Lost 115 pounds but can't lose the little left I have to go...eeeek!

jenniferillene
jenniferillene Posts: 34 Member
edited December 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi, over the past few years I have lost over 115 pounds. I still have about 20 pounds I want to shed off to get to my final goal weight. I've gained muscle and noticed changes in my body because I am an avid runner. It's not uncommon for me to run 5-9 miles sometimes but I can't seem to get the scale to budge for those last few pounds...it's aggravating! I count calories..I've tried going more calories due to my running a lot and I've tried lowering as well...but I still can't find an answer. I've come this far by losing all that way and I'm defiantly happy about it I just wanted to reach that final goal that I started with. Has anyone struggled with this? Or has any insight with this? Is it possible that you can just stop losing weight? I have been in this rut for about a year now.

Replies

  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    MommyL2015 wrote: »
    I'm stuck at the last 10 pounds for the last year and I know what I have to do, it's just my motivation hasn't been there. I've been using MFP M-F and staying under but then the weekend comes and I don't care, so I've been basically maintaining for a year. It's always about calories, so the answer is to eat a little less and/or burn a little more. When you are closer to goal, the weight will come off very slowly. If I eat 1200 calories a day and do no exercise, I can expect to lose about .2 pounds per week, so maybe around 1 pound a month. I'm at a healthy weight, so the remaining 10 is basically vanity pounds for my stomach and what I really need to do is start lifting. Trying to take off these last few pounds is like running in circles. I do good for about 5 days, then, like last night, I have too much pizza, blowing my entire week's deficit away. It's not hard to do, so at this point, calories are absolutely a much more important factor.

    This is me. But I hate lifting, so.. lol.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    You likely set a goal weight back when you were obese assuming that's the weight you would be when you reached your goal of being healthy fit and feeling good. It is just a number, don't overly fixate on a number.

    How do you feel? Are you satisfied with your fitness (ie not short of breath going up stairs etc)?

    Also hate to tell you but if you lost 115 pounds you didn't gain muscle....you lost muscle. You used to be carrying 115 more pounds around and eating above your maintenance which would have allowed muscle growth. Switching to a caloric deficit would have halted muscle growth and losing that much weight some was guaranteed to be muscle mass. You are stronger because you have trained your muscles through exercise and your muscles have less weight to move due to your weightloss. Your muscles also likely look bigger because of the loss of fat previously surrounding them....but don't let any of that fool you into thinking you have more muscle than you used to.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    edited August 2016
    If you really only have a bit of fat left to lose and you are dedicated to looking trim and firm then actually what you might want to do is eat more than your maintenance level and start lifting heavy to build muscle over time. Muscle building is harder and more time consuming than fat loss but after a year of that you can go back to calorie deficit for a cut and this time you will be able to drop to a lower fat percent with the added muscle. Still not there? Then repeat. Could take a while.

    Some inspiration: https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/

    You don't necessarily have to go full power lifter but eating enough to develop muscle and weightlifting can help with your goal which I assume is driven by wanting to look a certain way.
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,149 Member
    The only thing that helped me get to goal was to be really tight with my logging. A lot of people will say I'm anal about it, but I hit my goal.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,458 Member
    Yeah, I'm going with a combo of "you've picked a random number that's meaningless," and, "The only way to do it is to be super calorie-cop. Eat every meal from home. Log every calorie, weigh all solids on a digital food scale. Create a spreadsheet and track everything for two months. Adjust. Do it again for another two months."


    The only way to reach a weight-loss goal (if it's attainable - ) is to keep immaculate/accurate records of everything over a long period of time.
  • dragon_girl26
    dragon_girl26 Posts: 2,187 Member
    I'm at my final 10 pounds, and I hear you. The loss is slow. I'm about 6 pounds outside of the healthy range for my BMI, and the past 2 months I'm losing at a rate of about a pound a month. I know why, though...because one meal can easily wipe out my week's deficit, and I've been eating a lot of those types of meals lately, as well as random nibbles here and there....
    This is the point where the food scale can really be your ally. It's helped keep me reasonably in check enough to lose a little bit at least. You have to be very exact, especially if you're doing that much exercise each day. I learned it was counterproductive for me personally to exercise too much (I was dancing 2 hours a day) because my appetite was out of control. Once I calmed my exercise routine down, my appetite has somewhat returned to normal. Aside from AaronK's advice above, which is also a great suggestion, I'd just say go with the MFP calorie (and not an arbitrary number, unless you're doing TDEE minus 15%) goal for .5 lbs/wk, log meticulously, weigh everything, and be very honest as you can about your calorie burns....and be patient. It's a long ride from here..
  • red99ryder
    red99ryder Posts: 399 Member
    first of all congrats on your success , this is the second thread i have just read about this type of issue . its always harder closer to goal from what i have seen ,, if you can run 5-9 miles your in pretty good shape .. and when weight goes down so does the calories needed ,

    hang in there you have did wonderful
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    I have 4 lbs left after losing 147 over 2+ years. The closer you get to the end the smaller deficit it's possible to achieve. With only a few pounds left, you should be losing only .5 lb per week or less. Be sure to reset MFP to reflect your current weight & goal. Then you need to tighten up your food weighing and logging. A small logging variance, even an unintentional one, can wipe your deficit for the day, such as if the calorie info or database entry is in error. You've made it this far, so you know what to do! Just tighten everything up a bit and be patient. The good news is that when you're ready for maintenance there will be few changes to make, just add in an extra snack each day or 1-2 desserts a week or similar.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    Francl27 wrote: »
    MommyL2015 wrote: »
    I'm stuck at the last 10 pounds for the last year and I know what I have to do, it's just my motivation hasn't been there. I've been using MFP M-F and staying under but then the weekend comes and I don't care, so I've been basically maintaining for a year. It's always about calories, so the answer is to eat a little less and/or burn a little more. When you are closer to goal, the weight will come off very slowly. If I eat 1200 calories a day and do no exercise, I can expect to lose about .2 pounds per week, so maybe around 1 pound a month. I'm at a healthy weight, so the remaining 10 is basically vanity pounds for my stomach and what I really need to do is start lifting. Trying to take off these last few pounds is like running in circles. I do good for about 5 days, then, like last night, I have too much pizza, blowing my entire week's deficit away. It's not hard to do, so at this point, calories are absolutely a much more important factor.

    This is me. But I hate lifting, so.. lol.

    Same here, including the not lifting.

    OP I've only got around 8lbs left to lose. I'll be perfect for 4-5 weeks, log everything to the gram, never go over my calories and be super vigilant with consistent exercise, and then I'll crash and burn. This has only been happening for the last 6mths, i think I'm neck deep in diet fatigue, i just don't have the energy or motivation for it anymore.

    I was at my goal weight for a short time last year, but it required an incredible amount of vigilance and hard work to stay there. There will have to be no slip ups and a lifetime of calorie counting will be ahead of me if i ever get back to my GW.

    Just for reference, I'm 5"8 and my goal weight is 143lbs, so I'm not aiming for an unrealistic weight.

  • nowine4me
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
    I totally hear you and am at the 20 mark to finish too (again). 115 pounds is amazing. I'm sure you look and feel fantastic. Don't let yourself get frustrated with the last bit, stay focused on keeping the weight off and be patient with the last bit. This is coming from someone who lost and then gained back 75 pounds. I don't want too see anyone else go through that after all the hard work and effort.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    edited August 2016
    jenniferillene wrote: »
    Hi, over the past few years I have lost over 115 pounds. I still have about 20 pounds I want to shed off to get to my final goal weight. I've gained muscle and noticed changes in my body because I am an avid runner. It's not uncommon for me to run 5-9 miles sometimes but I can't seem to get the scale to budge for those last few pounds...it's aggravating! I count calories..I've tried going more calories due to my running a lot and I've tried lowering as well...but I still can't find an answer. I've come this far by losing all that way and I'm defiantly happy about it I just wanted to reach that final goal that I started with. Has anyone struggled with this? Or has any insight with this? Is it possible that you can just stop losing weight? I have been in this rut for about a year now.
    Congratulations! You look fantastic!

    The closer you get to your goal, the harder it is to get those last pounds off. Now, there is little room for error and it just sounds like you have been eating at maintenance. Most weight maintenance when you trying to lose is due to overestimating calorie intake by eating more than you realize and/or overestimating calorie burns.

    You've got this, you know-you've lost 100 pounds, and you can lose the last 20!!!


  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Really ask yourself how reasonable your goal is too... I mean, I see a lot of women who are my height (5'5") aim for 115 pounds... and I can't even seem to get to 135! It depends on your frame and muscle mass too.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    edited August 2016
    It sounds like an over all stall. Not just weight loss but exercise as well. When I keep doing the same thing and expect different results and those results don't come its time to change it. This is where I would take the approach of...

    1) Do I need a diet break? Perhaps going into maintenance for a short while and get off the deficit.
    2) Change exercise? Either mix up the running with cross training such as strength training, some other cardio related activity, change up running intensity (perhaps shorter harder runs, intervals, anything other than long duration, same method of running, do one or two long runs but mix up the runs).
    3) Re introduce weight loss again after a period of time after break and keep a mix up in the exercise. Adaption and and does happen pretty rapidly the fitter you get, the leaner you get. Keep this challenging.
  • dragon_girl26
    dragon_girl26 Posts: 2,187 Member
    Francl27 wrote: »
    Really ask yourself how reasonable your goal is too... I mean, I see a lot of women who are my height (5'5") aim for 115 pounds... and I can't even seem to get to 135! It depends on your frame and muscle mass too.

    I see that kind of stuff as well and it always makes me want to question it. I guess everyone looks better at a different weight, but I'm 5'6", and just trying to hit 145lbs (goal weight) is becoming difficult. Not sure I'd do well with maintenance personally in the 115-120 range for my height.
  • Aquawave
    Aquawave Posts: 260 Member
    Your accomplishment is awesome. Just keep on keeping on. You will get there!
This discussion has been closed.

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