Those last few pounds

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Replies

  • femjesse
    femjesse Posts: 9
    I don't know about you ladies, but I set my goal weight artificially low to expedite the process. The program will not recommend less than 1200 calories a day. Although I've been hitting around 1200-1500 in reality. It seems to be indicating that I'll maintain my weight of 115-117. If I consume too few calories I feel tired at 115, so I think I'm at my ideal weight. If you're starting to feel tired, you might not be eating enough calories.

    I hope that helps.
  • RychelleD
    RychelleD Posts: 103 Member
    I am so happy I found this thread!

    I became so demotivated when I had just ten lbs left to hit my goal. :S
    I found it so much harder to lose the closer I became and do not want to drop my calorie goal any further than 1200. I work out a few times a week but am barely losing. I became inconsistent with my logging in August and gained 5 lbs. It sucks when you can gain so easily, but losing is such a struggle.I plan to keep at it tho but am glad Im not the only one struggling with this.
    Thanks for sharing
  • Apicius
    Apicius Posts: 61 Member
    I have about 3-4kg to get to my target as well, and each kilo for ages has been a battle. I tend to lose less than a kg a month, and nothing for the last two months.

    I think you can be a bit demotivated, but what's the alternative? Give up and pork up? Not for me, I have changed all my habits and routines.

    So far each major plateau I have had to make changes to shift again. Calorie count, then took up running, then dropped calories. I am doing 5:2 and that has helped, but again I am now running further, and biking as well.

    If nothing else I am getting healthier, so I have just had to accept that targets in a timeframe just set you up for disappointment when your body doesn't read your target schedule!
  • femjesse
    femjesse Posts: 9
    It is entirely possible to be healthier at a higher weight. There are people I work with far healthier than me who can clear more flights of stairs than I can, even though they weigh more. Weight means nothing. Gauge how you feel and if you're happy with how you look. If you start to plateau you may have to reassess whether your goal weight is reasonable or not. It is not worth hitting your goal weight if it means you're going to be lethargic/weak. =(
  • summer8it
    summer8it Posts: 433 Member
    I'm suddenly feeling a little derailed.Then with a work event that sent my calorie count way over for the first time since I started counting calories and a ridiculous hunger today, I feel that I'm heading towards giving up.

    OP, I excerpted the section of your post that I want to address. You're getting very close to maintenance -- and you recognize that, which is why you posted here -- so I suggest that you should start to adopt more of a maintenance mindset. Maintenance is about the long haul. It's no longer a temporary diet, it's the way you live your life, and life involves parties and holidays and business dinners and romantic dates and vacations and days when you've busted your butt in the gym and you just need to EAT. And it's absolutely 100% OK to have those days when you go over your calorie goal, because they balance out over time.

    I've been maintaining for more than a year now (at a weight I hadn't seen since high school) and I've had at least one day "in the red" every week. I've learned to focus more on the weekly calorie goal, and I've never gone over the weekly goal. It works.
  • bubaluboo
    bubaluboo Posts: 2,098 Member
    I'm suddenly feeling a little derailed.Then with a work event that sent my calorie count way over for the first time since I started counting calories and a ridiculous hunger today, I feel that I'm heading towards giving up.

    OP, I excerpted the section of your post that I want to address. You're getting very close to maintenance -- and you recognize that, which is why you posted here -- so I suggest that you should start to adopt more of a maintenance mindset. Maintenance is about the long haul. It's no longer a temporary diet, it's the way you live your life, and life involves parties and holidays and business dinners and romantic dates and vacations and days when you've busted your butt in the gym and you just need to EAT. And it's absolutely 100% OK to have those days when you go over your calorie goal, because they balance out over time.

    I've been maintaining for more than a year now (at a weight I hadn't seen since high school) and I've had at least one day "in the red" every week. I've learned to focus more on the weekly calorie goal, and I've never gone over the weekly goal. It works.

    I totally needed to read that! You're right and that's what bothers me. I do need to make sure that this is a lifestyle and not a diet. I find that if I have treats one day (which is usually fat/carb heavy), I am crawling the walls with hunger the next. So I have not gone over by more than 100 calories and that only a couple of times. Then with the works event I went 600 calories over the other day and now I'm finding it hard to reign it in again. I've now changed my weightloss rate to 0.5lb per week. I'm hoping that the extra calorie allowance will ease me into maintenance but I have got to learn to cope with off days!
  • lambchristie
    lambchristie Posts: 552 Member
    I've been stuck for about 4 months! Hit my goal weight of 144. (I'm 5'5") Wanted to get to 138 for "vanity" reasons. Got down to 142, but jump between 146-148. I am much more toned and fit, so I know I am more lean, but damn those numbers on the scale! Coming to terms with being okay where I am at, living with a few pound fluctuation and staying fit.

    ETA: My BF% is 19.5, which is FANTASTIC for me, IMO. Still working on wrapping my head around being great where I am now...especially compared to where I was before.

    You've lost 201 pounds! CONGRATULATIONS!!! Amazing work .. so yes wrap your head around the fact you are where your body wants you to be!
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    Set it to half a pound a week. Be patient. Lift heavy, and you will drop body fat, and get the look you want, even if perhaps you don't lose any more.
  • audierae
    audierae Posts: 7 Member
    I am in the same boat; I am also within 6 lbs of my goal (which just happens to be 140 lbs). I am finding that I am having to be more rigid in adherence to the program (what constitutes as "real" exercise, how many Calories I can go in the red, etc.).

    This. I am now less than 3 pounds from my goal weight after losing the first 47 pounds relatively quickly (Since March). I have found to continue to lose I have to be much more honest with myself about how much and the intensity of exercise I do, and be even more careful about portion size and control. Just stick with it! You're doing awesome!
  • marjorianna
    marjorianna Posts: 8 Member
    Great information, thank you!
  • Seesawboomerang
    Seesawboomerang Posts: 296 Member
    The final 2-4kg (5lbs+) that were really hard to shift at the end of a 30lb or so weight loss are the same 5lb or so that I still gain and lose repeatedly in maintenance.

    I think sometimes your body knows you've reached the right weight.

    I still have some work to do reducing body fat % and generally staying on top of overall fitness. And that work is ongoing, something that's easy to overlook when you have your sights fixed on a weightloss goal.
  • marcon125
    marcon125 Posts: 259 Member
    I went through this same thing a couple of months ago. I was doing fine until I had about 3lbs to go. Then I would jump up and down in weight never quite losing them. This went on for about 6 weeks. I had recalculated my calories as mentioned before in this thread and it took about 50 calories off my daily goal. In trying to keep under that goal, I would end up hungry and frustrated with no weight loss.

    In response to a suggestion I UPPED my calories by about 110 per day and those last lbs finally came off. Now, I know this may not work in every situation. I am just relating my story.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    If you think about this as FOREVER - i.e., you go from a deficit to maintain - you're here already. You just keep slowly losing - or not - at the end.

    BTW - on age. I never thought I would be but I am 54 and back to my age 20 weight. I expect I'll get lower, although I might not if I build muscle instead of just losing. I'm still losing inches, just not weight.
  • Beckilovespizza
    Beckilovespizza Posts: 334 Member
    Hey, u have done really well. Like many others on this post I am also nearly at goal weight. If u don't mind me saying 20 is near to the lower end of a healthy bmi so I think u must be about right. I also understand the whole bmi thing about muscle weighing more than fat, there was a guy who posted on another thread and he had an obese bmi but was very hench and muscular, he weighed loads because of his muscles! So please don't get hung up on bmi.

    Anyway, I have recently been successful with eating like a pig at the weekend and the being good in the week, it seemed to work nicely and someone told me it worked because my body was used to its usual calorie intake and then got shocked by my splurge of yumminess. I guess it was my version on a 5:2 diet thingy.

    I hope this helps!!
  • kelleybean1
    kelleybean1 Posts: 312 Member
    LoriVaughn69, I looked in your diary, and you are consistently eating under 1200 cal/dayl. Also, you skip breakfast. You need to eat more, and eat the most important meal of the day!
  • Goal_Driven
    Goal_Driven Posts: 371 Member
    The last pounds are the absolute hardest. But I know, for me, my problem is my diet and not working out as much as I should. I have let myself slip up and I know it could be worse. I am still counting but my decisions aren't the best at the moment. I need to kick my butt back into gear and not give in so easily to temptations.. getting married in May and I have let myself get way to comfortable pigging out with my fiance ;)
  • lavaughan69
    lavaughan69 Posts: 459 Member
    LoriVaughn69, I looked in your diary, and you are consistently eating under 1200 cal/dayl. Also, you skip breakfast. You need to eat more, and eat the most important meal of the day!

    Nope, not going to eat breakfast. I'm not hungry in the morning, I enjoy my two cups of coffee and that keeps me full until lunchtime. Instead of breakfast I have a late night snack usually...so consider that my breakfast! :-)

    As for my calories...I know, I know. I seem to be stuck in panic mode about my food intake. I enjoyed August too much and now that my goal is in sight I've gotten really fanatical about reaching it. I'm petrified to eat more. And then there are weekends...I often save my calories during the week for the inevitable drinking that seems to occur. The problem is if nothing occurs, then I've saved my calories for nothing. I know I have a problem and the pendulum has gone too far the other way now....I've got to bring it back to center.
  • superspork2
    superspork2 Posts: 99 Member

    1. Change your workout routine. Particularly if you aren't incorporating lifting weights. Lifting, particularly heavy lifting, does more to help the fat loss process than almost anything else you can do.

    2. Eat more food. Most people that are stuck are better served eating more than less. Not always, but if you are very low, and have been eating low for some time, you might help the process by eating more not less. Find out what your TDEE is if you have not already, and compare it to your current daily goal.

    3. Change the cardio workouts you have been doing. When exercise routines get stale you are better served to find something that energizes you. The more enthusiastic about your exercises, the better. We spend less time talking ourselves out of exercises we like.

    4. Eat more protein. Again, this is a generalization, but most people eat far too little protein in their diet. And this can have a big impact on the "final product" as many people find they lose weight but lose a lot of muscle as well in the process.

    5. Have a Protein/carb drink (or meal) within 30 minutes of your exercising, particularly hard exercising. Help your body by giving it the fuel to rebuild the muscles you've been tearing down in your workout.

    6. Find friends, or a group, where you will get real feedback. Text people who know what they are doing and pick their brains. The info is out there, and you are close!

    THIS!! Everything. You guys need to up your calories and give your body more than a week to change at this point. I'm in the same boat as you. Up your calories so you get closer to your maintaining weight calorie goals. Your body needs more fuel, not less.

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