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!

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.

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.

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....

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.