I need your advice!

I hit the wall and I need your help!

I am 22 years old, 5'3'', 124 pounds and my goal weight is 115. I have lost about 16 pounds in the past couple months with the help of calorie count and now I've been stuck at 1224 for two weeks now. I eat somewhere between 1200-1300 calories a day (whole grains, veggies, fruit, protein, all homemade foods) and do 30 min treadmill and 15 minute strength training 5 days a week (started to go to the gym this month). What am I doing wrong? Not eating enough? or not exercising enough? Maybe I should start doing yoga? Please help, I feel very close yet pretty darn far away from my goal. 

Well 14 pounds would be ten percent of your body weight, I've read that our bodies try to resist losing more than this because of our set point and it might be best to switch to maintenance for a while so that your body can adjust to the lower weight before trying to lose again. Just a though but since you're not getting anywhere eating at maintenance could have a rebound effect and allow you to lose again when you lower your calories. Congrats on what you've acconplished so far and know thàt 124 is perfectly healthy for someone your height!!

You're already in the middle of the healthy weight range.  But if you're doing that much exercise you're probably not eating enough.  You're only 22, so I would recommend eating more like 1450-1600 cals instead of 1200-1300 to lose weight. 

Genetics may kick in though... you just may not be able to get down to 115.

I'm 5'3" as well... 29... and currently 159, working my way toward 135 with the hopes of getting to 125.  Even when I was active and skinny 10 years ago, I wasn't 115... I was more like 120-125.

Good luck.

Thanks for the advice. I know it has nothing to do with genetics, I am petite, and so is my mom an she is 110 pounds. Right now i have a belly, and when I say a belly I mean a hand full of jiggly goodness hanging down from my pants type of a belly. Anyways thanks for the advice and I will change my calorie intake this week and see if that helps. 

Thanks for the advice chrissy. I think this week I'll try to increase my calorie intake and if that doesn't make a difference I'll try to just maintain and than start again.

The closest you get to your ideal weight the hardest it will be to shed the remaining pounds as you'll plateau for longer periods.

According to www.healthstatus.com/calculate/iwc  for your height of 5' 3", your ideal healthy weight is 126 pounds (recommended weight range is between 112 and 140 pounds). According to http://walking.about.com/cs/calories/l/blcalc weight.htm your ideal weight is 115 pounds. Fitness Online  http://www.fitnessonline.com/tools/idealweigh t/estimates the ideal weight range in between 121-135 pounds. So I'm not sure you'll be able to get down to 115, it depends on many factors from  and I agree with michachu, you're eating 1200cal and exercising/burning quite a bit...Maybe starvation-mode kicked in and it's difficulting your progress - this might just be a plateau. Try changing the type and order of foods you eat a bit. The way I deal with plateaus is by upping my caloric intake by 200-250cal (1400-1450 cal/day) for a couple of days then decreasing again to 1200cal on the 3rd day and go up again in the couple of days after that; try to decrease your amount of exercise a little, too (I don't exercise for 5-7days and it helps) - this will trick your body in thinking you're not 'starving' anymore and hopefully you'll start losing again.

Original Post by blank179:

a hand full of jiggly goodness

 Sorry, this just cracked me up. :)

Sounds like you've either hit a plateau or a set point.  Like the others have said, up your calories, because you're probably not getting enough.

If you're already down to 124, I wouldn't focus so much on losing more weight, but on toning up.  That is what will get rid of "jiggly goodness."

Yoga, pilates, strength training, kickboxing, Zumba... all of these will help tone!

Doesn't seem like your calorie intake is high enough, but if you plan on increasing it you need to make sure you increase only the protein content.

 

It's wonderful that you strength train 5 days a week! Perhaps you could up your cardio a bit more... or up the intensity? Do you feel as though your work outs are easy now?

 

Oh and are you drinking your calories at all? Sometimes people forget that drinking calories can contribute to a weight loss stall!

 

Good luck girlie! While your at a healthy weight right now, I know what it feels like to not be happy with what you see in the mirror.

 

DISCLAIMER: I am not promoting anything - people can take or leave my advice.

Well first I think you have hit a plateau! Definitely! But 30 minutes of treadmill really doesnt burn as many calories as you think..... And 15 minutes of weight training???? Not quite sure what you are trying to accomplish in 15 minutes? You should be kicking up your work out routine A LOT!!  To get those last pounds off you really should be hitting it HARD! Not sure what kind of schedule you have but definitely put in more time at the gym.  

Original Post by giasbash6260:

Doesn't seem like your calorie intake is high enough, but if you plan on increasing it you need to make sure you increase only the protein content.

 

It's wonderful that you strength train 5 days a week! Perhaps you could up your cardio a bit more... or up the intensity? Do you feel as though your work outs are easy now?

 

Oh and are you drinking your calories at all? Sometimes people forget that drinking calories can contribute to a weight loss stall!

 

Good luck girlie! While your at a healthy weight right now, I know what it feels like to not be happy with what you see in the mirror.

 

DISCLAIMER: I am not promoting anything - people can take or leave my advice.

giabash: stop talking out of both sides of your mouth.  you are telling her to both cut calories (via watching her consumption of liquid calories) and do cardio AND telling her she's not eating enough.  it doesn't make ANY sense.  and what rule is there that one should only increase cals via increasing protein? 

you ARE promoting a particular lifestyle, gia, by giving people advice.  your disclaimer is empty.  your attachment to excessive cardio and rigid patterns of eating, however, continues to bubble over even when you try to qualify it.  you're NOT providing helpful or healthy advice. and so long as this continues to be your contribution to this website, i will continue to post in response to your "advice."

and niffer: if the OP is only eating 1200 calories, she doesn't need to be working out a TON to lose more weight, especially since she's already at a healthy weight. 

Laura: The trick is to burn more than what you consume... 30 minutes of cardio and 15 minutes of weight training are not going to burn 1200 calories. Unless she is at a high speed run on that treadmill.  I dont think she should lose any more weight! I think 124 is a healthy normal weight.  But if she really wants to lose the last stubborn pounds she is gonna have to push it!! PERIOD!

niffer: the trick is actually to stay alive and not burn more calories than you need to survive.  if the OP eats 1200 calories and exercises on top of that, she's failing for sure in the latter (hence her metabolism will slow down and she won't lose weight).  if she decides to exercise more and eat less, she may have a problem with the former too.

(do your research please)  more is not always the answer.

I have done my research hun! Every one knows to lose you need to burn more calories than you consume.  Im not telling her to stick to 1200 calories I  am just saying increase you work out and see if that works. That is all!! I dont have to prove my knowledge to you or anyone!! It is a suggestion like she asked for. 

great!  (but that doesn't make any sense). 

Take it or leave it... I guess you chose to take it because you love to pick fights! Cute.

the nature of an online forum is that advice and information circulates and people can pick and choose what they attach to.  your qualification offers nothing new to this and, as i was pointing out, doesn't discount the fact that your advice is not healthy.  if you want to label that as picking a fight, i'm ok with that.  i'm willing to fight to keep your unhealthy posts off this site. 

If that is the case than dont nock down someones post! Just post what you beleive to be the healthy way you feel she should go about losing her final 15 pounds.  If you dont agree than you dont agree. Fine! State your opinion on what you feel she should do and move on.  Your constant bickering back and forth is picking a fight. We are all her to help in any way we can whether others agree or not. Some things work for others and some dont. 

And threatening to keep anothers post off of the site is definitely picking a fight.

Just sayin........

 

niffer: i actually have no power to keep anyone's posts off this site...only the power to consequent unhealthy posts with my response.  i'm sorry if my response to your post made you feel unhappy.  i'm not questioning your intentions.  however, your methods were not healthy and i felt strongly about pointing that out.  and that's not really a matter of opinion.  when you encourage someone to burn more calories than her body needs to maintain it's basic functions, that's not a healthy suggestion and it's not something that "works" to lose weight in a healthy fashion for ANYONE. so, my intention in responding was to point that out.  again, if that means i am picking a fight, then i'll own it.