Those last 10 lbs are a struggle...need advice

[divagirl]

Ok,

I need advice from someone who struggled to lose those last 10 lbs but did it and I'd like to know what worked besides starving yourself. I work out 6 days/week for an hour to hour and a half and am having a hard time. What worked for you? I just can't exercise anymore than I am with 3-4 days of intense cardio and 3 weight training. Help...help...help. I basically eat clean except for a treat once a week and most days I am at around 1500-1700 calories. I am 5'3'' and weigh 129 lbs.

Tina

 

[Imafitnessfreak]

I vote you totally change your source of cardio and do diferrent moves for strength work. If your doing more endurance lifting, maybe try lifting slower and heavier for a few weeks. If you are already doing doing lower reps then try endurance total body strength workouts.

Sounds like your body has adapted to the stress (exercise) that you have been inflicting. Even though your workouts are a challenge everyday, your body knows it's coming. Turn your workouts upside down.

What are you doing for cardio???

 

[kathryn]

I agree with Sarah. Mixing things up can help break through a plateau. And once your body gets used to a workout or type of workout (cardio more quickly than strength, I have found), it becomes more efficient at doing it, so burns fewer calories.

Are you doing any interval workouts (like any of the IMAX workouts?). If not, adding one, once a week, could help.

Also, sometimes too much stress (and exercise counts as stress) will cause your body to hold onto fat and weight in preparation for some kind of crisis that it "thinks" is coming. Be sure to add a "recovery" week (a week of lower intensity workouts, maybe some functional fitness workouts--those always help me come back stronger to my weight workouts--stretching, after every 3-5 weeks of intense training).

Another way to mix things up: for weight loss/fat loss, maybe focus on weight/cardio circuit workouts, alternating with cardio workouts, at least for a couple of weeks.

 

[robin4health]

Hi Tina. I agree with the ladies above Change it up. For me I actually did a totally different routine for 2 weeks and did less intensity in my workouts and dropped 4 pounds. I know it is not 10, but I had been stuck for awhile as well. For me, I had to take it easy for a couple of weeks and I had results from that. I'm back to my more intense workout schedule now.

 

[honeybunch1]

You say you do 3-4 days of intense cardio, but how much moving around do you do for the rest of your days? Do you have a desk job? Just incorporating more activity into every day will help - take the stairs more often - park the car and walk farther to the stores. That all adds up and WILL help burn more calories. You may not be able to fit in more workouts, but you can be more active if you do some planning and get creative. Also, eat more fiber. Those two strategies helped me lose 14 lbs. painlessly.
Just Do It!

 

[amy_b]

One thing that helped me to get those last few pounds off was to add a second workout in the evening. I did my regular hard workout schedule in the morning. Then, around 7 pm, I did one additional workout for 25-30 minutes. Most days, the second workout was lighter and easier for me. And...no snacks after 7 pm. It just seemed to bump up my metabolism to a higher level. Have you had your body fat % taken by a professional? Are you sure you need to lose 10 more pounds? You know some of the models in Oxygen magazine are right around the 130# mark and they look great w/a nice amount of feminine muscle. Where would the weight come from if they were trying to lose 10 more pounds?
Just a thought!
Amy

 

[divagirl]

Thanks for the advice all!

I switched to P90x from Cathe about 3 weeks ago after a week of recovery. I'm going into my week recovery from P90x this week so I did change it up and add recovery but God this process is sooooo slow. My abs area is the hardest for me. That's the biggest area I need to lose weight in. My mom says we all inherited the "Caruso" curse... a last name in the family from a previous generation but there has to be some way to beat it. I'm not really stuck on numbers on the scale just trying to get this layer of fat off me so I can show off all the muscles I know are underneath that I've worked hard for.

 

[Buttercup]

divagirl: I've been using the 1600 balanced slim down custom plan from Mybeachbody.com. It is free for the 1st 30 days and then $5 per month after. (You do have to sign up with a credit card, so I don't know how easy it is to cancel, since I haven't used up my 1st month yet.) It has helped me lose 5lbs. of the last 10lbs. I want to get rid of.

I like it because it is flexible, sensible eating plan that keeps me aware of what I'm eating and also accountable. You don't have to try Beachbody's plan, I'm sure others on this site could direct you to other plans, it is just the one I happened to sign up with. Sometimes it is very hard to really keep track of what you are eating and excess calories or calories that are not nutrionally sound can creep in there. If you are absolutely sure you account for all your calories, this may not work for you. I also liked this particular plan because it doesn't cut out any food groups and has lots of fruit and vegetables.

 

[lorrayne]

Tina,

Losing those last 10 pounds is a toughie, but can be done. My success was to eat CLEAN and eat every 3 hours or so. Drink 8-10 glasses of filtered water.

Here's a sample menu that I use:

Before breakfast:
one half lemon in hot water (to help with digestion)
Breakfast:
2 egg veggie omelet

Snack:
an apple

Lunch:
4 oz of lean protein
veggies
salad with dressing: 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon flaxseed oil, and half of a lemon.

Afternoon snack:
an orange

Dinner:
4 oz of lean protein
veggies
salad

Dessert:
"ice cream" consisting of mixing together 1/4 cup filtered water and 1 scoop of whey protein powder. Freeze in a small container.

Hope this helps.
Lorrayne