How do you lose the LAST FIVE lbs? It's rough!

[reasonle]

My weight loss journey began back when I was a junior in highschool (~8 years ago).  At that point I was 165 lbs and I always assumed I was "big boned" for a girl as well as being overweight.  I am about 5' 6" and I guess I just tried to make myself feel better by saying that I was big boned too.

Now that I have reached and lost more than my original goal weight (125), I have discovered my body can go a bit farther!  I have now realized that rather than having a large frame, I have a small one.  So now my goal weight seems to be a few pounds less than where I am now, about 5-7 lbs.

I know that my deficit needs to be small, and believe me, I am going slow!  I don't really track my calories anymore (although I used to religiously, scale and all), I just eat when I am hungry and try my best to eat whole foods amd protein at every meal, but of course I let myself splurge sometimes.

I run, walk, and do bodyweight exercises at home.  My current calorie goal with my fitbit is 2250 cals a day.  Normally I hit it, sometimes during the week I am just under, but on the weekends I am always over.

So my real question is, does anyone have any advice for loosing the last 5?  I am so used to eating just enough so that I am slightly hungry when I go to bed, but should this not be my goal anymore?  I think on most days I eat about 2000 cals.  I know this is an estimation but after YEARS of intense calorie counting and food weighing, I am pretty good at guessing what I am eating.

[SolangeE]

It is indeed!  It is all in our head. I hope you are doing great!

What a beautiful baby in your picture btw.  @TammYoga

[TammYoga]

I'm doing great, with a few hills and valleys. 🙂 I've decided to stop weighing myself everyday and focus on how I feel, especially before I eat, when choosing what to eat, while preparing the food and while eating. I'm not doing anything else when I eat. No TV, no phone, no reading, etc. Normally I am on the run, eating on the way to somewhere or doing something else while eating. It has been a shift.
How are you doing?

Sent from my iPhone

[babin]

When you strike mid-life, dropping these several lbs that are last simply becomes not far -difficult for most people. As it happens, it might not be your diet dedication around facets that are additional — including several types that are ecological.

You don’t sleep well

You are exercising too much instead of eating less

Your thermostat is set too high

[CynC]

Funny you mention 128 lbs. I donI't know why, but that number is sticking in my head, too. I just hit 130 lbs. over the past four weeks of rigorious exercise and healthy eating, and I SHOULD be happy with the number, right?  I am 63, will be 64 in July, and I had a long slog with menopause and hormone fluctuations that finally settled down this past year without my having to take replacement therapy. I am 5'6", small-boned and luckily, when I gain weight, it is evenly distributed on my body. But I got fixated on that number, 128, and I cannot seem to let it go, lol. So dumb, I know. So two stinkin', lousy, rotten pounds to go and I almost dread getting on the scale. It's a problem.  On the other hand, I have never felt better, nor more active. I am constantly moving and when I do relax, I am thinking up which activities I want to dive into next. I credit my Charge with that. It is SUCH a nag.  One site I plugged my stats into said my "ideal" weight is between 114 and 125 lbs. But another, Spark People, said I am already at my ideal weight and they don't want to let me set a weight loss goal.  Go figure. I am working on focusing on feeling great and not the number, but it is there.  

[missmia]

Oh I love this post. The number just means soo much to us as we get older I guess. I finally did it. I had to up my exercise (cardio) up to 7 days a week and it worked. I am 44 and have problems with pms. I wish there was a pms/menopause support group. I hope I get through it the way you did. 

[TammYoga]

Awesome! Seeing results helps.

Sent from my iPhone

[I-train-hard]

Doing more – not necessary means better outcome for your physical and mental health.

Always think that your body needs to regenerate. It’s a golden rule. If not kept, you will suffer so your body etc.

[MarilynL]

Well I have 129 lbs stuck in my brain too.

I did reach a golden moment a year ago and reach 135 but since then I have been stuck between 143 and 145 for a YEAR!  

I have been doing LCHF (Low carb high fat) for about 3 weeks and I can tell you all that when you reach your goal weight this is the way to go it is a perfect way to never be hungry and to never move up or down in weight.

Having said that, everyone else who uses this way of eating seems to loose weight easily. Why not me????? 

There is a fabulous site Dietdoctor.com which explains how this way of eating works. Tremendous lectures, videos and right now a challenge that is free and that gives you a meal plan and shopping list.The key to this way of eating as I understand it is to eat what you like in the plan but only when you are hungry. I do 18:6 intermittened fasting so probably eat only half what is offered in a day as I am truly not hungry. Still, weight  balancing in the same place. ( I have tried eating more even when I am not hungry , in case I am eating to little - no difference except feeling sick )

Do any of you do LCHF and can give me any tips? I am currently reading "The art and science of low carb living" by Jeff Volek PHd RD and Stephen Phinney MD PhD.  Both researchers and working in the field so pehaps by the time I have finished reading the book I will have this figured out. ( There are lots of lectures by these 2 on Dietdoctor too.. By the way the site is free for the first month so you can check it out in comfort)

I am 64, 5'4"  143 lbs and averge 10,000 steps on the fitbit. I know very well that we loose weight by fixing the diet and keep healthy by doing the exercise .  Who has suggestions? Thanks!

[CynC]

Missmia, I had a rough go, but oddly enough, not so much with hot flashes. For me, it started at perimenopause, age 46. My temper got very short and my moods were a real problem for my family. I was packing on weight with no success at getting it off. Even slashing calories and daily runs did nothing. My doctor finally diagnosed hypothyroidism and prescribed Thyroxin. I was okay with that. You need a thyroid replacement to function. But a few years later, when meno finally hit, my hormones went nuts. I refused replacement therapy and worked on fixing things myself with diet and exercise. Still, it has taken all these years to get the pounds off. And what has done it is a combination of walking briskly every single day and The 21'Day Fix. Just shaking things up has been very beneficial at moving the scale. I love my Charge. It keeps me moving. And the 21-Day Fix, rigorous as it is, has kept me to a 30-minute daily workout, Changing the routines each day so eveything gets worked and rested works. I am not pushing it. It works well for me. That's what matters. Finding what works and what you enjoy doing will keep you doing it.

[missmia]

I read about thyroid issues. I take a couple of drops of iodine and a little apple cider vinegar in water everyday just for maintenance purposes. I heard iodine helps regulate the thyroid.

[missmia]

I haven't done this diet before. I think its called ketosis. I did hear that it works. I was stuck trying to loose those last five pounds for a year. Up and down on the scale. More up than down. I didn't know what to do so I added more exercise to my routine. I probably was at a plateu and needed a change. So that's what I did and it worked. I eat pretty healthy for the most part, 90 good, 10 not so good. And I really watch my portions and I weigh and measure everything to make sure I am not overeating servings.

[debdebdeb]

MarilynL, I have had a similar journey and experience as you have, especially around white bread (most any kind of bread). I have not eliminated meats/fish, but just have less quantity. It's difficult, sometimes, to not eat bread because "it's there." But, when I go out with my family, I will usually let myself eat nearly anything - just in reasonable quantities (less than I used to). I've lost 25# over the last 6 months, and working on the next 25# (target is 150#, and I'm 5'7").