advice pleeeeeeaaasssseeee.
 

So I've been on a plateau for the last 2 months and it's very frustrating. I've tried upping my calories, lowering my calories, upping exercise, lessening exercise, and nothing seems to be helping and i'm getting to the point where I just want to give up.

When I look in the mirror I see myself exactly the same as I did 60 lbs ago, and it's frustrating and hurtful and I HATE having such a horrible body image. I feel so gross and fat.

The weight on my stomach seems to be sticking (hooray for apple shapes!). I know that I've lost weight there, because it's all squishy and saggy and no matter if I wear pants that are tight or loose, it always cuts my stomach in half and no matter what i look like I have a spare tire. It sucks and I feel like I'll never be able to look good in clothes.

I don't know... I guess I'm just looking for support and encouragement. I see my boyfriend in 3 weeks after not seeing him for 3 months (he's been in bootcamp) and I feel like such a failure for only losing 10 lbs since he's last seen me. I've struggled with bulimia since I was 14 (I'm now 19) and I thought I recovered, but it's times like these that make me want to go back to my old ways.

:(

((Melissa))

You can do this! Why don't you throw in some aerobic type classes or focus on strength training, if you haven't already?

Your boyfriend doesn't care how much you weigh - he'll want to see YOU, the girl he loves and has missed, and who also has the victory of losing 10lbs!

If the above doesn't apply, he ain't the right one for you.

Plateaus...ehh. Difficult...it sounds like you are already very conscious of how much you are eating/expending. Do you keep a daily record so you can see if too many calories are sneaking in somewhere?

If its been 2 months of effort and no results, maybe you could look into thyroid testing...perhaps you have a medical problem that is hampering your efforts.

Hey melissa, Where in WA are you from?? I could have written your post. I just lost my first pound since March. (I lost 3 pounds after having the flu for 2 days) before that I hadn't lost since December. Hang in there, it Will happen, our bodies are just a little crazy and they dont want us to lose.
Have you tried mixing up your workouts? Do you weight lift?

As for the pant thing, I have the same problem, I can wear size 14 pants but because of all the belly skin I always have a muffin top (I HATE that phrase, but it is the best way to describe it) I usually wear size 18 or 16 pants to avoid that problem, but then the pants hang on me.

SIGH, Dont feel like a failure for any reason! You have done great so far, 61 pounds is AMAZING! I am sure your boyfriend will be happy to see YOU!

(BTW did you know the closer to your goal you get it is harder to lose? ya it sucks)

I live in Everett.

I do record what I eat, but I've honestly been to scared to try weight training. It's overwhelming all of the different things you can do... maybe I should invest in a couple of personal training sessions just to get down the basics of weight training?

Thanks guys... I'm starting to feel better already.

If you have the money, investing in some personal training is a great idea. Muscles eat more calories than fat does, which is very nice and certainly it won't hinder your weight loss. Just make sure that when you hire your trainer, you are able to tell him/her what your goals are and what you expect to get from the training. There are lots of different approaches and programs and you want one that will suit your personal goals.

Incidentally, how many calories are you eating each day, and how much cardio are you doing? Have you been taking your measurements so that you can see if you're losing inches rather than pounds?

Finally, even if you never lose another pound, and you stay at 173 for the rest of your life, that's still MUCH better than being 234 pounds. You should be really proud of your accomplishment and the healthy choices you've been making. Weight training and regular exercise and healthy eating are ALWAYS better than overeating and/or purging. You can't possibly feel good about yourself if you have your fingers stuck down your throat and it is important that you feel good about yourself.

Hooray for a healthy diet and exercise!

I think personal training sessions are a great idea, especially if you don't know how to use the machines. I don't do to much in the way of weight training (weight wise) I use lighter weights to help me tone.

Have you done pilates? I used to but my kids (1 1/2 and 4) like to jump on me when I get on the floor. Ive done classes but my work schedule doesn't allow me to do them regularly. Pilates really do help tone the lower half of your body. (I guess I am talking to myself here too) I better start doing them regularly again!!!

(I live on the coast, used to live in Bellingham)

lovelypurple, what's your average daily calorie intake for the last week?

Jay

I try to stay between 1400 and 1500 calories.

My suggestion would be to drop to 1300 to 1400 daily average for a week or two and see how that goes. It will most likely take more than a few days to see a difference. Make sure to keep your protein up, though. :D

Jay

THAT REMINDS ME... I found these neat little chicken breast thingies at the grocery store. They come in a bag already with bbq flavor on them, they tak 25 minutes to bake, and they're 130 calories each. Low sodium, and I think I'd die without them. They're perfect and so easy.

THanks jay, I'll give it another shot.

I'd agree, try lowering them or staggering them.. say 1400 one day and 1200 the next. At my current weight, I was eating 1000 per day and then saw my weight loss slowing down, so now I try to stay between 1100-1300 and am back to losing 1.5 lbs per week.