That *darn* last 10lbs

I've been back on the diet effort for 2 months now. 

Some parts of weight loss are so simple - Eat less and exercise more.  Easy.

I'm seeing results but man they are SLOW.

But now,when simplicity seems to be failing, I'm starting to think I'm just not meant to be any lighter no matter how hard I push, how much I watch what I eat. 

I'm not disheartened as I love to exercise but I would just love to see more results for the effort I'm putting in, which is hard sweat (but thankfully not many cases of blood and tears).

So, when you are close to what your body thinks is a maintainable weight, but you would still like to be smaller/lighter, how the heck do you keep the weight coming off?

I hear/read that you need to trick your body into shedding that last 10lbs, as 10lbs more off someone very fit in the 140s is really just vanity pounds and your body would be quite happy keeping the extra fat as a latent evolutionary insurance in times of famine etc...

So how the heck do you get rid of the last 10lbs without your body thinking you are starving and freaking it out?

Plateau, maybe.

Slow metabolism, highly likely.

Bad genes, even more likely! ha ha

I'm trying more running, higher intensity, distance and speed but it gets to a point where I can't do any more and be able to function for work the next day.

Sometimes I just think there is some kind of stablising mechanism inside that just will not allow me to go any further.

Ahhhhhhhhh frustrated (but not giving up).

Anyone else?

I'm in the same exact spot right now.  Stuck in the high 130s and want to get to the high 120s.   Do you do any weight training?  I also run but don't lift, and I think it might be necessary to add some lifting to drop the rest of the weight.  Also, how many calories are you eating? 

I have been lingering around 155 for 2 months. I was in a plateau at 160 for about the same too.  Fortunately I am enjoying my 20 lb lighter body, but I feel your pain about the final 10.  I just want to drop under 150 for now.  OMG! I can't believe how many years it's been since I've weighed in the 140's. That will be amazing.

To break my plateau the first time, I ate more for a few weeks and then cut back again, but it's hard to go back to the original deficit I had. I'm finding it difficult to eat under 1800 cals with the workouts and bumming around at work I do, but I'm hanging in there.

I find the best thing for me, is switching up my routine. I try not to do the same 4-5 day a week routine every week. Now I'm bike riding more instead of running and boot camp starts again Thursday, so i know that will lower my weight.

Change it up.  Keep your body guessing. Most importantly, give yourfsel time. One day you'll hit your goal date, and the longer it ttakes, the more likely you'll stick to the lifestyle change.

Hi Andi, thanks for posting...

My Diet:

• 1300-1800 cals a day, depending on energy levels, work and social life.
• Very few starchy white carbs.
• Max 2 glasses of wine a week.
• At least 5 portions of fruit and veg a day.

Only possible downfalls are:

Maybe a little too much sugar, olive oil and probably could get more meat in there but I don't want to deny myself things and end up bingeing as I've managed to keep that in check this time around.

Exercise

• running every day 3-5 miles, sometimes with backpack.
• Circuit training with low weights 30-40 mins a day.  Work different muscle groups every day.
• 1 day off a week.

My gym is closed for refurb at the mo, but maybe in August I should try heavier weights, see if that helps.  A lot of people swear by it on here huh? 

If it means upping the intensity to challenge myself and keep my body guessing, man, I'm already having problems staying awake at work and getting up in the mornings.

I'm not throwing in the towel because I love feeling fit again. 

It's just sometimes I feel surrounded by tiny girls who don't exercise and eat what they want and here I am busting a gut to still be bigger than they are.

I've also noticed I'm spending a LOT of time making conscious decisions about my diet and exercise, which could be much better spent on more productive things like finding a new job (my contract expires in Sept!!!)...

Why can't I just switch off, eat normal and not put weight on? Gaaah.

 

Hi turnertower,

I know your pain. I was like that a few years back that I just had that extra 8 lbs, but it just wouldn't go away no matter what I did. 

It is true that in order to lose weight, we have to restrict our calorie intake. It seems like based on your active level, your calorie consumption of the day looks good. Since i don't know how much carbs you are getting everyday, it is a bit difficult for me to see why your plan isn't working for you. 

Here is the thing, carbonhydrates are essential to "healthy" weight loss. I emphasized on "healthy" because if someone strips off carbs completely or be on very low carbs, as long as the calorie intake is reduced, the person can lose weight, but at the same time, the person's metabolic rate is going down which makes him/her much easier to put the weight back. 

Whole wheat, vegetables, fruits, and many other high fiber foods are called the negative calorie foods which require you to burn extra energy when you digest food. So even though you are eating 250 calories of vegetables, the actual amount of calories you absorb is lower than that. 

If you do not obtain enough calories that your body require for maintenance, you could very well be put in the starvation mode.

Another thing that works against a person's weight loss has to do with stress. Stress can affect your hormones and thus affect your body. As to me, I have realized when I am not stressing over what I should eat, I feel healthier. I used to weigh myself at least twice a day and I saw no change. Now I only go on the scale once a week and I can't be happier. I don't count calories any more. It really makes a difference in my life. 

There is an article about "The perfect day of eating" I tried to post the link here a couple times, but got a msg from the admins saying I can't do that. craziness. anyway, if you want it, I can msg it to you. 

Good luck.

Hi Miaow,

thanks for your reply! It's reassuring to hear it's a common prob and also that some people have broken through their weight loss barriers!

re: the carbs thing.

I've been trying to cut carbs to reduce bloating and I found I was getting really lethargic in the mid-afternoons after carbs at lunch.  The no-bloat is such a positive for me.  

Weirdly enough though,  I've lost large amounts of weight (30lbs) before from a carb heavy diet.

In Brazil, where they just love white rice, pasta & potatoes EVERY meal, it was hard to avoid.

But then, I could have eaten a horse and it wouldn't have mattered as I was walking up and down mountains all day.

Maybe my body likes the carbs?  I might try adding some more back in.

I wouldnt say I'm stressed and I never weigh myself.  I'm just going from how clothes fit and how I feel...

But maybe you're right, to use a bad, food-related pun "a watched pot never boils" right?  If you're expecting great changes, and looking for them every day you might not notice it...so I should tune out for a bit and focus on other more important things.  Catch up with my friends and family. I've become a diet bore. ha ha.

l also need a reality check, because to compare myself to those smaller than me could also be very annoying to those trying to reach my weight.  

Tonight though, my bf gave me such a lovely ego boosting pep talk I forgot it all away!  He loves my body, so should I! 

Yes, carbs!!.. That happened to me too. I was losing weight as I slowly increased the amount of carbs I had every day. As many fitness trainers and nutritionists are saying we need carbs to fuel our body. It revs up our metabolism and adds endorphin which keeps us happy. 

Your boyfriend is a keeper! We tend to forget about what our loved ones tell us about what they think of us. Instead we focus on the negatives. I think we all look great as long as we are healthy. It is nothing better than feeling healthy and happy and being able to do the things we enjoy. 

Good luck!

Hey, when were you in Brazil?  Was that just for a visit?  I know what you mean, it is so hard to eat less when you are surrounded by starches and meat (I love the meat there!).

I totally know what you mean about the plateau. I had that happen too when I got to about 157.  At that time no one even noticed I had lost about 13 lbs.  Then all of a sudden I lost 7 lbs.  It made a world of difference and everyone started commenting on... to the point where I was a bit embarrassed about all the cajoling.  I'm now working on the last 5 lbs, and stuck on 150 for the last month.  I'm hoping the same thing will happen,  one day I'll wake up just lighter...

One thing that I have noticed that has helped a lot was weight training.  I know everyone says it helps but I never really bought it b/c I didn't feel like I was working out unless I was sweating profusely doing cardio, but it does.  It works wonders and I am so happy to finally see results.  Try some pump classes or other cardio/weight class combinations.  They'll kick your butt into shape.

me too me too me too!!!

ive tried to cut back on the exercise ...eat 200 cals less ...i cant get lower than 150!!!!

the other day i got my scale to read 149.6 ...i was over the moon but back to 150 once AGAIN.

ughhhhh stop exercising? i dont know what to do :(

I know where you are coming from.  I have 6 lbs left to go and they are coming off sooo s l o w l y.

You might want to try mixing up your cardio more.  If you run everyday, your body gets used to it.  You could try biking, stairs, jump rope, elliptical, dance, aerobics, or any combination of those.

Also, just a thought -- you may not be eating enough.  1300 sounds low if you are at all active.  My absolute minimum calorie intake is 1500.

Good luck!