Is it harder to lose weight if you don't weight that much?

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iamgonnagetthere
iamgonnagetthere Posts: 17
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey everyone!
I am 135 lbs and 5' 5.5


So I was wondering would I lose weight faster or slower than people who are bigger than me.

Replies

  • 85specialk
    85specialk Posts: 27
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    slower! the smaller you are, the less of a calorie deficit you can have, hence the slower you will lose weight. I'm 5'3" and weight 143 lbs, trying to get down to 125 lbs, but it's such a slowww process as I'm not technically overweight anymore (According to my BMI). just gotta be happy with small losses along the way, which I've learned. I'll take a small loss as a victory, and can't expect to lose lots each week.

    to speed things up a bit I found that drinking lots (!) of water has really helped me.. i wasn't drinking enough water in the beginning, and i didn't see much weight loss. the week i cut out all diet sodas and started drinking only water, and lots of it, i actually saw a difference, and the scale moved as well :)
  • swillis21
    swillis21 Posts: 251 Member
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    well I was reading yesterday about how your body wants to burn up the most readily available energy, and if you aren't that overweight then it does take longer i think. I'm not positive, just what i remember. Mostly you want to work on toning if ur a healthy weight - which it def looks like u are! So, keep in mind that muscle weighs more than fat, and by working out and doing strength training ur body will convert your fat, (the little bit u want to lose), into muscle! But i'm no professional, so see what u can google too!
  • mollymoo89
    mollymoo89 Posts: 202
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    I think it does! I currently weigh 122 and it takes me forever to lose weight. I just know that I have to work extra hard and to not expect the weight to come off as fast as some of my other MFP friends. My goal weight is 115 and I started here at 127-128. Slowly but surely I'm getting there. Just be patient.
  • carro585
    carro585 Posts: 40 Member
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    I think it must be different for everybody really, but since we're about the same size here's my experience so far. Started MFP about a month ago at 135--I'm a bit shorter than you at around 5'4''. I've been doing the recommended plan (1200 calories + eating back most of my exercise calories), and have--just as planned--been gradually losing about a pound a week.

    I've read on here that for people trying to lose a lot of weight the last 15 are the hardest...since I'm only wanting to lose at most 10-15 (or less if toning happens without the weight loss...beach trips and wedding planned), I just assume it's gonna be hard. Personally, eating back the exercise calories has been key for getting me to go to the gym every day. 1200 calories on its own just doesn't feel like enough! And regardless of weight loss, working out more for this month has definitely started to change my bod for the better.
  • iamgonnagetthere
    iamgonnagetthere Posts: 17
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    Thanks everyone
  • Tangerine302
    Tangerine302 Posts: 1,509 Member
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    I've heard that too when you just need to lose a bit that it is harder than someone who has more to lose. I just want to lose 5 lbs and it doesn't really want to happen I'm finding out. I'm new at keeping track of everything so this site has been extra helpful that's for sure! I haven't baked anything since I started over a week ago, so that should help! :)
    So I guess you could put yourself at the stage of when they say losing the "last part of the weight". I've heard extra water helps and to keep the sodium down to I believe 1500 (I will have to check to make sure). I don't get near that amount as it is, so I guess I need to up the water even more.
    I look at everyone losing so much weight here and think, man I can't even lose 5! I haven't been here too long though. Time will tell!
    Good luck! :)
  • cupcakecarnivore
    cupcakecarnivore Posts: 267
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    Definitely slower unfortunately. Im 5'3 and currently weigh 128, started at 135 and have been actively using this site since Jan/Feb......didn't help that I was stuck at a plateau for about three weeks. But yes, definitely slower, Im losing about 0.5 pound a week.
  • bmontgomery87
    bmontgomery87 Posts: 1,260 Member
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    It's a little harder in my opinion. Especially once you get down to a low bodyfat percentage, it takes some work to get that last bit.
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
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    How hard it is to lose weight is best calculated by percentages - it is hard for everyone to lose 10% of their weight. If you weigh 200 lbs, the resulting 20 sounds like a lot! If you weigh 150, the resulting 15 doesn't sound like as much, but it probably took just as much effort!
  • Angierae75
    Angierae75 Posts: 417 Member
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    Yup, it's definitely a % thing. Losing 10% of your body weight at 200 is going to be just as difficult as losing 10% at 125, but the 200 pound person will lose 20 pounds and the 125# person will lose 12.5
  • TheLaser
    TheLaser Posts: 338 Member
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    I'm EXACTLY your height and I started on here on February 1 at 136. For the first two months or so I lost about 1.75 lbs a week, despite my setting of 1 lb/wk and following the rules (eating back my exercise calories and meeting my calorie goals). For the past two weeks I've been in a rut with no losses. Before joining MFP I was already very active & my activity levels haven't changed since, so this is definitely not a gain in muscle weight or toning. The bottom line is that it is definitely slowing down for me as I approach my goal weight.
  • ariasbano
    ariasbano Posts: 11 Member
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    Yes, it is definitely more difficult to lose those last 10-15. My ideal weight is around 118. The longest I've been able to keep it that low is only for a few months and then when I become careless, then it goes back up.
  • LeeBeeW
    LeeBeeW Posts: 100
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    I have lost 100lbs. They weight came off easily in the beginning, but now I am near where I want to be the last 10-15lbs are the hardest part.
  • Tangerine302
    Tangerine302 Posts: 1,509 Member
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    Congratulations on the 100 pounds lost! Wow! It's good to hear that the first pounds were easier. Jillian's been kicking my butt, I've been watching what I eat and eating my recommended calories, drinking more water, haven't baked anything, and the scale is still the same as it always is. ha Maybe I need to get a scale that has more than just pounds so I can see a bit of a fluctuation from time to time! :)
  • ladyhawk00
    ladyhawk00 Posts: 2,457 Member
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    Yes, it is definitely more difficult when you don't have as much to lose. The body, especially for women, prefers to have a cushion. For most people, one of the most effective ways of reducing body fat when relatively lean is strength/resistance training. Muscle burns fat! And no, women do not bulk up.

    Just throwing these in here as it may be helpful to some of you. Good luck with it!

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/61706-guide-to-calorie-deficits

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/186814-some-mfp-basics
  • Pande
    Pande Posts: 33
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    I'm also 5' 5.5" !
    I'm not as thin as you [I wish I were 135 lbs]. My goal is to get to 128 lbs, but if I end up under 135 lbs, I'll be happy no matter what.


    As far as I know when you get thinner and more in shape, your weight starts to plateau because your body gets used to the exercises you do. So as far as I know you likely need to do some very hardcore workouts to get rid of those last few pounds.

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