Losing just 20 lbs

roseym10 · May 2021

I see a lot of great success stories of people who have lost a significant amount of weight. I have just 20 lbs to lose and would like to hear from others in that same situation who have been successful. I find it extremely hard and really feel I have to cut back calories significantly (not below 1200) and feel hungry all the time in order to lose. I lost 10 lbs 2 years ago doing the Fast Metabolism Diet but gained it back when the holidays rolled around and then quit because it wasn't a realistic way to eat long term. I am 58 and work out about 3 times a week, cardio and yoga. I'd appreciate any tips from those who have managed to drop 20.

yweight2020 · May 2021

Hi, I hear you but I'm in the same boat as in I have another 20 lbs to lose and I'm in your age bracket if that helps. But you can do this, and you don't have to feel hungry to lose weight look into volume eating. I haven't felt hungry once I low carb not extreme low carb, high protein volume, sorta intermitent eat it's my own thing and I've lost 40 lbs as of today its taken me from August of last year but it's working. You can do it too, not over night but you must find what works for you. I eat lots of salad for volume, vegetables, high protein snacks and limited carbs because of my diabetes and it what works for me, I eat sugar free products and regular products about twice monthly as a treat. I don't deprive myself of anything as long as I stay within my calorie and carb range I'm losing weight and my blood sugar is improving.

I love that you already have your exercise in line, now onto getting your food in line an your well on your way to total success. I hardly exercise enough because I'm over busy with to much other stuff, but I will eventually get that in line. put your stats in mfp to get your calorie range for your goal, purchase a reasonable food scale, measure cups and spoons and food you enjoy eating and your on your way.

Good luck you got this.

michy1500 · May 2021

Drink 32 oz of water after breakfast and lunch - by dinner you will just be eating to get your nutrients.

Focus on hydration, maybe vitamins, and eating a colorful plate and you should see the difference. It may take weeks to get your body out of starvation mode (if you've been eating 1200cal and working out a lot then you may be in starvation) and to regulate water retention. It took me 6 weeks of eating consistently (bc of all the dieting and lack of water) to finally see my metabolism increase and the lbs drop. I finally listened to doing it the healthy way, and that takes a little time.

If you care to continue reading:

I eat 3 times a day around the same time so my body can trust it's not in starvation mode. Intermittent Fasting and Keto both work for my temporary weight loss, but I'm not going to do that everyday for 5 months so the weight jumps right back up when I stop.

I was told by several coaches the 1200 and low carb thing is not a good idea and I need to eat more if I'm going to workout 4x/week, have energy, and not be in starvation mode. I was working out and not eating much for 2 months and gained 12lbs....crazy. So I decided to listen to the experts (kind of). They told me to eat 1600-1700, but 1500 is what I think is best for me so I can afford to miss a workout. I also like to stay under 90g carbs daily, but they do allow me to go up to 150g. And my carbs are complex from vegetables, beans, and sweet potatoes. From time to time, I will add 5 baby marshmallows, 1 tsp of brown sugar, and a bunch of cinnamon on my baked sweet potato... NOT going to stop my weightloss.

obx1bag · May 2021

I hear you, I just recently hit the 20lb mark. To avoid cravings, I found success cutting my carbs way back. I focused on eating more protein and fat. I didn't go full keto, but avoiding carbs helped a LOT with hitting my daily calorie goal .

Anthem76 · May 2021

I second volume eating to help with satiation and feeling full. This thread is so helpful https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10563959/volume-eaters-thread

Basically you take whatever you like to eat and put it on top of/with a HUGE bowl of salad or cooked vegetables. Eat it and and you will be stuffed. I eat one of these dishes almost every day (my favorites are taco salad, cheeseburger salad, pizza salad, and falafel/hummus salad). None of these salads require dressing, because the toppings are so filling/moist. I also skip breakfast most days which allows me to concentrate my allotted calories in two larger, hence more filling, meals.

Iwannabeapunkrockmom · May 2021

Anthem76 wrote: »

I second volume eating to help with satiation and feeling full. This thread is so helpful https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10563959/volume-eaters-thread

Basically you take whatever you like to eat and put it on top of/with a HUGE bowl of salad or cooked vegetables. Eat it and and you will be stuffed. I eat one of these dishes almost every day (my favorites are taco salad, cheeseburger salad, pizza salad, and falafel/hummus salad). None of these salads require dressing, because the toppings are so filling/moist. I also skip breakfast most days which allows me to concentrate my allotted calories in two larger, hence more filling, meals.

Omg. This is what I've been doing for lunch every day and I never knew there was a name for this!

fitstrongfitlove · May 2021

Go slow. Be patient. Log everything. Eat lots of Fiber. Eat at least 20% of daily calories in protein. Stay active. Ride through the down times. Don't give up.

Make these changes permanent and your body will eventually respond. I have about 20 pounds total to loose. I have already lost 8-9. I am 53 yo and 5 foot 3"

Wish you success and perseverance. Get a checkup maybe to see what your doctor says?

chirosche · May 2021

I don't know if you like coffee but you'd probably be shocked how bulletproof coffee (or tea) (coffee/tea, half & half, MCT oil) with a couple scoops of hydrolyzed collagen protein added to it will give you mental alertness, and a feeling of being full for a long time. (you will need to mix it with like a milk frother to emulsify). I warm my milk with the MCT Oil, then add it to my coffee with the hydrolyzed collagen protein powder. The oil and the hydrolyzed protein are tasteless and do not affect the texture of your coffee. You won't even know it's in there. Not only that you suddenly find you are full faster. The thing is carbs cause insulin spike which in turn cause your brain to feeling hungry to feed the insulin. Trying monitoring you carbs, add the MCT oil to your bulletproof coffee or tea and you'll be on your way to not craving or thinking about food all day.

charmmeth · May 2021

Hi I am 57 and have over the past year lost 30lbs to my goal weight. I think quite a lot about what I eat an experiment with meals that would be low calorie but filling (stir-fry and rice for lunch ofr instance). I also found that I needed to do regular exercise (and I ate back the calories).

I set mfp to begin with to lose 2kg per month and that just about worked for me (measured by my monthly mean weights). Once I only had less than 5kg to lose I adjusted to lose 1kg per month. I think I pretty much stuck to that; nonetheless, just before Christmas, I hit a plateau. It was frustrating but in the end I made the choice to eat at maintenance for about six weeks (from Christmas until my birthday in February). I actually regained 2kgs (so much for mainteance!). However, from mid-February the remaining very few pounds came off quickly. I've been been in my wider maintenance range (75kg+/- 2.5 kg) since last November, but in my more defined version of maintenance (75kg +/- 0.75 kg) for about two months now. So it can be done but I would suggest that even with not much to lose it's probably worth setting interim goals and taking it in stages.

judefit1 · May 2021

I'm 64, a 5'2" woman, and lost 20 lbs; I started in January and hit my goal last week. It took about 4 1/2 months.

First thing I did- stopped baking and stopped making excuses for what I was cooking/eating.

I keep food preparation simple and mostly eat fresh foods (lots of fresh veggies, fruit, beans) I eat meat, in small, quantities and not every day. I mostly cut out dairy products. I stick to whole grains in measured quantities and am very conscious of sodium content. I avoid processed foods.

My scale is my best friend- I weigh portions for meat and grains (not so much with veggies).

I've also learned that there are foods that are "triggers" for mindless eating for me- chips, ice cream, cheese and crackers. I don't eat them at home, but allow a few when I'm out.. easier to control

I've had takeout occasionally but been careful about what and how much- and log it as closely as possible.

I didn't eat back exercise calories- the measurements are inconsistent and I doubt I burn what they say, so I count the extra potential loss as a "bonus".

This is not my first time- I lost 40 lbs in my 40's and maintained for years; the weight crept back through my early 60s and into the pandemic. Since it's easy to drift back up, I'll be on here to keep myself honest.

Hope this is helpful- and good luck! It can be done!

thetreekat · May 2021

Hi there! Wanted to share a perspective from someone who has lost 20 pounds but took over 6 months to do it! I started with a goal of losing 30, but I just hit 20 and have decided I like the weight I'm at and don't want to lose any more.
The things that have helped me most are upping my protein intake during the week (1400 cal, 30%F 35-40%P 30-35%C) but letting myself relax a little on the weekend and have more carbs if I want them - and now I sometimes find myself craving protein instead of carbs! This takes the "diet" mindset away and I now look at it as more of a "food is fuel" situation. I eat a TON of veggies as they have a lot of volume for a relatively low amount of calories. The veggies fill me up and the protein keeps me full longer.
The other thing that helps a lot is meal prepping and pre-logging my days. That way I know what macros I have available - say if I want to have a donut in the office in the morning, I will just forgo my afternoon pretzels snack!
The real key is patience. It was WEEKS before I started seeing any weight loss, and sometimes I would gain a few pounds in a week (I weight every day and then take a weekly average). But then it just started to fall off. Trust the process, if you are eating in a calorie deficit you will lose weight.

tuckerrj · May 2021

I love exercise. So I exercise nearly every day. Even if it's only a 30-45 minute walk with my wife. That helps with the loss a little. Also I learned from my friends who served in Afghanistan. Their phrase, "Embrace the SUCK" has a much deeper meaning than you'd think. It means perservering through the hard time, knowing that it'll be over someday. So, "Embrace the HUNGER" for 10 to 12 weeks, by reducing your calories, until you've put a big dent in your desired weight loss. Then when you've reached your goal, you can gradually increase (adding 100 - 250 calories to your daily intake, each week) until you stop losing weight. This works better for many people than radical changes like "no carbs" or "vegan only" approaches. Give it a try!

Read here: https://www.developgoodhabits.com/embrace-suck/

mtruitt01 · May 2021

I've lost 20 lbs since the middle of March. I'm 66, 5'10. Have a lot more to lose! I was 205 and now am 185. I was so desperate I was thinking of getting my gut cut, but instead I browsed all those sites to see what people were eating and how they were handling the gastric bypass surgery. I thought I'd try some of the suggestions from their food coaches, and this is what I did: Spend 30 minutes on every meal. Chew each bite at least 20 times and pay attention. I didn't always do it, and I didn't do it perfectly, but I tried it. I still have to force myself to eat slowly and dawdle over my meals, to weigh and measure, to shrink my stomach and stay away from volume (I am a volume eater). Also hard was to not read or watch TV while I ate. I set my calories at 1200 but always went up to 1400 or 1500 (setting at 1200 served more as a warning than as a goal). I disciplined myself to log everything I put in my mouth so I could see the macros and calories of what I was eating. It is educational. If I go off my general plan, I have to log it anyway! I try to walk moderate pace at least 30 minutes a day, six days a week. I use headphones and listen to history books on tape because that keeps my mind off how bored I am with exercise. When my grandson is around I end up eating junk with him, but I just log it and keep on keeping on. I think the real key to losing weight is to eat slowly, chew thoroughly and pay attention to the food instead of mindlessly munching. That's really what helped--I realized some foods or food preparations I didn't really like so I experimented and adjusted. I'll admit, the slow eating has been a struggle at times, but very eye-opening.

Speakeasy76 · May 2021

I think it all depends on your expectations. Generally, when you don't have a lot of weight to lose and/or already in a healthy BMI range, it will (and should) take longer to lose. I set out to lose about 8 pounds last year, already in the healthy BMI range, and deliberately intended to lose slowly, at an average of about .5 lbs a week. It took about 5 months, but I wasn't in a rush. I was successful, and have kept it off and even lost 10 more pounds. When you have so little to lose, losing should be even closer to your maintenance eating. The key is being patient and expecting weight fluctuations.

I have been a formal exerciser for a long time, with more focus on purposeful strength training with progressive overload in the past couple of years. However, when I set out to lose more weight, I intentionally set out to just be more active throughout the day through walks, jogging in place, parking further away, etc. I think all those little things all add up, and are more important when you have a small amount to lose.

RandJ6280 · May 2021

I'm in the same boat as you. I'd LOVE to lose just 20lbs... but as I get older (58 y/o) it seems like it's two steps forward three steps back.

Feel free to friend me ~

jenilla1 · May 2021

I lost 23 pounds over ten years ago and have kept it off ever since. I used MFP and logged everything consistently, earned extra calories through exercise. Since it's not very much weight and I was not far from goal, it seems that accuracy and consistency are more important than it is when you have lots of weight to lose. I made sure I didn't do anything extreme or restrictive, since I plan to not regain, and when people go to extremes they almost always regain once they stop whatever it was they were doing. I made sure it was sustainable permanently, because I wanted it to be a permanent change - and it has been. I went super slow, with a small deficit, and it took like 6+ months. Since I have the rest of my life to reap the benefits (not a temporary, short term goal) I had patience and was willing to wait to see it done the right way, permanently. So far so good!

Zinka61 · May 2021

Well, I lost about 30 lbs in my 50's. It went pretty quick, really, maybe 3 to 3 1/2 months? I was eating net 1200-1400 a day and seldom felt hungry at the higher end of that range. I'm 60 now and my weight has been creeping back up during "maintenance" and Covid, so I just took off 10 again. I'd like to see if I can go a few lbs lower. I'm experimenting with eating about 1700 calories every day and then aiming to burn at least 300 in exercise (mostly walking my dog and doing gardening/yard work) I'm never hungry, and I'm still losing very, very slowly at this rate, which I guess would be around 1400 net many days. The advantage of eating so many calories is that I don't binge often or as badly (because I'm not hungry!), which really set me back at times in the 6 years between my initial loss and this loss, especially when I tried to eat 1200 net calories. This spring, I don't feel deprived or like I'm "dieting". Some days I burn a lot more than 300 calories, but I stick to my 1700ish calories. Other days I burn less and so I eat right up to my calorie goal. This has created a routine for me that takes a lot of the drama out of wondering where I can fit in another snack if I exercise or what I might be able to eat. I know about how much food I can safely eat per meal, even before I log it. Also, I pre-log every morning, with an eye to not only my calorie goal but also some nutritional goals, like potassium, vitamin A, vitamin C. I see friends here who are losing 100 lbs or so lose faster than I am, but I try not to get envious. I'm at an ok-enough weight and am focused on eating as if I weighed a little less with the expectation that if I do it long enough, I *will* weigh a little less and be used enough to eating this way that I don't creep up again. You may find you lose faster at the beginning, and then it will slow down. That is the time to be patient and keep eating the way you plan to eat permanently.

paperpudding · May 2021

I guess I am success story fitting OP criteria - I lost 10 kg (about 22lb) in 2013 and have kept it off since.

I did not do any fancy keto, low carb, drinking extra water or drastic changes of any sort.

Made some high calorie for low calorie swaps - eg cut out regular soda and changed to diet version, cut out some 'empty snacking' , reduced frequency/portions of things like dessert - just basic changes to make keeping to 1460 allowance easier.

and lost at slow steady pace - 1kg per month ( aprox 1/2 lb a week) to get to my goal after 10 months

roseym10 · May 2021

It sounds like many of you have this down to a science. I appreciate all the feedback and will incorporate a lot of what you've shared. Wish me luck!

A77aBrauer · May 2021

I had just 20 pounds to lose. I was 72 at the time. I had gained and lost that 20 pounds since I went through menopause. Finally with keto I’ve kept it off. I really had no hope because I always thought the older you get the harder it is to lose weight. If it could even be done. But it can be with keto. And more important it can be kept off.

Three years later that 20 pounds it’s still gone. I eat well. I feel good. So it can be done. I’d heard years ago that losing lean weight is the hardest thing to do. And it can be discouraging in this forum when somebody reports that they lost 20 pounds in two weeks without telling us that they have a lot more weight to lose. That last 10 or 20 pounds is the hardest to lose and even more frustrating when that’s all you need to lose. So hang in there. It took me about five months. Enjoy the journey.

marcellebauermeister · May 2021

Good morning to everyone from an icy Cape Town. Reading through you posts has really helped me a lot. My biggest problem is motivation and sticking to an eating plan. I also need to get back into an exercise regime, but once again, for some reason the motivation is lacking.

Any help and guidance would really be appreciated. I need to get back to feeling good about who I am and this 51 year old body.

Losing just 20 lbs

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