[Dagny18]

I am stuck
I've been trying to lose 1 pound per week, and the scale isn't budging and I don't think I am losing inches either (unless I am measuring incorrectly) I need feedback on what I might be doing wrong...
Water~check, I drink plenty of water throughout the day
Food: I've been trying to eat about 1800 calories per day, nothing over 2000 though I never really hit 2000 (I have trouble hitting enough cals most days)
A typical meal plan for me:
Breakfast: If a school day I eat a cup of kashi w/ skim milk. Non school days I either eat the same thing or will cook up 2 eggs w/ spinach and 1/2 cup of oatmeal. Sometimes a fruit if I have it
S-If a school day, I snack on a serving of sunflower seeds between classes
L-If at school, I take a peanut butter sandwich (whole wheat bread) and carry a banana and then add that to my sandwich at lunch. I sometimes have broccoli if they serve it.
If at home, I eat a tuna sandwich, with any veggies I have.
S-typically yogurt, with a sv of almonds
D-typically a protein (like fish/turkey) and a veggie (such as broccoli or cauliflower)
S-depends, maybe yogurt, fruit, almonds ect.

Exercise: I like changing it up all the time! I was going to Curves but quit that last summer when I started doing the 30 day shred at home. Ever since I quit Curves, my weight loss has slowed....but I don't think that is why? Curves was becoming too easy.
So, for strength training I started doing things like the BL dvds, No more trouble zones, last chance workout ect. Later, I found Power 90 workout dvds at a thrift shop and used those for 2 months. Though the highest amount of dumbbells I have are 10s...
Now I am doing Crossfit and looking for a cheap olympic bar and accessories. I have a friend who runs a thrift shop, so I am crossing my fingers that someone wants to sell...

Cardio: If I have time after my crossfit workout and still want to do more, I also have a stationary bike and rowing machine. Sometimes I do Pilates and yoga on rest days...

I am 5 feet 7 inches. I think I should be in the 150 area, though I have been overweight my entire life, so I don't know where I should end up. I just planned to quit when in that range (150-160) or whenever I was happy with my size.
But when I bring this up with my doctors, they say that I am fine and normal at the weight I am (175-180) and that I've lost over 100 pounds and that my body has a set point and will stop eventually...

Any suggestions?

[srmb60]

I do have a suggestion!

Why don't you wander on into "Weight and Resistance Training"?
http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/weig...e-training-80/

Read lots, even the stickies Wander into the chat thread too. Those folks will help you with this fine tuning.

[lychee]

I would cut back your calories, probably to around 1500 or so.

I weigh 210, am about as active as you are and can eat about 1800 calories max to lose a pound a week (I have a GoWear Fit so I know exactly how many calories I burn during the day). Since you weigh less than I do, you probably burn less too..so that's why I'm thinking 1800 is a little too high to lose for you.

[Dagny18]

Originally Posted by lychee

I would cut back your calories, probably to around 1500 or so.

I weigh 210, am about as active as you are and can eat about 1800 calories max to lose a pound a week (I have a GoWear Fit so I know exactly how many calories I burn during the day). Since you weigh less than I do, you probably burn less too..so that's why I'm thinking 1800 is a little too high to lose for you.

But how old are you? I'm 23 and I am 2 inches taller than you...Livestrong.com/TDP suggests that for a sedentary person I should eat about 1900 calories. So, I eat below that and exercise...the only thing is I do not have a heart rate watch though...

[MakingSkinny]

Most of the charts show a healthy weight for your height between 125-155 or so. So your goal weight of 150lbs is spot on

I use the calorie calculator at free dieting to work out my calories. I used your info (with exercise 3 days/week) and got 2177 cal/day to maintain, 1741 cal/day for normal weight loss (1-1.5lbs/week) or 1400 cal/day for faster weight loss.

I've been zig zagging my calories and I really like it. The weight is coming off consistently and it gives me a couple days a week where I feel like I'm getting to eat more than the other days (even though it all averages out over the week). The same calculator gives you a zig zag schedule (normal weight loss) of

Monday 1742
Tuesday 1400
Wednesday 2090
Thursday 1742
Friday 1568
Saturday 1916
Sunday 1742

So I guess I'd suggest either upping the intensity of your workouts, or decreasing your calories a little bit to help give you the boost you need to get out of your slump. Only based on what I know has been working for me so far And congrats on your amazing weight loss so far!

[Glory87]

I hardly ever recommend for people to reduce calories to lose, but at 1800 you've left yourself plenty of room.

I am also 5'7", I lost weight eating around 1400-1600 a day.

You don't have to cut down to 1200 or anything drastic, but if you want to lose the last few stubborn pounds, cutting calories a little each day is an option. In your situation, I would drop down to 1600 and increase the intensity of my workouts, wait 2 weeks and see if there is any effect!

Congrats on your weight loss to date and good luck!

[grrrkgrrrl]

Originally Posted by Dagny18

But how old are you? I'm 23 and I am 2 inches taller than you...Livestrong.com/TDP suggests that for a sedentary person I should eat about 1900 calories. So, I eat below that and exercise...the only thing is I do not have a heart rate watch though...

if your maintenance is 1900cals and you eat around 1800 expect to see results very slowly. try to eat around 1500, and see how it goes.
to get rid of 1 pound you need to make 3500kcals deficit.
so if you eat 1800 expect to lose 1 pound in 35 days :P

excersise helps! but people sometimes OVERESTIMATE how much they burn through excersise. and those little machines that say how much you burn are very often wrong.

my 2c

[lychee]

Originally Posted by Dagny18

But how old are you? I'm 23 and I am 2 inches taller than you...Livestrong.com/TDP suggests that for a sedentary person I should eat about 1900 calories. So, I eat below that and exercise...the only thing is I do not have a heart rate watch though...

I'm 28, so I don't really think that's going to make too much of a difference.

Regardless of what any of those online calculators tell you, something in your plan is being overestimated because you're maintaining and not losing weight or inches.

150-160 is a healthy range for your height, so I don't think your problem is that you're stuck at a "set point". The last 15-20 pounds is always the hardest to lose, especially if you've been dieting for a while. You've done great to lose as much weight as you have by eating 1800 calories a day. Right now though, you need to do something to jump start your weight loss again so you can reach your goal. Cutting your calories temporarily should get the scale moving again. If you don't want to do that, increase your exercise. Either way, change something up and get that scale moving again. You can do it!