OK so I (44f) have a weight range that I like to stay within when I’m being fairly relaxed and cruisy about my workouts & eating. I also have a certain number that when I see it on the scales it’s like the 'oh-shit-get-your-ass-back-in-gear' moment.
Once I get going and focus properly on my eating etc I can usually drop a few kilos pretty quickly but I always get stuck when I hit the 61kg mark (sorry to the non-metric redditers!). My ideal weight would be to get to probably 59kgs but can’t seem to get there! Those last 2kgs are so damn hard to shake. Does anybody else get this???
My workout routine is run 8-10ks twice a week; 2 x intense HIIT style workout with weights and 1 day of cardio followed by heavy weights. I eat pretty clean but I’m not obsessive. Mon-Fri very strict on what I eat, get a bit looser on the weekend but I still don’t go crazy.
Any tips? What can I do?
EDIT Wow did expect so many people to comment on this topic. Thanks to all you amazing women who gave me advice or shared their own experience. I have a lot to read up on. Also it’s so nice to be in a sub full of knowledgeable and supportive women. And as far as I can tell doesn’t seem to be full of men jumping in with their 2 cents worth on everything
@yommie I am about 5’4” and find it verrrrry hard to move below 127 lbs. I want to be 120 (or to look how i did when I was that weight) but no matter what I do, I can’t get there any more. I think maybe it’s the “fun weight” thing someone else mentioned - I don’t want to binge but I also don’t want to be miserable and hyper focused on nutrition in a restrictive way
@yommie Same stats as you, and same goal weight. Also in my forties. I've been around 58-62kg my entire adult life, except for pregnancies. It doesn't not seem to matter what I do now for exercise. I bike about 75-100 miles a week, road and mountain. I do yoga. I lift weights. I'm relatively lean, but I feel like most of what I can do is change composition a little.
If I over eat and then cut, I get back to this weight really quickly with little effort. If I want to drop any weight beyond ttat I have to be very strict and my athletic endurance immediately suffers.
TBH, I'm not sure how much I want those last 2kg. It requires very strict discipline to drop any weight. I don't want to risk losing muscle mass at my age. And I like having cake now and then.
@yommie Yes! I’m 45 and very short. Since lockdown I’ve put on a few kilos but I usually can drop it quickly. I’ve been 52kgs before but I was very hungry all the time. Now I’m at 56kg and can’t seem to bring it back to my usual 54kg because I can’t seem to have fast-days at home. I’m a Pilates instructor but don’t do much cardio
@yommie I’m a 47f and I recently got “unstuck”. After years of creeping weight gain despite my best efforts, I recently combined 16/8 IF with a WFPB diet and the weight really started coming off. Good luck!
@yommie This was me. Tip: it doesn’t matter how small your deficit is. You aren’t going to lose 1lb a week the closer to your goal. Aiming for 0.4-0-5 for me, even if it does take me a year, allows me to slowly drop weight and get enough protien so I’m not starving.
@yommie I have the best results when I track every calorie accurately. I can cut right at the fine line of "hard, but not too harsh". Being "obsessive" about calorie tracking and calorie intake permits me to have as much energy as possible, while still losing as much fat as possible. I enjoy tracking because I don't need to always eat "clean", I have greater freedom with cheat meals because I can still ensure a net deficit when tracking average calories across the week.
Some people say "tracking can trigger disordered eating habits", but honestly I panic if I'm NOT tracking calories. It's so simple and second-nature now, and I know exactly what's going on with expenditure and daily weight. Tracking weight & intake has given me the greatest freedom and greatest successes in either losing or gaining weight with a high degree of precision. TRACK!
@yommie I have this theory (very unscientific) that all human bodies have a weight that they naturally gravitate to and that this changes with age and there is no need fighting it. For me it used to be 46kg, and now it is more 48-49 kg. I am 32 so the number will probably go higher every year. I am short and a couple of kilos do make a difference aesthetically but I think it is muuuch better to just accept it (and also expect it to go higher as you grow older so you aren't fighting it) as long as you are in a healthy range.
@yommie I highly highly encourage you to stop weighing yourself and instead measure your fitness success on how your workouts feel, if you are getting faster, lifting heavier weights, and feeling more energy.
Weight is a poor health and fitness determinant— being healthy is much more about your energy & overall wellness than any specific number on the scale.
@yommie Yep, I've been stuck around 56kg (124ish lbs) for weeeeeeeks, although it dips and goes up occasionally. I think I just need to go back to cutting, since it happened around the same time I tried to eat a bit more. Having one last hurrah of Panda Express and orange chicken before I do it though!
@yommie Yes, I have a hard time getting below 135lbs. I can do it, but I am starving all the time and cranky. I also run 2-3 times a week and do some weights a few times a week. I do 16:8 IF to get to around 135, but I can’t seem to stay below that weight. It’s a healthy BMI for my height but I think my ideal weight would be around 125 lbs.
@yommie OP, have you considered that this natural set point for your body might be that weight at which your body is healthiest while living a reasonable and sustainable lifestyle?
I’m a certified personal trainer and a Precision Nutrition coach, and when one of my clients comes to me about a “sticking point” one of the first things that we do is evaluate what lifestyle factors are necessary to change that set point and then we determine if manipulating those lifestyle factors (further caloric restriction, more sleep, stress management, macronutrient manipulation, etc) would be something that they can maintain long-term.
This sounds like a good time to sit with your thoughts a bit and determine why you want to be lighter than 61kilos (from US, but powerlifter so can do the conversion) and if you really want to further restrict yourself to get there or if you’re happy at this weight, size and level of health. Smaller/lighter weight isn’t inherently healthier.
@ursineguy Your comments definitely reflect where I’m at. Honestly I am happy with how I look, I know I’m very physically fit for my age. I also know I don’t have the desire to obsess about my foot intake. I’ve done that before and it’s not fun for me. I can think of a couple of areas that I can make changes without too much effort so I’d like to see what happens. Thanks for your thoughtful advice.
@yommie You’re absolutely welcome and I am so excited for the next steps of your fitness journey! This is a wonderful point to reach... both acknowledging your hard work and giving equal weight to fitness, function and life responsibilities. Congratulations!
@yommie I had something similar last November when I was on a cut. I couldn’t get below 120, and my goal weight was 115. I took a break off for thanksgiving and let my body eat well above maintenance.
A week later and woooooosh.... I was at 118. I think the correct term is called a diet break. But your body may be fatigued from being in a constant deficit.
@yommie Why does the weight mean so much? Surely its how you feel and look. Weight loss is just the number that helps you reach the goals? Why is 64kg your weight goal? Why is 70kg your weight goal? The number doesnt mean anything. Its about you that means everything
@yommie I do think there’s something physical going on (the whole set weight thing), and I find it very difficult to drop below 64kg (I’d like to get to 60-62kg), but I also think there’s something psychological to it.
Without tracking it can be very hard to tell how much you’re actually consuming. I know for myself that I will subconsciously eat more when I feel more comfortable with my body (when I get to the ~65kg range) if I’m not tracking. Even with tracking, I feel like I’m so much more likely to give myself a break or have more treats when I’m at around 65kg. It might be that my body is just hungrier, but I think it’s also that when I’m fairly confident in how my body looks I eat more freely. It’s unbelievably easy to consume an extra couple of thousand calories a week without noticing.
@yommie I would try setting a new goal. Go for a PR on some particular lift, go for anything else. I find that I have the gift of comic timing and things will start behaving themselves as soon as I am paying attention to something else.
