Losing the last few kilos - feel like giving up

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  • klsn
    klsn Posts: 28 Member
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    Cahgetsfit wrote: »
    klsn wrote: »

    Thanks for your comments. I’ve downloaded those apps so it will be interesting to track things.

    I like the 5/7 idea. What do you find to be a good amount to reduce your calories & then increase them?

    I’ll get onto recording the binges when they happen 😱

    Well, I have got to the point where I just don't want to be hungry. A bit peckish OK, but hungry - no. I'm over it and would rather lose reaaaallly slooowwwwly than be hungry.

    So I do just under 1700 Sun-Thursday and on Friday I keep to under 2000 and on Saturday I aim for again not more than 2000 but between 1800-2000.

    Sometimes on SAturday I don't log but try to eat mindfully to work on that too. So basically on fri/sat i'm pretty much at maintenance or just under.

    If I get too hungry it is easier for it to trigger my bingeing. I'll just start eating and not be able to stop when i'm "full", so I just don't let myself get too hungry anymore.

    Thanks for letting me know your calories, that’s very insightful. I get sooo hungry all the time! Your comment about bingeing is exactly me.
  • klsn
    klsn Posts: 28 Member
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    collectingblues wrote: »
    RunForPizza88 wrote: »
    You may have answered your own question then, if your logging isn't consistent enough then you cant truly know if you are eating at a deficit. If you log the good the bad and the ugly then at least you know where you stand.

    I edited my last response so you may not have seen in time (whoops) but i highly recommend that you might want to take a look into recomp, especially if you are having issues with keeping a deficit.

    Honestly, with your stats it sounds like you look great already, so you are a prime candidate for recomp really. Keep in mind it will be a long process so will require patience though.

    This. OP, if you're binging regularly and not logging, you have no idea how much you're eating.

    If hunger is triggering the binges, increase your regular daily calories. Think of it this way: If you're wiping out a deficit through binges, you have nothing to lose by moderately increasing your calories, and getting rid of the binges.

    I think you’re spot on, thank you.
  • klsn
    klsn Posts: 28 Member
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    I’ve found these posts to be a big help, thank you everyone, & I’ve done some research. If I was to recomp, do I still keep up the running? My scales say I have 25% body fat so would cardio get this number lower? How often should I do weights & how long a session? I always thought low weight with high reps was the way to avoiding bulking up, is this right?
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
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    lowcarbmale wrote: »
    Please ladies enlighten me why you decided to Woo my former post. Where you triggered by any words in there like chips or ice cream? Is it in your opinion not ok to ever eat a little bit more on a day (which is perfectly normal and everybody does it)? Do you not agree that it's healthier to overeat with healthy food than unhealthy food? smh

    LOL, triggered by the woos! Shake it off, man. Woo happens... ;)
  • RunForPizza88
    RunForPizza88 Posts: 56 Member
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    klsn wrote: »
    I’ve found these posts to be a big help, thank you everyone, & I’ve done some research. If I was to recomp, do I still keep up the running? My scales say I have 25% body fat so would cardio get this number lower? How often should I do weights & how long a session? I always thought low weight with high reps was the way to avoiding bulking up, is this right?

    OP - I've pm'd you as my response is just wayyyyyy too long! <3
  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
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    klsn wrote: »
    I’ve found these posts to be a big help, thank you everyone, & I’ve done some research. If I was to recomp, do I still keep up the running? My scales say I have 25% body fat so would cardio get this number lower? How often should I do weights & how long a session? I always thought low weight with high reps was the way to avoiding bulking up, is this right?

    sijomial answered most of your questions, but for additional info, here's a thread with links to training programs:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1
  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
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    sijomial wrote: »
    Yes you can do cardio while recomping - bear in mind that before recomp was invented as a term it was just called "getting in shape" - it's totally normal and really doesn't have any special requirements beyond training effectively and eating around maintenance levels.

    So, what's the difference between "toning up", "getting in shape" and "recomp"? :devil:


  • collectingblues
    collectingblues Posts: 2,541 Member
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    klsn wrote: »
    I’ve found these posts to be a big help, thank you everyone, & I’ve done some research. If I was to recomp, do I still keep up the running? My scales say I have 25% body fat so would cardio get this number lower? How often should I do weights & how long a session? I always thought low weight with high reps was the way to avoiding bulking up, is this right?

    You only need to keep up the running if you *like* running. I lift and run, but that's because my primary activity/performance goal/whatever is distance running.

    If you don't like to run, there's no need to do it. If you like to run, you can keep doing it. I like to alternate running + strength days.
  • fitoverfortymom
    fitoverfortymom Posts: 3,452 Member
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    Your weight is really quite lovely. It's easy to pick on small imperfections after losing a bit of weight. A lot of great advice here, but a good strength program will really help with body composition.
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,179 Member
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    OP, you already have a low-ish BMI, so the basic question is "do you gain anything by going even lower ?" Because it is not going to be easy and it is not going to be fast and it is not going to really make a difference in the mirror. And the second most important, can you maintain there? If you are not very young and if you are not overall very active (not just exercise) this will mean constantly eating little.
    As a person in my 40s, with a desk job and at your current weight, my TDEE is barely above 1500 calories, which means with moderate exercise several days per week I maintain at something like 1700 total, have to go definitely below 1500 to really slowly lose. I have similar goals to you, getting down to about 57 kilos where I usually am, and I am bit shorter than you and I eat 1200 plus exercise and will be thrilled if I get there by next spring, to give some context. When I was 20 years younger far more active, maintaining 10 kilos lower than where I am now was just natural, havign the same goal now would mean literally starving constantly.
  • amy19355
    amy19355 Posts: 805 Member
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    lowcarbmale wrote: »
    Please ladies enlighten me why you decided to Woo my former post. Where you triggered by any words in there like chips or ice cream? Is it in your opinion not ok to ever eat a little bit more on a day (which is perfectly normal and everybody does it)? Do you not agree that it's healthier to overeat with healthy food than unhealthy food? smh

    until you posted this comment, I think I had misunderstood the WOO button. I thought it was a variant of Whooeee (congrats sort of thing) but now I suspect it is a short form of WOO WOO (pseudo-science stuff).

    not sure if i'm one of the ladies who woo'd your prior post, but i recall clicking that link once today, so, hope i can be forgiven for a one-time whoops.
  • klsn
    klsn Posts: 28 Member
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    sijomial wrote: »
    If I was to recomp, do I still keep up the running?
    Yes you can do cardio while recomping - bear in mind that before recomp was invented as a term it was just called "getting in shape" - it's totally normal and really doesn't have any special requirements beyond training effectively and eating around maintenance levels.

    My scales say I have 25% body fat so would cardio get this number lower?
    That isn't how fat loss works. Cardio is for your health, heart, lungs, circulation and fitness.
    Your body composition improves as you add muscle and your fat is used as fuel for all your bodily functions and not just exercise.

    How often should I do weights & how long a session?
    Pick a well designed beginner program - that will tell you the volume and frequency. Don't make up your own as you don't have the experience. Typically it may be x3 a week.

    I always thought low weight with high reps was the way to avoiding bulking up, is this right?
    No it's not - that's commonly just a way to make your training a waste of time! ;)
    To grow you need to stress your muscles and although you can do that with very high reps and light weights it's incredibly inefficient.
    Bulking up doesn't happen by accident and for a female it would take YEARS of deliberate training at a level few people ever approach - it's not a genuine concern.

    Thanks so much for addressing all of my questions, this is very helpful.
  • klsn
    klsn Posts: 28 Member
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    LKArgh wrote: »
    OP, you already have a low-ish BMI, so the basic question is "do you gain anything by going even lower ?" Because it is not going to be easy and it is not going to be fast and it is not going to really make a difference in the mirror. And the second most important, can you maintain there? If you are not very young and if you are not overall very active (not just exercise) this will mean constantly eating little.
    As a person in my 40s, with a desk job and at your current weight, my TDEE is barely above 1500 calories, which means with moderate exercise several days per week I maintain at something like 1700 total, have to go definitely below 1500 to really slowly lose. I have similar goals to you, getting down to about 57 kilos where I usually am, and I am bit shorter than you and I eat 1200 plus exercise and will be thrilled if I get there by next spring, to give some context. When I was 20 years younger far more active, maintaining 10 kilos lower than where I am now was just natural, havign the same goal now would mean literally starving constantly.

    Thanks for sharing this - I’m in my 40s too which I’m sure makes a huge difference.
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
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    klsn wrote: »
    LKArgh wrote: »
    OP, you already have a low-ish BMI, so the basic question is "do you gain anything by going even lower ?" Because it is not going to be easy and it is not going to be fast and it is not going to really make a difference in the mirror. And the second most important, can you maintain there? If you are not very young and if you are not overall very active (not just exercise) this will mean constantly eating little.
    As a person in my 40s, with a desk job and at your current weight, my TDEE is barely above 1500 calories, which means with moderate exercise several days per week I maintain at something like 1700 total, have to go definitely below 1500 to really slowly lose. I have similar goals to you, getting down to about 57 kilos where I usually am, and I am bit shorter than you and I eat 1200 plus exercise and will be thrilled if I get there by next spring, to give some context. When I was 20 years younger far more active, maintaining 10 kilos lower than where I am now was just natural, havign the same goal now would mean literally starving constantly.

    Thanks for sharing this - I’m in my 40s too which I’m sure makes a huge difference.

    Maybe I'm atypical, but I'm well into my 40's and I haven't noticed any difference yet, let alone a huge difference...the only difference between me in my 20's and 30's and me in my 40's is that I'm more active now (early retirement gave me a ton of free time and took away a lot of stress) so I'm in much better shape than I was before. All the same rules apply in terms of weight loss and maintenance. I think the main reason people seem to pack on weight as they get older is because they become less and less active while their eating habits stay the same. For me, it doesn't seem to be getting any harder to manage my weight. Maybe it will in another decade. Maybe it won't...? B)
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,179 Member
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    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    klsn wrote: »
    LKArgh wrote: »
    OP, you already have a low-ish BMI, so the basic question is "do you gain anything by going even lower ?" Because it is not going to be easy and it is not going to be fast and it is not going to really make a difference in the mirror. And the second most important, can you maintain there? If you are not very young and if you are not overall very active (not just exercise) this will mean constantly eating little.
    As a person in my 40s, with a desk job and at your current weight, my TDEE is barely above 1500 calories, which means with moderate exercise several days per week I maintain at something like 1700 total, have to go definitely below 1500 to really slowly lose. I have similar goals to you, getting down to about 57 kilos where I usually am, and I am bit shorter than you and I eat 1200 plus exercise and will be thrilled if I get there by next spring, to give some context. When I was 20 years younger far more active, maintaining 10 kilos lower than where I am now was just natural, havign the same goal now would mean literally starving constantly.

    Thanks for sharing this - I’m in my 40s too which I’m sure makes a huge difference.

    Not really . . . at my size, 5'5", 130s pounds, the calculators estimate maybe 10 calories daily age penalty, per year of age.

    The main differences in practice are down to muscle mass and daily activity level (routine stuff as well as exercise) - things we can influence, if not fully control.

    The PP's "When I was 20 years younger far more active" (emphasis mine) has captured it better, if you ask me.

    P.S. I'll be 63 this month.

    For a 45 year old woman, 165 cm tall and 60 kilos, with a sedentary lifestyle, her tdee is about 150 calories above where is was when she was 25 years younger. For the same 45 year old woman, burning 200 calories requires approximately a 4km walk at a comfortable pace of 1 km per 15 minutes. The difference is not big, but it means that maintaining becomes slightly harder, and losing also slightly harder. Of couse the difference in age is not going to be that important for the same woman if she is very active, but for a person who does not spend hours on her feet, it is a factor to account for.
    I am not saying that middle aged people should give up. But fine tuning a healthy weight from e.g. a BMI of 21 where OP now is, to a BMI of 19, where she wishes to be, is not going to be that easy and age does factor in.
    This is not a generic "can I lose weight question" she is posting. The lower the BMI we aim for, the less the maintenance calories we are allowed and the less the calories we burn from exercise.
    Based on your photos and what I recall from your posting history, you are not at the lower healthy BMI range, and you do not need to be either. The question is if OP has a valid reason to attempt this, or she is just torturing herself for no reason.

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