I thought this might be worth a quick post. Here's an answer I wrote on another website to someone who was desperately trying to lose 20 more pounds after a very large weight loss. This topic comes up frequently at the end of a diet. When are you done? I'll probably post a longer entry about the final twenty pounds in the future. But for now, here's my answer to the person who can't get the last weight off
Hi! I was just looking through this site and found your question. It was posted awhile ago, so I don't know if you are still receiving the answers. I am an obesity specialist who uses primal diet for permanent weight maintenance in my patients. Here's what I would say to you about the last 20 pounds.
In my practice, it is rare that someone achieves exactly the loss they envisioned. This leads to unhappiness at the end of the diet phase. But truly, there is no reason to be unhappy. I believe that people who have been overweight and then lose are "denser" after weight loss and therefore weigh more on the scale. This could easily be because they made millions of new fat cells during weight gain. These cells likely empty during loss, but they do not disintegrate. Think of them as collapsed down. The tissue that supports these cells is still there as well. When you get on the scale, you weigh more or have stubborn areas that remain. On the positive side, you may be in the size of clothes you desire or have good measurements.
If you try to force weight loss at this point, it is likely going to come out of muscle. You will wind up with the Bill Clinton look: he's a dedicated vegan and looks to me like he has cachexia (muscle wasting).
You've done a remarkable thing, but no bodily results are perfect. If you learn to be happy with comfortably maintaining, you may trend downward over time. Or you may not. Such is life! Congratulations on your most amazing and worthwhile achievement.
I thought this might be worth a quick post. Here's an answer I wrote on another website to someone who was desperately trying to lose 20 more pounds after a very large weight loss. This topic comes up frequently at the end of a diet. When are you done? I'll probably post a longer entry about the final twenty pounds in the future. But for now, here's my answer to the person who can't get the last weight off
Hi! I was just looking through this site and found your question. It was posted awhile ago, so I don't know if you are still receiving the answers. I am an obesity specialist who uses primal diet for permanent weight maintenance in my patients. Here's what I would say to you about the last 20 pounds.
In my practice, it is rare that someone achieves exactly the loss they envisioned. This leads to unhappiness at the end of the diet phase. But truly, there is no reason to be unhappy. I believe that people who have been overweight and then lose are "denser" after weight loss and therefore weigh more on the scale. This could easily be because they made millions of new fat cells during weight gain. These cells likely empty during loss, but they do not disintegrate. Think of them as collapsed down. The tissue that supports these cells is still there as well. When you get on the scale, you weigh more or have stubborn areas that remain. On the positive side, you may be in the size of clothes you desire or have good measurements.
If you try to force weight loss at this point, it is likely going to come out of muscle. You will wind up with the Bill Clinton look: he's a dedicated vegan and looks to me like he has cachexia (muscle wasting).
You've done a remarkable thing, but no bodily results are perfect. If you learn to be happy with comfortably maintaining, you may trend downward over time. Or you may not. Such is life! Congratulations on your most amazing and worthwhile achievement.