Last 7-10lbs...

jasmine_belle · April 2018

I've been lurking on here a while and am very close to my goal. I've got a plan to ease into maintenance and wondered on other opinions please.

I thought in the week mon-fri to set my calories to lose 0.5 lb and eating at maintenance sat & sun.

I'd still like to lose 7-10 lbs. Will this be very slow going? I don't want to risk losing patience and giving up.

I'd also like to start strength training so I guess this might make the scale jump up too?

CarvedTones · April 2018

I would go slow, but if you think you will be really impatient (I knew I would be), I would wait until the last 5 pounds to really slow down. I don't really see the point in trying to do 2 of the 7 days different. Until you try to stabilize and all the days are roughly the same, you don't really know what maintenance level is. There is a really good thread on determining it, BTW.

Evamutt · April 2018

I have 8 more to lose. In November I decided to take a break & be on maintenance but about 3 weeks ago decided to start again but at 1/2 lb/wk & I lost 2 lbs

Maxxitt · April 2018

Aiming for a smaller deficit requires more meticulous attention to food tracking, in my experience (it's so easy to wipe out most of a planned small deficit by being a little careless). If you are starting strength training, it's likely the scale will jump a few pounds due to inflammation, depending on your particular routine. Strength training may also impact your hunger and so you'll be likely making some nutrition adjustments/calorie adjustments and it's easy to roll through a deficit because of increased appetite.

So with all those caveats, I think it's a good time to reduce your deficit - not so much for "easing into maintenance" but for supporting your strength training. It WILL be slow going, but if you think about your destination as a state of health rather than a number on the scale, and if you establish some interim strength goals along the way, you may well feel motivated to keep going. Good luck.

sijomial · April 2018

0.5lb weekly deficit = 250 cals a day. Multiply by 5 = 1250 weekly deficit.
So yes it would be slow, roughly a pound lost every three weeks.
But it would certainly be a gentle easing into maintenance.

Strength training doesn't make you gain "real" weight. You might get a short term bounce in term of water retention due to muscle inflammation/soreness but that's an irrelevance in the long term, it's still a positive thing to do for your health and body composition. Don't wait to start!

sunny_d22 · April 2018

I'm pretty much where you are in terms on pounds to lose. I have recently added two intentional refeed days into each week (where I eat at maintenance). The other five days I eat at a 250 calorie deficit. I am also now taking a two week diet break every eight weeks. I've been following the refeed thread here in the mfp forums. My weight loss is slow, sometimes frustratingly slow, but maintenance will be forever so this is good practice and refeeds/ diet breaks have some benefits.

jasmine_belle · April 2018

Very helpful replies, thank you! You're right to point out that maintenance is forever. I need to think long term.

I have struggled to find some strength training that I can stick to. I know there's so many benefits but usually end up doing cardio instead.

I have a couple of kettlebells, just need to get on with it!

texteach66 · April 2018

I'm doing almost exactly that! I have my calories set 50 calories below what MFP gives me for half a pound loss per week Mon - Fri, and I eat at maintenance on Saturday and Sunday. I lost 2 pounds the first month I did that. I typically eat some, but not all, of my exercise calories back. I saw that someone didn't see the point of doing something different for two days. That's OK. We all figure out what's best for us. For me, this is making the end of the losing journey easier. Truthfully, this is a way I can imagine living my life. One thing that helps me is keeping a weight record by month instead of week. I have an Excel spreadsheet with my weights from the last day of the month. This helps me keep perspective when I'm feeling discouraged with week to week numbers. I actually weigh every day, though.

jasmine_belle · April 2018

texteach66 wrote: »

I'm doing almost exactly that! I have my calories set 50 calories below what MFP gives me for half a pound loss per week Mon - Fri, and I eat at maintenance on Saturday and Sunday. I lost 2 pounds the first month I did that. I typically eat some, but not all, of my exercise calories back. I saw that someone didn't see the point of doing something different for two days. That's OK. We all figure out what's best for us. For me, this is making the end of the losing journey easier. Truthfully, this is a way I can imagine living my life. One thing that helps me is keeping a weight record by month instead of week. I have an Excel spreadsheet with my weights from the last day of the month. This helps me keep perspective when I'm feeling discouraged with week to week numbers. I actually weigh every day, though.

That's great. I think I've always eaten a bit more at the weekend because that's when I might go out for food or have a more indulgent sweet treat. I'm trying to come up with a sustainable life plan! I've been down and up before, always the last 10lbs.

The spreadsheet is a good idea. It'll help see the trend.

Thank you for your reply.

BeccaLoves2lift · April 2018

If it works for you then do it! I think it will make reversing into full maintenance easier for you.

Styggian · April 2018

jasmine_belle wrote: »

Very helpful replies, thank you! You're right to point out that maintenance is forever. I need to think long term.

I have struggled to find some strength training that I can stick to. I know there's so many benefits but usually end up doing cardio instead.

I have a couple of kettlebells, just need to get on with it!

Like you I prefer cardio and it's a real chore to do strength training, can you do a strength related activity, I was going to join a 'wall climbing' club but found that my local green space needed some logs sawed and chopped up so I volunteered a few hours a day three times a week seems to be slowly working.

OceanAddict · April 2018

I am also quite close to my goal - four pounds to go. Two weeks ago I result my calories to a 0.5lb/week loss rather than 1lb/week. It's been good in some ways - those extra calories help me to be less deprived. And I have lost one pound over those two weeks (though it was 0 first week and 1 the next), so I guess that is working.
I think, though, that if I had done this when I had 7-10 pounds left to go I would be getting impatient. I'm already kind of impatient thinking that it will be two months still until I'm at my goal :P

CarvedTones · April 2018

When I was that close I was about the only one who knew I wasn't through losing. Realizing that others already saw me as successful at losing the weight helped me be patient.

jasmine_belle · April 2018

Thank you to everyone that took time to answer, there's some great advice. My weigh day is Saturday and as of today I've got 5lbs to go! I've come to terms with it's going to be slow going. I've increased my kettlebell workouts and made sure I get plenty of protein. Feeling positive as I am so close to my goal!

sytchequeen · April 2018

useful posts. This is pretty much where I am at the moment. I want to hit goal softly and ease into maintenance.

Kfrase83 · June 2018

jasmine_belle wrote: »

Thank you to everyone that took time to answer, there's some great advice. My weigh day is Saturday and as of today I've got 5lbs to go! I've come to terms with it's going to be slow going. I've increased my kettlebell workouts and made sure I get plenty of protein. Feeling positive as I am so close to my goal!

Any update?

jasmine_belle · June 2018

I lost a couple more then had a holiday and didn't track while away. Then for the week I was back I continued in holiday mode and kept overeating slightly. I'm back to tracking this week and am still at the same weight I was 2 months ago so haven't made any progress. Still got 5 to go. Oh well... just got to keep at it!

Last 7-10lbs...

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