Hey.. Okay, i currently weigh 160 lbs, i wanna get down to 145, i started out at nearly 180 lbs, so im doing good so far ( that was 2 months or so ago ) and anyway.. ive been walking an hour or so a day, almost everyday ( cept when its relaly cold and rainy, i live in northern canada ). And ive also been eating a pretty balanced diet, at least i think its good.. no junk food but i also get enough of everything else, and i dont drink pop or anything.. well anyway.. ive seem to reach a point at 160 that i CANT get below.. the last 2 weeks ive been going from 161 to 159 to 160 to 161 to 159 ect.. can someone give me SOME TYPE of info or sumthing lol. anything is appreciated. Also.. Im a 18 year old guy, about 5"9

Hi there! Having 21 and 23 year old sons who struggle to maintain their weight I can see where you're coming from.

First, I'm guessing you've probably reached a "plateau" in your weightloss. You've done a wonderful job of losing 20 pounds in two months! That's a great weightloss! Now your body is just saying "hold on buddy. Let me get used to this for a minute."

You didn't say what you are drinking instead of pop. If it's water, that's great. If it's juice or some other calorie ridden beverage, it might not be.

If you are drinking water, and you're drinking 6-8 glasses a day consistently, then shake it up a little. Drink 8 today, 9 tomorrow, and then 6 the next day. Sometimes that's enough to shake things up and break a plateau. If you're not drinking water at all...then START. At least 6 glasses a day.

Also, just a thought. 160 pounds for a guy of 5'9" is pretty darn close to what the charts say is "ideal". Your body may have just gotten to it's "right" size. Perhaps stepping up a strength training routine will help tone up the flabby areas and reduce the last little bit that you need to. Some weights or even the exercise bands might be a great addition to your walking routine.

Hope this helps. Good luck to you for becoming fit and healthy.

Defcon - again, congrats on the 20 lbs!!!!! That's great loss for only 2 months. What strikes me is that (without looking at any charts) 160 does seem to be around the ideal for your height and gender. But...if you are determined to break this plateau, keep in mind that you have been doing alot of new activity, which builds muscle, and muscle weighs more than fat. So even though the scale is not changing, your body is. Sometimes, as ThinThinker said, our bodies just need to stop and adjust to the huge change that it just went through. So, my point is do not lose faith, don't beat yourself up over it, try changing up your exercise routine, or varying your daily calorie intake, or just give it a little time. Plateaus never last forever.

*hugs*
-Washu-

and oh yeah, Drink That Water!!!

To the both of you, thanx a lot for the info, and yup.. ive been drinking an average of 6 glasses of water or so a day! sumtimes in the mourning i have a glass of tropicana orange juice tho, just for sumthing different :P but besdies that im 90% water.. I know that 160 is pretty close to the ideal weight, so im not expecting to lose much more on the scales, but what i want to try and achieve now ( as you stated ) was to tone my body, build sum muscle and lose fat at the same time.. what kinda diet do you suggest is best to do this?

Thanx again for the help!

hmmm, weights / resistance training will help you build muscle. Pilates is a great body-resistance program that tones 'core' muscle groups. You can find videos or group classes just about everywhere.
Biggest suggestion: find something that you enjoy and would do for the rest of your life. ( Tennis, soccer, rollerblading, Ti-Chi, Tae Kwon Do, what ever.)
As far as diet, stay healthy, lean proteins help build muscle tone... give you longer lasting energy too. ummm, just use common sense, it's all about the exercise now.
-W-

And what kinda food can i get "lean protein" in? :P I dont know nothing about diets and all the stuff thats in food, i just lost my weight by common sense lol, "you eat less and workout more = lose weight" :P Thanx for the help again!

It's me again. Lean protein can be found in fish or chicken, turkey and pork. Make sure it's baked, grilled or broiled though. Stay away from anything fried.

yeah, what she said meat w/out fat on it. Beans are a good source of protein, so are nuts but some of them have alot of oil so be careful.

WEll thas great! Cuz tonight i was planning to grill a nice boneless skinless chicken breast for myself, along with sum steamed veggies I love the two of that together on my plate! Mhmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm thanx for the help you both.. so can ya tell me a lil bit about yourselfs? like where your from, age, and your weight loss stories? thanx.. Bye Again!