Needing a boost

[terryl965]

I have hit the wall as far as my personal wieght lost, I need some feedback in the most positive way. This will be two weeks that I have not lost a pound, I have changed my workout times and routine but nothing is helping. I need to only loose another 43 pounds to be at 200 and I need this before July 4th, that was the dead line I put on me. I need to loose an average of three pounds a week to get there ant help would be appreciated, not giving up just need some ideals and such.

 

[seasoned]

Things have not changed, since the beginning of time. The only way to get rid of extra pounds are, calories in. You can exercise until the cows come home, but it is all about the amount of food we eat. Stick with protein to maintain muscle, and cut carbs to get rid of fat. The old saying is " feed the muscle, starve the fat". Exercise is for shaping, and building muscle, while cutting calories is for weight loss. You can do it Terry.

 

[terryl965]

Season I am taking in about 1700-1800 per day, I guess I could drop that to around 1500. Thanks

 

[StudentCarl]

For me it helped to load the majority of my calories earlier in the day and avoid eating after evening meal. Biggest (relative) meal is breakfast, lighter lunch, lightest meal in evening. Then you have more time for your body to burn rather than store.

Weather changes? (not working so hard to stay warm) More stress? (Body holds weight in case extra energy is needed) Less activity of some other kind? (not walking as much, etc.) What has changed lately?

In exercise, are you using enough variety that your body isn't just adjusting to be more efficient. Time to change it up?

I suggest making no radical changes since what you're doing has been working. Fine tune rather than whole new program.

Best wishes,
Carl

 

[terryl965]

Carl I am sure it just need fine turning but rwo weeks is a longtime not to loose anything, I am staying the course and I will try changing my eating routine.

 

[Archtkd]

This is not an area I can claim to have any expertise in, but I'v found drinking lots of water and cutting back on caffeine -- in addition to the other advise you are getting from other posters -- helps.

 

[jks9199]

Terry,
You may need a break for your body to recover. Or, you may need to really shake up your workouts; your body may just have reached its adaptation limit for what you're doing now.

Maybe try some intervals and/or circuit work; something that's really going to amp up the demands on your body in a different way.

 

[ralphmcpherson]

Seasoned was spot on. Its all about what goes in , cut back the food and the weight goes. Running/jogging helps also as its burns a lot of calories. An hour of running can burn well over 1000 calories while getting you very fit at the same time.

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

Terry I think you need to cut back on calories and continue to exercise. Lean meat, lot's of protein and you will get there.

 

[mango.man]

Terry, you are I are going through this weight loss thing together, although your goals are more more aggressive than mine as I choose to set a goal of 1 pound / week for the year, 52 pounds in 2010. Right now I am well ahead of schedule, but I know that even if I were to somehow put on 30 pounds this week, that I am still on track for my goal since right now I am only 13 pounds away from my target. I was 11, but Easter dinner at my in-laws killed me last night.

Like the others have said, you really have to watch the calories and not give into temptation. My kid, like yours I am sure, burns through a jillion calories a day and it really kills me when coming home from practice she wants to drive through McD's or something and I have to sit next to her in the car watching her eat those damn french fries and then smelling the left over fry odor in the car for the hour long drive home. But I suffer through and I don't give in to the temptation to even ask her for 1 little bite.

So my diet on a regular basis has gone from:
20 oz diet coke for my drive to work
2-3 liters of diet coke throughout the rest of the day
1 massive 3000-5000 calorie lunch (BBQ Bacon Double Cheeseburgers / Pizza etc)
Sometimes, but not often, dinner that was another 1000-1500 calories
5-6 beers a night
Absolutely no exercise

to now:
1 weight loss shake for breakfast with a multi-vitamin
1 12 oz diet coke on my drive to work (I hate coffee so this is my caffine for the day)
Take stairs into work instead of elevator
Sometimes a Special K snack bar at mid morning
Lunch 250 - 400 calories (6in Ham on wheat, no cheese or mayo or something along those lines)
Walk 1 - 1.5 miles
Take stairs again into work
lots of water throughout the day
Piece of fruit at mid afternoon
Microwave weight loss meal that is under 300 calories (Smart Ones, Healthy Choices etc)
1 12 oz Lite Beer
I am up to 70 sit ups each night (when I started I could barely do 15)
A small yogurt and sugar free jello
Sleep

All totaled usually under 1000 calories a day. My weekends vary and include a lot of Chicken usually.

The other thing I do is I post my weight to my twitter and facebook account everyday which usually gets 1 or 2 people to say atta-boy Charles to keep me motiviated, but my friends are also quick to say "hey you screwed up yesterday and you better get back on track".

Anyhow, good luck to you and just keep at it and the pounds will go away.

 

[Miles]

Terry, you've gotten some excellent advice so all I can do is congratulate you on what you have accomplished so far and cheer you on. Good luck!

 

[KELLYG]

Terry maybe you just hit a plateau. Modify where you think your weaknesses are and Just keep on keeping on. I have been working on diet and exercise this past year as well. 20 lbs gone. Do not let a plateau discourage you from accomplishing your goals!!

 

[d1jinx]

I know this may get a heckle or 2. But I dont care.

If you need some extra motivation, watch the Biggest Looser. Yes I know. Sounds silly, but to see what they are going through and see thier results will do much for you. Also seeing someone MUCH larger than yourself able to accomplish such amazing results is motivational in itself. Not saying there is alot to learn from it, but it is motivational to watch. And yes, I know they are supervised and coached.... but if not just to see some 500 guy or gal doing something YOU ARE unable to do, will push you a little more next time. Sometimes I feel ashamed of myself when I see someone on there able to do more than I can, and I am not Obeese.

Plus, it shows you there are others out there trying too.

 

[ShelleyK]

Terry are you measuring yourself in inches? Even though you hit a plateau you could still be losing inches.
What do you use to track your calories?
How much veggies are you getting
How much weight are you lifting vs how much cardio are you doing
How much water are you drinking each day....

 

[Balrog]

Never give up. Those pounds didn't happen overnight; they visited, liked what they saw and moved in. Evicting them isn't going to happen overnight either.

You've gotten some excellent advice so far. My $0.02 is to make sure that you are eating constantly. Meal replacement shake to start the day, then 2-3 SMALL low-calorie snacks during the morning, either another shake for lunch or a moderate (800-1000 cal.) lunch, then 2-3 snacks in the afternoon. If you had a shake for lunch, eat the moderate meal for dinner. If you ate the lunch, have another shake now. And nothing by mouth other than water after 7:00 p.m. is a great self-control exercise.

Snacks should be baby carrots (you can buy them in snack packs), apples, bananas, dry wheat bread toast, etc. And pound down the water. You should try to drink a minimum of a liter and a half a day. Cut out diet soft drinks completely, and minimize your caffeine intake to maybe one cup of hot tea a day. If you find yourself losing more than 3 pounds a week, start eating a little more. 2-3 pounds a week is the limit for safe weight loss.

Good luck!

 

[Daniel Sullivan]

Positive encouragement: you haven't gained!

Not to mention that if in exercising you are building muscle, you may have gained some weight that is not fat. The big question is whether or not the waistline is still shrinking. If it is, but the weight is not, then you may be losing fat but building muscle.

Anyway, tweek the diet and keep the exercise going. You'll get there!

Daniel

 

[harlan]

Everybody has to find the right formula of diet and exercise.

Personally, I was 235 lbs and cutting 'calories' did nothing to take it off. The doctor's diet did nothing, and I actually gained weight exercising (all the while rabid with hunger). I tried a 'low carb, increase protein' diet...and 70 lbs fell off in 6 months. It was a strict carb diet that targeted 30 carbs/day, at least 8 glasses of water, didn't pay any attention to calories, and scrupulously tracked food in a journal (can't 'forget' the occasional lapse that way), and the best part was that I didn't have the carb high/low and hunger.

At that point, now being a bag of skin, I needed to exercise, and started a martial art. Fast forward 4 years, after putting on 15 lbs (I cook a LOT during the holidays), I couldn't seem to make the exact same diet work. I've had to modify it this time around by actually paying attention to the calories, and switching to non-fat milk. It's coming off slower (only 10 lbs in 3 weeks)...but it is working with modifications.

An unexpected benefit was the incredible affect it had on my blood sugar and cholesterol.

Good luck!

 

[granfire]

Season I am taking in about 1700-1800 per day, I guess I could drop that to around 1500. Thanks

Actually, maybe check your eating habits.
The body gets used to limited calorie intake and adjusts accordingly.

Digesting food uses energy as well, so having your food spread out over the course of the day helps a lot. Plus you never feel starved and don't fall victim to temptation as easy.

The what has already been covered, but timing also plays a role in weightlos - or gain.