Basically, the problem I’ve been having lately is that I’m struggling to stick to my calorie deficit. I have a deficit of about 600-800 most days, which allows me lose about 1-1.5 lb (albeit, not always consistently) per week, or about 4-6lb per month. This seems to be a healthy loss for my weight (186lbs.) Usually in order to achieve this loss I eat about 1900 calories and exercise for one hour per day (typically running.) Lately, however, I’ve been consuming about 2,200 calories per day and doing the same amount of exercise. Since I’ve been doing this the scales have been pretty much stuck and my weight has been yo-yoing a lot. I know if I try and cut back to 1900 I’m just going to be hungry -- I feel like I need the extra food most days.

Anyway, what I was wondering is do you think it would be a good idea to implement a one-hour long power walk in addition to my other exercise about 3-4 times a week? If I’m calculating this correctly that’ll burn about 1600 extra calories per week and thus allow me extra flexibility if I do go slightly over with my calories on a few occasions. The reason I say power-walking rather than running is that I’ve heard multiple times that it’s not a good idea to do any moderate/intense exercise for more than about an hour (such as running, skipping, gym work) since it can be muscle wasting. I want to preserve as much muscle mass as possible!

Also, aside from the exercise I currently do (one hour of running a day,) I do very little other exercise, so I was thinking it may be beneficial from a health point of view, too.

I'm curious what you're eating and how much you're eating. Do you think you could put an example of your diet so we can see? Exercising too much can cause injury and we might find an easier way to lower your caloric intake so that you have a better balance and aren't stressing too much!

I don't think it works that way. The extra exercise will make you even hungrier and might not burn as much as you think and therefore not allowing you to eat as much more as you think you could.

Isn't it just the most annoying thing that as our body weight decreases, so does that deficit? Anyway, what I did was first lower my deficit goal to 500 a day because like you I knew that cutting my calories much more was just asking for trouble (my range 1500-1700). Then when I went grocery shopping I checked for the lower calorie options of the foods I eat. Slightly smaller tortillas and avocados for example and mixing my nonfat vanilla yogurt with plain yogurt. None of those changes were huge and I would have laughed them off when I started out being able to eat 2200 calories and lose, but the tweaks did knock off 80-100 cals most days without me really noticing.

OK here's a sample of what I often eat in a day:

50g porridge = 178 calories, 112 ml milk = 54.88 calories, banana = 112 calories, rasberries = 35 calories + 1 slice of bread (96 calories ) and 10g butter (54 calories.)

Or 2 eggs (172.4 calories,) one slice of wholemeal toast = 96 calories, 10g butter = 54 calories (sometimes with beans and sometimes without - if with then add another 130 calories.)

Or Special K (honey and oats) - 45g (170.55 calories) + 130 ml milk = 63.7 calories

Or just plain toast and butter (192 cals) + 20g butter (108 calories) - sometimes with cheese slices (made into a toasty.) If I add cheese that's an extra 98 calories.

They're pretty much the main breakfasts I have.

Lunch is a tricky one (tends to be where I fall down.) I either have:

Another cheese toasty (192 + 108 calories)
Three Rye-Vitas and cottage cheese (about 99 calories + 54 for butter + 40 for cottage cheese.)
Or a sandwhich if I'm out such as BLT (on ciabatta bread) with salad. Or a mozzarella panini SOMETIMES with a dessert such a bun or biscuit (350-450 calories.)
Soup (226 calories) with wholemeal bread or roll (about 179 calories) and butter = 108 calories.

Dinners tend to be:

Veggie sausages x 3 (237 calories,) mash x 8 (408 calories,) vegetables (20 calories,) stock or gravy = 30 calories.
Lasange = 550 calories, salad + dressings (light mayo,) = 80 calories, garlic bread = 192 calories
Stir-fry (142 calories,) beef (200 calories,) dressings etc (120 calories.)
Wholewheat spagetti (455) + bolognese (153 calories.)

Then for snacks I have things like:

Grapes (200g) = 173 calories
Cottage cheese (100g) = 114 calories
Fruit (apple) = 116 calories or banana = 112 calories
Cheese toasty (110 calories, 54 cals butter, 98 calories cheese.)
x 2 eggs + milk = 90 calories
Then about 200 ml of milk in tea (semi-skimmed) = 98 calories

I probably have too many snacks a day, but it's through genuine hunger, rather than greed. I think most of my calories are fairly clean, although I'm sometimes let down by my lunches and at the weekend if I have a Chinese etc. I'd say my calories are about 75-80% clean and rest is just OK or not that great.

I know over-exercising can cause injury, but exercise doesn't get much more natural than walking. And it would be gentle. I just don't want to have to worry about a few extra calories a day sabotaging my whole week as it has been lately.

One hour of running a day isn't very little exercise if that's all you do

I'm wondering if you aren't eating enough and that's why you are holding steady? I say keep eating 2200 calories the next 2 weeks and see if you go down in weight- if you are burning 2500-2700 calories per day but taking in 1900 your body might not want to let go cuz the deficit is too large now. Sometimes a small change like upping the calories does help. I wouldn't add the additional exercise just yet.

You need a balanced workout routine that includes aerobic, anaerobic, and flexibility. If the only exercise you are doing is running, which is aerobic/cardio, try adding some anaerobic exercise like weight lifting and circuit training and flexibility exercise like yoga or pilates.

Your food choices seem to be very carb heavy which could be causing the hunger. Try adding more protein to your meals.

Vary where your calories are coming from. I need to eat very low calorie to lose and low carb to not be hungry. Where my calories comes from is viatlly important.

What time during the day are you running?

This is probably bad of me, but I stopped running as I found it made me unbelievably hungry and I just could not cut my calories while running so much. I've also found it best to lift weights or do yoga in the evening, and that way I can go to sleep before the hunger tends to set in too much. But when I was running, I was starving around the clock. And I didn't lose any weight whatsoever.

Maybe mix it up with running some days and weights or yoga others?