Hello again! I am a newbie to the forum. 3 years ago joined a gym at 190 pounds..8 months later got down to 150 through 1 hour of exercise per day and strict South Beach dieting...

Currently 165 and struggling to get back down... below is my usual daily routine!


Thank you for the replies! That keeps me motivated. Just got done running 1 mile and walking 1.5 at an incline and some floor work. That is my usual routine. Doesn't seem to be enough to get my scale to budge. It is getting frustrating! I eat South Beach protein bar for breakfast with 2 Nalgenes of water, 1 diet Mt Dew and then a shake I make for lunch. 1 cup lite soy milk, 1/2 scoop protein powder, 1/2 cup frozen berries, 1 packet Splenda, sprinkle of cinnamon and a little bit of almond extract and blend. Its around 250 calories. I snack on almonds, sunflower seeds, or have a string cheese if I am hungry around 2-3pm. Dinnertime is usually a lean protein, salad, veggie and a little portion of whole grain starch. I buy no sugar added popsicles for snacks at dinner time. I'd be lying if I didn't have a bite of the kiddies foods now and then! I do sometimes cheat when we go to dinner out which is once a week or so. I am usually really diligent and good at my diet. Exercise if never a problem as I do it every day but Sunday. My scale doesn't seem to budge at 165! Still have a nice belly roll too! My running keeps my legs and behind from getting really big...but 2 years ago I was at 150..but of course I was running 3-5 miles and sometimes 7 at a time. I can't keep that pace up....so that is probably why I have gained the 15 back! Trying to find a balance and struggling mentally!!! ahhh!
Well thanks for reading!!!
Melissa

MELISSA ~ if you are jogging 6 days a week plus everything else you are doing, that is already a lot of exercise. It doesn't sound like you are eating that much really, so it could be that you need to change things up a bit. Your plan also sounds quite low in grain/starch carbs; low fruit; and veggies only 1 meal a day (dinner). Uhmmm ... it is possible that you are not eating enuff -- your body may be fighting loss at this point.

The best thing might be to do a journal every day for 2 weeks to see just how many calories you are eating; plus keep track of your exercise as well. You may need to zigzag a bit ... actually add some food to your lunch menu or in a snack every other day. As for the tummy, have you tried doing any situps or other toning exercises for that? You can go down a size by doing that alone ...

It is very possible that your body is happy with you at 165 lbs at 5'6" -- I have seen this before many times on this site. By doing other toning exercises, you can see inches and sizes lost while your body settles a bit. You don't want to gain; and you need to eat healthy for the rest of your life anyways, so just keep going and you'll eventually see some kind of change take place ...

Thank you so much for the reply. It helps to read other people's thoughts. I have to get out of the mindset of eating=gaining weight...I need to add some more fruit..thinking a small apple..
I will definitely start a journal..that would shed some light on calories and expenditures! How many calories should I be eating for a steady weight loss?

Well, the basic formula is 165 lbs x 10 = 1650 calories to maintain your weight for a non-active sedentary person, but you are quite active with jogging, so that would be calculated at about 165 x 12 (or higher) = 1980 calories each day to maintain.

The rule of thumb is that you can use up 500 calories a day to lose 1 lb a week (that includes calorie deficit plus exercise) for a 1-2 lb loss per week. That would be about 1480 a day for you. You could try for 1400 one day and 1500 the next and see what happens ... then later on, if you see no movement or loss for some time, cut by 50 calories a day or use up 50 calories more a day, but I think you might see some movement. Some people vary there calories by 200 (ie 1400-1600) and zig-zag them every other day.

This is not an exact science but just a guestimate to give you an idea of where to start ... hope that helps.

Hi and welcome!

Melissa:
The thing that I found that takes weight off is weight training because lean muscle mass is always going to burn more calories than fat. After I started weight training consistently for 6 months the weight fell off.
Are you lifting?