Anyone start out with not much weight to lose?

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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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Replies

  • Skyler103
    Skyler103 Posts: 121 Member
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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!
  • mschicagocubs
    mschicagocubs Posts: 774 Member
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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!
  • bjg2993
    bjg2993 Posts: 107
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    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.
  • lsjett1
    lsjett1 Posts: 20
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    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!)
  • FrauMama
    FrauMama Posts: 169 Member
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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!
  • Samby_v1
    Samby_v1 Posts: 202 Member
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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!
  • JennyKCarty
    JennyKCarty Posts: 457 Member
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    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.
  • JennyKCarty
    JennyKCarty Posts: 457 Member
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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!!!!
  • mrslcoop
    mrslcoop Posts: 317 Member
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    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.
  • kgresham21682
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    :smile:
  • lindzalexis
    lindzalexis Posts: 44 Member
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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.
  • kgresham21682
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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.
  • MostlyWater
    MostlyWater Posts: 4,294 Member
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    Sure, a few times. But we're all different .....
  • lindzalexis
    lindzalexis Posts: 44 Member
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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.
  • Samby_v1
    Samby_v1 Posts: 202 Member
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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!!!!

    Thank you! You're not doing too shabbily yourself!
  • Lonestar5775
    Lonestar5775 Posts: 740 Member
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    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!
  • sarafischbach9
    sarafischbach9 Posts: 466 Member
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    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.
  • Zx14chick
    Zx14chick Posts: 255 Member
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    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.
  • donlou33
    donlou33 Posts: 20
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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.
  • ticribbs
    ticribbs Posts: 120 Member
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    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.