So I am 5'1 and weigh 128-130 pounds. That may not sound like much but on a small frame every ounce shows. I don't like the way I look on a horse.  I would really like to get a bit leaner and drop 5-8 pounds. I have been dieting going on 3 weeks now, choosing healthier smaller portions and not eating junk or drinking sodas. Last week in an attempt to take it up a notch I started replacing one meal a day with a protien shake. So far I have only lost a pound or two according to the scales. It seems  when you only have a few pounds to lose, it is super difficult...or is it just me? 

Anyone who has done this want to share some tips with me that worked for you? :) 

If you want to lose weight. 

Eat fats and protein. 

No carbs or very little. 

Never eat anything after 2pm till next morning. 

It works. 

Are you weighing yourself at the same time each weigh in?

Are you eating enough? Make sure you aren't shorting yourself and sending your body into starvation mode. Make sure to have a healthy snack (100-150 calories) between meals. 

Eat clean, clean, clean. Cut out carbs and as much sugar as possible. Watch your condiments/salad dressings. High protein, low carb, lots of veggies, little fruit. 

Yes, dropping those last few pounds is always the most difficult.

Agree with the others that you need to eat CLEAN. That means eating plain. Limit carbs. Eat lots of protein and veggies.

If you don't mind sharing, what is your version of "dieting"? Honestly, I don't like the thought of being "on a diet" because when you go "off the diet", you'll probably get those 5 pounds back that you lost. So you need to come up with a sustainable way to make a PERMANENT lifestyle change with what you eat.

Look up the 21 day Fix. It teaches you portion control and how to eat CLEAN. That is key. Yes, exercise and physical fitness is good too, but the most important part of losing weight is what you fuel your body with.

example:

Breakfast - 2 hard boiled eggs, 1 medium banana, 1 slice of whole wheat toast (real whole wheat ... not enriched whole wheat) with 1 tbsp of peanut butter.

Snack - 14 almonds and 1 small apple

Lunch - spinach salad with tuna and 1/4 cup shredded cheese, with 2tbsp homemade dressing and side of broccoli

Snack -  protein shake with baby carrots

Dinner - 4 oz steak with veggies, and 1/2 cup of whole wheat noodles

And you are eating all these things plain or with salt-free seasong like Mrs. Dash.  Don't slather on condiments, or butter, or anythiing else, because it's just adding calories!

This doesn't sound like a lot of food, but if you allow your body to adapt to eating clean and filling up on veggies (And always having protein with a meal/snack), it's amazing how you don't really feel hungry. I remember always struggling to be at the weight I wanted to be. I was never overweight but you just know your own feeling of your own self-image. I bought the 21 Day fix after my first child and lost the weight ... and then some! It was weird how EASY it was. I'm actually smaller/lighter than I was in high school ... and I've been able to maintain it. I've gotten so used to eating clean and eating right, it's just easy. And.... probably helps that I do not feel good if I eat junk food so that's good motivation not to eat it. I'm at the point in my life where I don't like not feeling good, LOL.

So that program was absolutely fabulous for me.

Rather than focus on just calories, learn about macros.  When I'm working on leaning out I target 40% protein, 40% carbs, 20% fat. My calorie level will vary depending on my goals or point in plan. It's super helpful to get a rough estimate on your base metablic rate to know your body's base needs, and if you can, invest in a watch or tracker.  I have an apple watch and really love it for visibility to how much activity I get (or don't get!) in a day. Then from there you can figure your calorie/macro goals.  

Also, don't focus on weight.  Take body measurements and even photos, pay attention to how your close fit, how you feel, etc.  Weight is actually such an unreliable marker and can fluctuate even when progress is being made.  And most importantly - be patient!  It is true that the less that you have to lose the longer it will take.  

I was stupid when I was younger & always felt like I needed to lose 10#, so would go on a diet.  I bet I have been on dang near every diet out there, at one time or another.  I'd always gain that 10 back eventually & then lose it again ... then it increased to 15, then 20, & all I ever did manage was to screw my metabolism up completely!!  FIVE POUNDS???  Good grief!  exercise a little more & tone if you are SURE you are "over".  I look back at pictures of myself from back in those days & wonder WTH was wrong with me??  I looked great!  Now in my 50's & I do have weight issues and it is harder than hell to lose.  Weightwatchers is what's working now, but it is SLOW - even with lots of pounds to lose, I am lucky to lose a lb a week.  

I weigh at almost the same time every morning. :) 

I spoke to a personal trainer/fitness competitor friend of mine and she cautioned me as well about eating too little/starvation mode. I am going to evaluate my caloric intake to be sure I am not short changing myself. 

Fantastic tips! 

I am going to look into the 21 day challenge :) thank you for the suggestion!

I say "dieting" because I have changed my eating habits but I am attempting to make permenant changes. I want to eat cleaner/healther long term. I am attempting a calorie deficit currently to reach my goal weight and then plan to maintain. 

Honsetly, I am begginning to feel much better physically already. 

I may reach out to you for some of your favorite clean snacks and meals if you wouldn't mind :).

I realize 5 pounds isn't much but on my frame it looks like 10. 10 isn't that much either but what I have decided is that I can do better. I want my horse to be healthy and in decent phycical shape.  I need to do the same for myself. I can relate. I wish I was "as fat" as I thought I was in highschool. 

I am a complete failure at the whole diet thing so I don't. I got a little "fluffy" this last winter not being able to ride and found Kevin's donuts, LOL!!!  I had enough of it by February and found a home based work out that is 30 minutes max, some days are shorter. It is called Betty Rocker and they have a 30 day challenge, I dropped about 7 lbs on that and then did the 90 day challenge and dropped another 10 on that with no diet changes.  Other than the Kevin's donuts I eat pretty darn healthy though, the only fast food we indulge in is In and Out and there isnt' one in our town and my husband is a fantastic cook, but he also warned me years ago when we were dating that he doesn't cook lowfat,, LOL!!! We just don't eat a lot of processed, canned anything.

Anyway, check out Betty Rocker 30 day Challenge...a sample workout would be :

Burpees

push ups

jumping jacks

front kick alternating right and left

mountain climbers

v-ups

and depending on your fitness level you can do each exercise for 30 seconds to a minute and then 3 rounds or add more rounds as your fitness level increases.

Cardio training will help you lose weight along with your diet.  

Not much out there for us over 65 pushing 70 years of age outside of walking and that is difficult when you have low back trouble and a hip that is also about to go.  I was always super thin and worked out and rode horses but since my horses got old (like me) exercising has been very difficult.  Then on top of that I have a husband that can eat anything and now we are trying to get some muscle and weight back on him.  I told him he could have my muscle (fat) and I would be good with that.

I am a fan of intermittent fasting, it has really helped me control my hunger and keep a clearer mind during the day. I find I can get some brain fog when I eat too much. There are plenty of videos and forums on this topic. Typically I don't eat until 12pm, finish at 8pm. Minimum 16 hours fasting with only liquids. Coffee is my vice - you are supposed to only have black coffee in the morning until you eat but I need a little bit extra. If you are older (senior), intermittent fasting is probably not for you.

The only thing I am struggling with is barrel race day - having coffee in the morning and no food, with the anxiety of the race coming up I feel like my coffee makes me more nervous than I might otherwise be. However I am supplementing with Rescue Remedy and gabba to keep myself more together. It seems to be helping.

In loosing weight it is essential to eat correctly. You have to have foods from every food group. The key is portion size. Weight Watchers is probably the best diet plan because it is behavior modification.  Through all the fad diets it is still one of the top diet plan. If you eat small meals more often it is better for you. I said small!  I am diabetic and have to watch what I eat. Everyone who knows me knows that I always have food with me. After a trip to the emergency room last year I really changed my eating habits. I had pancreatitis. Doc said it was caused from alcohol consumption. Probably not on my case!  I had to figure out what caused it. I figured out it had to be the aspartame in the 6-8 Dr Peppers that I drank everyday.  I haven't had a soft drink in over a year. When I quit drinking Dr Pepper I lost 10 pounds. I eat small portions. If you have to get a kitchen scale and weigh your portions. I am a good cook and make a casserole and freeze it in small portions. If I eat starches, I eat very small portions because of the carbohydrates. If your are diabetic you can forget eating most things that are white. If I need a snack I get a whole wheat tortilla and make a wrap with turkey, lettuce and tomato. It is very filling. Don't eat candy but I do enjoy desserts and they are ok but small portions and not had the bowl or cake. I make salads like cucumber onion salad and cauliflower, broccoli salad using Splenda and they are delicious and I am picky. If you use salad dressing, use a tablespoon and not half the bottle. I usually put salsa or pick de Gallo on my salad instead. Another good snack is yogurt or cottage cheese and fruit. 

I used to be a cardio only person.  Ran marathons, ran miles daily.  Then I got injured and took me about two years to rehab.  Gained weight ugh!  Worked with a physical therapist and she made me see that a big key to loosing and maintaining weight loss is muscle gain.  It takes more fuel to maintain muscle.  I completely rethought my workout routine.  I now focus on weight training and do cardio only 1-2 times a week.  My cardio is 20 seconds all out 10'seconds of rest for about 20-30 minutes.  When I weight train I move quickly through my routine to help up my heart rate.  The weight has been flying off.  Of course diet plays a huge role too.  I'm not one for counting calories.  I try to stick to the if it was living at some point it's ok to eat.  Veggies, fruit, lean proteins are what I focus on.   
I don't watch the scale.  I might not actually weigh less but my pants size is smaller.  In theory weight loss is easy but... to actually apply it that's a whole nother story!! 

I'm not sure if you said how old you are, but I feel like we are right there, except I think I'm about 10 years ahead of you. I'm 5'0 and in my early 20's I was also about 125-130 and tried to lose 5-10lbs. Now 10 years later, I wish I was 145. 

I admire that you want to do this for you and for your horse. I have a yearling I'll be starting to saddle and prepare for riding next spring and I want to be lighter for him, so he is my driving force. Also, I can tell that I ride better when I'm lighter. And I'm also trying to get healthier both in what I chose to eat and in a more fit body for other health reasons.

I did keto last year and lost about 10 lbs. It was fine, but winter rolled around, then covid, and here they are all, back again.

I recently went to see a nutritionist/dietician and I honestly was quite surprised at what she advised. Like the other poster said, if you short your body on key food groups, including carbs, you will be fighting a losing battle. Your body needs proper amounts of most anything to function fully, so don't deprive yourself of that. It was a bit expensive, and not covered by my insurance, but it was 1 visit, and it wasn't like therapy where she wants me to keep coming back spending huge amounts of money on visits. The visit with her was 2 hours and we talked about ALL aspects of my life, she reviewed prior blood work to get an idea of what my current diet keeps my levels at. It was incredibly helpful. 

I know that's not the most helpful, but basically, don't cut carbs, maybe add in or increase your cardio, smaller portions, and lots of vegatables and clean protein. Limit your sugar. Even diet soda will bloat you up, which sucks.

And best of luck! Good for you and I hope you find a good balance that works.

Actually exercise wise there is a lot you can do. My doctor tells me all the time that exercise is important. I belong to Planet Fitness. The elliptical s are great the reclining bike. Then there are a lot of core exercises. If you tell them what you want to improve they will fix you up with a trainer to show you how to use the machines and which machines to use. I used to go to a different gym snd I use the exercises that they showed me. I also do a couple of balance exercises that are pretty passive. That are a great help. Remember don't over do it and get sore. 

Yes I agree but when you can't even hardly walk up the stairs it limits you on what exercises you can do.  I see a chiro, doctor and physical therapy.  My back is in pain almost 100% of the time.  I live on Advil so eventually my liver and kidneys will go.  Such is life.

Hi! I am 31 years old :). Great advice. It can be hard for me with the carbs sometimes. Especially when I am trying to eat a certain way but my family is not. My husband likes to cook and potatoes, pasta and some type of bread are a staple usually. I have tried to stick to the lean meats and veggies. I did eat a dang cresent roll last night with my grilled pork chop, I admit. 

I have followed several girls on instagram that used a nutitionist and it was a game changer for them. I also plan to read up on macros but currently that is foreign language.

Thank you for the good advice, and positive words :). Also, best of luck with your colt. Keep us updated on how that is going. 

Can we also talk about how in most cases (BUT NOT ALL) your upper tier barrel racers are leaner built. Some natually and some work hard for it. Those girls ride so well, and I bet being healthy, strong and fit are attributes to that.