A Question for Maintainers...
k_nelson_24
Posts: 251 Member
Hey there! Thank you for clicking on my post!
My name is Katherine, I'm 5'6 and my starting weight was 249 lbs and I currently weigh 153. My ultimate goal weight is 145. I have lost the majority of my weight, but I am really struggling to get rid of these last 8 pounds or so. I have been around the 153 pounds mark for about a month now. My diary is set to lose one pound per week and is set to sedentary. However, as of August first I have been lifting weights three days per week and walking with my daughter in her stroller one to two days per week. MFP gives me 1330 per day, which can be a challenge at times.
My question to you is this: How did you manage to lose the last few pounds and reach your goal? Did you change your settings to lose only 0.5 lbs per week? Are there any pieces of advice that you could share? Any suggestions? At this point I am feeling like I need to take a step back and reassess the situation and start fresh. I have been on this journey for 19 months and I feel like I am in a rut.
I really do not post my own discussions often, but I am currently at a loss and I am desperate for insight/advice from someone who has been where I am. I am very frustrated and I haven't come this far to only come this far, if you know what I mean! Any responses would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you!
My name is Katherine, I'm 5'6 and my starting weight was 249 lbs and I currently weigh 153. My ultimate goal weight is 145. I have lost the majority of my weight, but I am really struggling to get rid of these last 8 pounds or so. I have been around the 153 pounds mark for about a month now. My diary is set to lose one pound per week and is set to sedentary. However, as of August first I have been lifting weights three days per week and walking with my daughter in her stroller one to two days per week. MFP gives me 1330 per day, which can be a challenge at times.
My question to you is this: How did you manage to lose the last few pounds and reach your goal? Did you change your settings to lose only 0.5 lbs per week? Are there any pieces of advice that you could share? Any suggestions? At this point I am feeling like I need to take a step back and reassess the situation and start fresh. I have been on this journey for 19 months and I feel like I am in a rut.
I really do not post my own discussions often, but I am currently at a loss and I am desperate for insight/advice from someone who has been where I am. I am very frustrated and I haven't come this far to only come this far, if you know what I mean! Any responses would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you!
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Replies
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Congratulations on your successful weight loss so far!
The last eight pounds...yes, set your goal to "lose 1/2 pound per week." Eat your calories "earned" by exercise. You probably aren't actually sedentary either. Do you have any kind of job? Kids? Go to school? Likely you're not sedentary. I really am sedentary and I'm much older than you (5'7" 145) and I maintain on 1800-1900 NET calories. To lose 1/2 pound, MFP sets me to 1330, but I try to net 1500-1700 to lose. It took me months of meticulous tracking to learn this, though.
Are you using a digital food scale for ALL your food? With eight pounds to go, good tracking is the most important thing.3 -
I'm 5'6, started at 173 with original goal of 145. My setting was set to 2lbs a week. My average loss was 1.97 so I was pretty consistent, but even with that average it to 5-6 week to lose the last pound. Be consistent and persistence and it will come off. After I'd been maintaining for several months I dropped another 10 lbs without trying. I've been maintaining since 135 +/- 2 lbs ever since. I did exercise while losing and continue to do so now. My sedentary maintenance calories is 1540, I exercise to bring that up to 1900 or more. To me being sedentary is not worth it. A mix of cardio and strength training has worked best for me. Good luck, don't lose faith, you'll get there.2
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@cmriverside No, I have avoided a food scale this long, and I think it is due time that I invest in one!
Thank you so much for your insight and taking the time to respond to my question. I am a receptionist at an urgent care three days per week and the rest of the time I am raising my 19 month old and *attempting* to keep up my house. I guess the reason why I have not changed my diary to something other than sedentary is because I am a bit afraid that any increase in calories will result in an increase in weight. It's an irrational fear, I know, but old habits die hard.0 -
k_nelson_24 wrote: »Hey there! Thank you for clicking on my post!
My name is Katherine, I'm 5'6 and my starting weight was 249 lbs and I currently weigh 153. My ultimate goal weight is 145. I have lost the majority of my weight, but I am really struggling to get rid of these last 8 pounds or so. I have been around the 153 pounds mark for about a month now. My diary is set to lose one pound per week and is set to sedentary. However, as of August first I have been lifting weights three days per week and walking with my daughter in her stroller one to two days per week. MFP gives me 1330 per day, which can be a challenge at times.
My question to you is this: How did you manage to lose the last few pounds and reach your goal? Did you change your settings to lose only 0.5 lbs per week? Are there any pieces of advice that you could share? Any suggestions? At this point I am feeling like I need to take a step back and reassess the situation and start fresh. I have been on this journey for 19 months and I feel like I am in a rut.
I really do not post my own discussions often, but I am currently at a loss and I am desperate for insight/advice from someone who has been where I am. I am very frustrated and I haven't come this far to only come this far, if you know what I mean! Any responses would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you!
You have been mega-successful. I wouldn't Force the last few pounds but give it time.0 -
@BikeTourer Thank you so much for your response! Yes, I agree that being sedentary is not worth it. I have been active throughout my journey, but have not adjusted my settings in myfitnesspal to reflect that. I started with at home workouts and running and have currently been lifting weights for a little over a month. Your story has helped me so much and given me hope and reassurance that my hard work and consistency will eventually pay off.
How long did the additional 10 pounds take to come off? I'm just curious!0 -
@GaleHawkins Thank you! I find that it is a constant struggle to find balance between over-doing it and steadily losing weight at this point. The smaller I get, the harder I have to push myself to lose! You're right. I feel like I am getting a bit impatient. I can see that goal weight just around the corner, and it's making me anxious! It may be time for me to slow it down a bit. Thank you for taking the time to comment!2
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You stated you have been doing weights, and you could be adding muscle. Since muscle weighs more than fat, it may be that part of your pounds is more muscle. You don't want to lose the muscle you are building. I would access it based on how your clothes fit and how you look more than the actual pounds you weigh. Look at the inches and reassess your goal based on those indicators. You are doing great!!3
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k_nelson_24 wrote: »@BikeTourer Thank you so much for your response! Yes, I agree that being sedentary is not worth it. I have been active throughout my journey, but have not adjusted my settings in myfitnesspal to reflect that. I started with at home workouts and running and have currently been lifting weights for a little over a month. Your story has helped me so much and given me hope and reassurance that my hard work and consistency will eventually pay off.
How long did the additional 10 pounds take to come off? I'm just curious!
I hit goal May 2015, starting end of August till mid September lost 3 and slowly dropped the rest by 1st of the year. Yes I lost over the holidays a first ever.
I have a food scale and use it enough to keep me honest without being obsessive. I use a Fitbit Surge to track calories out and turn negative calories on when so when I'm less active it shows by taking calories away. The quality of the activity matters. I've learned my natural walking pace is faster than average (3.1-3.5 mph is avg) and it takes me 1600-1800 at office walk pace to eliminate my negative calories on sedentary setting and 5000-5500 to earn lightly active. Walking a non flat route at exercise pace (4.37mph) I get there with far fewer steps.1 -
It's possible that starting the weight lifting has you carrying a pound or two of water weight for muscle repair that's masking some recent weight loss, if you've been challenging yourself with the weights. If so, that's not something that should cause worry.
I suspect you'll get some insights from using a food scale, that will help you fine-tune your calorie level. At your age, size and activity level, I'd expect you to still be losing quite handily at (a true) 1330.
Personally, I was very happy with reducing my loss rate as I got close to maintenance, adding some daily calories every couple of weeks, to make a soft landing at maintenance calories.
In your circumstances (been at it a while, feeling "in a rut", seeing a slowing loss rate, etc.), you might be a person who'd benefit from a "maintenance break", too - going to maintenance calories for 2 weeks or so, then back to a deficit, as a mental & physical reset.
This might also be a good time to take a fresh look at your nutrition - especially to re-evaluate your macros. Looking at the last few days of your diary, it seems that your protein is very inconsistent, and often very low, and that fat is sometimes on the low side of what I'd consider adequate, also. (I'm about your size; while losing, I was striving for 0.6 (minimum) to 0.8g protein per pound of goal weight, and .35g fat per pound, plus 25g fiber from veggies/grains (mostly), letting carbs fall where they may to balance.) This doesn't necessarily affect weight loss per se, but can affect satiation, satisfaction, and (for me, at least) energy level.
Just my thoughts/opinions, though.5 -
I find it hard to believe that I have gained over a pound of muscle on one month of weight lifting while eating at a significant calorie deficit. I may be wrong, but I was under the impression that it is a lot more challenging than that to add muscle! However, I agree with you that I need to start measuring my success more from how I feel/look and not just the number on the scale! This has been just as much a mental game as a physical one. Thank you for your response!Determined_Missy wrote: »You stated you have been doing weights, and you could be adding muscle. Since muscle weighs more than fat, it may be that part of your pounds is more muscle. You don't want to lose the muscle you are building. I would access it based on how your clothes fit and how you look more than the actual pounds you weigh. Look at the inches and reassess your goal based on those indicators. You are doing great!!
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Wow! What an accomplishment. Especially to continue to lose over the holidays! You are inspiring me to really take the last several pounds slowly and not rush the process. I have known this all along, having only lost one pound or so per week for over a year and a half, but since I can see the finish line just around the corner I have slipped and become a little too impatient I think.BikeTourer wrote: »k_nelson_24 wrote: »@BikeTourer Thank you so much for your response! Yes, I agree that being sedentary is not worth it. I have been active throughout my journey, but have not adjusted my settings in myfitnesspal to reflect that. I started with at home workouts and running and have currently been lifting weights for a little over a month. Your story has helped me so much and given me hope and reassurance that my hard work and consistency will eventually pay off.
How long did the additional 10 pounds take to come off? I'm just curious!
I hit goal May 2015, starting end of August till mid September lost 3 and slowly dropped the rest by 1st of the year. Yes I lost over the holidays a first ever.
I have a food scale and use it enough to keep me honest without being obsessive. I use a Fitbit Surge to track calories out and turn negative calories on when so when I'm less active it shows by taking calories away. The quality of the activity matters. I've learned my natural walking pace is faster than average (3.1-3.5 mph is avg) and it takes me 1600-1800 at office walk pace to eliminate my negative calories on sedentary setting and 5000-5500 to earn lightly active. Walking a non flat route at exercise pace (4.37mph) I get there with far fewer steps.
I have a fitbit flex, which I hope to be upgrading soon. I love that it syncs with MFP to adjust my calories! Also, I just bought a digital food scale last night! Which I should have done a long time ago.
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k_nelson_24 wrote: »
I find it hard to believe that I have gained over a pound of muscle on one month of weight lifting while eating at a significant calorie deficit. I may be wrong, but I was under the impression that it is a lot more challenging than that to add muscle! However, I agree with you that I need to start measuring my success more from how I feel/look and not just the number on the scale! This has been just as much a mental game as a physical one. Thank you for your response!Determined_Missy wrote: »You stated you have been doing weights, and you could be adding muscle. Since muscle weighs more than fat, it may be that part of your pounds is more muscle. You don't want to lose the muscle you are building. I would access it based on how your clothes fit and how you look more than the actual pounds you weigh. Look at the inches and reassess your goal based on those indicators. You are doing great!!
You didn't gain muscle in that time, you don't add muscle in a deficit, and muscle doesn't weigh more than fat. As others have mentioned though, a new lifting routine may cause water retention, and that can potentially mask the weight loss trends.
I agree with the advice above to change your rate of loss to 0.5 lbs/week and tighten up your logging with a food scale if you aren't seeing results.
For what it's worth, I lost about 25 lbs pretty easily to get to my first goal weight of 125, lost a couple more and thought I should go for 30 lbs lost. All of a sudden, my weight loss stalled and I just couldn't get rid of the last 2-3 lbs. I finally gave up, resigned myself to maintenance, changed my goal and settled in. Well a couple weeks later, the scale started moving again. Not that I was losing more by eating more calories, it doesn't work like that, but because I was at a higher calorie goal and no deficit built in, I was extra careful without a buffer. So I started losing again with the change in mindset and found it was just what I needed to do. Now I'm comfortably in a maintenance range of 118-122 lbs and eating an average of 2100 cals/day which is my TDEE according to my FitBit. I've been maintaining for over a year now.3 -
@k_nelson_24
The last few pounds were stubborn and took a while. It was so much easier to lose the first 8 pounds rather than the last 8 for sure. I agree with @bikeTourer's first post 100% (not disagreeing with their second one one bit though!)
Bottom line is you have done great to get this far. Keep it up and you will break through this plateau. If you need some recipe ideas, message me. Now that my wife is (finally) on board (and down 60 pounds since January 5!), we have experimented with many recipes and have come up with tasty low-cal versions that even my "skinny" grown sons ask us to make extra for them.0 -
It's possible that starting the weight lifting has you carrying a pound or two of water weight for muscle repair that's masking some recent weight loss, if you've been challenging yourself with the weights. If so, that's not something that should cause worry.
I suspect you'll get some insights from using a food scale, that will help you fine-tune your calorie level. At your age, size and activity level, I'd expect you to still be losing quite handily at (a true) 1330.
Personally, I was very happy with reducing my loss rate as I got close to maintenance, adding some daily calories every couple of weeks, to make a soft landing at maintenance calories.
In your circumstances (been at it a while, feeling "in a rut", seeing a slowing loss rate, etc.), you might be a person who'd benefit from a "maintenance break", too - going to maintenance calories for 2 weeks or so, then back to a deficit, as a mental & physical reset.
This might also be a good time to take a fresh look at your nutrition - especially to re-evaluate your macros. Looking at the last few days of your diary, it seems that your protein is very inconsistent, and often very low, and that fat is sometimes on the low side of what I'd consider adequate, also. (I'm about your size; while losing, I was striving for 0.6 (minimum) to 0.8g protein per pound of goal weight, and .35g fat per pound, plus 25g fiber from veggies/grains (mostly), letting carbs fall where they may to balance.) This doesn't necessarily affect weight loss per se, but can affect satiation, satisfaction, and (for me, at least) energy level.
Just my thoughts/opinions, though.
I think you are right. I have retained a bit of water from my new weight lifting routine. I tried to prepare myself for that gain to begin with, but in the midst of it all I start to second guess as to why the scale is going up and I get worried. I think to myself that maybe I am doing something wrong to cause the gain.
Yes, I am looking forward to start using a food scale! I just ordered one last night and it should be here in about a week. I am interested to see what I am actually consuming vs. the estimated guesses I have been logging. I'm hoping it will make a significant difference, because this far in to the game I really have to be disciplined with my diet to see a difference. I used to have cheat days every Saturday and can no longer do that because the smaller I get the less my body can handle it! I was spending two weeks attempting to lose the weight I ballooned up to in one night. Not worth it anymore!
Thank you so much for taking the time to look at my food diary. I knew that I am a little on the low side on protein, but hearing it from someone else is really an eye opener! I'm making an effort to get more protein in.
Thank you for your opinion. It is greatly appreciated!
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I ate at maintenance. Lifted weights 2 to 4 days a week. Kept up with my active lifestyle. Turned out maintenance was higher than I expected, so I kept increasing my calories.1
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I lost 56lbs relatively slowly (over a total of 16 months) but I found that the last few pounds were absolutely the slowest to come off - I think my issue was that I got so close to my ultimate goal weight that I started to relax more with the accuracy of my logging. Getting your food scales will really help you to check that your logging is as accurate as possible, and could kick start the weight loss again by tightening it up. I also think that as we lose weight and get fitter, our bodies get more used to our activity levels and more efficient, so we burn less calories doing the same level of exercise. Is there anything you can add in exercise-wise to change it up a bit maybe? Or try under-estimating a bit on your total calories burned through exercise (obviously this will only help if you've been eating your exercise calories back - like I was). Congratulations on your weight loss so far - keep at it - you'll get there!1
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When I lift weights or do an intense cardio routine I always gain afterwards. Your body holds in water to protect your muscles that you're taring up while working out. Maybe that's what's going on since weight lifting is kind of new.
Regardless, great job on your success so far!!1 -
I never had a goal of some particular number...I went to maintenance when I was around 15% BF because I was tired of dieting and at a healthy BF% and that was ultimately my goal. I increased calories slowly and was surprised about my maintenance because I had stopped losing weight eating 2200 calories so I figured that was pretty close...basically did reverse dieting for a month or so until I was hitting about 2800 - 3000 calories per day to maintain...continued my active lifestyle, cycling, lifting, and eating well...at the same weight I'm now about 12% BF...so it's been very slow (almost 3.5 years) to maintain the same weight but drop 2% points in BF.
I got to the point where I just wanted to focus on good livin' rather than dieting...just doing the things that lean, healthy, and fit people do on the regular...the rest takes care of itself.1 -
@girlgroves Yes! Now that you mention it, I think I may have the same problem and I didn't realize until now. I have been less accurate lately with my logging and snacking here and there since I am so close to goal. It's time for mE to tighten up those strings! I believe I have become too comfortable.
And as far as switching it up goes, that is what I did with weight lifting barely a month ago! And I normally do not eat back any of my exercise calories. Thank you for your feedback!0 -
@BinaryPulsar That is a wonderful problem to have! I have adjusted my calorie settings to lose 0.5 lbs per week and I am hoping I will start to see a consistent loss again soon. On top of weight lifting, I think being very busy and tired has stalled my weight loss. My number one goal as of now is to keep going slowly but surely and gradually lose these last 8 pounds! Practicing patience.1
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LillysMomma09 wrote: »When I lift weights or do an intense cardio routine I always gain afterwards. Your body holds in water to protect your muscles that you're taring up while working out. Maybe that's what's going on since weight lifting is kind of new.
Regardless, great job on your success so far!!
Thank you so much!
Yes, I think you are right. I have been lifting pretty consistently (at least 3 days per week) since August 1st and I really haven't lost any weight since I started. I am currently fluctuating between 153.7 and 152.1 or so. I am hoping that if I can stick to my calorie goal that it will eventually level out and I will start losing again.0 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »I never had a goal of some particular number...I went to maintenance when I was around 15% BF because I was tired of dieting and at a healthy BF% and that was ultimately my goal. I increased calories slowly and was surprised about my maintenance because I had stopped losing weight eating 2200 calories so I figured that was pretty close...basically did reverse dieting for a month or so until I was hitting about 2800 - 3000 calories per day to maintain...continued my active lifestyle, cycling, lifting, and eating well...at the same weight I'm now about 12% BF...so it's been very slow (almost 3.5 years) to maintain the same weight but drop 2% points in BF.
I got to the point where I just wanted to focus on good livin' rather than dieting...just doing the things that lean, healthy, and fit people do on the regular...the rest takes care of itself.
I absolutely love your perspective! I struggle with being a numbers person and I do admit that I can get obsessive. This entire journey has been such a learning process. The smaller I get, the easier it has become to base my success off of how I feel, rather than the number on the scale. I feel that maybe I have let the scale define my progress for too long.
However, the longer I eat better and am more active, the more second nature it is! That is why I love the quote, "It doesn't get easier, you just get better." This is my lifestyle now! It's not so foreign to me anymore. My old eating habits are what is foreign to me these days.
Thank you so much for your insightful post and taking the time to respond!1 -
Well done! What an achievement.....my starting weight was 249 lbs and I currently weigh 153.
I would say don't get hung up on one particular goal weight - it's just one part of being healthy and fit.
Think I changed my goal weight about 5 times!
Exercise in a prolonged deficit is hard, would suggest giving yourself a break from trying to lose. You can always go back to deficit later when rested and not "busy and tired".1 -
@sijomial Thank you for the compliment!
It is so easy to get hung up on one goal and not step back and look at the big picture. In my mind I feel like if I don't reach my number goal that I have failed in some way, although I have lost 95+ pounds. I do feel worlds better, but I am my own worst critic and I always feel that there is room for improvement! The same self-discipline that has got me this far has also misconstrued my way of thinking. I just changed my settings last night to only lose 0.5 pounds per week, and that put me at 1580 per day instead of the former 1330, which I was really struggling with. I am going to stick to that number for a couple of weeks and then reassess from that point.2 -
Read the comments. Looks like you have a good head on your shoulders know what needs to be done. Good luck to you.
ETA: I am not telling you to read the comments. I am remarking that I read the comments and think you know what you are doing. When I re read it kind of sounds douchey which wasn't my intention.4 -
@ryry_ Haha! No, you don't sound douchey! Thank you for the compliment! Talking through all of my thoughts and doubts has been so beneficial!1
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We are very similar. I am 5/6 started at 249 July 2015 with a goal weight of 149 for a 100 pound weight loss. Monday, September 26 I FINALLY hit the goal and I say finally because the last 5 pounds were suuuuppperrr stubborn llol. Funny I saw your post because I am terrified of maintenance...scared I either know how to gain or lose...saw your post and contemplated should my goal be 145???? Do I need a range? Anyway, I digress.
For me I didn't change anything to shake the last five. I stuck to what I was doing which was staying within my calories-period. I knew that one day it would come off if that is what was meant to happen-as I do believe our bodies have a certain comfort spot when it comes to weight anyway...send me a friend request!
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I lost 40 pounds and it took me less time to lose the first 35 than the last 5. But I kept plugging and it came off.
I have maintained almost 5 years. However, I gained back 5 pounds last year. Again, it took me a long time to lose that last 5 pounds. I'm close to my body's ideal weight and my body is holding onto calories dearly.1 -
caramel827 wrote: »We are very similar. I am 5/6 started at 249 July 2015 with a goal weight of 149 for a 100 pound weight loss. Monday, September 26 I FINALLY hit the goal and I say finally because the last 5 pounds were suuuuppperrr stubborn llol. Funny I saw your post because I am terrified of maintenance...scared I either know how to gain or lose...saw your post and contemplated should my goal be 145???? Do I need a range? Anyway, I digress.
For me I didn't change anything to shake the last five. I stuck to what I was doing which was staying within my calories-period. I knew that one day it would come off if that is what was meant to happen-as I do believe our bodies have a certain comfort spot when it comes to weight anyway...send me a friend request!
Friend request sent!!
Wow, we are very similar! I have finally broke away from 153 and I am now down to 149! My goal is still to fluctuate around 145 but I will reevaluate when I get there! I agree on the comfort spot. If I continue to lose weight after 145 I may just let that happen!
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k_nelson_24 wrote: »@sijomial Thank you for the compliment!
It is so easy to get hung up on one goal and not step back and look at the big picture. In my mind I feel like if I don't reach my number goal that I have failed in some way, although I have lost 95+ pounds. I do feel worlds better, but I am my own worst critic and I always feel that there is room for improvement! The same self-discipline that has got me this far has also misconstrued my way of thinking. I just changed my settings last night to only lose 0.5 pounds per week, and that put me at 1580 per day instead of the former 1330, which I was really struggling with. I am going to stick to that number for a couple of weeks and then reassess from that point.
Yes, please be careful not to lose sight of the big picture. I read someone's post on this site a while back that said don't cut all 3 tires just because one tire is ruined. I try to apply that daily. So, I refuse to sabotage myself completely just because I may have gotten a little lax or have gained a pound. I try to remind myself of the 84 pound weight loss instead. What's so crazy for me was I lost more than I expected. Maintenance is what seems more of a challenge at times because my body seems to want to hang on to a pound or two for weeks whenever I indulge. I'm a bit underweight now. So I attribute it to that. Who knows! Good luck on your journey and you look beautiful! 2
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