Good morning Feathers!

I have a question for you chickies! First, some background: My first 5 lbs came off real easy-like...half of it was probably water, and since then I've fluctuated between 123 and 125 (so to me, I'm still 125) for the past month. I've stuck true to my diet, counting calories religiously. My allowance is 1200 per day, I bump it up another 100 calories on days that I work out, and I always eat back at least half of my exercise calories. I cheat once per week by adding another 200-400 calories for that day.

I work out 3-4 days per week, but only for about 45 minutes each time. I do a ~20-minute run and then a round of 30 day shred.

For those of you who are/were in my weight range (and similar height) how much exercise did you find you had to do daily/weekly in order to lose? I have experimented with increasing my calories (which is where I'm at now), and don't think that I could reasonably restrict my intake any further with working out almost every day. I hear some stories on here from girls who are working out like 2 hours a day...my schedule really can't handle that on any day other than the weekends! Is that what it's going to take to get there?

I'm a little taller than you but my starting weight was similiar so here's what worked for me.

Running - three days a week for 30 minutes - 2.5 miles.
Pilates - Three nights a week for 20 minutes. (same days as the running)
Kettlebells - Two nights a week for 30 minutes. (15 lbs.)
Core work - Piggybacked on top of kettlebell work out for 15 minutes.
HIIT Cardio - Once a week for 30 minutes.
All this comes to six days a week with Sundays off.

I also cut out all refined sugar and white flour. No alcohol. Lots of water. Tons of fruits and veggies. Lots of lean protein. No red meat. Whole grains. Limited fruit juices. No soda or carbonated waters. Eating every three hours to keep your metabolism going.

You don't need to work out for 2 hours either. If you have that kind of time, great but I have a hubby and two kids so my time is limited too. I've never worked out for more than 45 minutes at a clip and most of the time it's a half hour. You need to work out smarter not longer. Hope this helps.

Congrats on the weight loss thus far. Awesome!!

When I was truly healthy and at a comfortable weight which I maintained for about 3 years (until I started teaching full time!), I exercised 6 days a week, doing 45 minutes of cardio and about 30-45 minutes of strength at each session. I didn't count total calories, but I rarely ate out, and ate 6 250-350 calorie meals/day.

Meals took a lot of planning and workouts took a significant amount of time as well. I haven't been able to find that kind of time for the past few years and have very gradually gained 10 pounds. Teaching can really be horrendous in that way, but I am part time next year, and can't wait to get back to that feeling. I was so energized and all of my clothes felt great!

I did exercise a lot, but I don't think you have to. You should exercise to tone up, and because you enjoy it, it lowers your risk of heart disease, makes you feel better etc etc. However, to lose fat, you have to make a calorie deficit. It is easier to do that by controlling your diet.

You seem to be doing that already, I'd just keep going and see where you end up. You could try calorie zig zagging or HIIT training to keep your body on its toes. I definitely wouldn't restrict any more or start doing mega cardio sessions. When I was training for a half marathon (regular 2hr runs), I didn't lose any weight at all even though I was eating around 1,600-1,800 calories a day (lower than my maintenance). I think gently does it and if you go too hardcore, your body will rebel.

so is that 1200 cals/day + half your exercise cals + 100 extra on exercise days?? so more like 1500 or 1600 per day? and thats asumming you strictly monitor and WEIGH EVERY bite lick and taste... otherwise, if you eyeball anything, or even use cupsa and tablespoons, you could be off by an addition couple hundred a day, which, at your currrent height and weight...well, that explains why you arent losing weight....... youre at maintenance...eseentially