Why are the last 10 pounds a nightmare?

[Carthonn]

I've been working on shedding these last 10 for what seems like an enternity. I'm not gaining it just seems like it's a very slow process now. Also, I feel like my weight fluctuates a lot more. 4 pounds swings are common and no I do not have a vagina.

My theories:

- Lower weight makes you more sensitive to sodium causing more water retention.
- Your body sheds at more of % than a set pound per week. As you get closer to the end less weight is shed per week because of this. ( .5% weight loss in the beginning of the process is a lot more than towards the end)
- Winter - Couch potato much?

 

[Jericho]

actually? The closer you are to the weight you want, the less calories you can take in. Most people don't adjust accordingly.

 

[Korrie]

I dont' agree with your theories...jericho is right. You'll need to reduce your cal intake and up your excersize.

 

[Carthonn]

actually? The closer you are to the weight you want, the less calories you can take in. Most people don't adjust accordingly.

So you are saying if my maintenance requirement for a goal weight of 155 is 2100 I should consume less than 2100? The point is really moot considering I eat 1,400 a day.

 

[Tamago]

your body fights back more..the less weight you have to lose the harder it will be to lose it, that's why bodybuilders and very few people except those genetically blessed can stay below 10% bf for long periods of time, because your body at that weight is not only inclined to resist more weight loss but also to burn a higher percentage of your muscle and lean mass than if you were overweight (that's why weight training and proper protein intake is important).

as for your calories, 1400 should be good as long as you aren't sedentary..so an hour of exercise a day plus normal activity. sometimes eating at maintenance for a week can do wonders also. other things you might consider are eating less carbs, eating more protein, drinking more water & less sodium, fish oil/calcium/multivitamin (if you aren't doing those already)

ps if you are a couch potato your caloric needs may be lower than 1400..i'd try going 1200 for awhile see how that works...at 150 lbs i had a few more pounds to lose but became very sedentary due to real life issues, basically sitting most of the day..and i wasn't losing weight fast at all so when i re-calculated my caloric needs to that of a sedentary person it was around 1900, and i had been eating 1500..a deficit that small is very easy to mess up, if you are off by even 100 calories it's only a 300 calorie deficit a day.

 

[Jericho]

So you are saying if my maintenance requirement for a goal weight of 155 is 2100 I should consume less than 2100? The point is really moot considering I eat 1,400 a day.

So you are telling me that you are eating 600 calories a day less than your maintenance and not losing...

I'd say you are likely underestimating your calorie intake. Science is science and your math isn't adding up.

 

[Carthonn]

So you are telling me that you are eating 600 calories a day less than your maintenance and not losing...

I'd say you are likely underestimating your calorie intake. Science is science and your math isn't adding up.

I guarantee you everyday when I get home from work at 5:30 I've only had 300 cals. From 5:30 - bed there is no way I'm eating close to 1800 calories.

Also, I never said I wasn't losing. My frustration is with the pace.

It's painfully obvious to me now that your body acts differently when it gets closer to your goal weight. What I would like to know is the science in that Mr. Science.

 

[Korrie]

wow, someones a bit defensive....you sure you dont' have a vagina??

I have a few questions....

One, how long exactly is an "eternity"??? You have to realize that weight loss DOES come slow! I feel the frusteration! Everyone does. Its just part of the ride.

Also, are you actually writing down how many cals your consuming??? You could be off some?? I also wonder if maybe your eating too few cals?? I know the body doesn't like that either. Your only consuming 300 cals by 530 at night?? that doesn't sound healthy at all??

 

[Carthonn]

your body fights back more..the less weight you have to lose the harder it will be to lose it, that's why bodybuilders and very few people except those genetically blessed can stay below 10% bf for long periods of time, because your body at that weight is not only inclined to resist more weight loss but also to burn a higher percentage of your muscle and lean mass than if you were overweight (that's why weight training and proper protein intake is important).

as for your calories, 1400 should be good as long as you aren't sedentary..so an hour of exercise a day plus normal activity. sometimes eating at maintenance for a week can do wonders also. other things you might consider are eating less carbs, eating more protein, drinking more water & less sodium, fish oil/calcium/multivitamin (if you aren't doing those already)

ps if you are a couch potato your caloric needs may be lower than 1400..i'd try going 1200 for awhile see how that works...at 150 lbs i had a few more pounds to lose but became very sedentary due to real life issues, basically sitting most of the day..and i wasn't losing weight fast at all so when i re-calculated my caloric needs to that of a sedentary person it was around 1900, and i had been eating 1500..a deficit that small is very easy to mess up, if you are off by even 100 calories it's only a 300 calorie deficit a day.

I think you might be right. I'm going to try to drop the sodium and go to 1200 cals for a bit. One issue is that I enjoy trail mix for lunch. Good for protein not great for sodium. I also like jerky.

how much sodium would you say you have a day? I'm pretty sure I'm way over DV%

 

[Korrie]

The max amt of sodium intake should be between 2000 and 2300 miligrams a day. You should try to track your intake over the course of a few days to find your average and then you can decide to what degree to cut back.

 

[Tamago]

I think you might be right. I'm going to try to drop the sodium and go to 1200 cals for a bit. One issue is that I enjoy trail mix for lunch. Good for protein not great for sodium. I also like jerky.

how much sodium would you say you have a day? I'm pretty sure I'm way over DV%

I don't know how much sodium I get a day, but it is low because I don't usually eat processed food, add much salt to food, eat out often etc. When I go out and have a pizza or restaurant pasta or japanese food or whatever my weight almost always goes up by 3-4 pounds the next day even when I don't go over maintenance calories, and then gradually goes back to normal over the next few days.

Sodium doesn't make you gain weight per se, it makes you retain water when there's an imbalance of water vs sodium in the body, which can mask your progress. In other words, your progress may actually be normal, but the water weight will make it seem like nothing is happening. It's not uncommon for people to have 5-10lbs of water weight. To find out if this is the issue drink a few liters of water for a few days and then weigh yourself a few days, if you've lost a few pounds you will know it's water.

By the way I think I should add you can still eat your jerky and trail mix if you like, if you're only eating around 1400 calories a day it's going to be hard to get bad levels of sodium, doing the above is more about ascertaining your progress than a must-do for your health..

Here's a very detailed article on it if you want to know more

 

[Carthonn]

I don't know how much sodium I get a day, but it is low because I don't usually eat processed food, add much salt to food, eat out often etc. When I go out and have a pizza or restaurant pasta or japanese food or whatever my weight almost always goes up by 3-4 pounds the next day even when I don't go over maintenance calories, and then gradually goes back to normal over the next few days.

Sodium doesn't make you gain weight per se, it makes you retain water when there's an imbalance of water vs sodium in the body, which can mask your progress. In other words, your progress may actually be normal, but the water weight will make it seem like nothing is happening. It's not uncommon for people to have 5-10lbs of water weight. To find out if this is the issue drink a few liters of water for a few days and then weigh yourself a few days, if you've lost a few pounds you will know it's water.

By the way I think I should add you can still eat your jerky and trail mix if you like, if you're only eating around 1400 calories a day it's going to be hard to get bad levels of sodium, doing the above is more about ascertaining your progress than a must-do for your health..

Here's a very detailed article on it if you want to know more

Interesting stuff, scary stuff as well. However, after rading it it made me realize how petty my problem really is lol

 

[Kayshiz]

I feel like my weight fluctuates a lot more. 4 pounds swings are common and no I do not have a vagina.

Wow, I had no idea all my water weight was in my Vagina!

But, now I know. And knowing is half the battle....

Also, I never said I wasn't losing. My frustration is with the pace.

If your still losing weight then just calm down and lose the weight, obviously weight loss is slower the thinner we get, you'll get there eventually.

 

[KaraCooks]

I should add you can still eat your jerky and trail mix if you like, if you're only eating around 1400 calories a day it's going to be hard to get bad levels of sodium

I disagree with this. A serving of beef jerky has nearly the full daily allowance of sodium, depending on the brand. Jerky is salt and smoke cured. It's nothing BUT sodium and protein.

I eat 1600 cals a day and it's VERY easy for me to exceed 2500g of sodium - and I don't eat a whole lot of processed food. One snack of jerky, or one packaged cheese stick, or anything like that can shoot up sodium values.

As far as weight loss slowing - what no one else has pointed out is this: It's simply mathematical fact.

When you weigh 200 lbs and you cut your calories by 20% (using these numbers as an example), you're probably cutting back around 700 calories per day. If you do the math, that equals about a 1.5 lbs per week being lost.

When you weigh 160 lbs and you cut your calories by 20%, you're probably cutting back maybe 450 calories per day. Doing the math, that equates to a little less than 1.0 lbs per week being lost.

Mathematically you cannot continue losing at the same rate you lose when you weigh more unless you cut your calories back to an unhealthy level. That's where that 1% body weight rate comes in.

When you weigh 200 lbs, your 1% loss = 2 lb per week.
When you weigh 160 lbs, your 1% loss = 1.6 lb per week.

Simple math.

So yes, those last 10 lbs DO take longer and are harder to achieve ... because the closer you get to a healthy goal body weight, the less fat and weight you have to shed ... and the more you have to do things like step up exercise and be extremely accurate with your calories.

And .. on top of all of that ... when you weigh 200 lbs and you slip up once in a while or forget to log 100 or 200 calories, or indulge in a candy bar or whatever ... it's not that big a deal. But when you slip up at a lower weight, sometimes 100 calories can have a big influence.

So yes ... all of the above. Mathematical fact. Sodium. Accuracy. And just plain biology. Yes.

 

[ChefChiTown]

It's painfully obvious to me now that your body acts differently when it gets closer to your goal weight. What I would like to know is the science in that Mr. Science.

There's someone here named Mr. SCIENCE? How fucking cool is that? I mean, what an awesome name to ha...

...

...

...oh. You were being sarcastic? Well, that certainly puts a damper on my day. SIGH, this fucking sucks.

 

[M_Marie]

I disagree with this. A serving of beef jerky has nearly the full daily allowance of sodium, depending on the brand. Jerky is salt and smoke cured. It's nothing BUT sodium and protein.

I eat 1600 cals a day and it's VERY easy for me to exceed 2500g of sodium - and I don't eat a whole lot of processed food. One snack of jerky, or one packaged cheese stick, or anything like that can shoot up sodium values.

As far as weight loss slowing - what no one else has pointed out is this: It's simply mathematical fact.

When you weigh 200 lbs and you cut your calories by 20% (using these numbers as an example), you're probably cutting back around 700 calories per day. If you do the math, that equals about a 1.5 lbs per week being lost.

When you weigh 160 lbs and you cut your calories by 20%, you're probably cutting back maybe 450 calories per day. Doing the math, that equates to a little less than 1.0 lbs per week being lost.

Mathematically you cannot continue losing at the same rate you lose when you weigh more unless you cut your calories back to an unhealthy level. That's where that 1% body weight rate comes in.

When you weigh 200 lbs, your 1% loss = 2 lb per week.
When you weigh 160 lbs, your 1% loss = 1.6 lb per week.

Simple math.

So yes, those last 10 lbs DO take longer and are harder to achieve ... because the closer you get to a healthy goal body weight, the less fat and weight you have to shed ... and the more you have to do things like step up exercise and be extremely accurate with your calories.

And .. on top of all of that ... when you weigh 200 lbs and you slip up once in a while or forget to log 100 or 200 calories, or indulge in a candy bar or whatever ... it's not that big a deal. But when you slip up at a lower weight, sometimes 100 calories can have a big influence.

So yes ... all of the above. Mathematical fact. Sodium. Accuracy. And just plain biology. Yes.

sigh. i love Kara.

 

[Kayshiz]

sigh. i love Kara.

I know, right!