The Honest Truth About Losing the Last 10 Pounds

You might think that once you are within 10 pounds of your goal weight, the process should get easier. In my experience, those final pounds are often the hardest to lose. This is the point where your mind can come up with endless reasons to stop trying, stay comfortable, and settle for “close enough.”

Losing the last 10 pounds takes patience, discipline, and a different kind of strategy. It also requires a stronger mindset, more honest tracking, and a renewed commitment to your goal. This stage is not always fun, and it is definitely not for the faint of heart. Many people decide that one more cookie is not a big deal because they are already close to their goal.

But after spending years trying to reach my own goals and never quite getting there, I can honestly say that it was worth it. It was worth saying no to extra treats for a season. It was worth tracking my meals more carefully. It was worth being consistent when I wanted to quit. Reaching my goal showed me that my body was capable of more than I had believed for most of my life.

As a 5-foot-tall woman, those last 10 pounds made a noticeable difference. I did not realize how much my body would change or how much confidence I would gain when I finally followed through. That is why I want to challenge the idea that the last 10 pounds do not matter. They might matter a lot, especially if reaching that goal gives you a sense of pride, self-trust, and confidence you have never experienced before.

Food is enjoyable, and there is nothing wrong with treats. But I no longer want food to have the power to talk me out of something I truly want. A cookie can be good, but reaching a meaningful goal can feel even better.

To be honest, I sometimes wish I had reached my weight loss goal earlier in life. At the same time, I appreciate what the process taught me. I finally got to experience the difference between the temporary satisfaction of eating whatever I wanted and the deeper satisfaction of keeping a promise to myself.

For years, foods like peanut butter seemed to win every time. I let cravings make many of my decisions. Now I know I do not have to live that way forever. I have enjoyed those foods, but they do not need to take priority over my long-term goals.

To explain what it takes for me to lose the last 10 pounds, I want to outline the process I follow. I am currently 8 weeks into a 16-week cut for bikini prep, and this is my fifth time doing this in five years. Each time, the timeline has looked similar. I begin with a fairly flexible diet, then become more structured as the bikini show gets closer.

1. First, I spend the first few weeks cleaning up my diet and tracking my food with more intention. I usually track even when I am not actively losing weight, but it is often loose and not perfectly accurate. During this stage, I may include a few flexible meals, but overall I aim to stay about 90% compliant.
2. Then, I dial things in more and start counting vegetables, gummy vitamins, zero-calorie foods, and even sugar-free drinks. This phase usually lasts the longest, around two to three months.
3. Then, during the final month, I take things to a higher level. I cut out sugar-free foods, increase my water intake, simplify my meals, and remove most processed items, including protein bars, protein powder, and bread.

Let’s look at my journey this year. When I decided to get lean again for another bikini show, I was close to 120 pounds. There were even a few days when I reached 123 after overeating. It can become a slippery slope quickly, and I could feel myself sliding.

Once I decided for real that I was going to stop eating everything I wanted, whenever I wanted, the weight dropped quickly at first. Within the first three days, I was down to 117 pounds. That was about 6 pounds right away. Some of it was likely excess water and full glycogen stores, and some of it was extra food still moving through my system. Even that first drop made my clothes feel more comfortable, which was motivating because they had been getting tight.

Within the next three weeks, I was close to 113 pounds. That was a full 10-pound loss during the first month of getting serious and being honest with myself. But for me, that is when the hard work really begins. At that point, I can no longer rely on quick changes from water weight, excess food, or simply cleaning things up.

At that stage, it becomes time to actually burn fat.

Here is how my strategy changes between losing the first 10 pounds and losing the last 10 pounds.

My Strategy to Lose the First 10 lbs

For me, the first 10 pounds are often a mix of water weight, extra food, fluids, and the effects of overeating or not drinking enough water. Even if it is not all fat loss, it still feels good when clothes fit better and the scale starts moving. That early progress can be incredibly motivating.

1. Drink a lot of water. I start with one gallon per day. This is not far from my normal liquid intake, but I become much more intentional about it.
2. Minimize extra salt. I tend to overdo it with salt. On days when my fluids are not keeping up, I notice more water retention. During this first phase, I stop oversalting my food so my body can balance out.
3. Cut back slightly on carbs. I keep carbohydrates in my diet, but when my carb intake is much higher than my protein intake, I tend to hold more water. Reducing carbs just a little can help with that initial drop in water weight.
4. Increase sweat. I like to say I am a lazy but consistent exerciser. I do what I feel like doing, but I do not skip days. When I am trying to lose weight, I increase the intensity enough to sweat during my workouts.
5. Get honest about tracking. During maintenance, I often eat what I am in the mood for and track it afterward. Sometimes I track through my afternoon snack and, if I have calories left, eat a sensible dinner without tracking every detail. When I want results, I have to be more accurate.
6. Stop eating between meals. This is a big one for me. If I could do this consistently year-round, maintenance would be much easier. The handfuls of untracked food add up quickly, especially when I tell myself they are “not that much.” Little bites from the pantry, snacks while cooking, or random tastes between meals can quietly slow progress.

My Strategy to Lose the Last 10 lbs

This is where I currently am in my 2024 bikini prep. I have lost the first 10 pounds, but I still need to lose about 10 more before stepping on stage on December 14. To keep making progress, I have to take my weight loss strategy up a notch.

1. Weigh and measure vegetables. This is not my favorite step, but it helps. It is easy to think, “It is not fair that I have to measure vegetables.” But that is usually just my mind trying to talk me out of being precise. Measuring vegetables for a short season is manageable, and it gives me more accurate data.
2. Weigh and measure “zero-calorie” foods. This includes sugar-free syrups, non-caloric sweetener packets, and sugar-free pudding mixes. These foods may seem free, but when used in large amounts, they can add up. If I am in a calorie deficit, I know myself well enough to admit that I could take these foods too far.
3. No more licks, bites, or tastes. This is a slippery slope for me. I cook a lot, especially on Sunday nights when my kids come over for dinner. If I make something like zucchini bread, I love licking the spoon and bowl. During this final phase, I do not taste while cooking. There is a time for that, but for me, it is after I reach my goal.
4. Plan and track meals ahead of time. This prevents me from reaching the end of the day and realizing I went over my calories. It is different from my usual habit of tracking after I eat, but it works better when progress needs to be precise.
5. Simplify meals. Eating the same foods repeatedly can make the process easier. Before my first bikini show, my food choices during the final week were very simple: ground turkey, rice, and asparagus, repeated throughout the day. I am not quite that strict now, but limiting choices helps reduce decision fatigue and cravings.
6. Make peace with hunger. To be in a true calorie deficit, hunger may happen. When I share a 1200-calorie day or a full day of eating, people sometimes say, “That is not enough food.” My response is that this is the point of a deficit. Weight loss requires eating less than your body needs to maintain. It is not meant to last forever, and calories should not be cut indefinitely. For me, it is a short-term phase with a clear goal. I also focus on high-volume, lower-calorie foods and plenty of fluids, so I am not hungry all the time. But when hunger does show up, I can handle it.

That is where I am right now in my 2024 bikini prep journey. I have under eight weeks to go, and I am continuing to stay focused on losing the last 10 pounds with consistency, structure, and patience.

Latest from my camera roll: my husband and me at our daughter’s Halloween party.