What is it about those last few pounds?
 

I've read a couple of times over the last few days about how difficult it is to shift those last few pounds. That got me to wondering why?

If anyone has has a scientific reason or article or what-have-you ... we'd love to see it.
Does anyone have any thoughts? Ideas? What's it like for you?

I have two thoughts that I'm going to try to get across. Please feel free to clarify what I meant, would ya?

#1. When a person is lighter, it takes less calories to do the things we've been doing all along. It takes less calories for me to walk 3 miles now than it did when I was 160 lbs plus. And if we've wasted muscle mass as we've lost (fairly typical, I think) we don't even have that going for us.

#2. After we've been at this for a while, we understand the importance of developing optimal body composition. Intellectually we know that there is still work to be done. feeding the machine well ... taking care of our muscles and bones ... But my friends and family think I look fine. Even I think I look better. Perhaps sub consciously we are catching a bit of complacency ???? So I can't be perfect? This ain't bad right here?

Tom Venuto reckons there's no such thing as "stubborn fat". However I completely and 110% agree with your second point. I'm happy here, and yes, I would like to look a little bit thinner, but really, compared to where I was I look like a supermodel! :lol:

Also, is it worth the "sacrifice" of really really concentrating on what you eat down to the tiniest morsel and working your 'tocks off on the treadmill for a half pound loss... Is it worth keeping it up? Is it worth it for looking just a little bit thinner...

It's a hypothetical question for me since I've never actually gotten that close to goal. Well, that's not exactly true, as I did go through a very stressful period in my life years ago and I actually got well below that number. But the weight came back on when things went back to normal. But I have hit plateaus from time to time in my (normal) weight loss. When that happens, I have to make some kind of big lifestyle change to get things going again. So maybe when we getting close to goal our bodies just hit a normal plateau, but we're not able or willing to make another big change. So then we have to decide, is the number really worth it?

I think you've hit it on the head, jazzbird! I have been so close for such a long time, but a pound creeps on and then another creeps on and I, too, have to do a huge change to get those extra pounds off before I can concentrate again on the goal. My ticker currently says 137, although I was down to 135.5 just the other day. But today (due to a houseful of guests and irregular eating due to them) I am up to 140. The guests all leave tomorrow, and at that point, I'll have to give up my nightly glass (or two or three) of red wine until I make my goal or surpass it by a pound so I don't stress too much when the fluctuation makes my weight go above my goal.

I agree with Susan that there is some complacency involved. I know my clothes fit fine, I know I look a lot better than I did (why else do I get all these compliments?), so why it is harder for me to make myself lose those last few pounds? I know I can do it--10 years ago I got down to 128. But deep down, I know I want to weigh 135. My driver's license says I weigh 135, so that's where I set my goal.

Perhaps part of my complacency is because I have to wait. For the past 3+ months, I've been driving my DD to school every morning (an hour round trip). I also pick her up at least 2 evenings each week (a friend drops her off the other days). My waiting is until she turns 16 (TOMORROW!!!!!) and get's her driver's license (the test is on Dec. 11th). and then she can drive herself. We've already picked out her car (Honda Civic) and on Dec. 12th, she'll drive herself to school and I'll still get up at 4:40 AM, but instead of getting ready for work, I'll be hitting the NordicTrack for at least 20-30 minutes!!! I really can't wait! So this will be my big lifestyle change that will hopefully boost me toward my goal!

I guess the mental thing is my problem too. It sure doesn't help when I'm told that I'm fine the way I am, and shouldn't lose more. I KNOW what I want to weigh though, and I'm the only vote that counts. :D

Scientifically though, Meg explained it to me this way when I had a question.

The reasons that it's so much harder to lose the last pounds are: 1. your calorie needs as a smaller sized person are so much less than a larger person that it becomes very difficult to create the necessary calorie deficit to drop even one lousy pound (remember, it takes a 3500 calorie deficit to lose a pound of fat). Someone who weighs a lot more could probably eat 2500 calories per day and still lose two pounds a week. You, on the other hand, would probably not be able to lose two pounds a week even if you were eating 1200 calories and exercising like a madwoman. And 2. your body holds on to fat when your body fat % gets below a certain level - you have to fight and trick your body to get the fat off. It is most definitely NOT a level playing field for someone who weighs 280 and someone who weighs 140!

I felt better after she explained it because I always thought maybe I was just making excuses.

What about a fear of maintenance? I don't know how so if I never hit goal, I'll never have to worry about it. Of course I'm only kidding myself because what I'm really doing is maintaining right here. Right?

I thought of something else today but I've forgotten ... I'll come back when I think of it.

Fear of maintenance is a biggie ... I think we've all known or heard of people who lost large amounts of weight only to regain it later. Maintenance, to me, will be just like the loss. I hope I'll be able to adjust my eating as necessary, without being too restrictive, and stay within a 5-pound range. Anymore than that and it's hard core again.

I've remembered! Actually Becky touched on it (and a very bright gal in another thread made me think about it too)
Fear of change. What I have been doing worked ... what if a change doesn't? What if I make the wrong change and mess things up?

Then you get back on the horse and do what you know works...

I've been so annoyed at myself with this injury, because I wanted to get my brown belt before Christmas (could possibly be done...) and I'd just started a really brilliant hard-core lifting routine that I was loving. I was so frustrated that I couldn't do it right now and I'd miss my goals... Well you know, I had to think to myself, "Self, **** happens. You have the rest of your life to lift heavy, get the brown belt, teach that guy a lesson, but right now your body needs to rest. Oh yeah and self, while you're resting, it's probably not wise to stuff your face with chocolate bars - it'll put you back even further." ;)

So fear of maintenance, fear of not being able to do the things you planned, fear of failure to meet goals. We have the rest of our lives to meet specific goals, we can take just a baby step towards them each day. Who says that I have to be a brown belt by Christmas? Only me! No-one else cares whether it's before Christmas, after Christmas or sometime next July!

Perhaps a longer term goal is acceptable. Say, I'd like to be at goal this time next year. Or this time next month I'm aiming to be lighter (note I don't say how much), after all, there's no point stressing over a number on the scale, it's how you feel and how you look and how you move. I have lighter days where I wake up and still feel 200lbs because I ate 3 Magnums the day before or whatever, and now at 175 (or whatever the heck I am) I have days where I feel like I weigh 154...

Yes, yes, 2frus ... let me see if I can put this thought together so early in the morning ....
OK so we're hanging in at a few pounds over goals, just a little flab hanging over the belt ... we've been here for a while ... maintaining whether we like to think of it that way or not ... If we change something (like switching to BFL from calorie counting) what harm will it REALLY do if I mess up and gain a couple of pounds? I'm certainly not going to stand idly by while my weight goes back up 10 or 15 lbs ... I can change something again .... What difference does it REALLY make if it takes a while to get to goal because I made a mistake? I'm not there now and not necessarily heading there in any great hurry. So what if I have to make 5 changes and it takes six months?

That was a bit rambling ... did it make sense?

Exactly... even if you're only a couple of pounds up from making a mistake doing something different, then it won't take long to correct them and why do you NEED to be at goal NOW NOW NOW!!!! If you're doing healthy things every day, then surely that's the best you can do - you can control the inputs (the things we do, like eating salad and lifting weights) but you can't necessarily control the outputs (the scales, how our clothes fit etc etc)

For now, I'm concentrating more on the process than on the outcome... I get a tick in the box for cardio, for weights and for food... It's helping me to focus when the scale blips up a pound or two. :yes:

That was a bit profound wasn't it? I was just thinking...

Yes, you can control the inputs but the outcomes may or may not reflect that in the short term....

:chin:

In the short term? Amen!
Ya know I've been a member here since 2003 when I was 157 lbs. Doesn't seem like that long. But it also means I've been slimmer for ...um ... over three years!

2frustrated, I LOVE the input/output thing...such an excellent perspective!!!

Sometimes I think that once I hit maintenance, it will be more like off and on dieting. I have a goal of 135 (which I'm thinking of moving to 133). With all this dieting, I know I have fluctuated up and down as I lost. I'm sure that once I make goal I will fluctuate as well. If I put my goal at 133 with a maximum of 135 (or 136) then maintaining will consist of being watchful. I'll continue to weigh myself. 133 will be okay. 134 will be okay. 135 will be a warning. 136 will be the trigger to really watch what I eat (diet) and perhaps step up the cardio for a day or two until I get back to 133. I don't know if that is right or not, but right now it seems to me that this is going to be the way maintenance works for me.

Hi all. Looks like this thread is just what I needed. I've been moaning about not being motivated to lose more weight. It's not that I lost so much either, it's just that I lost some and it was hard and then I put some of it back on sooo easily. :^: I don't think there's any fear of maintenance. It's more simply not wanting to put in the work. (is that the same thing?) I mean, it's not that hard to dig in and do the needed work to lose the weight, but to keep doing the work, ah, there's the catch. I'm short and it is all the harder. I have a huge appetite, for food and drink and for the socializing that goes with that. No, I can't go to a bar with coworkers and NOT drink. That's what it's about. And, no, the people who don't drink are not my buddies. So, I've tried to just make the times I do go out with them fewer and fewer. I think that's all it's about and being super vigilant when I can be. But yeah, that's the problem. Work, life is unbelievably hectic, exhausting etc. etc. I need a feeling of not having to be so disciplined, not having to be so vigilant. Is that possible? I suppose it is only when the discipline, the vigilance become second nature and simply don't FEEL so difficult. I hate it. I really do. For now....at least...sigh, sigh, sigh.

I guess the only way to get through this successfully is to really celebrate any weight loss (in non-caloric ways!!) and carry on, eh?

Btw, for those not familiar with metric...let's see, I guess I'm about 153 lbs now. I'm only 5 feet 1.5 inches and I have my goal set at 128 lbs. I now that seems awful heavy for my height but to me even that seems impossible. It's all I can muster for now. Last night, I pressed down on something while standing on the scale just to see what it felt like to see the numbers go down to my goal. Wow, I had to press pretty hard! :stress:

Ok, people, you've shamed me into it! I just went in and changed my profile, made my goal 55 kg, which is 120 lbs, made a weight tracker and am going to go for!! Wish me luck! Maybe I'll join a thread or start one up. I already do the 21-day challenge over on support groups but my resolve has been dissipating.... :dizzy:

Hi there! What about those planning threads in Support? make a plan for one day and stick to it! It does wonders for your self esteem to have one good day under your belt.

What have you been doing? Can we help you tweak something?

Hi Susan! :wave: Thanks for the reply. Actually, since I am in charge of the 21-day challenge, it's all I can muster since I'm so busy with work. And even with that thread I can't reply to posts like I used to and would like to. I've just been trying to do what little I can in order to not let everything go down the drain and I guess I've been doing OK considering. I get so down on myself for not doing even more!

What I need is simply resolve. I know what I have to do. :^: I think this forum is what I need to get that kick in the A that I've been needing. It's just too easy to slack off and endlessly sit around on my duff so to speak.

I'm starting up a new 21-day challenge since my last one just finished and will make that tough enough but doable with my packed days in the hopes/expectations of getting more weight off. I get discouraged so easily. I don't look at what I have done, what I have accomplished. It seems, the closer I get to goal, any progress toward it whatsoever, the more self-critical I get because I am no longer looking at where I've come from. I'm looking at how far away from goal I still am. It's like the perspective has changed. It's no longer...I was fat and am better. It's "I am not thin." It seems I can at last picture actually being lean, whereas before I couldn't. Being able to do this has thrown my view of my present self into negativity, into a kind of self-admonishment instead of praise. Am I making sense?

Of course that makes sense. I hang around with a bunch of "Almost There's". We're not bad ... not yet real good ... it's sort of a never never land ... where we could actually get to be too comfortable.
And then we start kicking ourselves for being comfortable.

Susan, you're taller than me and already a good 20 lbs less...I'm envious. I wish I had the group of "almost-theres" to at least feel good with. Instead, I live in the land of tiny women and though my height fits in, my width doesn't. And...my bones aren't like toothpicks. I guess the fact that I'll never be a stick (don't want to be though) adds to the feelings of non-accomplishment. I just have to do my own thing, get my picture of what I want firmly in mind and go for it, eh? I am comfortable where I am but it's only comfortable in my skin. I always feel people are looking at me as second-rate because I'm not a stick figure like everyone else...

In any case, sorry for waffling on about things not really pertinent to this thread. If you'll have me, I think I'd like to join your weekly challenge thread. Yes, things are tough and all that but I feel I really want to make a renewed push toward the untrodden ground of lower numbers! :sunny: The problem with me is the time difference. I'll be into Monday when you start the Sunday thread...oh well, no great problem there, right?

Honey, honey ... come on in! Ya know the Featherweights? Join any thread! Join them all!

Sorry, I was eating ... now for a real answer .... There's no Almost There's in my real world ;)

We started a thread for "Almost There"s
http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=99154

Then we were given the Featherweights Forum and now the chitty chatty thread is in the Tea Room
http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=99154

In the Weekly Thread, we think on what we did over the last week and work on any part of the puzzle that seems weak.

Thanks, Susan, I'll check them out. You're a doll! :sunny:

Redballon: I am also 5 1/2 and I used to ("used to" being the operative words..) be 128 lbs, but I looked pretty good at that weight because I had some muscle mass from weight lifting. I've also never been "thin" but in the early 90's I discovered weight lifting and how that could make my shape look toned/curvy rather than flabby/curvy. And yes, those heavy squats I was doing (a few hundred pounds but with lots of help from the smith machine) did make my butt bigger, but in a sexy way (so dont worry about lifting heavy!). You could feel the muscle on my hips along with the meat (aka "fat") and my boobs look much more uplifted and probably larger too because I have muscle under there. It sure felt and looked much better than just plain fat. The point is, having extra muscle made me look MORE feminine (by increasing my curves but in a nice way) while allowing me to eat much more and still maintain (which is necessary because I have a huge appetite). I would expend my huge appetite on mostly healthy foods (but really not overly healthy at all), with unhealthy ones thrown in regularly, and not gain any weight. You can accomplish this going to the gym maybe 3 times per week. Once you build up, when you stop for a while (as I have continuously done for 5 months or so over the years) and then restart, your muscles come right back within 1-3 months (they have a "memory"). This will keep your body youthful. I stopped lifting for about a year while pregnant and recovery, and what a difference in my shape after a few months back at it. I've only lost 10 pounds in 5 months (eating too much) but I must say, I look so much better already. Highly recommended to all.

Totally agree with those last few pounds. I've been balancing between 118 and 120 since Thanksgiving. I have not been exercising (preferably running) the past couple of weeks, and feel flabbier even though I weigh less than I did a month or two ago.

I'm still doing a daily weigh in check and trying to watch my portions and choices, but decided to back off my journaling until after the holidays due to eating out, etc. I can be an obsessive calorie counter, so I'm using this time to practice eating without the obsession, using my body signals and habits that I've learned over the almost year that it has taken to lose the 43 pounds. So I guess I'm doggy paddling through maintenance until I pull my bootstraps up and finish losing the final couple.

BUT, won't we always have that battle? I know my weight fluctuates continually depending on eats (ie salt etc) or TOM. I would like to remove about two more pounds just to allow a better cushion for those fluctuations. The best maintenance advice that I've heard and am using currently is recognizing that individual "whoa nelly" scale number - mine is 120. If I hit 120, I get stricter with my eats and H2O intake. I do need to work exercise back into my lifestyle though!!!