Why the last 20 pounds are the hardest to lose… and what to do about it.

This is the scenario:

She committed to a healthy eating and weight loss journey, and made significant progress in losing weight. You are 10 kilos from your ideal weight. These are the stubborn last 20 pounds that stick to your body like melted cheese.

Can you do something about it? Absolutely!

First, you need to know why it’s harder to lose weight when you’re thinner. And second, you must apply that knowledge to your weight loss program. The rest, as they say, will be history… and one with a happy ending.

Of course, this is just one approach to address this issue. Low Carbs fans have other alternatives, but this is the one I know of.

There are three main reasons why losing the last 20 pounds is difficult:

First, when you are fatter, you tend to consume more energy. Therefore, when you lose weight, your body tends to burn fewer calories for the same amount of physical activity.

Second, when you are overweight, you retain more fluids in your body. Once you start your weight loss program (or a healthy eating program), fluids are among the first things your body gets rid of.

Third, your metabolic rate (ie, the rate at which you burn your energy) slows down.

In other words, when you have lost weight, your body adapts to the new energy consumption requirements that your body has in relation to your new weight. Makes sense?

To make matters worse, if you’re frustrated that you’re not losing as much weight as you used to at the beginning of your journey, your natural response would be to eat even less. But guess that? If you do that, you will further delay your weight loss.

This is because your body goes into starvation mode and starts burning muscle and fat. Muscle is the main fat burner in your body, and the less you have, the less fat you can burn.

The next link in this chain reaction is that your metabolic rate begins to slow even further, as your body readjusts itself to use its energy stores more efficiently, should the “starvation period” continue for too long. weather.

The cord then breaks and you return to “normal” eating patterns, but the body’s metabolic rate remains “depressed.” The body burns less fat, even if you are eating healthy amounts of low-fat foods.

The result? Well, you start to gain weight even if you behave yourself.

As a bonus, people then think “what’s the point?”, and go back to eating “no-no” foods in “absolutely no-no” amounts… And all the lost weight gradually starts to come back on.

And if you keep repeating this yo-yo pattern, your body will learn to store fat more stubbornly, just in case another starvation period comes along. And the older you get doing this, the harder it becomes to lose weight.

But there are several things you can do to avoid this cycle:

1. First, you need to accept that losing weight when you’re stuck is a slow process. Therefore, there is no point in getting frustrated when you lose much less weight than before. That is the way it is meant to happen.

This is a necessary psychological step, as it will make you feel less anxious and more focused on your weight loss efforts.

2. Therefore, set smaller weight loss goals each week. Losing small amounts of weight at this stage will ensure that your body retains muscle mass which, in turn, will help you continue to burn fat on a regular basis.

3. Eat low-fat recipes that fill you up. Remember that while there are hundreds of delicious low-fat recipes to try, you have to eat them wisely. Combine to get the maximum amount of food, while containing the minimum amount of fat and calories.

4. If you want to take the opportunity to cleanse your system, you can try a raw food diet at this stage, as this can give your body a “metabolic advantage” by consuming less fat and more complex carbohydrates.

Processing calories from foods like whole grain bread requires more energy than storing energy from butter.

5. Exercise to “burn fat” instead of aerobic exercise. Fat-burning exercise, such as walking or biking regularly (5 days a week) for about 40 minutes, will keep your metabolism going. Aerobic exercise burns fat, but it’s more designed to get you into good cardiovascular shape.

6. Give yourself a break. No, I’m not saying you should binge on no-no food. Rather, allow yourself a couple of treats and take it easy for a couple of weeks. Of course, keep your weight under control on a weekly basis. The trick is to eat more than when you’re on a diet, but less than when you were overweight.

7. Once your weight has stabilized, you can return to your low-fat regimen.

Repeat this cycle until you reach your desired weight.

As Rachel Hunter said in a TV commercial, “It won’t happen overnight…but it will.”

Remember that your ideal weight is the weight that you can maintain by eating 3 or more healthy meals a day, without exceeding your daily intake of calories and fat.

Also remember that before starting any weight loss program, you should always consult your doctor or health professional.

yours in health,

Jeff, the skinny chef.