For those losing the last 10 lbs - what's the secret???

Love to hear any tips as well...

I'm guessing only 30 minutes of cardio plus about 20 minutes strength training daily just isn't enough to get rid of those last stubborn pounds, is it? I eat very well (if anything I'm not eating enough) and work out every day. I get enough sleep and am not overly stressed. So what gives? What's the secret to losing those last stubborn, stubborn pounds? Should I up the cardio to 45 or 60 minutes daily? I just bought "ripped in 30" and "6 week 6 pack" by Jillian Michaels and will be adding those to my routine, hoping they do the trick. I'm also considering replacing a meal with a protein shake, I always feel thin in the morning after a protein shake for dinner.

I guess I'm just venting but if anyone has the magic combo, please share :-).

It comes down 80% to diet. The last 10 should come off slow to ensure you don't lose muscle while you lose fat. In other words your goal should not be to lose more than 0.5lbs/week. On top of that you should change up your workout routine every 4-6 weeks to keep your body guessing.

A clean diet, intense workouts with a small caloric deficit should get you there. If you have not tried HIIT training I would highly suggest this.

Bump!

Yes I'd love to hear this also...

I'm guessing only 30 minutes of cardio plus about 20 minutes strength training daily just isn't enough to get rid of those last stubborn pounds, is it? I eat very well (if anything I'm not eating enough) and work out every day. I get enough sleep and am not overly stressed. So what gives? What's the secret to losing those last stubborn, stubborn pounds? Should I up the cardio to 45 or 60 minutes daily? I just bought "ripped in 30" and "6 week 6 pack" by Jillian Michaels and will be adding those to my routine, hoping they do the trick. I'm also considering replacing a meal with a protein shake, I always feel thin in the morning after a protein shake for dinner.

I guess I'm just venting but if anyone has the magic combo, please share :-).

It comes down 80% to diet. The last 10 should come off slow to ensure you don't lose muscle while you lose fat. In other words your goal should not be to lose more than 0.5lbs/week. On top of that you should change up your workout routine every 4-6 weeks to keep your body guessing.

A clean diet, intense workouts with a small caloric deficit should get you there. If you have not tried HIIT training I would highly suggest this.

This. 80% (if not more) diet. More cardio isn't the answer...you will lose muscle mass that way if you don't support it by eating. So its a wash.

I'm guessing only 30 minutes of cardio plus about 20 minutes strength training daily just isn't enough to get rid of those last stubborn pounds, is it? I eat very well (if anything I'm not eating enough) and work out every day. I get enough sleep and am not overly stressed. So what gives? What's the secret to losing those last stubborn, stubborn pounds? Should I up the cardio to 45 or 60 minutes daily? I just bought "ripped in 30" and "6 week 6 pack" by Jillian Michaels and will be adding those to my routine, hoping they do the trick. I'm also considering replacing a meal with a protein shake, I always feel thin in the morning after a protein shake for dinner.

I guess I'm just venting but if anyone has the magic combo, please share :-).

It comes down 80% to diet. The last 10 should come off slow to ensure you don't lose muscle while you lose fat. In other words your goal should not be to lose more than 0.5lbs/week. On top of that you should change up your workout routine every 4-6 weeks to keep your body guessing.

A clean diet, intense workouts with a small caloric deficit should get you there. If you have not tried HIIT training I would highly suggest this.

Agree. Definitely try out the HIIT, it's so effective!

I am there too...for me the scale got stuck !!! It really scared me but this week it has started moving again. I am sticking to it!! Really, I was so tempted to settle for "getting close" . I am healthier and moving more and have more energy soooo why not enjoy my new self. BUT !!! I really want to be in the" lower levels normal" BMI not" just barely normal". Sooooo I am changing up the exercise a bit , adding more strength training and really staying on top of the diet. AND like I said the scale is moving again...

First ... patience. You will hit plateaus that can be annoying but don't give up. Second, 50 minutes of exercise a day is very good ... especially if you are doing it 4 or more times a week.

Look carefully at your intake. You may not be eating enough. Being under calories is great but you don't want to be under by a lot. I try to not be under by any more than 150-200. There are those days where you just aren't that hungry and it is hard to take in all the calories needed but they should be few and far between. Yes, you need to eat back as many of your workout calories as possible.

I have to say it again ... patience. I went close to 2 months without losing any weight. I got frustrated until I started thinking about my workouts. They were getting more intense, I was using more weight, I was lasting longer without mini breaks. Yes, 1 pound of muscle is the same as 1 pound of fat. But the same "volume" of muscle weighs considerably more than fat. So, maybe you are replacing fat with muscle. If so, this is a VERY good thing. The more muscle you have the more efficient your body is at burning fat.

Hang in there. Keep working at it and your plateau will disappear. I stopped weighing myself regularly then one day noticed how loose my clothes were. I weighed myself and was shocked that, without even thinking about it, I had lost 10 pounds!

Bump

The secret?

Get this...

the secret is to EAT!!!
STOP starving yourselves!!!!

If you are doing a large deficit and expecting it to work, it won't.
You should be eating VERY close to maintenance, about a 250 calorie deficit (set it to 1/2 lb per week) and make sure your activity level is right. You are not sedentary.

I am 5'2" and maintaining at 107 by eating 1800-2200 a day, lots of protein, good carbs, good fats, and heavy strength training. Right now it is more like 90% nutrition and 10% exercise. And that exercise needs to be weights. Heavy weights. A little HIIT for cardio, but no need for those pointless (at this stage) hour long elliptical sessions.

I'm guessing only 30 minutes of cardio plus about 20 minutes strength training daily just isn't enough to get rid of those last stubborn pounds, is it? I eat very well (if anything I'm not eating enough) and work out every day. I get enough sleep and am not overly stressed. So what gives? What's the secret to losing those last stubborn, stubborn pounds? Should I up the cardio to 45 or 60 minutes daily? I just bought "ripped in 30" and "6 week 6 pack" by Jillian Michaels and will be adding those to my routine, hoping they do the trick. I'm also considering replacing a meal with a protein shake, I always feel thin in the morning after a protein shake for dinner.

I guess I'm just venting but if anyone has the magic combo, please share :-).

It comes down 80% to diet. The last 10 should come off slow to ensure you don't lose muscle while you lose fat. In other words your goal should not be to lose more than 0.5lbs/week. On top of that you should change up your workout routine every 4-6 weeks to keep your body guessing.

A clean diet, intense workouts with a small caloric deficit should get you there. If you have not tried HIIT training I would highly suggest this.

^^^this^^^

there's no secret. the less fat you have to lose, the longer it takes to lose it. Those last few lbs take a while.

Put it this way, my last ten pounds took me almost 5 months to lose (about 1/2 lb per month average).

also you should remember that those last 10 may or may not really be necessary (vanity weight), if your body doesn't think it should remove that weight, then you'll have a very difficult time getting rid of it.

Would that be considered HIIT?

no, that's just general circuit training.

HIIT is high intensity interval training.

take ONE piece of cardio equipment (treadmill, bike, elliptical, or just sneakers and pavement), and do intervals of slow and fast. Like jog for a while, then sprint for a minute, jog again, sprint, etc. Use a timer of some sort to know when your interval is over.

I do Tabata style. 4 minutes of 20 second ALL out, then ten of rest (30 sec total, repeat 8 times = 4 minutes). with a warmup and cooldown around that 4 minutes. TRUE tabata intervals are made for you to be collapsed on the floor, possibly almost vomiting, when done. I have never pushed myself to the vomiting point but I am fighting to breathe and can't move afterwards for a bit.

sometimes I just use the FORMAT but not the intensity. Like I'll do tabata situps for 4 minutes, or pushups, but just not to the point I am going to hurl, go at a "8 or 9" level of difficulty instead of a 10. Real tabata is ten for the whole 4 minutes.

thanks!

bump

As others have said, what you are doing is not HIIT. It is great that you are working out the way you are, but depending on how you lift weights, you may not be burning very many calories (think using machines, traditional 3x12--not a huge heart lifter). You will need to crank it up to push through, but only do high intensity (whether it is HIIT, or faster running/elliptical) one or two days a week, non consecutive days. This should not burn you out. If you feel like it is too much, keep the high intensity days, but instead of a lower intensity on another day, take a rest day.

Diet tweaks are definitely going to help. I'm not thin because I work out a lot, I'm thin because I eat right. I was a runner for YEARS and was still overweight. Food is the answer. Get food right, the rest will follow.

Also, how tall are you? You may not be able to drop to your goal of 118 depending on body type/composition. Is there a reason you've chosen that number? 128 is a very healthy weight for a wide range of heights, so you will need a huge amount of patience if you are committed to 118.

Good luck!