The last 10 pounds can be the most frustrating to get rid of. You are sailing along losing weight fairly regularly and you get super excited when you realize you only have 10 pounds until you are at your goal weight. Then, for no reason at all, you can’t seem to drop those last pounds. Here’s how you say goodbye to those last 10 pounds once and for all.
1. Understand What’s Happened
It’s not something you did in a past life that is punishing you and making it hard to drop those last 10 pounds. It’s something you did in the past months. You’ve recently lost weight and your body’s caloric needs have changed. For example, according to the calculator on the Baylor College of Medicine website, a 40-year-old, lightly active 250-pound woman needs an average of 2,600 calories to maintain her weight but a 175-pound woman needs only 2,250 calories to simply stay the same weight. As you lose weight your calorie needs go down, which makes it harder to create a calorie deficit.
2. Increase your vegetable intake.
To make sure you aren’t eating too many calories for your slimmer figure, ramp up your vegetable intake. Vegetables such as broccoli, green beans, carrots, celery, salad greens, and beets are very low in calories but fill you up and help you avoid constipation, which can affect your weight. Aim for 50 percent of your lunch and dinner plates being filled with vegetables.
3. Ramp up your exercise.
It’s just a fact that it’s harder to create a calorie deficit and still eat in a healthy manner when you are close to your goal weight. Ramp up your exercise intensity to increase your calorie burn. When I was losing my last 10 pounds, I increased the time I exercised from 40 minutes to 60 minutes. I also lifted heavier weights when strength training, used interval training as a way to burn more calories, and always exercised with intensity.
4. Don’t skimp on water.
One way to keep your calories under control is to stay hydrated. Don’t skimp on drinking water. Drink regularly throughout the day and especially after working out.
5. Cut out junk food completely.
Sometimes you’ve got to make the hard choices when trying to lose the last 10 pounds. While an occasional piece of cake or bowl of ice cream didn’t seem to slow your weight loss in the past, it just might slow it down now. So be prepared to skip junk food completely until you finally reach your goal.
6. Buy a goal weight outfit.
If you are like me, wearing smaller and more flattering clothes is one of the most fun rewards of weight loss. Go ahead and buy a goal weight outfit before you drop those last 10 pounds. Choose an outfit that is just slightly too small knowing that 10 pounds will make a huge difference in how it fits.
7. Be patient.
Those last 10 pounds are stubborn but not stuck to you forever. Expect your weight loss rate to slow down toward the end. It took me slightly over 2 months to lose my last 10 pounds, which was a huge change from the average of 2 pounds a week I enjoyed for much of my 150-pound weight loss journey.