Featherweights - Last 5lbs

Hi everyone - I have been sitting on my current weight for a while now. I am trying to get rid of those pesky final 5lbs, but they just won't budge.

Does anyone have any tips for kickstarting weightloss when it seems to have stalled?

I know where you're at with those last 5. I was there but now I've got 8 to lose - I HATE WINTER!!

Your metabolism probably has slowed down to accomodate the amount of food you're eating. You might want to bump up the calories for a week and then drop down again. You don't mention your workouts. Intensifying those sometimes also helps get off a plateau.

Dagmar

Totally switch up your work out plan. What have you been doing?

Yep, switch things up, foodwise (zigzagging) also adding more veggies, more water, exercise wise (more intensity) ...

Keep us posted on your progress...

Yup, those are good points. Thanks for replying!

I eat a vegetarian diet, including eggs and dairy (although actually I hate eggs, so more lacto than ovo). It's not really a "diet" diet, since I don't count calories. If I had to estimate, I would say I eat average 1600 calories a day, but somedays it's more like 1200 and somedays 2000+. I should probably pay more attention to that... I don't like going hungry at all. I have trying, successfully, to eat more protein and less carbohydrate.

My exercise gets pretty sad over the winter in Boston. I do walk a lot... er, that's about it. My issue is that in the past when I've exercised seriously, my appetite explodes and I eat everything I see. So while I have become fitter and built muscle by exercising, it also causes me to gain weight. I am still interested in strength training though, I will look into that when this semester (grad school) is over:)

I read about Dr Gott's No Flour, No Sugar Diet. It sounds pretty straightforward. Has anyone tried this? It seems like logically it would work, since most of the crap I eat is bread or sweets. Any pointers would be much appreciated.

You may be plateauing simply because your body doesn't have that much more to lose -- at your current weight your BMI is 19.1 (low end of 'normal' category) and at your goal weight your BMI would've been 18.2 (in the 'underweight' category). Of course, everybody's different as to their goals and body shape but one have to work really hard to push their body beyond normal equilibrium.

But agreed with what other said; switch up the exercises to avoid your body getting accustomed to anything and eat a lot of healthful foods.

I have to agree with Aqua; your goal may not be realistic or even healthy.

Also, once my BMI is below 20, I have to be very very vigilent about what I eat to lose any further weight. I have to count every last calorie (and that means weighing or measuring everything I eat) and keep my calories very low. And this is with a lot more exercise that what you are doing.

If you are at a 19.1 BMI, you must look pretty good. Strength training would make you look even better, even if you put on a few lbs. Gaining muscle is good. You'll look toned and your metabolism will be higher making it easier for you to lose fat (which is really what you want to lose) and/or maintain your weight. Instead of focusing on the last few lbs, maybe you should be focusing on your body fat %, which might mean gaining some muscle.

I also think that maybe you need to think about what a realistic goal is for the lifestyle you want to have in terms of eating and exercise. How vigilent do you really want to be about what you are eating and are you prepared to step up the exercise to get to your goal?

I took the advice of some of the posters above, and have tried increasing my daily calories. I think it is working - I see some movement on the scale (in the right direction!). It's interesting - it seems counterintuitive that eating more would help you lose weight. I don't know how to explain it. I'll just have to see if this trend continues.

Thanks Blue, those are good points. Although my BMI is on the lower end, I definitely still have flab to lose, especially on my thighs (stupid thighs) and a little bit around my waist. I know exercise is the answer, but I just don't know how to fit it in at the moment (I am finishing grad school this semester, it's pretty hectic). Overall, I am trying to settle into a healthy and sustainable weight.

Speaking of BMI though, how good a measure is it really of someone's size and whether they need to lose? When I was in college I was probably 25lbs heavier, from drinking a lot of beer and a junkfood diet, but my BMI was still in the healthy range (around 23) even though I needed to lose weight. But I have friends now who look TINY to me, but their BMI is probably 22 or 23, because they are shorter.

I do wonder whether height and build can make BMI less relevant. What do you think?

I think for most people BMI is a good indicator of whether or not they need to lose weight or can lose further weight. There are some extremes where it isn't reliable (i.e., people with a high body fat % and little muscle and vice versa), but I think those are rare.

Having said that, once you get into the mid to low end of your BMI range, I think your body fat % is a better indicator of how realistic your weight loss goals are. Understanding Your Body Fat Percentage (http://www.healthchecksystems.com/bodyfat.htm) gives a nice summary of how to use this measurement. Here are a couple of web sites that calculate it based on your measurements and/or weight: freedieting.com (http://www.freedieting.com/tools/weight_loss_tools.htm), BBLex (http://www.bblex.de/en/calc/navy.php). They come pretty close to the body fat % my trainer calculates for me using the caliper method.

Also, I'm not a nutritionist, dietician, trainer, or any sort of expert at all, so take what I say for the amateur opinion that it is.

I agree with Barbara - it's mainly skewed by build and muscle/fat ratio. BMI takes height and weight into account, so your friends' short stature would not really throw off their BMIs.

Cheers for the Body Fat Percentage link, I will check that out now.