If you are like many people who start a workout regimen, then you know all to well about the plateau effect. This is the main limitation in losing the last five pounds of you goal weight. It is a cruel thing to happen because you have worked so hard and yet not able to reach your goal. It happens to everyone at some point in their workout life, but don't be to dismayed as you can overcome this obstacle and lose the last 5 pounds. It is a difficult road to get to the goal weight, but if you have been diligent in your efforts so far, then you can get even more focused on losing those last five pounds.
The first way to really accomplish this is to ask yourself what is so special about those last 5 pounds? If you are a boxer or wrestler and need to make the weight then that is different than the person who is trying to lose five pounds to fit into their skinny jeans or look good at the beach. The reason for knowing your purpose will help you realize what are the consequences of succeeding or failing. As you can see the above scenarios are quite different and have different outcomes if they succeed or fail in their goal weight. Therefore, you need to realize your purpose so you can get your dedication in check.
Most people fall into two categories:
The first category is the person who has been exercising and dieting for weeks and would like to finally start losing those last five pounds to reach their goal weight.
The second category is the person who doesn't really exercise or diet but just needs to lose those last five pounds to fit into their clothes a little better.
Find out which category you are in and follow the recommendations below.
Let's tackle the first category person and losing their last five pounds. If you are in this category, then you have inevitably hit a plateau in your weight loss efforts and just are not losing those last stubborn five pounds. The first step to accomplish this is to forget everything you have already done. Just try to wipe it out of your mind, because if you keep focusing on what you have already done, then you will lose sight of what you have to do to move forward. Remember your body has the beauty of adapting to all of your efforts and when it adapts to the point where your workouts and diets don't cause them to change then you have hit your plateau. Also, if you keep focusing on the fact that you have sacrificed so much and just cannot lose those last five pounds and get too discouraged to make the changes needed.
Now that you have forgotten everything, you can start from scratch. Weigh yourself to get your starting weight and realize that you have to give yourself a deficit of 3500 calories per week to lose a pound a week. If you want to lose 2 pounds per week then that it is a 7000 calorie deficit for the week. I do not recommend trying to lose more than 2 pounds per week but some will lose more than 2 pounds even if they follow this advice perfectly.
Now that you know where your caloric deficit should be, you need to pick your time frame. If it is in a week, then you can try but you just may not accomplish the goal of losing those last 5 pounds, especially in a week. I would give yourself at least 2-3 weeks to accomplish the goal. If you lose it gradually by keeping your diet in check then it will not feel like dieting and will be more of a lifestyle change. When your changes become automatic and feel normal to you then you have the recipe for weight control for the rest of your life. You will then start losing those last five pounds rather quickly.
Dietary changes are just a matter of tracking calories in and calories out. Try to keep track of your daily caloric intake for a few days to get a ballpark idea of how many calories you are actually consuming. Then you will have an idea of how many calories per week you are eating that maintains your weight at your current state. Once you have this number just look at the formula above to calculate your caloric need to lose the 1-2 pounds per week.
One of the easiest ways to cut some calories is to cut out all simple sugars. As a matter of fact, I really recommend cutting out all carbohydrates at this point and eat mainly vegetables and lean proteins. I would not even recommend steaks as there is slightly more fat in them compared to lean chicken, fish and turkey. by eating only vegetables and lean protein you are limiting your carbohydrates and your body will burn the remaining fat on your body for the energy and you will begin losing weight. Just measure your amounts of food and stick to tracking your calories within your limits above. Don't forget that you may retain water given your sodium intake so be aware of that little factor because water has weight and can keep you from your final number. Remember to eat smaller meals every 3-4 hours instead of 2-3 large meals per day as this will keep the metabolism elevated.
Now on to the exercise regimen. If you are already exercising then the easiest thing to do is change your exercise regimen completely. By changing your exercise regimen your body will be forced to adapt, which will make it work harder and burn more calories. For instance, one week do nothing but cardio and mix the cardio activity from either long sustained cardio like a run to short burst cardio like sprinting. Listen to your body but try and do at least 3-5 days per week of exercise at this point. Then the next week do nothing but lift weights with either heavy weights and low reps or lighter weights and higher reps. Keep your body guessing and before you know it losing weight will be inevitable.
If you fall into the second category, which is the person who doesn't exercise or diet and just wants to lose five pounds. This scenario is a little easier, because when you are starting an exercise regimen you can lose weight quickly, because just a slight change in diet or activity will give you the caloric reduction to accomplish weight loss. The program for this person is relatively easier than the above regimen. Just follow the instructions below.
First of all make a slight change in your diet that will pay off quickly. Cut out sugar! That's it, just cut out sugar like in your coffee or tea. Then cut back on simple carbohydrates. Simple carbohydrates are things such as pasta, potatoes, rice and white bread. If you are going to eat carbohydrates then eat complex carbohydrates such as sweet potatoes, whole wheat pasta, wild rice and wheat bread. Whole wheat food takes the body longer to break down and you will burn calories to just digest this food. It will also make you fuller quicker so you will consume less food and be able to stick to correct portions. In addition, eat lots of green vegetables and lean meats as they too will take the body longer to break down and also keep you fuller longer. Stick to correct portion sizes and try to eat small meals every 3-4 hours instead of 2 or 3 large meals per day.
In regards to the exercise regimen, just do something. Kind of simple for this person. That's right, just get off the couch and do something. Go for a walk, run, play tennis, golf, hiking, etc... Just do something that will burn a few calories as this will help decrease your total caloric intake for the day. Losing calories equals losing weight. Keep track of your calories in and calories out and remember that a 3500 calorie deficit is a pound of weight loss.
In conclusion, just remember to find out why you want and/or need to lose those last five pounds. This will keep your dedication in check. Start tracking the calories you eat now so you now how many you will have to decrease to get to the magic 3500 calorie number. Make the dietary changes and the exercise changes as outlined above and you will lose the last five pounds quickly.
Try your best and both men and women will lose those last five pounds quickly.
For what it's worth,
Dr. B
The first way to really accomplish this is to ask yourself what is so special about those last 5 pounds? If you are a boxer or wrestler and need to make the weight then that is different than the person who is trying to lose five pounds to fit into their skinny jeans or look good at the beach. The reason for knowing your purpose will help you realize what are the consequences of succeeding or failing. As you can see the above scenarios are quite different and have different outcomes if they succeed or fail in their goal weight. Therefore, you need to realize your purpose so you can get your dedication in check.
Most people fall into two categories:
The first category is the person who has been exercising and dieting for weeks and would like to finally start losing those last five pounds to reach their goal weight.
The second category is the person who doesn't really exercise or diet but just needs to lose those last five pounds to fit into their clothes a little better.
Find out which category you are in and follow the recommendations below.
Let's tackle the first category person and losing their last five pounds. If you are in this category, then you have inevitably hit a plateau in your weight loss efforts and just are not losing those last stubborn five pounds. The first step to accomplish this is to forget everything you have already done. Just try to wipe it out of your mind, because if you keep focusing on what you have already done, then you will lose sight of what you have to do to move forward. Remember your body has the beauty of adapting to all of your efforts and when it adapts to the point where your workouts and diets don't cause them to change then you have hit your plateau. Also, if you keep focusing on the fact that you have sacrificed so much and just cannot lose those last five pounds and get too discouraged to make the changes needed.
Now that you have forgotten everything, you can start from scratch. Weigh yourself to get your starting weight and realize that you have to give yourself a deficit of 3500 calories per week to lose a pound a week. If you want to lose 2 pounds per week then that it is a 7000 calorie deficit for the week. I do not recommend trying to lose more than 2 pounds per week but some will lose more than 2 pounds even if they follow this advice perfectly.
Now that you know where your caloric deficit should be, you need to pick your time frame. If it is in a week, then you can try but you just may not accomplish the goal of losing those last 5 pounds, especially in a week. I would give yourself at least 2-3 weeks to accomplish the goal. If you lose it gradually by keeping your diet in check then it will not feel like dieting and will be more of a lifestyle change. When your changes become automatic and feel normal to you then you have the recipe for weight control for the rest of your life. You will then start losing those last five pounds rather quickly.
Dietary changes are just a matter of tracking calories in and calories out. Try to keep track of your daily caloric intake for a few days to get a ballpark idea of how many calories you are actually consuming. Then you will have an idea of how many calories per week you are eating that maintains your weight at your current state. Once you have this number just look at the formula above to calculate your caloric need to lose the 1-2 pounds per week.
One of the easiest ways to cut some calories is to cut out all simple sugars. As a matter of fact, I really recommend cutting out all carbohydrates at this point and eat mainly vegetables and lean proteins. I would not even recommend steaks as there is slightly more fat in them compared to lean chicken, fish and turkey. by eating only vegetables and lean protein you are limiting your carbohydrates and your body will burn the remaining fat on your body for the energy and you will begin losing weight. Just measure your amounts of food and stick to tracking your calories within your limits above. Don't forget that you may retain water given your sodium intake so be aware of that little factor because water has weight and can keep you from your final number. Remember to eat smaller meals every 3-4 hours instead of 2-3 large meals per day as this will keep the metabolism elevated.
Now on to the exercise regimen. If you are already exercising then the easiest thing to do is change your exercise regimen completely. By changing your exercise regimen your body will be forced to adapt, which will make it work harder and burn more calories. For instance, one week do nothing but cardio and mix the cardio activity from either long sustained cardio like a run to short burst cardio like sprinting. Listen to your body but try and do at least 3-5 days per week of exercise at this point. Then the next week do nothing but lift weights with either heavy weights and low reps or lighter weights and higher reps. Keep your body guessing and before you know it losing weight will be inevitable.
If you fall into the second category, which is the person who doesn't exercise or diet and just wants to lose five pounds. This scenario is a little easier, because when you are starting an exercise regimen you can lose weight quickly, because just a slight change in diet or activity will give you the caloric reduction to accomplish weight loss. The program for this person is relatively easier than the above regimen. Just follow the instructions below.
First of all make a slight change in your diet that will pay off quickly. Cut out sugar! That's it, just cut out sugar like in your coffee or tea. Then cut back on simple carbohydrates. Simple carbohydrates are things such as pasta, potatoes, rice and white bread. If you are going to eat carbohydrates then eat complex carbohydrates such as sweet potatoes, whole wheat pasta, wild rice and wheat bread. Whole wheat food takes the body longer to break down and you will burn calories to just digest this food. It will also make you fuller quicker so you will consume less food and be able to stick to correct portions. In addition, eat lots of green vegetables and lean meats as they too will take the body longer to break down and also keep you fuller longer. Stick to correct portion sizes and try to eat small meals every 3-4 hours instead of 2 or 3 large meals per day.
In regards to the exercise regimen, just do something. Kind of simple for this person. That's right, just get off the couch and do something. Go for a walk, run, play tennis, golf, hiking, etc... Just do something that will burn a few calories as this will help decrease your total caloric intake for the day. Losing calories equals losing weight. Keep track of your calories in and calories out and remember that a 3500 calorie deficit is a pound of weight loss.
In conclusion, just remember to find out why you want and/or need to lose those last five pounds. This will keep your dedication in check. Start tracking the calories you eat now so you now how many you will have to decrease to get to the magic 3500 calorie number. Make the dietary changes and the exercise changes as outlined above and you will lose the last five pounds quickly.
Try your best and both men and women will lose those last five pounds quickly.
For what it's worth,
Dr. B
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