In losing 30 pounds...is it hard for me 'cause it's so littl

dannylives
dannylives Posts: 611
edited October 2 in Health and Weight Loss
I only need to lose like 35 pounds but haven't been able to move the scale. All nutrition and workouts aside.......is it harder to lose the weight because it's not 100 pounds? Iv'e heard that the beginning weight comes off easy but the closer you get to your goal, the harder it is to get it off. Is the scale not budging because I have so little weight to lose? Would I have already lost my 35 pounds by this point if I was say, 100 pounds?

Replies

  • heather0mc
    heather0mc Posts: 4,656 Member
    it took me from september 13th 2010 until february 2011 to lose 30 pounds. i was diligent and consistent. then i got a new job and gained 20 back in like 4 months. LOL! oh well i am back...

    i think it just depends on the person. stick with it and it will happen, trust me!
  • angelaclassact
    angelaclassact Posts: 66 Member
    What are you eating? What's your activity like? Calories in, calories out. In general, the first part of the weight will come off quickly and then you'll start to level off - at least that has been my exerience.
  • JamesonsMommy
    JamesonsMommy Posts: 771 Member
    try switching up your fitness on a daily or even weekly basis :)
  • JamesonsMommy
    JamesonsMommy Posts: 771 Member
    it took me from september 13th 2010 until february 2011 to lose 30 pounds. i was diligent and consistent. then i got a new job and gained 20 back in like 4 months. LOL! oh well i am back...

    i think it just depends on the person. stick with it and it will happen, trust me!

    totally off the subject but those cats are beautiful :)
  • sneezles
    sneezles Posts: 165 Member
    If you are actually going to the gym twice a day then you might not being eating enough...and if you are doing cardio in addition thenI' fairly certain you are not eating enough.
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
    The closer you get to your goal weight - the less fat you have on your body, so yes... it is tougher to lose the closer you get. Ask just about anyone and they'll tell you the last chunk of weight is the toughest to lose.

    Try switching up your workout. Our bodies get used to what we've been doing and when it gets comfortable - it doesn't burn as many calories as it did when you first started doing it. It is easy to your body because it is familiar. Switching things up confuses it. Keeps it guessing.

    Switch up your calories. From what I've experienced, zig zagging works the best to confuse your body. Take your weekly calorie goal and divide it up over the days - so one day it is really high and one day it is really low. Again, this will keep your body guessing.

    Sometimes people find they have to be a little more strict themselves when they get in the home stretch with weight loss. Other people can loosen up and see success. It is all about learning what YOUR body wants you to do!
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    For the last 30 or so, it's generally about 0.5 to 1 pound a week loss. For the last 10, it can be as slow as 0.25 to 0.5 a week. Just be patient and it will happen.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    Try switching up your workout. Our bodies get used to what we've been doing and when it gets comfortable - it doesn't burn as many calories as it did when you first started doing it. It is easy to your body because it is familiar. Switching things up confuses it. Keeps it guessing.

    This is not true. It only burns less calories when you lose weight. If your weight stays the same, and you keep doing the same exercise, you will burn the same amount of calories. The laws of physics still apply.
  • coppercurlz
    coppercurlz Posts: 65
    You said "diet and exercise aside"... that's kind of the kabosh. You have to keep a close eye on macros, be consistent in pushing yourself physically and keeping measurable goals.

    That said, some people are endomorphic and some are ectomorphic, and a lucky set of people are mesomorphic. But no matter what your physique, we ALL have to put our time in the kitchen and the gym. There's no magic to it. Some of us just have to be more patient than others :)
  • auntiebabs
    auntiebabs Posts: 1,754 Member
    I'm pretty darn close to being down 29 lbs. (i don't post unless I maintain for 3 days straight ) I did the first 10 @ lose 1lb a week.

    When MFP started budgeting 1200 calories a day for me at that rate I switched to lose 1/2 lb a week. (1410 calories) maintenance for my goal weight is 1600 calories. I'm not letting MFP take any more calories away and when I hit my next goal. I'm gradually adding calories until I get to the 1600 to maintain my goal weight. Then I'll adjust until I find my actual maintenance calories (MFP can really only be a guideline) But hopefully this process will teach me how to eat for life.

    Granted it HAS taken me a long time AND I did go to maintenance for a little while due to a health scare, but that made realized dieting was teaching myself a new way of eating BUT that going to maintenance will be just as big a change, unless I manage that carefully.

    Since the get go I've been scared silly of maintenance and of losing more weight than I can maintain.

    Good Luck
  • HMonsterX
    HMonsterX Posts: 3,000 Member
    Try switching up your workout. Our bodies get used to what we've been doing and when it gets comfortable - it doesn't burn as many calories as it did when you first started doing it. It is easy to your body because it is familiar. Switching things up confuses it. Keeps it guessing.

    This is not true. It only burns less calories when you lose weight. If your weight stays the same, and you keep doing the same exercise, you will burn the same amount of calories. The laws of physics still apply.

    Actually, it IS true.

    The laws of physics do still apply to an extent, but it isnt just laws of physics at work in our bodies. Our bodies are very quick to adapt and become better at doing the same activities if we repeat them over and over and, as a result, they learn how to do it more efficient from an energy-use standpoint. That's why running/cycling/whatever is hard at first, yet we find it gets easier.

    If you vary what you do, it doesn't get a chance to become "good" at doing the same thing, and is constantly using lots of energy to do the new, unusual things.
  • sleepytexan
    sleepytexan Posts: 3,138 Member
    yes, definitely. I have been sitting 3 lbs. above my goal weight for 3 months.

    Make sure you are eating all exercise calories, and you will probably be best off with a weekly weight loss goal of 1 to 1.5 lbs. instead of 2.

    Many people have success by actually upping their calories if they have been stalled for some time.

    blessings.
  • sleepytexan
    sleepytexan Posts: 3,138 Member
    Try switching up your workout. Our bodies get used to what we've been doing and when it gets comfortable - it doesn't burn as many calories as it did when you first started doing it. It is easy to your body because it is familiar. Switching things up confuses it. Keeps it guessing.

    This is not true. It only burns less calories when you lose weight. If your weight stays the same, and you keep doing the same exercise, you will burn the same amount of calories. The laws of physics still apply.

    Actually, it IS true.

    The laws of physics do still apply to an extent, but it isnt just laws of physics at work in our bodies. Our bodies are very quick to adapt and become better at doing the same activities if we repeat them over and over and, as a result, they learn how to do it more efficient from an energy-use standpoint. That's why running/cycling/whatever is hard at first, yet we find it gets easier.

    If you vary what you do, it doesn't get a chance to become "good" at doing the same thing, and is constantly using lots of energy to do the new, unusual things.

    No, you are mistaken. If that were true there would be a million fat athletes around. We just went through this on OP's thread regarding losing weight without a Polar HRM :) Check it out.

    Experienced athletes who remain the same size do not burn fewer calories because they have become more efficient; in fact the opposite can be true because they can increase wattage during the same activity, thereby actually expending more energy.

    oversimplified example: when you first start running, maybe it takes you 20 minutes to run a mile (or maybe you can't even run a block, whatever). after a while, you increase your stamina and now you can run that same mile in 6 minutes (ok, after a LONG while--ha). Now that you can run the same distance in a shorter time, you have become more efficient, but it doesn't mean you're burning fewer calories (unless you lost weight). It takes more energy to move a projectile (you) faster through space and time, so now if you choose to run for 20 minutes you will be burning more calories than you used to in 20 minutes.

    Edit: perceived exertion does not equal actual exertion. :)

    blessings.
  • killagb
    killagb Posts: 3,280 Member
    Personally I started with 25lbs to go and am down to 7 more to go and it's only just now slowing down for me, everyone has different plateaus they will hit though.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    Try switching up your workout. Our bodies get used to what we've been doing and when it gets comfortable - it doesn't burn as many calories as it did when you first started doing it. It is easy to your body because it is familiar. Switching things up confuses it. Keeps it guessing.

    This is not true. It only burns less calories when you lose weight. If your weight stays the same, and you keep doing the same exercise, you will burn the same amount of calories. The laws of physics still apply.

    Actually, it IS true.

    The laws of physics do still apply to an extent, but it isnt just laws of physics at work in our bodies. Our bodies are very quick to adapt and become better at doing the same activities if we repeat them over and over and, as a result, they learn how to do it more efficient from an energy-use standpoint. That's why running/cycling/whatever is hard at first, yet we find it gets easier.

    If you vary what you do, it doesn't get a chance to become "good" at doing the same thing, and is constantly using lots of energy to do the new, unusual things.


    False. Perceived exertion != actual exertion. Just because it gets easier and feels like it's less effort, doesn't mean it is.

    EDIT - Hey Sleepytexan, stop saying everything I say right before I say it! :tongue: :drinker:
  • sleepytexan
    sleepytexan Posts: 3,138 Member
    ha ha ha Tiger :tongue:
  • dannylives
    dannylives Posts: 611
    Thanks ya'll.
  • cmonskinnylovee
    cmonskinnylovee Posts: 339
    30 lbs is a lot, for one. 10 or 15 lbs is a little amount, 30 is about average. It took me about a year to lose 30 lbs, and it was definitely a struggle some weeks. The scale didn't budge for about three months, and I had to completely trash my diet for about another month in order to get it back on track.
  • drjennelle
    drjennelle Posts: 138 Member
    when i first started becoming healthy i was 5'2". 160 lbs at 25 yrs old. i started 1/9/09 counting calories (staying between 1200-1400 calories) and working out at least 20 mins 6 days a week (usually 20-60 minutes workouts) and by may i had lost 30lbs, basically 1lb a week, and very rarely 2lbs here and there - but it was consistent and i was consistent :) i think you can definitely do it, but you have to really focus on what it is your body needs! :)

    two and a half years later ive gained some of the weight back (most of it this summer - i was incredibly busy and stressed and allowed myself to slip a little KNOWING that i now know how to be healthy and lose the weight) :)

    things will change but if you can learn how you can lose 1lb a week, you will know what to do from here on out! :)
  • heather0mc
    heather0mc Posts: 4,656 Member
    it took me from september 13th 2010 until february 2011 to lose 30 pounds. i was diligent and consistent. then i got a new job and gained 20 back in like 4 months. LOL! oh well i am back...

    i think it just depends on the person. stick with it and it will happen, trust me!

    totally off the subject but those cats are beautiful :)

    lol, just saw this! thanks! your's is cute too!
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