Is it harder to lose weight if you have less to lose?

[MareofBeasttown]

I have heard this said, but not sure if this is the case. I am now a normal BMI but on the higher end of normal , and I want to be on the lower or medium end. If so, how have you managed to do it?

I've found this. I've had to start 5:2 mixed in with 16:8 so two bloody lots of intermittent fasting, this is the only way I've managed to start down the road of this last 7lb but it's almost gone in 2 weeks with this combo so I might even carry on another 4 weeks

I think so. I have put a stone on over lockdown and I can't shift it for love nor money. I'm 6ft and getting closer to 12 stone so not over weight. But I am happier at 11

Yes definitely! I find the same thing OP.

One thing I would say is that normal BMI is a range, rather than a single number, for a reason. It is because we're all different shapes and sizes. So someone with a curvier figure shouldn't be aiming for the same weight as a person with a slighter build, even if they're the same height. Maybe the high end of the normal range is a good place for you, given your body shape?

Took up running. Cut out as many ultra processed foods as possible and then just trusted that it may take time but that scales were slowly heading down. (For more on ultra processed foods try reading ‘why we eat (too much)’ or watch the bbc documentary called something like ‘what are we feeding our kids’

Having said that I’ve now hit mid point healthy weight bmi and I don’t think they will go down any further so I guess I’m sticking here!

I've found that it's the last 7lbs which is the hardest to lose and keep off. At last I got down to the weight I want to be but have shamefully put on another 5lbs. I think it's the loss of motivation, possibly mixed with the boredom of being good all the time and missing out on those nice treats.

And those treats mount up - a trifle here, a cake there, a packet of crisps, etc. Before you know it ... you know the rest.

But we've done it before and we'll do it again, won't we? We'll just have to grit our respective teeth and jolly well get on with it.

I see I am not alone. I am carrying the extra weight around my tummy, which is dangerous as well as unsightly, so I do want to get it off. Don't eat processed food at all except for the v occasional packet of crisps. ( sorry if that sounds pious; just wasn't raised on it). Think I am going to have to try harder to stick to IF. I have tried it but was unable to stick to it, but needs must!

This thread will hopefully be me in August! I'm doing the lighter life diet to kick start my weight loss. Started at 11st 7lbs last week, now 11st 1lb. First goal is 9st 7lbs, then final goal is 8st 7lbs (I'm 5'3"). I'm going to do the last stone much slower. My plan for the last stone is 5:2 IF, using Huel shakes for the fast days to keep calories to 600 on those days.

I'm into surfing and walking, also going to add weights to my program so looking to increase activity.

I really started on this diet so I'd be much more comfortable in a wetsuit

I put on half a stone over the various lockdowns and have now lost more than that. Calorie counting worked for me. I used the My Fitness Pal app. Some of it was a total eye opener, eg the days when you casually think oh I'll just have a basic cheese sandwich for lunch and discover that you've had your entire allowance on plastic sliced bread and cheese!
I also went slowly- I tried doing it faster and it made me hungry and cross.

I think yes and no. It’s easier to get motivated and it doesn’t seem like such a massive feat to accomplish if you’re only a few kg over your ideal weight. It comes off more slowly though.

I weigh once a week and if I’ve gone above a certain number I focus on healthy eating and more exercise until I’m back where I’m happier. That works well for me. It doesn’t come off particularly quickly though-usually a 1lb a week or so.

I keep going from 8 stone 10 to 9 stone 4 and flip flopping between the two.

So far the best thing I have done is Six Pack Revolution for actually changing my habits sustainably and helping me maintain the lower weight. They help rev the body up to being in fat burning mode. It takes commitment but it’s remarkable.

I definitely think it is. I only have 10 lbs to lose to be my ideal weight and have a BMI very comfortably in the healthy range so if I want to lose weight I have to religiously eat 1,300 calories a day or less.
Which is quite hard when I’m part of Facebook groups where much larger people are easily losing a lot of weight but eating a lot more calories than me!

If you weigh more (e.g people who have a lot to lose) you need more calories simply to survive. So a 20 stone person will in general need to eat more than a 10 stone person with similar lifestyle, just to maintain their weight. So you can eat quite a lot and still lose weight.
As your weight comes down, you need fewer calories to survive so have to accordingly eat even less to lose weight. So it feels harder.

I lost just under a stone which has taken me from the absolute top of my BMI to the middle, which is where I wanted to be. Did it through a combination of Slimming World and 12:12 fasting which seems to have worked. I now eat a bit more crap but still mostly SW (which is essentially low carb, high protein) and 12:12 most days, and that seems to keep my weight static.

YES 😩

I believe so. Simply because moving 150kg takes much more energy than moving 80. Even just getting blood and oxygen around requires more.

In absolute terms yes. Percentage wise, probably not.