Struggling to lose these last 20 lbs

Weight loss is all about calories – to lose weight, you need to have a calorie deficit (burn more calories than you eat). A deficit of 3500 calories = 450g/1lb - to illustrate, if I eat 1500 calories a day but burn 2200 each day, after 5 days I will have lost 450 grams – of course this can fluctuate depending on water retention, bowel movements, the food you’ve eaten etc.

Your body will burn calories without you even doing anything; your basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the amount of calories you burn just to stay alive – so any basic movements and exercise will increase the total amount you burn each day. One issue with long term weight loss (I.e. more than a few lbs) is that over time as your weight goes down, so will your BMR, so for instance if you have lost a significant amount of weight and otherwise haven’t made any big changes to your lifestyle, your body will require less calories to ‘power’ it than it did before.

I would suggest you give yourself a week of no weight loss kind of to reset your body and give yourself a little break, and then re-evaluate your strategy to lose weight. You body has also gotten used to what you are doing so it’s probably time to change your caloric intake and also shift up your exercise routine, if you have one.

FH and I have never been the best at anything that included the word diet lol but we recently hired a personal trainer last week who offers video sessions and provides weekly meal plans for us.

The Healthiest Way Is To Count Your Calories. Keto, Shakes, Etc. Arent Sustainable. Once You Stop That Weight Will Come Back Unless Youre Counting Your Calories.

As For The Plateau, Ive Been Stuck At 160 For 2 Months Now And Its Extremely Frustrating. It's Just Our Bodies Trying To Adjust. Sometimes Doing Something To Jump start Your Weightloss Again Can Help, Like A Cleanse/Detox To Shock Your Body. Or Eating A Vegan Diet For A Week.

I think at a point we just hit a plateau so maybe try switching it up? People recommend keto but I feel that is just unsustainable and you end up gaining the weight back and more because of the carb intake.

Are you just diet or diet and exercise? Add exercise if not!

Doesn't WW have different color plans now? I know one of the colors makes you track more and has less zero point foods. Maybe you could switch to a different one of those to change it up a bit, but keep the structure your like.

Thank you. I never really thought of it like that with your BMR changing as you lose weight. I've always known its about calorie deficit but maybe need to change it up a bit and get a better deficit!

I also agree cutting out carbs and sugar does a lot and consuming a lot of water. I personally like to add to my water lemon and mint. Sometimes I change it up with some frozen berries and lemon just to help me drink more water. Working out about 5x a week has also helped. Days where I can just walk, jog, run, and some core exercises have helped a ton. I also hit a stump and couldn't go under 140. It's been a struggle but so far this has helped me get into shape again and every week I see improvements in the outside but as well as internally feeling a lot more healthier and confident in my own body.

I've been following Fit Girls Guide programs (https://www.fitgirls.com/) for years now! I did it back in 2016 and lost ~50 pounds, and got back into it a few months ago and am down ~10 pounds. They offer weekly meal plans and daily exercise plans.

Also, do you have a FitBit? This has been my biggest helper - it tracks your activity and you can log your food directly in the app. Then based on your calorie deficit for your desired weight goal, it tells you if you are in range, under, or over calories for the day and week. I lost about 5 pounds from February through June, but then the other 5 pounds from June to July just by logging my meals because I realized I was snacking too much for my weight loss goals!