That last 20 lbs.

I met with my surgeon yesterday, and we set a goal for me to lose another 20 lbs (no time frame, just another 20 lbs).  That would put me around 139, which is just barely in the healthy BMI range for me but I do have a lot of muscle mass.

If I'm being honest, I'm not 100% certain I can get there (although I do think I can get within 5 lbs), but I'm sure going to try my best.  I don't want to sell myself short, but I'm also not going to beat myself up if my body just won't do it.

I have revised my "fancy scan" plan from having one done at 150 to waiting until 139 OR until I hit an extended stall (1 week is not uncommon for me, so 2 or more weeks) and am getting frustrated.  He suggested the dunk test rather than a DEXA scan, and I can do that closer to home, so I'm good with that.

He warned me (and I have heard this from others, not just those who have had wls but pretty much everyone who tried to lose weight ever) that this last 20 lbs will be the most difficult to get off.

SO--those who have done it--share your tips and tricks here.  Obviously I need to be eating on plan and cut out extras where I can (which is so laughable to me at this low calorie intake but I'll do what I can).  He wants me to do more strength training, so I'm aiming for 3 days of cardio, 3 days of strength training, and 1 day off. 

Any other advice?  If I never make it to 139 but have a body fat percentage around 25% I'll be a happy girl. If I can hit both I'll be super happy, but the bfp is more important to me than the weight.

My mfp name is also shrinking_sarah, and my diary is open.

I've been working with a trainer, high intensity workouts for six months, four times a week.

If you have the motivation to do it yourself, go for it.

I eat 1200 cals/day, just got my body fat % done in a water tank, it's 19%. I just got under 140 lbs about two weeks ago I still lose about 1 pound/week, although I am now trying to add more food so I can build more muscle.

I never thought in a million years I'd get under 140. My original "failsafe" goal was 150 lbs. Like you I would have been fine with that, but once I got there and surpassed it, wow. And the body fat %--my first one was 3.5 months ago, I was 28% body fat. In three months I lost 17 lbs and gained one pound of muscle. I'd say that this last three months was my "last 20 pounds" and yes it's tough. I think because I'm with the trainer, it's made it all doable. For me, I couldn't do it on my own. I'm not consistent or have that thing in me that says KEEP GOING. Those are things that are changing for me now, but I've needed someone else to push me all of this time. Like I said, if you can do intensive weight training on your own, go for it. I'm jealous :)

Oh and my surgeon doesn't even know what body fat % is good or bad. He goes by the dreaded BMI, but I'm going by body fat %.

Good luck, let us know how it goes!

A combination of classes, running, and weight machines has worked so far.  I like the group classes, and my gym has a "body pump" class that is group weight training that I enjoy, so I'm going to make an effort to fit it into my schedule more often and really focus on being able to add more weight as I get stronger.  I do want to make an appt with a trainer to up my weight circuit on the machines.  Right now it's only 5 machines and I'd like to add some more to it, especially for my back/shoulders/arms.  I am pretty consistent with workouts on my own, and this summer has involved so much travel that it really HAS to be up to me. 

Thanks for your response--I was at 33% body fat on June 25, and knowing you got to 19% is a HUGE inspiration!!  Maybe I'll meet you there. :)

OMG....19% body fat for a woman is incredible!    you are at the "athlete" level my dear - see the website below:

http://lifitnessandwellness.com/ideal-body-fat-percentage-personal-training-gym-commack/

 

ROCK STAR!

 

It's a knock down drag out fight...... Gotta get old school ugly.... A fight for every pound.
My only suggestion is to break it down to 5lbs. Goals....

frisco

Good idea--and I'm on my way there--4 to go!  No scale this Saturday through the following Sunday, so hopefully that will work out (although past experience tells me that long hours seated in the car does not equal loss for me).

I got the last 20lb off by doing the same thing I had done all along during weight loss. That is, 600-800 calories per day, no more than 30 gms carbs per day and those only came from veggies and protein shakes, twelve 8 oz glasses water per day-sometimes I drank as many as 16 when working out vigorously, kept my protein around 90-100 gms per day, worked out like crazy.

 

 What is you BMI?

 Why does your physician want you to lose 20lbs? Do you have high blood pressure? High cholesterol?

 20 lbs would be 12.5% weight loss. 

 

Right now it's around 28.  I have no co-morbidities.  He just wants me to lose all my excess weight--which is why I chose him.  This is my surgeon, not my pcp.

What helped me the most is to cut out all processed food and stick with homemade protein and green veggies almost exclusively.  I just prepared myself for stalls to happen and counted each five pounds as a huge deal.  It's a fight, but I think it was very worthwhile.  Just push through it, you can do this.  I would also build in little rewards for the behavior rather than the weight loss.