i decided to start losing weight a little over a year ago. at fist it was great i dropped 10ib pretty easily. and then it slowed down. over the next like nine months i excerised 5-6 times a week and eat very healthily and lost between 5-10lb. but now i keep going between those lbs. and it seems to me that my new lifestyle way of eating has become so regular that i can't seem to be able to loose any more weight! i still exercise regularly and eat very well. i'v tried reducing calories without much sucess and don't want to reduce to much because much lower it would be unhealthy. i'm rumming out of ideas. any thoughts?

Shae15,

Congratulations on your progress so far. You should be really proud of your accomplishment. The following are some areas that hopefully will help you.

1. It could be that you are not eating enough to accomodate the amount of excercise you're doing. You did not mention how many calories/day you are eating but this could be your problem. Try adding a little protein to your diet. This could be as simple as a strategicly placed supplement such as a protein drink or bar. Nashu Nutritionals has some great supplements like hot chocolate with 10 gm of protein for as little as 80-100 cals. Adding an egg to your breakfast or a scoop of protein powder to your oatmeal may also do the trick. Finally, perhaps you could add some more veggies to bring up your cals a little.

2. On the other hand, have you been doing the same type of excercise for the past year? This could also be the culprit. Your body will adapt to exercise very easily. Are you only running on the treadmill everyday or doing only cardio? Why not try the elliptical or a spinning class? Even changing the way you run or walk could make the difference. For instance, running outside will challenge your body because you have to deal with the elements. Perhaps you are working out at home. Now might be the time to take it to the gym or add weight training. Finnally, maybe you could mix it up a bit and try something you haven't done before. One thing I did was participate in a 30 day bootcamp class. We met every morning at 6 am rain or shine. The class really kicked my butt. The first week I was extremely sore in places I didn't know I had. Areas like the muscles around my rib cage were hurting because I was using my whole body to exercise. By the end of the 30 days I was a lot stronger and had more definition and tone. I also found that my body shape changed.

3. Are there any hidden calories that you are mindlessly sneaking in? Several pieces of candy a chip or two from a friends plate. Too many sugarfree or fat free products. Sometimes we tend to over consume these items without realizing it. I know I have been guilty of that. It may be a simple as tightening up on your portion control and measuring and weighing your food.

Well I hope these suggestions are helpful. Sorry for the long winded reply.

Your body has adapted to the number of calories you consume/burn with exercise by lowering your metabolism to maintain your weight.

rswlchic aka Geans gave you some excellent suggestions re exercise and eating changes. You might want to also consider this one (painful as it sounds) if you are dieting counting calories.

Eat 500 more calories every day for a week (yes, this involves a bit of weight gain ). Continue with your exercise as is. Then the following week drop down to your previous calorie consumption. This might kick start your body into losing again.

I'm sure there are other places on this site with info about metabolism - check them out too

Dagmar