Why Are the Last 10 Pounds the Most Difficult to Lose?

You’ve been losing weight steadily for months thanks to a combination of a healthy diet and a consistent exercise routine. But now that you’re down to your last 10 pounds and your goal is within reach, progress has stalled, and those pounds are stubbornly clinging to your body.

At Frederick H. Watkins, MD., Dr. Watkins and our team understand your frustration. Here’s why those last 10 pounds are the most difficult to lose and what you can do about it.

Metabolic adaptation

Your body has a natural inclination to maintain a weight range where it feels comfortable. As you lose weight, your metabolism reacts by slowing down to conserve energy and maintain that balance. Your body perceives your weight loss as a starvation threat, so it performs this metabolic adaptation to survive.

As you decrease your calorie intake, your body also becomes more efficient at using the calories it does get. Hormones that regulate your hunger also fluctuate, making you feel less full and more hungry at times.

Another problem is based on simple math. As you lose weight, your body naturally requires fewer calories to function, so the same caloric deficit that helped you lose the first 20-30 pounds sometimes isn’t enough to help you drop the last 10.

Medical conditions

Underlying medical conditions you’re not aware of can also be part of the reason you’ve reached a weight loss plateau. Hormonal imbalances such as thyroid disorders, insulin resistance, or polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) can make losing weight more difficult than it would normally be.

Medications such as antidepressants or steroids can also block weight loss.

Solutions

If you’ve tried everything and still can’t lose those last 10 pounds, aesthetic solutions may be an option. We offer several body contouring procedures designed to target those stubborn areas of fat that keep resisting your diet and exercise efforts.

Liposuction

Liposuction is a surgical solution where Dr. Watkins removes targeted areas of fat with great precision. This allows him to make your body more slim and contoured while preventing fat buildup from occurring in that area again.

Tummy tuck

With a tummy tuck, also called abdominoplasty, Dr. Watkins can flatten and shape your abdomen and waist by removing excess fat and skin from your abdomen while also tightening your muscles. 

Body contouring

With body contouring, Dr. Watkins can reshape almost any part of your body by removing excess fat and skin while toning your muscles at the same time.

Losing those last 10 pounds can be difficult, but it’s not impossible. Understanding the roadblocks can help you put together more effective strategies to lose the weight. 

If you’d like professional guidance, our team at Frederick H. Watkins, MD, is ready to help. To schedule an initial consultation, call our location nearest you — Rockville, Maryland, or McLean, Virginia. You can also use our online scheduling tool to request an appointment anytime.