You’ve undertaken a successful diet – congratulations! You’re on the home straight and just have the last few pounds to lose to reach your goal..but they’re proving the hardest to shift. We take a look below at the reasons behind this and what you can do to stay on track and go the
remaining distance.
Why Those Last Four Pounds Are The Hardest To Lose
There are three things that are usually responsible for that last bit of weight being so stubborn to shift:
Motivation
At the beginning of a diet, we’re often raring to go and zealous about keeping up with our new regime, including getting plenty of exercise; the weight comes off quickly, which motivates us to keep going.
As time goes on and our new healthy eating plan becomes a part of regular life, it’s normal for things to slip a little bit. Perhaps we start indulging in the odd takeaway meal or aren’t quite meeting our exercising target anymore. Getting motivated again is the best way to combat this: remind yourself of all the reasons that you wanted to lose weight in the first place, and think of a reward that you’ll give yourself if you can hit your target: an afternoon at the spa with a friend, perhaps, or a shopping trip for new clothes.
A diet or weight loss plan can be a great way to help you maintain motivation during this potentially frustrating phase; read here Optavia weight loss reviews for more information on one option that is geared towards making healthy changes for life and supporting its members throughout their journey.
Decreased Calorie Needs
Our bodies burn about twelve calories less every day for every pound of weight we lose, so it’s logical that our weight loss will taper off over time – larger bodies require the burning of more calories than smaller ones.
So, the best advice here is to simply keep going – the weight will come off if you continue to follow your healthy eating plan and exercise regularly; for many people, slower weight loss equals more sustainable weight loss, and it is a healthier way to slim.
Changed Metabolic Rate
And the final thing that may make it tricky to lose those last few pounds is a dip in the metabolic rate that can occur as a result of dieting – this is the body’s way of trying to conserve calories in the face of a possible starvation threat. As with above, if you’re determined to lose the last bit of weight, it’s best to just accept that it may take a bit longer than losing the first bit of weight did.
Ways To Reach Your Goal
Firstly, take some time to celebrate your achievement so far – you’ve begun and maintained a healthy new lifestyle and will be enjoying increased general wellbeing as a result. Try not to let the last few pounds of weight standing between you and your goal overshadow how far you’ve come.
At this point, it may also be worth checking in with yourself: is there a good reason to lose the final pounds beyond the fact that it’s been identified as a goal? If your weight and body mass index is now within healthy parameters, it’s worth considering the benefits of further weight loss and if it’s sustainable long-term.
If you decide you’d like to continue to work towards your goal, then the tips below should help you go the last stretch!
Boost Your Exercise Routine
If you’ve incorporated exercise into your diet plan so far, then now’s the time to step it up a little to lose those last stubborn pounds. If you swim a few times a week, try staying in the pool for an extra fifteen minutes a time; if you hit the gym twice a week, aim to make three visits.
If exercise hasn’t really factored into your plans so far, then now is the time to introduce it! Get moving with a daily brisk twenty-minute walk around the block, take part in a Zoom aerobic or yoga workout, or hit the streets for a jog with a friend every other evening. Whichever form of physical exercise you choose, make sure it’s something you enjoy and will fit into your schedule to give you the best chance of keeping on track with it.
Be Mindful At The Weekends
When we’re trying to eat healthily, it can be tempting to see the weekends as an opportunity to splurge and indulge in all the treats we enjoy eating and drinking. Be really wary of this mindset, as regular weekend binging can wreak havoc on your plans to lose weight.
Swap take outs for home cooked, nutritious comfort food like lasagne or casserole, and be mindful, too, of the calorific content of your favorite alcoholic beverage, which can be a hidden source of both calories and sugar.
Keep A Food Diary
And finally, keeping a food diary is a good way to monitor your eating habits and identify where you could tweak things to reach your weight-loss goal. You may have used a food diary at the start of your healthy eating plan but then, over time, stopped completing it. Now is a great time to reinstate this routine – simply jotting down what we’ve consumed over the course of a day can be a powerful motivation to make some changes!
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