The final 10%

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angfirst
angfirst Posts: 47 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have lost nearly 40% of my starting body weight, with my goal being 50%. So, I have about 30 pounds to lose after already having lost about 110 pounds.

My question is - will these final pounds have a fairly profound impact on my body? I still have too much fat on certain areas of my body, like my stomach and my thighs. I am eating well, and also doing cardio a few times each week as well as lifting with a trainer each week.

I guess I am asking; since it took so long to actually notice major differences in my body so far, will the changes be more noticeable the closer I get to my goal? That is, will less weight loss show greater changes at this point?

Hopefully this question makes sense to someone, and someone can help me out! I am just looking for a little extra ~motivation~ to help me get to my goal. :)

Replies

  • kittykarin
    kittykarin Posts: 104 Member
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    It really all depends on your body makeup. I have lost 135 lbs and my true goal is around 160 lbs total lost. I am pear shaped so my stomach is flat but I have thighs for days!!! These suckers are never gonna be small. They will go down with another 25 lbs, I'm sure, but that is where I will always carry most excess weight. Keep doing what your doing and maybe tell your trainer about specific areas that bother you. You can't lose excess fat in certain spots by lifting but you can sculpt the muscle which can help u feel better about those areas. Good luck!!
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,487 Member
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    Looking at the difference in your body from January to April (you are looking awesome) I think these last 30 lbs will make a big difference.

    If you are lifting once a week you may want to increase it to x3 a week to help with muscle retention during the last 30lbs, the less fat you have to lose the more likely you are to lose muscle, and in resculpting your body.

    If you haven't already, drop your goal to 1lbs a week, then .5 when you have 15 to lose. This will help with muscle retention and ease you into maintenance.

    Well done so far.

    Cheers, h.
  • nowine4me
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
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    Agree with the above. I've lost about 70 pounds, the last 5 have made the most significant difference in my belly and thighs. I'm going to try for 20 more to hit 130. 5-7'. Great job OP!
  • idabest777
    idabest777 Posts: 97 Member
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    I'd say it definitely will. I started out with only 30-40 lbs to lose and after 30lbs I've gone down 3 pants sizes and 2-3 shirt sizes.

    When I compare myself now to the pictures I took at the beginning of my weightloss I can't believe how much fat I had all over my body.

    Great job so far though, and good luck with the final 10%!

  • mom2my4boys
    mom2my4boys Posts: 148 Member
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    Yes, it will! Ive lost 100+ lbs and didnt really notice a big difference in my belly. The difference 180---> 170 on my stomach hs been huge! Keep going, u got this!
  • suzievv
    suzievv Posts: 410 Member
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    My thoughts are YES. My experience has been that the last pounds make a bigger difference... I am a woman and very short, so it's going to be a lot different on me, but for me, when I get to the last 5-10 pounds, one pound seems to make about the same amount of difference that 5-10 pounds made when I was heavier. (If you think about it, it makes sense... one pound on an ant would be humongous, but a pound on an elephant wouldn't be noticeable.) (And for whatever it's worth... I have repeated experience with what it feels like to lose weight not from yo-yo dieting, but from pregnancies!!)
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    My last 30 (of the amount lost so far -- I'd eventually like to lose 5-10 more), made a big difference. Heck, even the last 10-20 did. The first 30 was noticeable, but only by people who knew me well.
  • sllm1
    sllm1 Posts: 2,114 Member
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    Yes, 30 pounds will make a big difference.

    I can even tell when I've lost 5 (once I've gotten smaller), while others might not notice.
  • angfirst
    angfirst Posts: 47 Member
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    Thank you, everyone, for taking the time to respond. I appreciate the experiences other people have had on this journey and am motivated that I should continue to see results, even as the amount I have to lose goes down. I was worried about this, but the worries seem to be unfounded.

    I can do this!
  • Madwife2009
    Madwife2009 Posts: 1,369 Member
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    I'm in a similar boat - another 30+ lbs to go and it seems to be all around my stomach, thighs and backside. I'm quite happy with the top half of me but really want the bottom half to sort itself out. It's reassuring to hear that it probably will.

    Haven't started lifting yet but it's next on my list of health-related things to do.
  • Meganthedogmom
    Meganthedogmom Posts: 1,639 Member
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    I would be willing to bet it'll be quite a difference. Right now I've lost about 34% with a goal of 45% total so I'm in the same boat - I'd like to lose another 25 lbs.
    As of right now, I can tell a pretty significant difference in my body if I go up 5lbs or down 5lbs. At my starting weight, I couldn't notice anything for a long time. I think the smaller you get, the easier it is to tell a difference in weight loss/gain.
  • goldthistime
    goldthistime Posts: 3,214 Member
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    I agree with everyone else about visible changes per pound being greater nearer goal weight. I especially love the roll of paper towels analogy. But I feel compelled to point out that you should lose this last bit of weight considerably more slowly, so I'm not so sure that you will see changes any FASTER than previously.
  • nosebag1212
    nosebag1212 Posts: 621 Member
    edited September 2016
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    Yes, the lower your bf% the more each lb lost will show, this is especially evident once you start getting into the mid teens bf% for men (not sure what the female equivalent is). the difference between 15% and 10% is huge, whereas the difference between 35% and 30% is barely noticeable if at all.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    Yes...the less you have to lose, the more dramatic the differences are. If I dropped 5-10 Lbs right now, it would look pretty dramatic.
  • Madwife2009
    Madwife2009 Posts: 1,369 Member
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    I have noticed that, the closer I get to my "ideal" weight, my clothes sizes have been dropping faster than when I started out - I lost a clothes size within the course of a fortnight - went from a UK14 to a UK12, and even then the UK12 was a bit loose (but a UK10 was a bit too tight for comfort).

    I was pretty annoyed as I'd just bought a load of UK14s that I had to exchange.

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