cant shift last 20 lbs....advice please!!!!

i had a baby 6 months ago, and gained a lotof weight during pregnancy...i'm talking 5 stone!!!

i have managed to get down to 160 pounds, and my goal weight is 140 pounds, which was my pre-pregnancy weight.

i have been 160 for 2 months now and the weight is not shifting.

i am eating around 1200 cals per day, admittedly sometimes more on sat/sundays, and am covering 12 miles on the treadmill every week - mixture of walking, jogging and sprinting intervals. i'm also doing some toning exercises daily.

what can i do to shift this weight?

help!!!!!!!!

EAT MORE!!! By jogging and I am presuming breast feeding you are burning a lot so you are STARVING yourself! 1200 is the minimum for someone who is very sedentary! Your body is in starvation mode!!!

I would definitely agree with the other reply.  You are definitely not eating enough.  Also, look at the composition of what you are eating.  I would also make sure you get with your doctor regarding diet.  Being that you have a newborn, your dietary needs are not just your own but your babies as well and you want to make sure you don't do anything that would unnecessarily put your child at a higher risk for any health conditions. 

(I don't know what these may be specifically - as I am a guy - but I would definitely consult your doctor) 

Also, I would not do some "toning" exercises.  Lift the weights like you have a purpose to get muscular.  YOU WON'T GET BIG AND BUFF!  Trust me.  You would need to eat more than double what you are currently eating to start adding any kind of noticeable muscle mass.  What you will do is firm up the muscle and tighten up areas (Such as the triceps, thighs and calves).  "Toning" exercises are generally useful if there is solid muscle to tone built as a foundation.  If there is not a solid foundation of muscle they act more like light cardio or stretching exercise.

Very Respectfully,

Jonny

Original Post by so_anyway:

 1200 is the minimum for someone who is very sedentary! Your body is in starvation mode!!!

 I wish people would stop calling it starvation mode. It's not starvation mode, it's CONSERVATION mode. If your body thinks there is a shortage of food, it will store and/or conserve your body fat to keep you going. Eat healthy when you are hungry. IF you are breastfeeding, you definitely need more calories for your baby's sake, and for your own. You only want a 1000 calorie deficit at most. I started hitting a plateau. I added just a little more fat and carbs into my diet, maybe 3-400 more calories a day at least, and it started melting off again. Hope this helps.

Have a mini-binge. Go buy some of your favorite food, no matter what it is, sit down and eat it. Then go back to your diet. Sounds dumb, I know, but your body will leave conservation mode and you'll start losing again. ^_^ Plus you get a delicious mini-binge. You know you want it.

Works for my friends and I.

increase cals by 2-300 for 2 weeks, then eat at maintainence , not under, but exercising to burn them calories, trust it works!

Original Post by samismilexx:

Have a mini-binge. Go buy some of your favorite food, no matter what it is, sit down and eat it. Then go back to your diet. Sounds dumb, I know, but your body will leave conservation mode and you'll start losing again. ^_^ Plus you get a delicious mini-binge. You know you want it.

Works for my friends and I.

I say this is a bad idea. It might work for some people, but for others it can send them into the binge/restrict trap and then it's hard as he|| to get yourself out of it.

thanks, hmmm, i just always thought eating more calories would make me gain weight. i will try eating 1500 and see if anything changes.

i will also start using weights and up the cardio. i hope that will kickstart tthe weightloss!