some weeks it's more moderate). I eat 1800 and don't eat back excercise calories. I'm curvy with some muscle and DD/E boobs so that's why I'm shooting for the top of ideal weight not the bottom/middle. I eat well, with some treats but mostly pretty healthy, and I drink plenty of water.

Replies

  • trudijoy
    trudijoy Posts: 1,685 Member
    anyone able to discuss?
  • tootoop224
    tootoop224 Posts: 281 Member
    I am in a similar situation. I think it is natural for weight loss to slow down once you get closer to goal/have less to lose. I am assuming you have adjusted your TDEE as you have been losing, and have remained at TDEE -20% consistently. I would suggest doing some strength training with heavy weights. Strong Lifts 5x5, Starting Strength or New Rules of Weight Lifting for Women. I do SL 5x5 but have heard good things re: the others. That will work more on body composition, and helping you "look better naked". You, and I may never get to our ultimate weight goal, but I think lifting heavy will give us the bodies we're looking for. Good luck!
  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
    Since you are so close to your goal weight, you should be doing TDEE -10%, half a pound a week and the closer you get the harder it gets!! Good luck.
  • NaomiJFoster
    NaomiJFoster Posts: 1,450 Member
    I lost 22 pounds fairly easily in about 6 months. And then it all stalled. I have lost and gained the same three pounds over and over again for the last 2 months. It's a bit annoying. But honestly, I'm not really bothered by it. I know I'm not gaining. I'm just holding steady. So I'm looking at this as a mini-victory. I have learned how to maintain this weight. And maybe it is a good idea for me to pause here for awhile and let my brain catch up to my body, so this becomes a natural state for me. And then kick it back into gear in a little while. I don't know. I'm making that up, but it makes sense to me and keeps me happy instead of frustrated.
  • SerenaFisher
    SerenaFisher Posts: 2,170 Member
    I started at 165lbs after my daughter (2 weeks after her birth, February this year).
    I lost 5lbs consistently February, March, and April. I was 145lbs from April through June then finally made 140lbs steadily. Since June I am down to 135lbs. It will likely take until October to reach my goal.

    Try TDEE -10% as someone suggested but being close to your goal expect it to take time.
  • trudijoy
    trudijoy Posts: 1,685 Member
    cool thanks all. Netball season finishes next week so I think I might add in a gym workout on what is currently netball day, as well as another at least one a week. I think also that I might finish out August on TDEE-20% and then flick up to TDEE- 10 or 15% for September. I'll be in Japan for half of October and I always lose weight in Japan so hopefully I will have lost my 30kg within the 365 days I'm hoping for....

    Thanks for the replies. If anyone else has any insight feel free too - what is above makes sense though so thanks for that :)
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    change to TDEE -15% and add a bit more strength/resistance training
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
    As frustrating as it is, your weight loss will slow down the less body fat you have. That's to be expected, and it's actually a good thing because too much weight loss now would mean that it's not all fat. You're only a little bit overweight (and like you say, shooting for the top end of your range due to body type), so you haven't got a huge amount of fat stored. 1 lb a week is plenty (which I think is roughly equivalent to 1kg every 2 weeks?) 0.5 lb a week might be better for you at this point. As much as you want to get the weight off, it's better to keep it just fat coming off and not lean mass.

    I would try to focus on body composition and see what you can do with some strength training, making allowances for your injury recovery of course. Strength training is likely to be what makes the difference to what you look like out of clothes. I wouldn't up the cardio (unless you want to for other reasons, but then I would make sure to eat more to compensate). You don't want to be creating a massive calorie deficit now.

    Also, start relying on measurements and progress photos to keep you feeling good about your progress. Once you get close to your goal, progress isn't always obvious on the scale.
  • jimmmer
    jimmmer Posts: 3,515 Member
    TDEE-15%

    Add in strength work.

    As you near your goal, you'll probably have to go to TDEE-10%. Then maybe TDEE-5%. Then finally dial in on maintenance. It'll take time, trail and error and patience.

    One caveat is the TDEE-X% approach means you have to be consistent with your activity. If your exercise is factored into your TDEE and then you don't do it for whatever reason, then you'll be using an incorrect TDEE. Ask yourself if you're going to be motivated/consistent? Also make sure you recalculate your TDEE every 5-10lbs of weight you lose. Scooby's calculator or fitness frog are good calculators if you decide to go the TDEE route.
  • trudijoy
    trudijoy Posts: 1,685 Member

    One caveat is the TDEE-X% approach means you have to be consistent with your activity. If your exercise is factored into your TDEE and then you don't do it for whatever reason, then you'll be using an incorrect TDEE. Ask yourself if you're going to be motivated/consistent?

    This is why I work out my intake on the lower amount of exercise as TDEE - 20% even though some weeks it's higher. On higher weeks, then if I go over one day I don't care :)
  • mazdauk
    mazdauk Posts: 1,380 Member
    I was scared to do TDEE because I know fat lazy me is just waiting to leap back out and start on the cookies :blushing: So i set my calories to sedentary (having a full time desk job there is no "accidental" exercise worth counting!) and eat back my exercise calories. I'm now set to 1/2lb a week loss (I was on 1lb a week) as I did get to goal weight but was naughty on holiday:drinker: .

    When I get to maintenance I will still count exercise calories to stop me getting into bad habits:wink:

    As others have said, keep going but accept you're not going to lose so qickly now you're so close to goal.:flowerforyou:
  • andiebaco
    andiebaco Posts: 211 Member
    Do you take measurements?

    This last week my weight losses have stalled... I've literally maintained even if I follow the 5:2 and I exercise 6 days a week (two cardio days, four mix cardio and weight lifting). However, I measure myself weekly and I found that even if I'm stalled, I lost 2 - 3 cm of my waist!

    You should take measurements also, to help you visualize your losses more easily..

    :)

    Edit to add: My BMI is normal, so I don't really have a lot of weigh tthat I HAVE to do, but I do it for vanity. Hence, I try to incorporate the most weight lifting I have in order to get toned and lose the last pounds.
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