Trying to lose my last 10lbs

Chic_geek31
Chic_geek31 Posts: 34 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I’ve lost 45lbs since April 2021. I have 10 more to go to reach my goal of 145lbs. Since last month I’ve been losing and gaining the same 1-1.5lb. I’m eating 1500 calories a day and doing 45 mins of cardio 3-4 times a week. What should I change?

Replies

  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,944 Member
    One month is nothing in the greater scheme of things. You don't have a lot left to lose and hence weight loss will be slow. Did you change anything on your workout routine? This could result in waterweight. Your menstrual cycle will play a role in this and also increasing and decreasing waterweight, as does stress and lots of other things. With just 10lbs to go you'd be looking at probably around 0.5lbs loss per week, and this could easily be masked by all of the above, plus other things. Thus: Patience.
  • sbelletti
    sbelletti Posts: 213 Member
    Are you doing anything different? When you get close to goal weight, accuracy is incredibly important. Are you certain your calories are set correctly for weight loss? Is your logging 100% accurate? Do you "eat back" exercise calories? How do you calculate your exercise calories? How much water do you drink?
  • Rsrs35
    Rsrs35 Posts: 46 Member
    It’s a plateau - stay with it. Just tweak a few things, like eating more protein and maybe weighing foods again, just to be certain. Also take a couple of days off working out and go for long walks instead. Good luck on the last few pounds - so exciting.
  • sbelletti
    sbelletti Posts: 213 Member
    I'll add one more thing... Have you recalculated your calorie deficit after losing the first 45 pounds? As we shed weight (and get older) our bodies require less fuel so your calories may need to be set lower than where you started to remain at a deficit. If you're doing the same exercise routine, your body gets more efficient and burns fewer calories for the same work.

    So close to goal, even being 100 calories off each day can make the final weight loss SLOW.
  • Lizwilliams5
    Lizwilliams5 Posts: 1 Member
    edited January 2022
    I am at the same point. I wanted to lose 25lbs. So far I have lost 10 lbs and every week I go down half a pound and the next week I go up half a pound. I absolutely love vegetables but due to the winter/pandemic the lettuce in the store isn’t very good. I’ve been buying those plastic boxes of crispy leaves but even the second day some are not worth eating and by the third day I have to eat leaves that are partly brown.

    I have never posted in here before. So maybe I am doing it wrong. What can I have for lunch that doesn’t involve a sandwich? I might have canned salmon with lettuce and tomato but I’d like to avoid the bread. I want to avoid bread altogether if I can.

    I just read the last comment. Never thought about that. I ride my exercise bike every day. Maybe I have to stay at it for more than an hour. Or eat less calories. Difficult in the winter to get exercise when we have just had three weeks of 36 below. I hardly set foot outside the house.

    Thanks.
  • sbelletti
    sbelletti Posts: 213 Member
    edited January 2022
    Lizwilliams5 wrote: »
    I am at the same point. I wanted to lose 25lbs. So far I have lost 10 lbs and every week I go down half a pound and the next week I go up half a pound. I absolutely love vegetables but due to the winter/pandemic the lettuce in the store isn’t very good. I’ve been buying those plastic boxes of crispy leaves but even the second day some are not worth eating and by the third day I have to eat leaves that are partly brown.

    Here's a tip to make greens last longer... Remove them from the tubs or bags and lay them out on a long roll of paper towels. Pat dry, then roll them up and store like that in the fridge. The towels soak up the moisture and they'll last a LOT longer.

    If you're avoiding bread (like me), I get the spinach or sun-dried tomato tortilla wraps instead. 50 calories and I can stuff them with veggies and falafel. I probably eat one every day or so. They also last a lot longer than bread. My diary is public if you want to add me. I'm down 30 lbs with 10-15 to go.
  • Beautyofdreams
    Beautyofdreams Posts: 1,009 Member
    Remember to replace your paper towels when they become wet.
  • AleLue_1
    AleLue_1 Posts: 113 Member
    I’m in the same boat! I gained 15lbs since August and trying to lose it again, but progress is SLOW. And I can’t workout as much as before I became a teacher.
  • natasor1
    natasor1 Posts: 271 Member
    Do you still eat fruits, potato, rice, pasta?
  • metaphysicalstudio
    metaphysicalstudio Posts: 293 Member
    Congratulations on losing 45 pounds! That is quite an accomplishment! I have found that losing 5-15 pounds is really challenging, when that is all you have left to lose. I don't have any advice but just support in that losing those last few pounds can be tough.
  • nanastaci2020
    nanastaci2020 Posts: 1,072 Member
    edited January 2022
    I also have about 10 pounds to reach goal. At this point accuracy is VERY important, and guess what: some days I put in more effort than others. I'm 5'5", 47, desk job. My total daily energy expenditure with walking a few miles a day is about 1750. (Lower if I move less.) I aim to consume around 1400-1500 most days, so that is only a small deficit. Eventual weight loss yes - but not much progress to see in the short term. Your #s may be similar?

    Accuracy at this level means using a food scale as often as possible. Large egg = 50g and 70 calories? It is often 55-60g. A slice of bread or low calorie wrap that is supposed to be 42g for 50 calories is often 45-47g. A prepackaged item that is supposed to contain 1 serving of 28g for 120 calories often weighs 35-40g. Just a few examples of how extra calories sneak in if not using a food scale. And then if one is trying to eyeball pieces of meat (6 oz does not look very different from 7 oz) or fruit or such, they're bound to err.

    Next topic in accuracy is using accurate entries in the database and entering your own 'recipe' instead of finding something that seems similar. If you make chili and I make chili, our ingredients will likely differ and so will the calories per portion. And this is an area where serving clarity is important. Logging by weight is more accurate as it is more precise. 150g today should be the same as 150g tomorrow. But if you go by cups, can you really tell if you fill it the same today as you you did yesterday?

    Hang in there and have patience. And look at your logging and habits to see if you can improve accuracy.

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