Hi maintainers! I'm about 15 lbs away from my goal and I have noticed how much things have changed in terms of diet/exercise lately. Can any of you maintainers relate, and tell me this what I should expect from now on?

1) I have to WORK, I mean really work for every pound. I used to lose 1.5-2 lbs a week almost effortlessly it seemed. Now I'm lucky to lose 1 lb. I used to lose upward of 7-8 lbs a month... now, 4 lbs is the new norm, it seems. Right now I am just happy to be a lower weight at the end of the month than I was at the beginning, you know?

2) Food slip ups seem to have more of an effect on the scale than previously.

3) I have to work out longer/harder. Theoretically I know this is happening because I'm in better shape, but I used to be able to run for 30 minutes a day and be done with it. Now I'm looking at at least an hour of cardio exercise (and recently added in weight lifting) to see some movement on the scale. Lucky for me, I love cardio. Lucky for my tape measure, strength training seems to be paying off.

I thought that I wouldn't hit "this" point until I had about 10 lbs left to lose, but this all started around the 50 lbs lost mark. It's not all bad - it gives me an appreciation for my body and the science of weight loss, but man does it feel like I'm working harder than ever to lose the last 15!!

Hi Not-So-Fat Pants! Wow, you really are close to goal!!

Yeah, it seems like we really do have to work harder for those last pounds. Your experience sounds pretty typical. It makes sense, though, since smaller bodies need fewer calories and that makes it harder to create a calorie deficit. Those 60 pounds you've lost make a huge difference in your body's caloric needs -- perhaps 900 calories a day if you go by the "15 calories per pound to maintain weight" formula (very rough estimate but you get the idea). So your calorie needs today are a whole lot less than when you started and so, a lot tougher to create the deficit necessary to burn stored fat.

Your pound a week sounds just about right for where you are. Focus on transitioning to maintenance and the weeks will fly by and the pounds will be gone.

Good for you for adding in weight lifting! It's going to be your best friend as you transition into maintenance. Maintaining and building your muscle mass is going to keep your metabolism running at its peak. Muscle is metabolically active tissue and will burn calories 24/7/365, so every pound of muscle you add is going to let you eat more calories and still maintain.

Plus you'll be smaller and tighter when you reach your target weight! You've probably heard the term "skinny fat" to refer to people with normal BMIs but obese body composition (body fat %). They tend to be looser, jigglier, and wear larger sizes than people with less fat and more muscle. So don't be afraid of lifting heavy and really trying to build some muscle! I promise you won't "bulk up"; nope, you'll end up lean and strong, tight and toned.

Too true about the food slip-ups, unfortunately. And it will also be true in maintenance. It all goes back to the "smaller bodies need fewer calories" thing. An extra 500 or 1000 calories in unplanned eating can wipe out a week in the gym and cancel out a calorie deficit. One of the bonuses of maintenance is being able to plan for a weekly treat, so perhaps that can help you avoid slip-ups by knowing you can splurge a bit at a planned time (please note my overuse of the word "plan" and "planned" )

Yep, it's work to knock off the last pounds. But it will be totally worth it! Why not keep posting with us now as you ease into maintenance? We'd love to have you!

What Meg said.

The less you weigh, the fewer calories you need to maintain your weight, so if you keep eating a constant amount your deficit is going to reduce. This is okay though -- it's not a race! As long as the scale is still going in the right direction, you're golden.

You could always try mixing up your cardio if you want a shorter workout, since your body just might be too used to whatever it is you have been doing. If you don't already, high intensity interval training is a great way to burn a lot of calories in a small amount of time!

Yes, exactly what Meg said. I can't say it any better than that.

I didn't add in strength training and running until after I had reached maintenance weight, and I wish I had really hit the weights earlier. Good for you for starting now!

And yes, the food splurges definitely make more of an impact for me now. Sodium seems to pop on more water weight for me in maintenance, too, but it comes off faster.

Welcome! Keep up the good work and keep posting here!

Thanks, ladies! Good to know my body isn't the only one being stubborn lately.

Meg, gotta tell ya, I am SHOCKED at how quickly the weight lifting is zapping off the inches. It is the difference between 10 lbs/losing 2 inches with just cardio, and 4 lbs/losing 7 inches the first month of weight training. The "skinny fat" thing is exactly why I added it in... I can't believe I'm 15 lbs to goal and still look flabby! I think I had also maxed out on what cardio would do for me in terms of calories burned without spending an extra hour in the gym. I am in better shape, weigh less, and so... cardio didn't burn as many calories anymore. And!!! I LOVE what lower body strength training has done for me in terms of running. It is like night and day when it comes to endurance/distance with my mileage. I'm a big believer now. I'm doing Chalean Extreme right now - same concept (lift heavy, fewer reps) and it is unreal what it is doing to my figure. I LOVE IT!

paperclippy, funny you mention interval training, I have added that in within the last month for running purposes to work on my speed, and I am having a lot of fun doing it, especially when I'm confined to the gym because of winter weather. It sure makes my treadmill time go a lot faster than just a steady run!

Shannon, thanks for the advice! Sodium and a higher carb day also seem to have a bigger effect on the scale for me, too. I'll definitely be joining you all over here.

Thank you for all the advice/support!!

FP, I'm grinning ear to ear at your weightlifting experiences. Truth be told, I know that weightlifting is THE thing that got me to goal and keeps me here. I was lucky and started lifting with a trainer at the beginning of my weight loss, which is probably why I was able to lose so fast. My year of weight loss ended with six pounds of additional muscle and 128 pounds of fat loss, for a net loss of 122 pounds, and I know -- beyond the shadow of a doubt -- that it was due to weights.

But weights have done so much more for me than just fat loss -- they've shown me (former obese couch potato!) that I can be strong and athletic, that I can set goals and achieve them, and that I can persevere through discomfort and come out the other side feeling that a million dollars. Really, that I'm capable of so much more than I ever imagined!

Would I be sitting here in size 4 pants, weighing 142 pounds at 5' 4" tall, without squats and lunges? Not hardly! The heavier I lift, the smaller I get.

'Tis a wonderful thing and I'm so happy it's part of your life!!

What a terrific thread! I'm probably closer to a "skinny fat" than I'd like to admit, since I took my weight off without doing much deliberate exercise and paying close attention to food. The swimming has been building my lung power up nicely, but it's never been a resistance exercise. (I WILL give it kudos for sculpting, though!) Thanks for the final needed push to add in some land-animal lifting!

must start lifting must start lifting must start lifting must start lifting

Hi FP

Thanks for this thread. I started at 160. Goal weight is 125-130. It has taken me 6 mo to get where I am now which is 151.4. Its not moving much. 1 social event and I gain 2 lbs. This helps a bit...

I too am getting close (for my height) to where I need to be (and for my age)..... and I noticed the gains are HUGE when I go off plan. Ex. Thanksgiving weekend I gained 10 pounds...... but from Monday til today 8.5 are gone.... however it has taken a BIG effort. So, I do think the sodium and carbs affect you more when you are closer to your ideal weight.

My total weight loss since I started keeping track of my bf% is about 30lbs fat/10lbs lbm. I hear this is a pretty normal ratio, but I would love to end up like Meg, with the same/more muscle than when I started. I added strength training in back in July, but I know I don't do enough lower body (though I have great definition in my legs and they are probably my favorite body part now--all of them, not just my calves, which is like a MAJOR nsv for me ).

Meg- how much protein to you get in your diet?

FP- I'm going to look into Chalean extreme. This is a really motivational thread for buckling down and getting into lifting

ETA I'm about 21.8%bf now. What do you all consider lean? Do you have bf% targets, and what are they?

Forestroad, I think your ratio of fat loss to LBM is pretty typical. My experience was unusual and different only because I had so much fat to lose AND I started lifting heavy from Day One of my lifestyle change (that sounds so lame; try "total and complete lifestyle overhaul"!) So what happened was that I built a lot of muscle in the "golden period" of lifting that all newbies go through, and then as I got closer to goal, I lost LBM as well as fat like everyone else.

My old journals show me gaining LBM for the first 20 weeks, as I lost the first 57 pounds. I started at 108 pounds of LBM and peaked at 136 pounds of LBM. Then as I lost the last 65 pounds, my LBM gradually decreased to 114 pounds. So my ratio of fat to LBM loss was about the same as yours after my "golden period".

I don't think we can ever lose 100% fat as we get close to our target weight. Some of LBM is water, blood, and other tissue that our new, smaller bodies just don't need any more. Some loss of LBM is inevitable,so our goal should be to minimize the amount of muscle lost, since studies show that 40% or more of "weight" lost without exercise is actually LBM and that includes precious, calorie burning muscle. This is why it's so important that we work hard to build and sustain our muscle! Muscle is truly a girl's best friend.

My bodyfat % at goal was 16%, which was a comfortable and maintainable number. I went lower the following year, down to 12.5%, but that was pretty unsustainable because I was doing 90 minutes of cardio a day, plus lifting. Not something I wanted to do forever. Right now, I feel best in the high teens, though my best gauge of fitness is how my pants fit. It's amazing how five pounds can mean a pants size!

Your 21.8% BF is really awesome! How do you feel? Is it a number that you feel like you could sustain comfortably?

You might be interested in ACE's (American Council on Exercise) breakdown of body fat ranges for women:

32% and above is considered obese (or "high risk", which is a nice way of saying obese)
25 - 31% is acceptable (or normal)
21 - 24% is considered a "fitness" level
14 - 20% is "athletic"
and under 12 - 13% starts to compromise essential body fat

So right now you're on the border of fitness and athletic, which is a very nice place to be!

As for protein, I aim for about 100 grams a day.

Enough rambling, I hope I answered some of your questions.