AHHHHH the last 15
 

I lost 60 lbs now I cant seem to shake the last 15. It took a year to lose the 60 but Ive been stuck with the last 15 for an additional year. I mean Im not gaining so that's good but MAN how can I shake off the final 15:?:

Congrats on your weight loss! That is fantastic! Also great that you have maintained for a year! Can you share a little about what you do? Diet (typical day, any treats or "cheats"), exercise, stress levels, sleep? The more info you provide, the easier it is for us to help you figure this out.

ok I think my biggest mistake was leaving myself no where to go.... I went from eating 3000 cals a day to 1300 to lose the weight. Which worked great to lose the weight but about a year ago (no big change) but the weight loss just halted. I still eat about 1300 cals a day, once or twice a week I have a 1600 cal day to try to shake things up. I've even spent a few weeks eating EVERYTHING to try to shock my system. I sleep on avg 7 hours a night and I have a desk job but I am pretty up and down all day and I have 4 kids at home so there's not a lot of sitting. I avg bout 3-5 hrs a week on exercising (mostly cardio). I'm currently taking prenatal vitamin with iron due to low levels but 'Im NOT preg.

Oh and thank you. I try to remember that I have come a long way but with a year with no loss its hard to keep pushing...

Forgot.... as far as what I eat. I eat the same that I have always eaten. Clean eating or restrictive eating doesn't work for me... I tend to binge if I start listing what I cant have. Luckly no sodas though (never really wanted them) and I try to choose wheat over white as much as possible

Hi! From your info my advice would be for you to up your exercise maybe to 5 -7 hours a week. That would allow you to lose weight without needing to lower you intake, which is already low. Maybe you can up the intensity of the cardio you already do so you wouldn't need to exercise more. The last lbs are harder to lose, though, don't be discouraged!

You eat 1200-1300 calories a day and 1600 once a week and you have maintained your current weight for more than 6 months?

@ Marina I will definitely try to increase my "push" maybe run a little harder and walk a little less.

@ John P usually 2 days a week 1600 but yes. I fluctuate maybe a lb or two but nothing more

Have you gotten your body fat percent measured?

I had my goal weight set at 160, but when I went for a DXA scan I found out I have 140 lbs of lean mass, which means 160 is just too low - I would have only 8% body fat, which is okay for men but not for women.

If your lean mass is "too high" you would have to lose lean mass to lose weight (which is possibly problematic), but alternately if your lean mass is too low, you might have trouble losing more weight because your body just isn't using more calories than that (and I was reading somewhere on here that once we've been obese our lean mass is more efficient at using the calories, too).

Anyway, it might be good to find out what your body composition is, so you can have a better idea of what might be going on. There are lots of ways to get it tested: DXA is now considered the best, but it's expensive. They can do the fat-pinching test at the gym, which I think is pretty good... I don't think the electronic scales that measure it are very good because the results change depending on how hydrated you are, but I'm not an expert. Maybe look into it and see what might work for you.

Just an idea. :)

If you're low on your lean mass, I think the best route is to start using weights, or doing weight-bearing stuff to get your muscles building up, like squats. It sounds like working big muscle groups has the most impact.

If you're high on your lean mass (a lot of us probably are, because we were carrying so much weight around for so long!), I think it's probably good to look at your goals again, keeping in mind you're healthier than you thought you were. Then maybe work with lighter weights and more repetitions to be more toned and "sculpt" problem areas.

My DXA scan guy (he also works in the cardiac clinic I go to) said it's fine for me to lose some lean mass along with fat (which is what happens when you lose quickly - a lot of it is lean mass that you're losing, not fat), so I might end up lowering my goal weight depending on how my lean mass decreases. But since I plan to lose about 3 lbs per month, I'm unlikely to lose very much lean mass. Just thought I'd tag that on here in case it's relevant to you.

I go to a community gym but Id be very interested in seeing the results for that. I know it says "ideally I should weight 93-105" because I'm 5ft 1in-ish but I think Id be happier at 145

First of all, just the fact that you've maintained is just a huge accomplishment. Seriously. I'm so impressed. That said, I can understand why you're frustrated, given how low your calories are all this time.

My advice: go to a doctor and make sure there's nothing going on medically (hypothyroid, PCOS, etc.). If there's no underlying medical condition, I would recommend doing some resistance training. For cardio, I highly recommend HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training).

Please don't give up....you can do this!

Dr says thyroid is "borderline" but doesn't need to be treated?

Some doctors treat it and some don't.....

I didn't take anything to lose before... but I just feel like there something that's hindering my loss... just cant figure it out

Is it possible that your calorie count is off? People tend to underestimate how much they've consumed. You might consider the 5:2 diet plan. You eat regular meals for 5 days and for 2 days you only have 500 calories. It's not impossible if you can incorporate egg whites and other filling foods like steamed veggies and very lean protein like chicken breast. I've done it before and it did help me get very motivated but I can't seem to do it anymore. Some people love it though.

I tried something like that. A lady told me to basically eat what I wanted one day then for the next two days only 700 cals each day. By mid day on second day my head was POUNDING so I caved