The last 10 lbs

I'd say, from a MFP newbie, that the last 10 pounds is all about exercise.

The only way to lose that last bit of weight is by living with an extremely low caloric intake for 5 weeks, or by compensating for a more reasonable caloric budget with increased exercise.

Stick strictly to water, and try to lower your sodium a bit.

You CAN do it!

Thanasi99 wrote: »

I'd say, from a MFP newbie, that the last 10 pounds is all about exercise.

The only way to lose that last bit of weight is by living with an extremely low caloric intake for 5 weeks, or by compensating for a more reasonable caloric budget with increased exercise.

Stick strictly to water, and try to lower your sodium a bit.

You CAN do it!

That's one way to look at it. But when I stalled I chose not to do any more exercise than I would for the rest of my life.

When you get close to goal, and you have a deficit (hopefully) of 250 calories a day for .5 lb per week loss, there is really little room for error. Every morsel must be tracked and weighed on a food scale. It becomes easy to wipe out your deficit if your logging is not accurate.

Have you readjusted your calories lately?

I am not on my last 10 (I wish! lol) but as far as breaking plateaus, I agree with most of the above. Log as accurately as possible, LOTS of water, and try to watch your macros to make sure you're not just holding onto some water weight from having too high of a sodium intake for instance. Also double check your TDEE with your current stats and make sure that you are indeed still eating at a deficit.

Whatever strategy you choose, make sure it's one that is realistically maintainable. Ten pounds lost doesn't mean anything if you can't maintain it. This is a lifestyle more than just a diet. I'm 13 lbs. from goal, I could probably find a way to lose that pretty quickly, but then I'd gain it back shortly after. Just continue with a daily calorie deficit, and measure all of your food. And I agree with @barbecuesauce about underestimating your exercise burns. I always subtract atleast 100 calories from what the treadmill says I've burned, you can't trust those things.
You're so close, try to enjoy the journey over your next ten pounds, victory will be sweet.

hollymartini wrote: »

I've lost the same 10 lbs about 3 times over the past couple of years.
It's the holidays that really mess me up.
I'm trying to be diligent with my tracking because I'm down to 1200 calories/day which is very low.
I'm trying to trick my metabolism a bit but I may have to come to terms with the fact that my body wants me at 130, not 120. Booooo body!
Thank you for your input everyone. I'm going to implement your suggestions and see what happens.

That is indeed pretty low, and if you've been doing it for a while and haven't been losing weight, make sure you're weighing your food and using correct entries.

You can eat more if you move more. I started losing more quickly after I became more active in my day-to-day life, even though I was eating more to compensate. Aim to get more steps or do more exercise.