The last ten pounds & how to lose them...?

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mrsMayo72112
mrsMayo72112 Posts: 7
in Health and Weight Loss
We've all heard that the last 10 pounds are the hardest to lose. Does anyone have advice on how to successfully get rid of them? Anything from diet to exercises, advice, tips, all welcome.
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Replies

  • IsaackGMOON
    IsaackGMOON Posts: 3,358 Member
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    Calorie deficit works the best.
  • Jesssamesssa
    Jesssamesssa Posts: 116 Member
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    I am in that right now. I havent checked the scale for a few days but last I checked I was 3-4 lbs away from my goal.. But it took me over a month and a half to lose those 6-7 lbs! I also kinda cheated all November so I only lost like 2 lbs LOL
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    Last 10 pounds doesn't mean much, it just really depends on how aggressive your goal is in the first place... Mine isn't, and I've been stuck at 3 pounds from it for months, because I've just been way hungrier, but other than that, it's just eating at a deficit...
  • mrsMayo72112
    mrsMayo72112 Posts: 7
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    Jesssamesssa wrote: »
    I am in that right now. I havent checked the scale for a few days but last I checked I was 3-4 lbs away from my goal.. But it took me over a month and a half to lose those 6-7 lbs! I also kinda cheated all November so I only lost like 2 lbs LOL

    Good for you!!! Are you exercising and eating healthy? What does your routine normally look like?
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    IsaackGMOON wrote: »
    Calorie deficit works the best.

    /thread

    It really is the only answer needed.
  • Telton66
    Telton66 Posts: 74
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    mrsMayo72112 wrote: »
    We've all heard that the last 10 pounds are the hardest to lose. Does anyone have advice on how to successfully get rid of them? Anything from diet to exercises, advice, tips, all welcome.

    I had no problem losing them. I just stopped eating all my exercise calories back to create a bigger deficit and I continued losing 1pound a week.I decided to stop losing before I reached my goal weight since I am happy with the way i look

  • Autumngolds
    Autumngolds Posts: 30 Member
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    Being patient. For me, I knew losing the last 5 pounds or so wouldn't help my body image, so I wanted to focus more on recomping - but I'd had an injury and knew I couldn't exercise much yet, so I focused on trying to reach my weight loss goal. It took me so long to lose the last tiny pound - then when I switched to maintenance I accidentally lost 3. But I was really desperate to see a difference when I was losing, and that made it a lot harder mentally. The best way to get rid of them is by eating at a not-too-large deficit and not thinking about it too much. It takes time and it's best to just let the time go by. As long as you're limiting your calorie consumption a bit, you should see the results quite easily - just a bit more slowly.
  • mrsMayo72112
    mrsMayo72112 Posts: 7
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    Telton66 wrote: »
    mrsMayo72112 wrote: »
    We've all heard that the last 10 pounds are the hardest to lose. Does anyone have advice on how to successfully get rid of them? Anything from diet to exercises, advice, tips, all welcome.

    I had no problem losing them. I just stopped eating all my exercise calories back to create a bigger deficit and I continued losing 1pound a week.I decided to stop losing before I reached my goal weight since I am happy with the way i look

    thank you for that :) & wow good for you, it must be nice to not even have to reach your "goal"
  • mrsMayo72112
    mrsMayo72112 Posts: 7
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    Autumngolds wrote: »
    Being patient. For me, I knew losing the last 5 pounds or so wouldn't help my body image, so I wanted to focus more on recomping - but I'd had an injury and knew I couldn't exercise much yet, so I focused on trying to reach my weight loss goal. It took me so long to lose the last tiny pound - then when I switched to maintenance I accidentally lost 3. But I was really desperate to see a difference when I was losing, and that made it a lot harder mentally. The best way to get rid of them is by eating at a not-too-large deficit and not thinking about it too much. It takes time and it's best to just let the time go by. As long as you're limiting your calorie consumption a bit, you should see the results quite easily - just a bit more slowly.

    Great response. thank you very much :)
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    Have a look here: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/737101/relatively-light-people-trying-to-get-leaner#latest

    It's a great discussion.
  • yoovie
    yoovie Posts: 17,121 Member
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    patience
    consistency for at least 6 months
    sticking to workouts or programs that move you forward, not just repeat every week.
    having non-scale goals that have weight loss or fat loss just as a side effect.
    pay more attention to your body fat % (NOT BMI).
    get stronger so your body burns more efficiently.

  • 1mountainmama
    1mountainmama Posts: 40
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    tigersword wrote: »
    IsaackGMOON wrote: »
    Calorie deficit works the best.

    /thread

    It really is the only answer needed.

    If only it were that simple. Calorie deficit is where it is at, true, BUT many factors come into play for that "last 10 pounds." If you experience intense hunger, it is difficult to create that deficit. That is your body telling you to stop dieting (at least for awhile).
    Or if you plateau despite eating the same amount that caused you to lose weight before, you are likely experiencing a slow-down of your metabolism.
    Sometimes the best solution is to "take a break." Eat food (healthy food). Slowly raise your caloric intake until you are maintaining your weight at no less than 2,000 calories a day (that is if you are small). I am 5'6" and I exercise 4-5 days per week. My maintenance is about 2,600 kcal/day. Stay at "maintenance" for several weeks to several months. Then take the last 10 pounds off slowly, creating only a 500 calorie deficit per day (1 lb of weight loss per week) or less.
    This approach takes a lot of discipline, but as a Registered Dietitian and Certified Personal Trainer, I feel it is the best approach to taking of "the last 10." BEST OF LUCK! :)
  • mymodernbabylon
    mymodernbabylon Posts: 1,038 Member
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    Slowly with a very small deficit - 1/2 lb per week is what is suggested -or- TDEE minus 10% or at max 15%. I've been figuring out my TDEE by trial and error and now staying here for a month. I'll do a low and slow cut to get the final 5lbs/body fat that I want to take away. I don't care if it takes 6 months. I'd rather eat more and lose it slowly (plus keep my muscle).
  • drlaughharris
    drlaughharris Posts: 5
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    my last 8-10 pounds have been a roller coaster.

    I know what works...Balanced nuturition with cardio and strength work outs.
    I've upped my fats too much and dropped my weights to take care of some back issues.
    Need to slowly build up the strength exercises...lower or eliminate the chunk cheese snacks
    and continue my 3 spin classes per week.

    I have learned the the formulas tend to over the calories burned so I have cut the amounts listed by about 20%. Say I do exercises that list 400 calories, I subtract 80 calories and only list the time that would equal 320 calories.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    1mountainmama wrote: »
    tigersword wrote: »
    IsaackGMOON wrote: »
    Calorie deficit works the best.

    /thread

    It really is the only answer needed.

    If only it were that simple. Calorie deficit is where it is at, true, BUT many factors come into play for that "last 10 pounds." If you experience intense hunger, it is difficult to create that deficit. That is your body telling you to stop dieting (at least for awhile).
    Or if you plateau despite eating the same amount that caused you to lose weight before, you are likely experiencing a slow-down of your metabolism.
    Sometimes the best solution is to "take a break." Eat food (healthy food). Slowly raise your caloric intake until you are maintaining your weight at no less than 2,000 calories a day (that is if you are small). I am 5'6" and I exercise 4-5 days per week. My maintenance is about 2,600 kcal/day. Stay at "maintenance" for several weeks to several months. Then take the last 10 pounds off slowly, creating only a 500 calorie deficit per day (1 lb of weight loss per week) or less.
    This approach takes a lot of discipline, but as a Registered Dietitian and Certified Personal Trainer, I feel it is the best approach to taking of "the last 10." BEST OF LUCK! :)

    This is all generic weight loss advice. None of it is strictly applicable to the last 10 pounds. Diet breaks (of a few days or a week, seriously, several months is silly and completely unnecessary) and maintaining a small, reasonable deficit is how weight loss should be done, regardless of how much weight a person has to lose.
  • higgins8283801
    higgins8283801 Posts: 844 Member
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    When my weight loss stalled out I recalculated my TDEE and found out that my BMR and TDEE were greatly reduced. So make sure you are still in fact eating at a deficit that is conductive for weight loss.

  • court_alacarte
    court_alacarte Posts: 219 Member
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    calorie deficit for sure. maybe start weighing yourself daily for a couple of weeks and track the numbers to see if you're still eating on target and increase/decrease calories as needed. yay for being on the home stretch! :)
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
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    Really the "last 10 pounds" can be different for each person. Some have a goal that is in the low range of healthy, some in the high range. Difficulty of losing the last 10 will be greater for those in the former group than the latter.

    Personally, I think the key for the last 10 pounds is to stop focusing on weight loss as the ultimate measure of success. So many people seem to get close to goal only to realize that they don't look the way they thought they would. Often it's because they have loose skin or still have "flab" in places they weren't expecting. At that point, losing more weight isn't going to be the answer, body recomposition is.
  • holyfenix
    holyfenix Posts: 99 Member
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    I forget the exact quote but its something like easily losing 30-50 lbs in 6 months and then losing the last 10 in another 6 months. That last 10 is the hardest because you have to increase your deficit but you are probably hungrier than ever. At 1/2 lb a week that will take you about 4 1/2 months to lose the last little bit in a healthy way.
  • drlaughharris
    drlaughharris Posts: 5
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    Mine was 40 pounds lossed in 3 years and up and down with 3 to 8 pound gain the last 6 months.

    One thing I remember is to Love myself with out food, and recognize emotional eating as well as getting back into old habits, (which are not old if I am still doing them) such as tying snacking with reading before going to bed.

    For me food, nutrition and weight loss and maintaining healthy life style is part of a spirtual journey.

    Does one size really fit all?

    HOPE is a 4 letter word I can live with.

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