Diets & Weight Maintenance Support Group
Chat about how well your latest diet is -- or is not -- working. This group is a great place to find support and accountability as well as share success stories and valuable lessons with the community. From where to start to weekly weigh-ins, get help from others to reach your dieting and weight maintenance goals.
Why does it seem so difficult to lose that last 20 pounds? I am average height and weight, but would like to get down to about 135.0 pounds (high school weight) The goal is attainable, but one has to put forth a lot of effort. Getting motivated is the problem. Sticking to a exercise schedule is a problem for me. I do good for two weeks, and then, fall off the ban wagon. I will remain optismistic, and try to get motivated to meet this goal.
I suspect the reason is that after more than a certain amount of time on a diet, your body adjusts. Your thyroid goes down (not enough to give you a problem) your metabolism slows and then you are in a pickle. The amount of calories you burn when you exercise is substantially reduced and so is the amount you burn in a day.
The only option? Eat more. Even if it means you gain some weight. You must get your calories up for a substantial period to reboot your metabolism.
I believe some people don't ever run into this problem because if they get to goal before the body adjusts (which I believe happens about 13 to 20 weeks out) they never deal with it.
I am doing a diet plan where I only diet for 13 to 16 weeks... stop... slowly increase my calories so that I don't gain weight and then eat that way for a while 6 months or so, until health factors tell me my metabolism is back, then, diet again. In other words only diet when my body is set up to maximize the loss. It will take longer... but is more likely to be forever.
I currently do cardio workouts. I switch between Denise Austin and Hip Hop Abs. I have lost a couple of pounds. The difficult part is sticking with the program.