Hello Everyone!
I am not sure if I belong here yet, but I thought you would be the best people to ask

I am 13lbs within my goal weight and my weight loss and slowed down to a mere crawl. I remember the good old times when I was losing 5-8lbs per month now I am lucky to lose 2-4lbs. I do understand this is a normal body response when you get down to a more "normal" weight but I am not done yet! I still have a fat layer on my stomach I would like to lose and a small muffin top that is clinging on for dear life My ultimate goal is to be toned and muscular but first I need to get rid of this fat layer and I am having such a hard time staying motivated when the scale doesn't move even .2lb in weeks. I workout 6 days a week a combination of cardio, yoga and weights. I have increased my cardio intensity and added HIIT workouts twice a week and its just not going anywhere

My question is how do you stay motivated and on track when the scale and measurements are not showing results? I would love some tips

Thanks in advance everyone.

Losing the last few pounds requires a bit of strictness when it comes to eating and exercise. I found that while I had paid attention to my calories alone to lose the majority of my weight, that it was when I ate even healthier and started upping my protein intake and lowering my carb intake that the pounds and inches fell away.

Also, varying your exercise routine is almost necessary! Do not do the same thing every day. Make sure you get a mix of cardio and strength training (weight training ideally) and that you're working different body parts. I attribute my varied workout routine to my fairly quick weight loss and the reason I never hit a plateau.

Additionally, challenge yourself even more at the gym. Don't become complacent with what you can already do I'm always increasing the amount I lift, challenging the intensity of my workouts...I'm finding ways to make myself more fit. I've also added more exercise to my routine. Perhaps adding a new different type of exercise to your routine will help (something other than cardio).

Also, you really just have to be patient with your body. Ideally I might want to lose a few more pounds, but I'm not stressing about it. I'm just continuing my healthy habits and continuing to challenge myself physically. Instead of moving my ticker downward for weight loss, I've added new challenges for myself to keep motivated (i.e. the ab workout ticker I have now). When you're maintaining you won't have the excitement of the scale to look forward to, so you must find other ways to stay on track

I have the same problem! My weight loss is not existent/very slow at the moment too. I keep motivated by the accomplishments I have made so far, i.e.: I've lost 2" off my waist. Reminding myself that I have actually made progress even when the scale doesn't say, really helps me stick to plan.

That said, a measuring tape is a great option if you are frustrated with the scale.

Yeah, motivation is hard for me when my weight/fat seems to be moving at a glacial pace.

That said, my typical response is to dig in my feet, put my head down, and plow on through the best I can.

But I'm kind of a stubborn a$$ that way. lol

Sontaikle - Would you mind giving me of an example of all the different exercises you do? I would love to know what your secrets are lol

Haha sure! It changes up each day/week, but generally here's what I do:

Sunday: Spin class (1 hr), Strength Training (30 min)
Monday: Spin class (45 min)
Tuesday: Combined Spin, Weights and Kickboxing class (45 min)
Wednesday: Heavy Weight Training (45 min)
Thursday & Friday: Rest
Saturday: Combined Spin, Weights and Kickboxing class (45 min), Bellydancing (45 min)

Also, I always get to the gym early and do about 15-20 min of hoola-hooping before each class. I've also been sprinkling in more strength training on the weekends (at home) since I've got myself two sets of hand weights now.

That's what I do for the most part! Sometimes we do different things in the group fitness classes, but as long as I'm always challenging myself I'm good I try to increase the resistance on the spin bikes and always try to lift heavier weights.

I never hit a plateau either, but I did the same thing three times a week: each of those days, it was two-and-a-half to three hours of full-body strength training (which involves half an hour to an hour of straight ab work for me) and one hour of cardio, which during this period was long-distance running. Sometimes I ran for two hours. I did vary my strength training exercises to a degree, but honestly I think it's more just heavy lifting that makes me lose so easily. I am always, always pushing myself to lift heavier. I lost 21 pounds in under three months, and I started out as a featherweight. I've done that more than once—sometimes without any cardio at all—and I was 37 this last time. For me, losing is easy. It's keeping it off that I have to pay attention to. And I do that by always keeping a goal in mind. Right now that goal is my trip to Costa Rica in three months. I'm going to be in a bikini for eight days, so I have to remain vigilant.

My philosophy may get booed by some of the other posters on here, they adore lifting , but I think you should add more cardio (elliptical or true aerobics or running) even if it means dropping some weights. You could also switch some spinning to a different type of class. When I did this, I dropped 10 lbs no problem. I do 30 min cardio 4- 5x per week with a bit of weights or some pilates or ballet sprinkled in. Good luck.

It isn't that cardio doesn't work so much as the fact that so much of it doesn't help you to maintain muscle. And the more muscle you lose during weight loss, the higher will be your overall body fat percentage at the end. It won't be higher than when you started, but it will be higher than it would be if you instituted a strength-training program. And that means your body will be larger than it otherwise would—your weight being equal—because fat is not as dense as muscle. Muscle holds closer to the bone than fat.

It is also necessary from a health perspective to counteract the yearly muscle loss that really begins in earnest at 25. And lifting also builds bone mass, which can stave off osteoporosis and all the complications that come along with that. I try to have a long-term view of exercise.

Personally, as I say, I do a lot of cardio, especially long-distance running. But I counteract muscle loss with weight lifting. I also tend to run straight up the mountain to my house. It's three miles. From there, I can keep running up to about 10,500 feet if I choose. I try to do more things like that, and less running steadily on flat surfaces or riding the elliptical, where you are definitely not avoiding muscle loss.

Well I'm not actually looking to drop any more weight, so I'm not sure if I want to up my cardio I want to build more muscle at the moment.

I do some recreational bike riding, but it's not on any set schedule. Since it's winter (but an unusually warm one) I'll go out as much as I can whenever the weather permits.

That routine helped me drop 80 pounds and let me end up with a body fat percentage of around 19% I did do some running at one point, but my knees were bothering me. I'm 30lbs lighter now, so I'm hoping that being lighter means less stress on my knees when I run I don't really enjoy running all that much on a treadmill, but I do want to pick it up again when it's nice outside. I like running at a leisurely pace with my iPod on. It's relaxing.

Sorry, I thought you were the original poster who had asked about losing the last few. I was on the train and sort of dosing. Sorry for the mix up.

Hey, do you regulary take a look at your body fat percentage ? Do you check your measurements ? If you exercise so much and do a lot of weight training, you are probably increasing your muscle mass which makes the scale go down slower.