Losing the last 10 pounds

[Kitty]

I am finding losing anymore weight to be nearly impossible. The closer and closer you get to your goal weight, the harder and harder it is to lose.

I don't really know what this post is about..just that I'm so frustrated. This past month I have been eating SO healthy and exercising and I haven't seen any results. It seriously seems impossible. I'm getting so discouraged.

[NoWomanNoCry]

Some common things that can stop weight loss:

1.) Restricting too much in what you eat. If your not getting enough calories, your body will go into starvation mode and begin to horde what you do eat.

2.) If you typically follow the same workout routine, change it up. When you start challenging new muscles, your body will respond better to losing weight. Interval work is best for this - during peiods of excersize go for intense speed or resistance for at least a minute, and then back off to recover. Try and go at a good pace for 5 minutes, followed by intense work for 1 minute for the duration of your workout.

3.) Invest in a heart moniter. If your working out way above or below your target rate, you won't accomplish anything.

Also keep in mind that muscle weighs more than fat, so you may be losing inches but not seeing the scale move as much.

Hope all of this helps. I used to work at a health club.

Everybody hits plateaus, and sometimes they can be really hard to get over. Just stick with it, the results will come eventually.

[Bugsey34]

I was feeling the same thing. I never worked out in my entire life and so I started working out in Nov. '04. I only gained weight by gaining muscle. Then I was like, I guess I have eat less. Tried that by just "trying to eat less" and the weight stayed the same. Jeans were painful.

Not to sound like a commercial, but I went on South Beach on 3/23 and I lost 6 lbs. so far. See my post I just did in my team's thread (Fit Sexy Bitches, natch ;) ) about how the whole thing works. It's healthy and totally followable, depending on your fave fattening foods. Check it out, it might work for you. At least for me, just vaguely "trying to eat better" didn't really cut it. I needed a plan.

[and1grad]

If you're working out way above or below your target rate, you won't accomplish anything.
Great point! A lot of people work too far over their target heart rate and wind up not only burning carbs but protein as well. Counter-productive!!

[Tayl405]

Are heart rate monitors pretty easy to follow? I don't know why, but they confuse me! How can I know if I'm way below or way above?

[MetFanL]

I have one that is really easy to use. You just wet this strap thing and put it on below your chest. Then, there is a watch thing that monitors your heart rate for you. I think it was like $40. I think this is it...

Heart Rate Monitor (http://www.bodytrends.com/products/heart_rate/polar/f1.htm)