Hi my name is Hannah... not sure where i'm supposed to be posting but i'm new... ive been on my (diet) life changing experience for about 13 weeks and have hit a plateau any one have any suggestions on what i can do to boost up and start losing again. I eat right.....around 1200 cals a day and walk 5 miles everyday takes me 84 minutes.... so far im down 41 pounds but i have got to get this weight off and i know slow is the best way to go but im ready to start looking hot again especially in a bathing suit come summer time in July! So please someone tell me a diet that they used to lose weight.... any suggesstions will be taken very seriously so please help!

5 lbs lost for every carrott

Hello Hannah, I don't think you should reduce your calories any more but maybe try switching up your workout routine! walking 5 miles is great but maybe try biking, swimming and other cardio. i also think that you HAVE to include some form of weight training! building muscle helps burn additional calories. Whatever you do, don't give up! it'll come off eventually.
Best of luck to you,
Aubrey

I agree with Aubrey87, your calories are as low as they should go, and mixing up workouts can also help alot. Maybe consider adding more fiber in the form of fruits and veggies. I don't know what your diet is like now, but maybe you arent getting enough calories. I know that sounds crazy. Some gyms can do metabolism testing. You breath into a machine and it tests your metabolic rate. I was able to get it done at a local gym for 45 dollars. It was exteremly helpful because it told me exactly what my basal rate was so I could know how much to workout and eat to lose. If you are too low on your calories your body can go into starvation mode and this makes your metabolism slow down. Lifting weights is a great way to combat that. Lift weights and eat the right foods when fullfilling your calorie allotments. I am not an expert of course, and this is all information I have read about in various books and magazines, and from my consult with the trainer, and from nutrition classes I have taken in college, but still far far cry from an expert! It is just an idea. This is something I am trying to do myself. So I'll let you know if it works for me!

Treat yourself to a couple of days where you eat 2000 calories, and rest. Then get back into it with renewed vigour. You may find the numbers drop on the scales within a couple of days. Don't ask me to explain why it happens, but if I've been dieting strict for a long period and I pig out for a day, the weight often comes off in the next few days.

First of all...CONGRATS on 41lbs in just 13wks!!! That's awesome!!!

Secondly, I agree with the others....1200 is probably the lowest you should go...and changing up your WO will help too...I think our bodies get used to a certain amount of calories and the same WO day after day...we need to change it up a little! shock our systems!!! and if you do decide to take it up to 2000cal/day for a few, then DO NOT WEIGH during these days!! lol only because you will probably see an increase for a few days, but this should definitely shock your system when you go back down to 1200...

OR maybe you're not eating enough...I know it sounds crazy, but it can be true...try the calculator at www.freedieting.com and put in your age, sex, height, etc. and see what it tells you to eat per day...I usually tried to eat a 100 or so below this number...it may seem like a lot at first, especially with you living on 1200 the past 13wks, but try the higher cal range (from the calculator) for 2 wks and see if you start losing again...

like others have said, I'm not an expert or dietician, but these are things that have worked for me GOOD LUCK!! and let us know what you decide to do and how it works

Or try fooling with your macro percentages. Have a little more protein, good fats, drop your carbs.

You have lots of options to tweak as you go.

I totally agree!! The last time I lost weight this happened to me and my doctor actually told me to up the calories for a day or two and then get right back on. This actually works! It will Re-boot your system and the weight will resume shrinkage.lol. P.s. GREAT job on the weight loss you have already accomplished!!

Wow, we have very similar numbers!

I agree with the advice here. I started in January with about 1750 calories and am now at 1550 (I use the lose it app for iphone, it drops my calorie budget as I lose weight.) I was losing about 3 lbs a week for a while but am now more in the 1-2 lb/week range. Anyway...my point is while I've been doing this a few weeks more than you have, I was still able to lose the same amount of weight with more calories than you're eating...and now I still have room to keep cutting calories for a while, where you're already at the recommended minimum. Though my weight loss has slowed some, it's still going in the right direction pretty consistently...I've never had more than a week where I didn't lose anything.

Like others have said, sometimes it's good to have a "cheat" day. A couple weeks ago I was stricly OP all week and only lost a pound. The next week included some planned weekend cheats (i.e. Pizza) and I lost over two pounds that week. Who knows why that works, but perhaps it has to do with tricking your metabolism?

A lot of other people also swear by "zig zagging", meaning you shoot for a daily average, but have some higher and lower calorie days. For example, if your goal is 1500 cals, you eat 1500 one day, 1700 the next, then maybe 1300 after that. Again, "tricking" the metabolism.

I am not any kind of nutrition or fitness expert either, just throwing out some ideas!

Hang in there. It gets tough and frustrating sometimes (I know exactly what you mean about summer coming...I was hoping to get closer to onederland than I am), but all we can do is keep on keeping on. It WILL happen sooner or later!

I calorie cycle (or zigzag as some call it). It absolutely works because it lets your body know it is okay to drop fat because you are not starving.

Our bodies are designed to hold on to weight because they are designed to survive. When your body feels it is on a rationed amount of food, it is going to conserve every bit of fat it can.

Calorie cycling has been around in the weight-lifting world for decades. Basically, as a previous poster said -- you set a weekly average... mine is around 1700 calories -- so your week would look like (as example)

mon 1600
tue 1650
wed 1800
thurs 1450
fri 1900

and so on.. so long as the calories divided by 7 equal the average you are aiming for, like 1700.

It absolutely works for me and allows me to plan my higher calorie allowance days for special events, parties, eating out etc.

41 lbs in 13 weeks is GREAT!!!!! I know when I've lost fast I've plateaued for a while and I figure it's my body "catching up" - I keep doing what I'm doing - sometimes changing things around and eventually I start losing again

GOOD FOR YOU!!! Way to stick with it!! Glad we could help

So happy this worked for you! I may try it myself! Good for you for getting right back on plan. 44 pounds lost is fantastic!