How to lose the last 10-20 pounds? 5'9 female

Arwen17evenstar
Arwen17evenstar Posts: 5 Member
in Motivation and Support
I've been using caloriecount.com to log my calories so you won't see anything in my diary here. But MFP seems to have the better, more active forums. I've been unable to move from 163-169 lbs weight range.

Weightloss pictures from Sept. 2013 to Feb. 2014: http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n307/Arwen17evenstar/sideview.jpg

Pictures of my current fat:
http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n307/Arwen17evenstar/fat.jpg
It's all on my stomach with a little on upper arms and legs.

What do you think my body fat percentage is? Do you think I'm an apple-shape or an hourglass-shape? Do you think 20 pounds is how much I need to lose to get rid of my stomach? Since I'm 165lbs right now, do you think my ideal weight is probably 140-145lbs? How long did it take you guys to lose the last 10-20lbs? What did you do diet-wise to lose the weight?
I could probably fit into a size 10 jeans if my belly wasn't huge.

I'm wearing the same underwear and bras in these photos, so even tho you can't see it well, I've lost a lot of weight in my chest area. It fills like half the cup now.
I'm wearing a smaller bra in today's pictures.

My waist line at the narrowest point of my torso is currently 31 inches and the largest area below my belly button is 38 inches. That's way too big. It should probably be in the 25-28in range for the narrowest point. I've heard a waist line 30 inches or larger puts you at risk for heart disease. My hips are 40 inches and should probably be 38 inches or so.

The scar on my stomach is from a really bad appendectomy a few years ago. As far as I'm aware, I don't have any side effects from this surgery, other than my ugly scar. I'm hoping that will smooth out a bit more as I lose weight. The scar itself isn't bad, I just hate the indentation it causes because it emphasizes the fat. I think the indentation is mainly caused by overhanging fat because the scar itself is really soft.
I'm 23 years old so my skin seems to be doing really well snapping back into place. I don't have any loose skin so far after losing 50lbs.




My Story:
I've been using calorie restriction and zigzag dieting since September 2013 to achieve weight loss. I've lost about 53 pounds so far, but I believe I need to lose about 20 more pounds judging from my BMI height and the amount of fat still on my body.
Because I zigzagged, I was able lose 2lbs every week since September with only a couple weeks on a plateau. But now I've hit a much larger plateau and have been stalled since the end of January.
I tried eating more for a few days to shock my metabolism and at first that seemed to work, but its once again not really working. What calorie amount should I be eating at 5'9 for the last 20lbs?
Previously I've been able to zigzag between 1200-1500 until now and lost 2lbs/week easily. Now I've been trying to zigzag between 1500-1800 after shocking my metabolism. I believe my maintenance calories are around 1800-2000. What is a good zigzag range? 1500-1800? 1800-2000? 1500-2000? Should I move it all over the place unpredictably? I don't know what to do to confuse my metabolism anymore.
I'm not expecting to see a 2lb/week lose anymore, but I would be happy with a 0.5lb/week loss instead of stagnation.

I went vegan in January so my diet is already really clean. I drink tons of water. I eat veggies, fruits, whole grains, and beans/soy milk for protein/calcium. I keep processed vegan foods to a minimum. Caloriecount.com lets me see daily nutrient intake so I know if I'm getting enough of the correct stuff.
I'm looking for zigzag diet strategies etc, not exercise tips. I don't really have the time or energy for exercise and it's not something I'm willing to maintain long-term. I can maintain any diet strategy for the rest of my life.
I'm not expecting my stomach to look flat. I expect it to look slightly rounded and soft, but there's still gobs of fat right now. If I got down to a reasonable weight, maybe I'd exercise a little to tighten things up, but right now the only muscle outlines you can see are in my lower legs because there's still too much fat everywhere else.


Am I expecting something like this? http://www.shapingconcepts.com/images/flat-stomach-pictures[1].jpg
No, absolutely not. But I was hoping for something similar to this: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6r0erSWCSWE/Tc_7khl7SlI/AAAAAAAAAEw/XQNQ621Mbns/s1600/belly_fat.jpg
It's soft-looking, but not fat.
Picture #2 is where I would want to be as the starting point, if I decided to try to achieve Picture #1.

Replies

  • FromHereOnOut
    FromHereOnOut Posts: 3,237 Member
    HI!

    Sorry, I don't have answers for you, but I am around the same height and carry most of my weight in my mid-section too and just wanted to wish you luck and bump your thread in case someone else might have something helpful to say.

    Also, keep digging around the forum, there are some good groups and knowledgeable people who might be able to help (just be sure to use your logic-filter and wear your tough skin around the forums :wink: ).

    Good luck!
  • Arwen17evenstar
    Arwen17evenstar Posts: 5 Member
    bump

    Has no one struggled with the last 10-20 pounds?
    How much more do you think I need to lose to get rid of my stomach?
  • Arwen17evenstar
    Arwen17evenstar Posts: 5 Member
    bump
  • missionskinnynow
    missionskinnynow Posts: 88 Member
    Im 5'9 and went down from 170 lbs to 132 lbs, I still have a lot of fat around my midsection! :(
    Hope someone has something useful to say
  • Arwen17evenstar
    Arwen17evenstar Posts: 5 Member
    Im 5'9 and went down from 170 lbs to 132 lbs, I still have a lot of fat around my midsection! :(
    Hope someone has something useful to say

    oh no, that doesn't sound good! I think I'm a medium frame. Are you a small frame? Maybe if you go as low as 125lbs it would look good? Supposedly 125-169 lbs is the healthy range for 5'9 according to BMI.

    I can only guess at my correct weight because the last time I was perfectly skinny was in 4th grade when I was 10 years old. I've very slowly gained weight over the years to reach the maximum of 216lbs last summer.


    Sidenote: I see that you're a software developer! That's awesome! I am one too! Just graduated last May.
  • FromHereOnOut
    FromHereOnOut Posts: 3,237 Member
    You might need to stop thinking in terms of "weight" and start thinking in terms of "body fat".

    For example, (pre-MFP education) I always considered 128 to be my perfect weight. Little did I know that I had very little muscle/lean body mass when I weighed that. I am now on a mission to weigh the most that I possibly can and fit comfortably in a size 6 jeans (although I might settle for baggy size 8s). The reason is that I want to build lean bodymass, which will make my body look good in a bikini and will also help me to never have to yo-yo diet again. When you lose ""weight"", you lose some fat and some muscle. So, if you lose 10 lbs, you may lose 8lbs fat and 2lbs muscle (<-totally made-up numbers). But the loss of the muscle makes it ever-so-slightly more difficult to maintain and sometimes you get there by extreme dieting, which is impossible to maintain, so eventually, you gain the ""weight"" back, but it comes back not as 8lbs fat & 2lbs muscle--it comes back as 10lbs fat!! :noway: And every time I've dieted down quickly and lost ""weight"", this has happened, until muscle is depleted and metabolism is bonkers from overdieting. So then no matter what I ""weigh"", I still see all the accumulated fat that took the place of the pounds of muscle. (Oh I wish someone had told me sooner!!)

    My new strategy is to build muscle, weigh more, look better, maintain more easily. So, instead of aiming for 128, I'm aiming for closer to 150 (maybe a little lower, 145?). What a difference between 128 and 145, right?! (128 was totally unrealistic without muscle-loss, I realize now.) But I think I can get to 145-150, and look better than I ever did at 128. So, I'm NOT using very low calorie dieting, like I did for so many years (when I literally didn't know any better) and I'm doing weight training. Wish I were already a success story for you, but I still have a ways to go. It is certainly slow this route (for me, anyway), but should be easier to maintain in the long run.

    (fyi, I'm 174 tall...5'8.5")

    eta: jean sizes I mean are US
  • Arwen17evenstar
    Arwen17evenstar Posts: 5 Member
    Whenever I see another 5'9 female mentioning a size 6 or 8, I wonder how the hell they are able to fit into jeans that small. I could squeeze into a size 10 if not for my stomach. And I'm talking low-rise jeans. My gut is bad enough that a low-rise size 12 is what fits me.
    If I ever do lose the last 10-20 pounds, the size difference in the gut area must be amazing compared to the last 50 pounds lost.
  • msJD2014
    msJD2014 Posts: 1
    What's your exercise regimen? I think exercise would help a lot. I'm 5'7", 173 lbs down from 195, and while I carry most of my weight in my thighs not my stomach, I definitely think the past year that I've been working out with a trainer once a week (lifting) and running/spinning 3-4 days a week have made a huge difference in my body. I went from a size 12/32 jeans to 8/29 in pants and size 6 dress losing about 20 lbs but, I think, adding muscle weight in addition to the fat loss.

    It's a hard push at first but it means you can eat so much more :)

    I have 10-15 more pounds to lose (I should probably lose more but small chunks helps motivate me more than big ones so right now, since it's been more than eight months since I've lost any weight, I'd settle for 10!!)
  • FromHereOnOut
    FromHereOnOut Posts: 3,237 Member

    If I ever do lose the last 10-20 pounds, the size difference in the gut area must be amazing compared to the last 50 pounds lost.

    ^That's exactly how I feel. It's like everything up until now was like wearing 2 or 3 pairs of yoga pants and tshirts and peeling one off at a time. A difference, but not much. But the last bit is going to be like unwrapping a couple of pillows that have been duct-taped to my abdomen. :laugh: But I believe I can make it to size 6, definitely size 8. Just peruse the success stories forum. I've seen some that really hit a note with me and if I come across them again, I'll be sure to link.

    It's all possible. Totally possible!:bigsmile:
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    Weekly deficit: I suggest a weight loss goal of somewhere between 0.5 and 1l/week, or a 15% cut from TDEE.

    Macros: I would suggest protein intake of about 0.8 grams per lb of goal weight, 0.35 grams of fat per lb of current weight and use both of those as minimums, and set your carbs to the rest of your cals and use those as a maximum

    Exercise: Heavy lifting strength training program to ensure a large % of your weight loss come from fat and not lean muscle (check out starting strength, stronglifts 5x5, new rules of lifting) You can do cardio if you wish, or can't eat that few calories without it. Cardio allows you to eat more while maintaining the same deficit, which may help with adherence.
  • MissSethra
    MissSethra Posts: 16 Member
    I am a few hairs shy of 5'9", and on my last 20-25lbs to go. They are not coming off as easily as the first 40lbs did, but since joining this site I see that the way I lost those pounds was probably not exactly the best way. I've adjusted my calorie intake and trying to up my protein, not over what is recommended but I have the bad habit of cutting protein to cut calories. I haven't been exercising due to lower back pain, but I need to start, dieting alone is not going to get these last pounds off, or if it does it won't look very good. So as of yet I have no tried and tested ways to help, but we are in similar boats. My plan is to start walking again (easy on back) doing ballet/pilates for stretching and toning (will be mild until I can strengthen my lower back muscles).

    And btw, I would consider myself medium frame and even when I was at 138lbs I still have hips, measurements then were about 38*28*38. So no size 6 for me either!
  • FromHereOnOut
    FromHereOnOut Posts: 3,237 Member
    Weekly deficit: I suggest a weight loss goal of somewhere between 0.5 and 1l/week, or a 15% cut from TDEE.

    Macros: I would suggest protein intake of about 0.8 grams per lb of goal weight, 0.35 grams of fat per lb of current weight and use both of those as minimums, and set your carbs to the rest of your cals and use those as a maximum

    Exercise: Heavy lifting strength training program to ensure a large % of your weight loss come from fat and not lean muscle (check out starting strength, stronglifts 5x5, new rules of lifting) You can do cardio if you wish, or can't eat that few calories without it. Cardio allows you to eat more while maintaining the same deficit, which may help with adherence.

    ^This is pretty much exactly what I'm doing, except not doing a compound barbell routine at the moment (due to family logistics & gym traffic), but I am using the gym weight machines as heavy as I can and increasing weight as much and as often as possible. The macros are about what I have set . And I run for calories and because I really enjoy it and want to have the ability to run. Now for the really, really hard part: patience.
  • NRSPAM
    NRSPAM Posts: 961 Member
    I am still trying to lose the last 10-20lb's. I was about 10lb's from goal, but I recently changed my goal to 120, from 130, currently 140lb's. 5'3". My belly has the last bit of fat I need to lose. The first place you gain, is the last place you'll lose. It's been about a year, and I'm still trying to lose the last bit of weight. One reason is because I had a setback, and gained 15lb's, and had to lose that again. I'm now at a lower weight now than I was before I gained that back. While I'm still not where I want to be, I've made great improvements. My belly looks much better now than it ever has. If you are going through a plateau right now, you might need to eat at maintenance for a couple weeks to get your metabolism back up. It really does help. Make sure you are logging EVERYTHING, and weighing your food. Lifting weights has helped me the most with getting closer to how I want my body to look. You can't really go by the scale too much though with lifting. Measuring inches lost will be better at determining if you're making improvements or not, especially when lifting. I recommend New Rules of Lifting for Women. I've been doing it about 6-8 months now, and I've seen great progress. All you can really do is just keep pushing, and be patient. It will come off eventually. Good luck!!!! :)))

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