I don't get it...having troubles

So I'm 5'5", 125lbs and I'd like to be at 120. This has been going on for months. i used to fluctuate at 122, and kept trying to get to 120, but for 2 months nothings changed. 

I do bikram yoga or cycle everyday, sometimes both in one day and weights for 30 mins 2 or 3x a week. I just started yoga about 3 weeks ago. before that I did alot of running. And I walk to work (30 mins) 2x a week (today i skateboarded)

I eat tons of fruit, make salads for dinner. I go out for drinks and dinner once a week. I know I don't get a enough protein. I'm not a big meat eater. but will eat fish.

like everyone, just trying to get to my own target. it's pretty close to beach time.  

120 is MY goal weight. I am 5'2".

ARe you sure you need to lose any more???

yeah. for what I've already gone through and that it is so close to summer, this last 5 would be ideal. 

How many calories are you eating, and how old are you?

im 21. I eat between 1100-1500. I drink coconut water, starbucks iced coffee or a half a bolthouse juice as i go to work. I bring breakfast lunch and snacks to work. kashi cereal, yogurt, berries, luna bar, bananas, apples, trail mix, carrots/peppers and humus, etc. for dinner my salad consists of spinach, peppers, tomatoes, avocado, edamame, mushrooms, walnuts or almonds, tofu. i'll cook salmon or take out sushi (once a week). When I do eat out on the weekend, I always choose seafood or salad/soup and always get the smaller plate. and I try to have somethings every 2 hours.  

Why is it so important to get down to 120? My worry is that you are setting your sights on a goal weight based on what you weighed as a teen, which isn't always feasible, as you are now an adult. I could be wrong, I just see that as a common trend.

Also, you've been on this site for long enough to know that no adult woman should be eating below 1200, and if you were eating in that calorie range when you were younger than 21 (teens and women under 21 should not eat less than 1500), your metabolism could be suffering, making it harder for you to lose weight.

I know. I lurk around at times. try and find tips and what not. I love going to the gym whether for weight lose or not, so I don't plan on giving that up. But I'll try to eat a bit more. aim more for 1500. Maybe its not losing any weight, but just getting ready for the summer time.  But there are also alot of adults that are in this weight range and are fine. 

Look everyone is different. I'm an inch taller than you, and there's no way I'd look any good if I were at 125. But I have a friend who is a couple inches taller than me, and around 125, and she looks great - it's got to do with your frame and how you carry weight, and if some of that weight is muscle. So I can't tell you that 120 is too low for you, because I have no idea how you look at 125.

But maybe instead of focusing on the number, you can focus on how you look, and I think exercise is going to be the best way to accomplish that (although keeping your diet in check and clean is very important - you can't out-train your diet - but it sounds like you get a lot of fruits and veggies, with some healthy fats too, so I'm not sure that you need to fix much with that, except work on finding ways to up your protein - you said you were low on that sometimes).

You say you do weights - do you have a routine?

for weights my primary target is arms. so i try to do various stuff for them. bicep curls, dips, push ups, triceps kickback, rows, shoulder press, rows in the plank position, dumbbell chest press. also squats and lunges. and finish with abs. 

11OO EVEN FOR REST DAYS (LYING IN BED ALL DAY) is far too low! never go below 1200. eat around 1400-1600, you should see results once your metabolism revvs up again, right now your dalliancing with starvation territory.

good luck!

sophiecore,

the reason you may not be losing weight is because your are restricting your calories to severely. Just at rest your body needs 1600 calories based on your ht,wt and age. Then you have to factor in that your are very very active, so you need more calories around 2765 calories. So you are not giving your body enough calories to do its normal functions. when your body goes into starvation mode, the metabolism slows down because the body is trying to conserve energy. also be a female restricting calories below 1200 puts you at risk for health problems such as missed periods, thinning of the hair, brittle hair and bones. Please be careful.also you at your ideal body weight for your height. so maybe focus more on toning. Also you may not be losing because you are building muscle, and muscle is a biggest mass than fat so it weighs more. Take yur measurements you may be losing inches.

Thanks - I'll go to the store after work and buy more protein and things to eat - not just fruit - and I'll be a bit more careful of not going below the amount needed. 

I definitely understand where you're coming from; I'm the same height.  I'm a few pounds heavier though- I've been averaging 130 for the past year or so, and am trying to get down to 125.  I did it once, but I did it the wrong way, on a starvation diet.  I think that everyone who has posted has the right idea, about using food as fuel and focusing on exercise and toning the body.  I also would like to caution you about those extra pounds you see- part of the weight I lost while doing a fruit flush was from my bust, and that was not a result I wanted!  A little bit of curviness never hurt anyone, and if you want visual proof, google "really skinny people" to see some terrifying reality checks.  I'm sure that you're completely gorgeous the way you are- most women tend to be despite our perceptions of ourselves, with the exceptions of those with unhealthy BMIs.

Sophie, I'm not a big meat eater, either.  I have found that whey protein added into my skim milk is an agreeable way to get what I need. 

I hear you... I think the advice everyone is giving is good though.  Make sure you keep up your calorie intake, and eating more small meals should help your metablolism. 

I got some stuff at GNC.. one of the body detox systems.  This is not a detox diet or anything like that... I wouldn't do that.  This is just for your overall health and feeling better.  It cleans out your kidneys, liver, intestines, etc.  I couldn't use the entire bottle (Because it really makes you go... even though it say it won't).. but either way, it got that extra few pounds off when I tried it last year. 

Some people hate them.  But I don't mind it once in a while, it makes me feel more energized, and just overall cleaner.  (This stuff could be a joke, and I may just be experiencing the psychosomatic effects of it though..lol)... But none the less it worked for stubborn pounds. 

I've also been told to be careful, because the weight you are losing isn't body fat, its body water that has been retained, and all that junk built up in your colon and intestines.  So, it comes off easy, but it goes back on easy too. 

:)

Echoing what others have said, your body "won't let" you get to a lower weight than it wants to be without a fight.  Do you really want to spend the rest of your life counting calories, always restricting, worrying about exercise, etc just to be 5 pounds less?  Is it really worth it?  

Hi Sophiecore....like some of the other posters here, I also question whether or not you really need to go another 2 lbs. or so. I took your numbers given and put them into a Body Mass Index calculator (BMI), and it shows you have a BMI of around 21%, considered normal. Bear in mind that anything below a BMI of 18.5% is considered underweight. Also, for your height at 5' 5", your weight range is from 113-138 lbs., so if you weigh 125 lbs. you are smack dab in the middle of that range, and if I were in your shoes, I wouldn't change a thing.