Hi, I've been trying to lose weight on and off since I was a teen but it has gotten particularly hard lately i've gained up to my highest weight 3 years ago and managed to lose 50lbs I stopped working out for a while due to a knee injury which has recovered now and i gained 20 of that back i've been trying for the past few months to lose weight doing cardio (walking/jogging) average heart rate 150+ twice a day 5-6 days a week and some strength training at home with kettle bells and i have a workout bench but nothing seems to be happening i'm eating around 1200-1300 calories a day and im not sure how accurate but according to my fitness thing i use im burning around 400-600 calories during my workouts a day i currently weigh 220lbs and I'm 5'5 any advice would be appreciated I'm starting to lose hope

I have the same problem running a calorie deficit, eating clean, doing cardio 5-6 days a week and the fat simply will NOT come off of me. I've been doing this routine for about 3 months and have lost a measly 3 pounds. Seriously??? I'm considering going to a doctor to see if something is actually wrong with me...

I think a lot of calculators figure calories burned wrong. My Fitbit figures for a half hour of HIIT I'm only burning about 118 calories. That's disappointing- less than a piece of chocolate! But it is what it is.

You might try tweaking your macros (carbs, fat, protein). I tend to lose weight faster when I reduce carbs and increase my protein, even if caloric intake is the same. From the reading I've done, some people are much more sensitive to carbs and insulin is the hormone that causes fat storage. Less carbs is less insulin is less fat storage. Not all people are that sensitive, but I am. Maybe you are as well.

I know how frustrating this is. I have been on low low carbs since last October, eating clean and I do mean no pasta, rice, flour products at all and have only lost 25lbs. I just completed a 4 week 5 days a week exercise program that included, HIIT, cardio and strength training and gained 3.8lbs now this really hurts.

But because of this lifestyle I have been able to drop two out of three medications for high blood pressure so I will continue to hang in here

I know how frustrating this is. I have been on low low carbs since last October, eating clean and I do mean no pasta, rice, flour products at all and have only lost 25lbs. I just completed a 4 week 5 days a week exercise program that included, HIIT, cardio and strength training and gained 3.8lbs now this really hurts.

But because of this lifestyle I have been able to drop two out of three medications for high blood pressure so I will continue to hang in here

I'm really sorry that you're having such a hard time when you're working so hard. It's really tough mentally and emotionally when that happens. We're all here for you for whatever support you need.

As for breaking the plateau, lots of people have success with actually upping their caloric intake. I know it seems backwards, but the way I understand it (taken from non-scientific, non-referenced internet sources, so take this as you will), when we don't give our bodies enough calories, they actually start storing everything we give it as fat to make sure it has enough energy to keep functioning. It goes into "starvation mode" to make sure it survives.

According to this calorie calculator, a 25-year old woman (I left the option at default) who is 5'5", weighs 220 lbs, and leads a "very active" lifestyle (according to the calculator's qualifications) needs to consume 2,008 calories every day to lose 2 pounds a week, which is a very healthy rate of loss. By comparison, if you're eating 1300 calories a day, and burning up to 600 a day, you're only giving your body 700 calories to use. It needs them to run its basic functions, like keeping your organs running and your muscles fueled.

I don't know, I'm not a nutritionist, a doctor, or in any kind of scientific field, so don't take my word for it. But increasing your calorie intake for a little bit and seeing what happens might be something to consider.

I hate doing low carb im not a big fan of meat tbh and last time i did it i had zero energy which i already struggle with low energy in general

I do south beach, it isn't low carb, it's healthier ones like whole grain bread - with at least 3 g of fiber, brown rice, couscous, quinoa, etc. I could do it just fine without ever eating red meat. I eat a lot of chicken, fish, pork as well.

I started around where you are and I'm just a little taller. I eat about 1500 a day. I didn't even exercise at first, I needed to focus on food first. I log everything I eat on my fitbit. Every bite, lick, taste, etc. I measure everything.

You should google your bmr, it tells you how many calories you burn for your age, height and weight and you can then multiply it by your activity level. I think ultimately no matter what plan you follow, it becomes calories in vs calories out. So something is off. Usually it's the calories. If you are hungry, you cannot possibly do it long term. I tried a few days going to the 1200 - 1300 level and I was seriously hungry all day and night.

i used a calculator and it says my bmr is 1771.8

So 1771 is how many calories you need to eat to maintain your weight if you don't exercise. So for a pound a week you need to burn and/or cut 500 calories a day from your diet. You could aim to eat 1500 a day and walk every day for at least 30 minutes.