The last darn 15 pounds!

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I have 15 pounds to go until my goal...and from what I read, these last 15 pounds are going to be the death of me. It SEEMS like what I did to lose the first 20 pounds is no longer going to work. I've been stuck at the same weight for a week or two now and with my wedding fast approaching, I am beginning to get discouraged.


So what have y'all done to lose those last 10-15 "vanity pounds" as they call them?

Replies

  • katcod1522
    katcod1522 Posts: 448 Member
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    I am on the last 6-9lbs. I feel your pain. I upped my cals from 1200 to 1300 for this week. Going to see if it helps :) I also only eat half of my exercise calories.
  • MB_Positif
    MB_Positif Posts: 8,897 Member
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    Hmmm...one quick way would probably be to cut out alcohol until your wedding. Keep an eye on your sodium too. Maybe up your fiber? As far as anything else, this is tough, because you don't have time for trial and error! Do you lift? I haven't lost much weight since I started lifting consistently, but my body has changed so much that a pair of pants that just started to fit nicely a month ago are already too loose!
  • LinFarnholz
    LinFarnholz Posts: 9 Member
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    I'm feeling the same way!! I want to be at my goal for my 27th birthday (2 months away). Ive got about 12 lbs to go and feel stuck!!!
  • ahmpierce1
    ahmpierce1 Posts: 221 Member
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    Thanks MB! I think I might take on your advice and try to not worry about the scale so much and up my weights!
  • yoovie
    yoovie Posts: 17,121 Member
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    Ive been working on the last 15 since November 2010.... Ive lost 3 sizes and 9% body fat... but zero pounds :(
  • joniec
    joniec Posts: 5 Member
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    I also I'm trying to loose 15 pounds to get to my pregnancy weight. Please add me as a friend. I would love to have someone with the same goals to share ideas with and keep me motivated. If I only have myself holding me accountable those last 15 pounds are an even bigger challenge.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    I'm on the last 5 (I think--I'm on the last day of an active vacation so am hoping the activity helped and the vacation eating didn't hurt too much--no scale in my hotel!). I seriously think the toughest part is that it's hard to care so much, but also that keeping a small deficit (as may be necessary if you are already at a pretty low weight) can be frustrating because smaller losses get masked by normal fluctuations.

    What I find helpful is to move my focus from the scale to activity goals--I'm newly into weight training but also have lots of exercise goals in general, and (pre vacation) my weight is continuing to go down.
  • lemon629
    lemon629 Posts: 501 Member
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    I'm down to the last 10-15 as well. I actually think it is much easier now because my goal is so close that I have a laser like focus!

    I got a little frustrated in January because my losses what they should have been according to calculations, so I realized that my deficit wasn't what I thought it was. So I figured out what my deficit really is, dropped my calorie allowance by 100/day, and dropped my daily post-lunch chocolate. (I still have post- dinner chocolate, though!) I also increased exercise some (although have slacked off a bit the past week because it had been cold and miserable). Now I am back to losing one pound a week.

    So my advice to you is to remember to reduce your calorie calculation since your daily burn is probably less than it was when you started, cut back on any unneccessary treat calories, and get more exercise. Lift weights if you aren't already doing so. And stay focused!
  • determined24girl
    determined24girl Posts: 382 Member
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    I can't help you because I'm in the same spot. I did break the 15 lb barrier this morning! only 14 lbs to goal!..... yay....
  • Ellaskat
    Ellaskat Posts: 386 Member
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    I only had 20 pounds total to lose, and in the last 8 weeks, I've lost 10. My diary is open- feel free to take a look. I do have periods where I don't lose at all for 2-3 weeks, and then will lose several pounds in 1 week. So don't get discouraged- if you're in deficit, it will come off. I also haven't exercised in 4 weeks- I have chronic Lyme and struggle with fatigue at times- so I'm proof you don't have to exercise to keep the weight coming off.
  • cplate
    cplate Posts: 16 Member
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    I have been working on the last 10 pounds forever.... Starting logging again in January. For 2 months I stayed the same.... so I tried upping my calories for 3 weeks - starting gaining. So dropped my calories and stopped eating back all my exercise calories. I also upped my water intake. After looking at my diet, I realized I eat a lot of sodium since I have been making soups for lunch and I also know I retain water. The extra water is helping. I also started to measure everything.... now I am seeing some progress. I also cut out alcohol for Lent. Add me as a friend if you want another buddy to walk these last pounds with. Good luck and don't give up. You can do it!
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  • KrisAZ000
    KrisAZ000 Posts: 76 Member
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    So far, I haven't been having any slow down. I'm down to my last 8 pounds. In mid January, I still had 17 to go. So 9 pounds in a month and a half is better than I expected now that I'm below my original goal and right in the middle of my healthy weight range.

    The main change I made was that I upped my exercise quite a bit. I workout almost every day, minimum half an hour up to about an hour and fifteen minutes of cardio- mostly moderate to high intensity. Just now starting to strength train too. I also increased my calories from 1200 to 1400, and I eat back my exercise calories. I round down by 25% though since I don't know how accurate the machines are in regards to calories burned.

    Good luck! Don't worry about what you read. Everyone is different, so you
  • KrisAZ000
    KrisAZ000 Posts: 76 Member
    edited March 2015
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    Accidentally posted too quick. Meant to finish with, so you might just be having a brief plateau and then start losing again. I would try adding some extra exercise and see if that helps.