Anyone start out with not much weight to lose?
ticribbs
Posts: 120 Member
I started at 144 and my goal is 125, I'm at 136.2. For the better part of the last 5 years I have been between 132-136 and it's been a real challenge getting below 130. I'm just wondering has anyone else been successful at losing 10 - 15 pounds and keeping it off? I'm working out for 45 - 60 minutes a day, doing cardio mostly and I net 1,200 calories a day (1,700 intake total, minus 500 for exercise calories burnt). When I first started the first 6 pounds came off really fast but now it's been really slow going, this week only .5 and some weeks I gain.
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I started at 150, trying to get down to 135. Im at 143 right now, but the scale moves up and down on me too. I think you just have to expect that considering you might be holding on to water weight at certain times depending on sodium levels TOM, etc.
I'm don't get discouraged by it, I just keep doing what I do and I'll get there eventually. It's an awesome feeling to see that scale number go down to the next number though. Just keep doing it the right way and you'll get there!0 -
I started at 150, I'm at 139, trying to hit 130. (I've been as low as 125 a few years ago)
...this is my theory.
If I don't get down to 130 ( I think I can, but we will see). I'm going to start building muscle. I'd rather look skinnier than just make sure the scale says I am.
So if it is torturing you to get down to 125...stop at 130. Eat at maintenance or a slight surplus and start weight lifting!0 -
You aren't eating enough. Set your weightloss target to 0.5lbs a week and you'll slowly lose the rest.
I only have 10lbs or so to lose overall and I hit a solid plateau not long ago after losing 5lbs quickly and easily. I upped my calories over the last couple weeks and now it's going slowly. Not sure how much I weigh at the moment (I don't have regular access to a scale), but I've lost another half inch off my waist since I set myself to 1 then 0.5 p/w about two weeks ago.0 -
I constantly struggle with about 10 pounds. I am 5'7 and at about 146 right now. Would love to get back to 140 or so. I think when you are not overweight, it is tough to lose. Right now, my BMI is 22.9. You are not considered overweight until it is over 25. (If you put stock into the BMI calculations!)0
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Like Mschicagocubs said, I'd rethink your number goal and focus on weight training (and less cardio). You can get smaller without necessarily getting to the number that is your current goal--and you'll also probably look better/tighter than if you got to that number by just doing cardio.
To answer your question, I also didn't have a lot to lose when I originally joined MFP about 3 years ago. I'd always been pretty fit but had put on a few extra pounds and wanted to lose about 5-10 and see more leanness & definition again. Did that and have been maintaining it. My weight currently fluctuates between 141-146 (from 148-151ish), and I am a US size 4 (sometimes 2 with silly vanity sizing) at 5'9". fyi.
Good luck!0 -
I started at 150, I'm at 139, trying to hit 130. (I've been as low as 125 a few years ago)
...this is my theory.
If I don't get down to 130 ( I think I can, but we will see). I'm going to start building muscle. I'd rather look skinnier than just make sure the scale says I am.
So if it is torturing you to get down to 125...stop at 130. Eat at maintenance or a slight surplus and start weight lifting!
^^^^^ THIS.
I also have a problem getting below 130lbs, but then again I was never so bothered about the beer belly to keep working at getting rid of it entirely.
I'm now eating at a 300 cal deficit of my TDEE and kettlebelling, after a couple of weeks at 1200 cals plus lots of cardio. It's slow work but the inches are coming off faster than the weight is, and my clothes fit better only two weeks into my new kettlebell programme. So it all works out in the end!0 -
Me! I started at 154 and am 134. If you are stalling out, I recommend changing your goals to 0.5lb per week loss and net a little higher. I also recommend starting strength training or body weight exercises. I go to a women's only boot camp and love it.0
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I started at 150, I'm at 139, trying to hit 130. (I've been as low as 125 a few years ago)
...this is my theory.
If I don't get down to 130 ( I think I can, but we will see). I'm going to start building muscle. I'd rather look skinnier than just make sure the scale says I am.
So if it is torturing you to get down to 125...stop at 130. Eat at maintenance or a slight surplus and start weight lifting!
^^^^^ THIS.
I also have a problem getting below 130lbs, but then again I was never so bothered about the beer belly to keep working at getting rid of it entirely.
I'm now eating at a 300 cal deficit of my TDEE and kettlebelling, after a couple of weeks at 1200 cals plus lots of cardio. It's slow work but the inches are coming off faster than the weight is, and my clothes fit better only two weeks into my new kettlebell programme. So it all works out in the end!
That's awesome Samby!!!!0 -
I'm right there with you. I started out at 145, I'm now 136, and I was originally shooting for 125. I've been going at this for a long time and getting rid of those 9 lbs were hard fought. I'm set to lose .5 lbs per week, but I'd guess I'm actually at about .25 lbs per week.
I'm starting to rethink my goals and researching recomp'ing through weight lifting to lose fat and build muscle rather than worry about a number on the scale. If I weigh the same, but drop 10% in body fat I'll look about that 125 I'm shooting for.0 -
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I'm there also. Starting weight was 155 with a goal of 130, but more realistically 135 or a size 8, whichever comes first. I'm down to about 145 right now but know that I will likely yo-yo up and down a few pounds.
I'm doing great with my food but exercise has been sporadic for me over the last few months, so I'm going to focus on getting into a good habit of cardio and strength training and see if that helps me get the next 10 off.0 -
This is a great topic. I would love to loose about 15 total and I have lost 5. 10 more and I will be to 135. How long did it take you to loose your 11 lbs? 5 lbs of mine was pretty easy. But it has gotten slow. Working out 5 days a week (Spin class, body pump, and group step) and sticking to 1200 sometimes less. I do find it hard to hit 1200 sometimes when I am eating healthy low calorie food.0
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Sure, a few times. But we're all different .....0
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This is a great topic. I would love to loose about 15 total and I have lost 5. 10 more and I will be to 135. How long did it take you to loose your 11 lbs? 5 lbs of mine was pretty easy. But it has gotten slow. Working out 5 days a week (Spin class, body pump, and group step) and sticking to 1200 sometimes less. I do find it hard to hit 1200 sometimes when I am eating healthy low calorie food.
I lost my 10 pounds since January 6, so about 10 weeks. My MFP goal is set to 1200 but to be honest, I only hit that about half the time. I don't beat myself up if I have a 1500 or 1600 calorie day, because even that is WAY better than what I was probably eating before. I exercise maybe 1-2 times a week, sometimes a half hour of cardio but usually just a 15 minute bodyweight circuit.0 -
I started at 150, I'm at 139, trying to hit 130. (I've been as low as 125 a few years ago)
...this is my theory.
If I don't get down to 130 ( I think I can, but we will see). I'm going to start building muscle. I'd rather look skinnier than just make sure the scale says I am.
So if it is torturing you to get down to 125...stop at 130. Eat at maintenance or a slight surplus and start weight lifting!
^^^^^ THIS.
I also have a problem getting below 130lbs, but then again I was never so bothered about the beer belly to keep working at getting rid of it entirely.
I'm now eating at a 300 cal deficit of my TDEE and kettlebelling, after a couple of weeks at 1200 cals plus lots of cardio. It's slow work but the inches are coming off faster than the weight is, and my clothes fit better only two weeks into my new kettlebell programme. So it all works out in the end!
That's awesome Samby!!!!
Thank you! You're not doing too shabbily yourself!0 -
I am a guy which may negate this entire reply but here you go.
I had been 158ish at 6' tall for literally decades and had been ignoring the scale when we had a weight challenge at work. That was when I discovered I had gained up to 180 although I should have suspected by the way my waist had gotten snug in my pants over the past couple of years.
I intended to only get back to 160 which I thought was a stretch due to my age (56), my pre-conception of "dieting" and my loathing ever feeling hungry.
I set my loss for 2 pounds/week and after 6 months reached goal but decided it had been painless enough that I should trim a couple more. I ultimately stopped at 153 lbs. (27 pounds total) and have been maintaining for about 6 months.
I haven't much advice to ofer other than to not obsess over the scale and allow time to pass as you stay consistent with your food choices and exercise. Congratulations on your progress and hang tough!0 -
Yes, it always starts out fast and slows down, and we all hit plateaus until we start losing again. I started out around 136 ( maybe up to 137-138 around Christmas ) and am now 115 lbs. I have 5 more lbs to lose and I recently just changed my goals to 1/2 lb per week and am slowly increasing my calories. It will be a fight to get my body to 110 lbs but I don't think I will go any lower. And if I do it will be normal body fluctuations. I am just under 5'4" for reference.
You just have to let the last little bit come off slowly. That's what I am doing. I don't want to torture myself on anything under 1300 calories to get these last few lbs off. A good time to slowly increase calories until I decide to maintain.0 -
I also don't have much to lose. It's been hard to find others who are in the same boat. It's really more of what I want to feel and look like than thinking I'm too fat, really. I currently weight 130 and would love to get down to 120 again. It's been about 12 years since I was that small and I've been told I can't get there again, which infuriates me. I have lost 3 pounds in the last five weeks, which I suppose is healthy and I should be happy, but of course I'm not. I can fit back into some of the work clothes I'd been avoiding, so that's good, but they aren't fitting as they were yet. If I don't hit the number on the scale, I'll be happy with the inches coming off.0
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I started at 172, currently at 167 and for the moment I want to get down to 159 to see how I feel.
It's took me roughly 3 weeks for the scale to move but it dropped 5lbs and I'm expecting it to go even slower the nearer I get to my target. Hopefully not painfully slow but I'm ready for it and I'll just keep plugging away at it.
My cms are falling off faster than my weight too, a combined 5cms from different places - that's keeping me more motivated then the scales.0 -
Wow, so many responses! I thought I was going to get criticized for not having much to lose and complaining about it
. I have some belly fat I want to get rid of after having my daughter which is why I focus on cardio, I read an article on WebMD (http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/lose-weight-fast-how-to-do-it-safely?page=2) that said if you want to lose weight you should focus on cardio because before muscle definition comes you have to get rid of the fat and that only comes from a calorie deficit. 0 -
Wow, so many responses! I thought I was going to get criticized for not having much to lose and complaining about it. I have some belly fat I want to get rid of after having my daughter which is why I focus on cardio, I read an article on WebMD (http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/lose-weight-fast-how-to-do-it-safely?page=2) that said if you want to lose weight you should focus on cardio because before muscle definition comes you have to get rid of the fat and that only comes from a calorie deficit.
You just made me come to the shocking reality that we didn't get blasted. (They'll probably chime in now)
I'm going to read the article, thanks!0 -
You just made me come to the shocking reality that we didn't get blasted. (They'll probably chime in now)
I'm going to read the article, thanks!
hahahaha0 -
I started at 150, I'm at 139, trying to hit 130. (I've been as low as 125 a few years ago)
...this is my theory.
If I don't get down to 130 ( I think I can, but we will see). I'm going to start building muscle. I'd rather look skinnier than just make sure the scale says I am.
So if it is torturing you to get down to 125...stop at 130. Eat at maintenance or a slight surplus and start weight lifting!
^^^ This is great advice! I lost 50 lbs a couple years ago and after having a baby and losing it again, I'm at my last 15 lbs and have been struggling for 8 months trying to get it off, I've recently transitioned into building muscle mode. Switching the routine to build muscle opposed to lose weight is great advice, you'll still burn off fat and you'll look lean too!0 -
I don't think you want to lose more weight. I think you want to lose the belly fat, which will have to do with lowering your bf%. Start strength training if you haven't. Make sure you get enough protein, ~ 1g of protein for 1 lb weight.0
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I can relate.. It's taken 5 weeks to lose .5lb and I fought so hard to achieve it! I am so close to goal now that I am enthusiastic to keep pushing. Great advice given already 0
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So if I increase my calories to lose .5 pounds a week my net is 1,430 and when I factor in exercise that's close to 2,000 calories! That can't be right?0
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So if I increase my calories to lose .5 pounds a week my net is 1,430 and when I factor in exercise that's close to 2,000 calories! That can't be right?
That's what happens to me too - I am NOT eating 2000 calories a day. I know I dont' lose when I do that. For reference I am 5'0" and started at 153 - currently at 138 and trying to get around 120. Maybe lower, maybe not - we will see when I get there, depends because I have added strength training to my routine now and maybe as the body recomps I'll change my mind.
I try to keep it around 1200 and eat back exercise - I figure that means if i log something wrong or take a day off it won't kill the progress. I lost the first 10 pretty quick - but the last 3 have been a bit slower. I dont' care tho - as long as it keeps going down and the tape measure shows progress (which it has) I'll take it! I didn't get to 153 overnight and I haven't been below 120 since the summer of 2007! If it took 6 1/2 years to get here - its gonna take some time to get back there.0 -
I was eating 1800-2000 before when I was at my leanest. But you can just add 100 calories first and see how it goes.0
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I have 19 more pounds to lose. I am 149, and I would love to get to 130 by my son's wedding the end of May. I know that's pushing it; trying for 2 pounds a week. I just started on myfitness pal and would love to make some friends!
June0 -
Cool to have a thread that isn't "I've got 100 pounds to lose". I've got 18 pounds myself to lose. I've lost 8 pounds since I started, so 10 to go! It doesn't feel like it is flying off, but I've only been into this for 30 days, so objectively, I can't say that it is bad. Just feels slow, I guess. I'm a young 51 (no, really!) but I do think age makes it a little harder to lose weight. You just need less food as you get older, so there aren't as many calories to cut out of your diet! You're left with more exercise as your option and that is sometimes hard to do with kids, job, community commitments, and just plain energy! But you just plug on because what choice do we really have? Give up? I think not!!!0
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