Any tricks or tips on how to lose THE LAST FEW LBS faster??

I am a guy. I was 175lbs in high school 185 in college but then I got up to 220 a few years ago. I took up running and ate better and got down to 185 again but I really want to take off that last ten, but it is hard. This is what I do...

Diet:
Weekdays: 1/4c. oatmeal w/ 1/8thc. dried fruit, 1/2 can tuna w/ hot sauce, low sodium V-8 & multi-vitamin, 1 serv. cottage cheese 1 tbsp peanut butter ½ banana, 1/2 can tuna w/ hot sauce, 600 calorie dinner
Weekend: Breakfast: 1/4c. oatmeal w/ 1/8thc. dried fruit + 1 protein shake. Lunch and dinner: moderate portions for 600 calories each meal. No snacks or other meals.

I run 25 miles a week, lift weights 2.5 hours a week, eliptical 3.5 hours a week

This is actually what I do, no joke. Any tricks and tips out there to lose weight faster than the above can manage?

Wed. Mar 12, 10:58am

first off - lose the dried fruit. Very high in sugar. Try switching to regular fruit.

How much water are you drinking in an average day?

Wednesday, March 12, 2008, 11:22 AM

thanks...
1/8th cup of dried fruit in the oatmeal so i can bear to eat it every single day for 18 months (so far)...I am pretty sure I don't eat much sugar though
I try to drink 1 gallon a day, I keep a gallon jug nearby.

Wednesday, March 12, 2008, 11:28 AM

Best way to get off a plateau is to shake things up!

1) Don't eat the same things/ # of calories every day. "Zig-zag" high-low.

2) The more you do something like elliptical, the more efficient you get at it and the less good it does you. Get off the elliptical and onto the basketball court or the rowing machine -- something you're not good at. Also, run intervals! Don't just go out for 25 miles total, but run fartlek or if you are on a track run timed intervals.

Wednesday, March 12, 2008, 11:38 AM

I love the advice 11:38!

So true about shaking up the running (and other exercises). It's easy to get into a zone, yet minimize the challenge, when logging so many miles in a week. Same with those machines - shake it up!

Wednesday, March 12, 2008, 2:05 PM

2:05 again...

BTW - congrats OP on losing all that weight and getting into shape!

Wednesday, March 12, 2008, 2:06 PM

OP - are you sure you haven't gotten a ton more muscle now? Sounds like you are doing an amazing job, but if you still feel like you need to lose more, then I would definitely agree with the PP, shake it up and your body will realize you are serious about losing those last pounds. GOOD JOB and GOOD LUCK to you!

Wednesday, March 12, 2008, 2:11 PM

worry more about total body fat than the scale,
if your body fat is around 12% ? you are as fit as you
need to get. 15% or higher losing weight is a good idea
i weigh 205, and im about 20% body fat, im the one
who needs to lose 10 more

Thursday, March 13, 2008, 12:40 AM

Add a little variety into your diet. You seem to be lacking in vegetables & fresh fruits (which should be your foundation). Also, what kind of oatmeal are you having? Hopefully not instant (that's like eating refined white flour), get the steel cut kind. Stick whole grains and less processed foods. Many brand name peanut butters have a ton of sugar and high fructose corn syrup. Go natural...and like everyone says, mix up your workout routine.

Friday, March 14, 2008, 12:50 AM

To OP and Wednesday, March 12, 2008, 7:11 PM poster (re: dried fruit)

Hey there, I was the one that "suggested" replacing fresh fruit for your dried fruit....I have included a few comparisons....I don't eat dried fruit, and I'm not sure which one's you eat; but the below is just an example.

1oz banana chips
147 cal, 16.6 g carbs, 9.5 g fat
vs
1oz fresh banana
25 cal, 6.5 g carbs, 0.1 g fat
_________________________________

1oz dried apricot
68 cal, 17.8 g carbs, 0.1 g fat
vs
1oz fresh apricot
14 cal, 3.2 g carbs, 0.1 g fat
_________________________________

1oz dried grapes (aka raisins)
85 cal, 22.5 g carbs, 0.1 g fat
vs
1oz fresh grapes
20 cal, 5.1 g carbs, 0 g fat
_________________________________

1oz dried figs
71 cal, 18.1 g carbs, 0.3 g fat
vs
1oz fresh figs
21 cal, 5.4 g carbs, 0.1 g fat

SO as you can see from the few examples that I could think of, you could eat double or triple the amount of fresh fruit and still be at the same amount of calories...

I wasn't implying that dried fruit would make the OP fat, but suggesting an alternative...sorry for any confusion.

I do believe that dried fruit has more fibre though...so that's a benefit.

Friday, March 14, 2008, 5:10 PM

7:11 - very interesting, thank you.
So currently I buy a huge bag of mixed dried fruit (sometimes berries too) at Sam's, chop it up, mix it with raisins and put 1/8th cup of that in sandwich bags with 1/4 cup oatmeal (+1 tbsp flax meal sometimes) three dashes Vietnamese cinnamon, two dashes cayenne and one dash of salt. I keep about forty of those in the cupboard and then every morning boil 1/2 cup water in a saucepan and toss that all in a styrofoam cup and out the door. This enables me to have the energy to run in the morning, gets my metabolism going and I have done this for 18 months and it seems like a good plan b/c it is easier than fresh fruit.
I hear everyone saying that fresh fruit is better and I appreciate the tips b/c I want to tweak what I am doing to make it better if I can.

OP

Friday, March 14, 2008, 5:23 PM

5:10 here

It sounds like this is working for you. Keep with it then, and eventually tweek it if you want. In the end, it's what works best for you right :)

Friday, March 14, 2008, 7:22 PM

Hear it all the time but it is true - no processed foods. No white foods or carbs. No animal based products (dairy, cheese). Pick up the vegan thing and you will be amazed after a few days and how fast you lose a few lbs.

Saturday, March 15, 2008, 10:41 AM

Thank you for the apology. FYI - the banana chips are natural so sugar added.

If dried fruit works for you...then stick with it. The OP was asking for suggestions, so that's what I did.

But PP...thank you for the apology...It was needed!

Sunday, March 16, 2008, 12:25 AM

Dang, OP! I admire your organization!!

Sunday, March 16, 2008, 12:42 AM

Thanks. My wife doesn't - It drives her nuts... (but she is supportive - although she made (from scratch) Cinnabuns this weekend)...grrr there goes my weekend. So I put in 10 miles on the treadmill this am.

Monday, March 17, 2008, 10:06 AM

2 suggestions

Great job, OP! I'm in the last few lbs, too, and have similar habits as you.

2 suggestions - sorry, going back to the sensitive dried fruit subject, but it can be surprising how many cals and reduced nutrition the dried stuff provides vs. fresh fruit. (I have had to cut out the dried AND fruit juices and have found this effective.) A great replacement would be fresh, of course, but frozen is about as beneficial. Frozen blueberries, raspberries, etc., are fantastic in oatmeal, and fresh bananas and/or apples sliced in are also great, and should fill you up more than the dried fruit on less cals. Frozen fruit is esp. good in protein shakes (my very fit DH is big on this combo).

Suggestion 2: get a heart rate monitor. I was working out 6 days/wk with at least 60 min. of cardio each day plus lifting weights 2-4 days and totally plateaued. Got a heart rate monitor to figure out what was effective and I've actually been able to reduce my gym time (now at 5 days/wk, about 60 min. TOTAL per time) and have lost a few lbs. now that I know what I needed to do to keep my heart rate up. (Esp. hard on the cardio machines, even if you do the interval program - best to use your heart rate monitor to do your own sprint intervals.). Good job so far & good luck!

Monday, March 17, 2008, 4:15 PM

p.s. frozen berries, etc. are easily found (and cheap!) at costco, trader joes, and most grocery stores. Should be as easy as grabbing from your bag of dried fruit.

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Thursday, April 5, 2012, 11:21 PM

do the cleanse.

Friday, April 6, 2012, 10:12 AM

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