Those of you looking to lose only 10 lbs or less...

I just started on this site last week, and am looking to lose 8-10 pounds total. I'm 24 (female), 5'7", and 135lbs currently. I stuck to the 500 cal deficit 6 out of 7 days this week, but I have not lost a pound yet.

I am going to the gym and running, as well as weight training, 3 times a week. My cal allowance is 1400, plus whatever i burn off.

Is anyone else that is starting with 10 pounds or less finding it hard to get the pounds off? I'm wondering if it works the same for those close to their goal...should I be less concerned about what the scale says? Just looking for some people in my shoes...

Hey there, welcome! I started about 8 months ago and since then I lost around 40-45 lbs. I'm on the last 10-15 lbs, and it doesnt become more difficult the closer you get. At first, the weight just fell off, now it's slowly peeling off. Just keep at it and don't give up!

Welcome! I'm new here, as well.

I had my last 10 lbs to lose and lost 5 of it via a ruptured appendix. Now, keeping those 5 off and losing another 5 is extremely difficult. Especially because I'm over 50. I swear that one day when I was 40, I was walking along and my metabolism just dropped out of my body...

It is true that your body adjusts to a restricted calorie diet and begins to conserve fat. You could try a 2 day (on a weekend maybe) calorie reduction to below your normal level to get it moving again. Or try eating a little more for a week and then dropping your calories again to fool your body into thinking that it's deprived.

However, it sounds as if you're doing more than enough to work off the last few lbs and they're just going to come off slowly (or change to muscle).The last 10 are always the most difficult to lose because your new lower weight requires lower calories to maintain and your calorie deficit is naturally much smaller.

Sounds like you're doing great! Wish that I had your motivation to exercise. The only thing that I like doing is gardening. I keep trying and failing to get to the little company gym room after work. I've tried to do the smaller things like walking up and down the stairs while I wait for water to boil, fidgeting while I'm watching TV, etc. But, by the time that I get off of work, I just want to go home and collapse. I'll keep trying.

Keep up the great work!

Hello All,

I'm 29, and looking to get down to around 85kg...I'm currently hovering around 88 - 90kg and although I have lost some inches round the waist...the actual weight refuses to leave!

I ride my bike to work everyday (8 mile round trip - amounts to around 40 - 45 mins), walk the dog regularly, do martial arts twice a week, and go down the gym 3 times a week (A good mix of cardio and weights)

WHY WILL IT NOT GO!?!??!??!

;  )

Hey chief, The weight won't go because you're turning your fat into sleek muscle, which weighs more than fat. Although weight is a good measurement to start with, in the end it's inches that count! As long as your clothes are a smaller size, your measurements are smaller and you're healthy, you're achieving the best results! Great work!!! :-)

I'm not having any problems losing the pounds, I just don't see a physical difference. :\ I've lost about 6 pounds since counting calories, but the only difference I've noticed is that my boobs are a tad bit smaller.  I thought that five pounds would be a fairly drastic change, but I guess not...  So, I'm thinking that instead of losing 10 pounds, like originally planned, I'm going to have to lose 20 to get the body that I want.

Be patient. I've been working on the last 10 lbs since mid-January. I'm down about 7 lbs. It took me from Jan to April to lose the first three (although I did lose a lot of inches during that time period). Then this past month I dropped 4 lbs, and more inches.

In my case, I think it's a variety of things. Initially I wasn't eating back my calories. Once I started doing that - which decreased my deficit to no more than 300 - things started clicking. Also I think my body has just finally realized I mean business, and it "belongs" at 110 not 120, i..e, setpoint theory is at work here.

Hi Kujayhawk,

I'm also having ab the same problem.  I'm 23 (female), 5'6, and currently 144 lbs.  I'm trying to get down to 133-ish and have been counting calories the last 4 weeks and cutting about 500 a day, 7 days a week, but I haven't lost a pound either.

I work out 4-6 days a week at the gym (weight training & cardio) plus my extracurricular activities in the afternoons/evenings (mtn biking, swimming, hiking).  None of it seems to be making a difference! At first I assumed it was fat turning into muscle, but I'm really hoping to drop down on the scale. 

If anyone has any advice to offer, I'd appreciate it.

Hey! I am a little bit taller than you and weigh a little more and I am also just trying to lose a little and tone up for Summer really...running at the gym etc but no weights...good luck!

I am 5ft 11 ridiculously tall and started off @  78 kg (for us Aussies)  or 171.96 pounds.
The weight dropped from change in diet 11 pounds without me noticing, just from moving out of home. Then I actually watched what I ate and got down to  65 kg/ 143.301 pounds.
But the last 5 kilos took me months and month to lose!
I am now finally 60 kg/ 132.278
and found myself flactuating between 58 and 60 when I watched what I ate, I still @ 60 want to get down to 57  just because I dont do any exercise so I figure if I lose all my fat I wont have to work out to get a flat stomache haha.

1. bmi for 5 ft 11 @ 60 kg = 18.4
   but i am still very healthy, so I think that labelling me underweight is really just pushing the standards down so QLD is no longer the most obese state, lol.
   

I feel your pain.  I have been STUCK at 136.5 forever!  Seriously though about 6 weeks.  Its KILLING ME!!!  I just dont know what to do about it.  I have uped my calories to about a 100-200 calorie deficit and nothing.  Im pretty upset about this.  Im not losing inches either... which would be fine... I would be happy with that even.  Nope... nothing.  *Big Sigh*  :(

kujay,

I would be less concerend with the scale and more concerned with body fat/inches. 

How do your clothes fit?  Can you see any definition? 

In high school/college, I weighed around 125 (at 5'8" I was fairly thin but FLABBY!) but when I started to work out I toned up, put on MUSCLE and my weight went up to 130-135.  My body was happy there!  I could see my abs and my arms looked tight and toned.  My jeans fit without anything hanging over the tops and well, I looked GREAT!  I didn't look that good when I weighed 125!  I had a little belly, flat butt, flabby thighs, flappy arms and 'muffin top'- yuck!!! 

i am finding it hard to stop eating food it is just so dam good i have tryed for many mouth and i hate when i walk down my road and they is people calling me fat you no saying oi fat man do you want to come round mine for tea. It makes me want to cry when people are not nice thats why i am trying this out if this does not work i am going to kill my self so i hope you can help me out love you guys kiss kiss kiss many many love from me and god bless you

I'm in the same position as you, virtually to a tee, with the exception of the weight training/arduous gym routine.  I've been watching my caloric intake for the past two weeks or so, and it took my body about a week to start shedding anything.  Only last week did my scale reflect a 2.5 lb. loss.  Generally, however, I try to go by how my clothes fit and how my body feels.  I noticed differences in that respect before I noticed any numeric change in my weight.

I'm not a gym person, but I do walk and try to stay active in general daily activities.  Since you're doing weight-training, like others have said, it sounds as though you're probably losing fat and building muscle, which weighs more than fat.

Put your bathroom scale in the closet. Weight is a horribly inaccurate way to measure your fitness. look, prisoners of war hardly weigh anything and I doubt anyone would say they look fit and healthy. Too many people become fixated on making that number on the scale lower. Weight only means one thing: how much you weigh. Muscle is denser than fat is so your weight could rise substantially as you log more hours in the gym but when you are fit and all your weight is muscle so you look good. Changing your body composition and reducing your body fat is what you need to do. These things are harder to measure. If you make your focus on developing diet and exercise discipline instead of losing weight you will get the body you are looking for. Your goals should be GAINING health by eating a diet that supports vitality and healthy living. Focus on the benefits of a healthy lifestyle and you will get a more athletic body. Its a total lifestyle. People fail at 'weight loss" because they don't transform their life to a life of fitness.

well our stats are about exactly the same. (im a few years older though)

but SLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW going on these last few.

use your measureing tape and digital pictures to see differences. especially if you are working out.

BUT - you say your cal intake is only 1400 and you do all the working out? am i understanding it correctly?
that deficit could/will throw you into a stall.

i find on these last few pounds..my body gives up more inches when i stay higher cal. and just looks better because the higher cal relaxes the body to release fat instead of fat and lean muscle tissue like a heavy cal cut can do.


 

titan is right.  Are there trainers at your gym that can measure your body fat with calipers?  That is a much better thing to do than relying on the scale!  

Yeah, there probably are trainers that can measure my body fat at the gym... I will ask.

My scale at home has a body fat measure-er in it too...you stand on the metal plates and its supposed to send some kind of wave through your body that measures body fat (you enter in your age and gender). According to that, I am at like 24% which i guess is high for my weight. So i don't know how accurate that is but its something at least.

I measured myself yesterday, so hopefully I will see some difference there!

Snowhite- I hear you about the "muffin-top"! It seems like it just showed up one day, and its gotta go! :)

Body fat is difficult to measure accurately. I doubt that a bathroom scale is realistically accurate in measuring your body fat. Either way I don't think its worth the time it takes to measure your body fat accurately. In my experience success is spelled out one day at a time making sure you hit all your workouts and getting enough but not too much to eat. If you just make up your mind to live a healthy lifestyle you will lose weight. Your commitment needs to be to a more active lifestyle, not losing weight. If you lose 20 pounds and having achieved your "goal" stop exercising and practicing a healthy lifestyle the weight will come back. You gain weight by living an overweight lifestyle and making overweight decisions about food and exercise. Some of it is out of your control. I live in the middle of an urban sprawl, I have to drive everywhere to get the necessary things. This unfortunately means sitting on my rear in the car. Plus a solid 6-7 hours on my rump at work. What that means is that what I eat is even more critical as is not missing workouts.

Hi,

I'm also trying to lose the last 10lbs. I'm 27 at 145 and I'm 5'4. I'm confused about caloric intake. Right now I'm eating 1200 per day and I work out 5 days a week (cardio and weights). My weight loss has been very slow from the beginning (about 0.5 lbs a week).

I started in February at 152lbs. At first I wasn't really counting calories, only working out and eating a vegetarian diet. Since then I have taken my eating habits more seriously. However I haven't seen any changes in inches, especially around my waist (where pretty much all of my fat is stored).

Is it possible that my intake is too low? That I may have entered starvation mode? I've heard that the range is 1200-1800 but I'm not sure where I fit in that range.

Any ideas?

I don't think I've calculated the correct amount of calories I require either.  I have had 10 pounds to lose since January and nothing has happened. Work out 1 hour each day, 5 days a week (variety of intense cardio, weights etc.) and consume approx 1300-1500 cals per day (5ft1, 120 lbs).