I am 5′5″ and currently 146 with a goal weight of 135. I am having such a hard time with this last 11 pounds. I feel stuck at 146 no matter what I do. I am swimming for an hour three days a week, Monday, Wednesday, Friday. I am on a 1200-1300 calorie per day diet, and trying to balance protien and carbs, usally a bit more protein than carbs.

I get approximately 40 grams of fat, 100 grms of protein, and 86 grms of carbs. These are daily totals - I spread all this over 4 meals per day. What is the best way to get this last 11 pounds off. I have been hovering at 146 for 3 weeks now and can’t get the scale to move! What can I do?

Thank you! [via]

The closer you get to your weight-loss goal, the harder it is to lose the remaining weight. It is called a weight-loss plateau and it is quite common to get stack for some time unable to lose the last 10 pounds or so.

The good news is that you seem to be doing everything by the book, so I am sure you will reach your goal weight, but it is going to take some extra work to get there.

How to lose last 10 pounds You need to shake things up, here is how:

1. Instead of swimming three days a week, start walking three times a week (30-45 minutes) with enough intensity to generate sweat during your walk.

2. Your body has become accustomed to your typical calorie intake, which often leads to inefficient metabolism. To fix that, designate one day in a week as a “cheat� day. It does not have to be the same day every week, in fact, it is better if you move this day around every week or so.

On your “cheat” day only, indulge your cravings a little, eat more calories and carbs. Keep in mind, though, this is not a day to pig out, but you can eat fast food, some ice cream, etc.

3. Increase your daily carb intake…a little. Yes, I am actually saying that you need to increase your carbohydrate intake. Increase your daily carbohydrate intake to about 150 grams of carbs or so. The carb increase should come exclusively from vegetables and fruits.