Trying to lose those last 10lbs

I'm also 5'2, and want to be 118. I'm currently hovering at 122-124. I started lifting again the last week of January and have not seen a steady loss, however, I know it's not going to happen for at least another 2 weeks.
If you really want it to work you need to learn to say "no" to garbage as much as possible. Abs are made in the kitchen.

Also, make sure you are eating enough good quality food and have options on hand so that you aren't making a fast decision to get fast food.

I also find if I am having fast food, I don't get a soda, I get unsweet tea AND I get a kids meal. Yep. (Except if it's Chick Fil A, then I get the nuggets with pickles and a half and half tea).

I have been trying to lose 5 pounds for a few months, but I know that the closer you get to goal the harder it is. Muscle gains and makes it seem like weight isnt' being lost, but you can weigh more and look great or weigh less and still be uncomfortable in your skin.

I am also 5'2 and currently weigh 128 lbs. I have been trying to take off 8-10 lbs that I gained after having heart surgery in Sept. I was hoping to have it off by Spring break which is now 4 weeks from Sun. I am scared none of my summer clothes will fit. I have even went to a diet Dr. who prescribed diet pills, but nothing seems to be working. I do cardio 6-7 days a week, and strength training 3-4 days. I have been trying to eat 1200 calories, and watch carbs. I guess my downfall is wine. Maybe my age is finally catching up with me? I have always been told I look much younger than my age, and I certainly feel younger than my age. This is starting to get really frustrating!

Pipsg1rl wrote: »

Also, make sure you are eating enough good quality food and have options on hand so that you aren't making a fast decision to get fast food.

I second this. I was eating fast food every weekday for lunch--I work in a downtown area where every kind of chain restaurant is nearby, plus sandwich places where between the great bread, meat, cheese and mayo-based spreads, a typical sandwich could easily reach 800 calories. And I hate packing up a lunch and carrying it to work. I broke the habit by stocking up once every week or two and stowing them in my desk and office fridge--easy open tuna, salami slices, individual cheese portions and fruit, for the most part. By exerting myself a few times a month, now I have a store of food that is even faster than fast food. I lost my first five pounds just by doing this, before I joined MFP, plus I saved some money.
Funny thing though, once I started using MFP I realized I had given up quite a bit of protein when I gave up fast food and I had to make some adjustments, hence more tuna and less fruit and crackers.

Last science facts:

Eat low carb 15-20% of your diet (maintenace 150gr/day is a sweet spot for loosing weight or 30-40gr/day for ketosis "fast burn from adipocites" or 70-80 gr/day for a nice smooth burn of fat. You choose)

Moderate protein this is 1gr per kilo of your own bodyweight. You can get this number by getting your weight in ibs divided by 2.

High fat the rest of the grams you need to cover your basal metabolism+dayly activity.
(Eat good fats) olive oil, coconut oil, and all those found in meat, butter, cheese, I mean including saturated fat as recent studies suggest,it is not bad at all for your heart. Do some research about it. Just totally avoid the trans fat also called hidrogenated fat.

Do not go below 1200 cal a day for a woman your size (sweet spot 1200-1500cal/day) You can also check what your daily average calorie needs is and just substract some 300-500cal from it. You can find online calculators to get to now your daily calories needs.

Regarding sport, do not overtrain:

-2 days a week strenght training 30 minutes, big compound movements ( you can use barbells or bodyweights.) 3 sets 6-10 reps per exercise, 1-2 min rest between, 65-75% of your 1RM would work.
-1 day a week 10-12 minutes speed training, search for Tabata style and do all out efforts in intervals resting 45to 60 seconds between them.
-Te rest of the week just very low intensity exercise. (walking or house chore, jogging super slow etc.

If you want you can also skip breakfast or dinner (that will make a windor of 14-16 hours between dinner-lunch or lunch breakfast. It is called IF or intermitent fasting and oposed to what you might think it is a very healthy practise. Do some research about

Whatch you weigth go down and your health be at it´s best ever.

Kind regards from Spain!
Carlos. Science of sport graduate at university and certified personal coach. Excuse my english. Self taught;)

Oh, also, I would say to add in a couple of miles a day, be it walked, run, jogged or cycled, if you haven't already. Each one of those miles will give a nice little bit of leeway in your overall intake, letting you eat a little more, and hopefully keeping things manageable. I find low intensity cardio like walking great myself, as it doesn't interfere with my recovery from strength sessions or increase my appetite noticeably like more intense forms of cardio have in the past.

jglovicz wrote: »

starsarai720 wrote: »

Hi ladies, i'm a little taller ( 5'10,) but also trying to lose the final 10 to reach my goal of 130. Junk food (sweets, soul food, etc) are my weaknesses especially while visiting my family in the south. I am 23 but feel like I don't have the body to show for it. I am ready to shed fat and show the muscle underneath! My BF% is 20, but I'd like to get it back down to 17-18. I used to have an unhealthy perception of food and wouldn't eat enough. I don't want food to be an enemy. (But it can't be my best friend, either). I am going back to the gym after a 2 week long vacation and changing my body composition so I can be bikini ready at all times.

Perhaps you are having such a hard time because 130# is quite low for a person that is 5'10". Obviously everyone carries weight differently, but you would be down to a bmi of 18, which borders on "underweight". I'm just bringing this up because it sounds like you have had issues with under-eating. Rather than having a goal to drop weight, maybe you can focus more on adding muscle (I know you mentioned changing body composition), but your body needs calories to build muscle. I sincerely wish you the best of luck.

Thank you! I am trying to change body composition. If I find that I reach my BF goal, but the scale says I am 137 or something, I would be happy with that. My goals are definitely to drop fat and build muscle, and the numbers are an estimation. Maybe you're right and the goal is numerically unrealistic.

Same here. I think that all this posts are so motivational. My problem is when I am at job to avoid all junk food and cookies.When I start craving, I just take a seat and read few motivational posts and pics. That remembers me where I want to go.