Need help continuing to lose weight!! Dont know what to do next

I am all new to this healthy eating and exercise business! Im not sure what im meant to be doing etc.

I started losing weight starting in April, I was 280lbs and over the coming months i've managed to get down to 245lbs.

The diet i was doing and still am doing is as follows

Bowl of Fruit n Bran

Promax Diet Shake

2 Muller light yoghurts

Promax Diet Shake

Jacket Potato & Tuna & Sweetcorn

Then manybe 2 more Muller light yoghurts if im hungry

(I try to eat every 2 hours)

This is quite a lot for me to eat, i know it doesnt seem like it but i used to only live off a meal a day and thats what i was used to for a long period of time.

Starting this diet made me increase my food intake which i found quite difficult.

Anyway over the last few months i have reached a plateau and cannot shift anymore weight. Maybe a couple of pounds one week but put them back on the next and the loose them again the following week.

I used to exercise 3 times a week but have lost the motivation to exercise as regularly due to hitting this plateau as i feel nothing is working.

What do i need to be doing to get on the move again? Do i need to be eating more? If so any suggestions? What sort of exercises can i do?? Bear in mind i am heavy, i find it difficult to run long distances without my legs giving in. Its not that i cant do it cardio wise just my muscles wont let me.

Im a serious amateur to all this so any suggestions would be great!! Be gentle with me

Hi! I'm totally new to this site, so I hope that I'm doing all this right.

First, congrats on losing 35 pounds! That is a lot and something to be proud of.

Have you tried maybe eating more "whole" foods such as beans, nuts, fruits and vegetables vs. eating things like shakes? I tried losing weight with Special K shakes and SlimFast, and they did absolutely nothing for me, because I felt like I was just drinking something gross and afterwards I would want to eat something to get the taste out of my mouth!

As to exercise, maybe you could try a stationary bike (or normal bike) because that would place less strain on your legs and joints. Swimming is really fun too - I go to my indoor pool late at night, maybe an hour or so before they close (because it's empty then and I am very shy about people seeing me in my swimmies). I have a hard time running too, but mainly because I'm very uncoordinated and have never been good at any sort of sports. I like biking though.

I have hit a plateau also, and I'm hoping that I can get out of it! I am very sedentary and I know I need to exercise, I just have a really hard time finding the motivation. I think that I exercise too much when I first decide to, and then I get burnt out. I'm trying to at least exercise 1 hour 1-2 days a week (starting last week) and then see how it goes from there. I weighed 180 one year ago, at my wedding, and I was determined to lose 60 pounds by my first anniversary... well, that was last week, and I've lost 40 pounds by just stopping overeating and cutting out all "bad" foods like fried and fast foods. It's kind of discouraging to not have reached my goal, but I'm trying out this site so that I don't give up.

One other thing: as of last week I gave up candy. I realized I was eating a lot of that (because it's all over my office), more than I would have thought, and I'm hoping that makes a difference too.

So: Don't give up!! My best advice is to try to eat less packaged foods and more fruits and vegetables.

I see you are new to CC.  Have you tried using all the great tools here to see how many calories you should be eating to lose at a healthy, sustainable rate?  You shouldn't try to lose more than 1% of your body weight per week, but personally, I feel better if I only try for a 500 calorie deficit per day, which would translate to losing about 1 pound per week.

Also, I try to think of exercise as something I need to do for the rest of my life to be as healthy as possible, not as something I do to lose weight.  Although it certainly helps with losing weight as well.

It sounds to me as if you are eating small snacks frequently, that works well for some people, but I do better with 3 main meals a day, with maybe one snack mid-afternoon.  That way, I feel like I really had a meal, and feel satisfied.  You should try a few different eating patterns to find out what works best for you.

As far as your diet, it looks pretty heavy on dairy and sugar, and pretty light on vegetables, fruits, and whole grains.  I do better if I eat reasonable portions of all kinds of whole foods.

I weigh everyday and log it so so that I can see the trend line, this evens out the ups and downs that occur naturally.  I find that I often bounce around a weight for a few weeks, then suddenly drop a few pounds in a few days.  It is certainly not linear, and if you are losing weight slowly can be hard to be sure you are really dropping.  But, if you stay on track with reasonable foods in reasonable quantities with a reasonable amount of movement, the weight will come off, I promise.

Try to be motivated by making healthy choices, and in the long run, you will get to your goal weight.  Never make any changes that you can't see yourself doing happily for the rest of your life.

Thank you! its been a struggle i wont lie!

You sound like youre in the exactly same position as me almost.

I think i will try and get some more veg and fruit into my diet. As for the shakes i only have them because they convenient. Being a nurse would have me eating at really awkward times so the shakes just allow me to ensure i keep my calorie intake regular and also helps me avoid eating junk and snack foods.

I also get really bloated and i find they cut the bloatedness for me. Maybe its a mind over matter thing im not too sure. Also because i struggle getting into the habit of eating more i think if i dropped the shakes im sure i would struggle to replace them with something else.

As for exercise i do use the bike. I use it for 15-20 minutes on random with the level being 10 at the highest.

I also use the treadmill for 15-20 minutes. Usually start at a level 6.5 and do 5 minutes walking speed then step it up to a 7.5 and do 5 minutes running at this speed and then an 8/8.5 and do a further 5 minute running.

Recently i've tried stepping up the intensity at which i am running at. I am now trying to run at 2 minutes at a fast run (about a level 9/10) and then walk at a 6.5 for a minute and then 2 minutes again of fast running. Before i wouldnt of been able to run at this speed but with losing weight my coordination is much better.

As for swimming i used to really love swimming and would swim for hours but have become really body conscious. I guess i could try some women classes as i dont think i'd be to bothered then.

Anyway thanks for the advice i will definately try and eat some more veg and fruit

 I agree when it comes to whole foods. Your body is not really meant to digest processed "healthy" foods like diet foods. When it comes to yogurt, try it plain mixed with stevia or xylitol (from bark not corn). Corn is known to cause weight problems in many people ( it contains mold properties- which cause you to bloat). Make your calories count. Get the most nutritional content that you can out of your calories. Try lots of different whole foods to get different nutrients instead of eating the same things everyday. And to me the best way to beat a plateau is to up your calories to the calories you burn in a day for a couple of days, then return to the defecit. Try to mix up your workouts with cardio, then muscle training. Pilates is a great one! I started out at 250.00 and found it hard to do certain exercises too, but I listened to my body. I pushed myself, but I didn't overdo it. Start off walking for 45 min at a good speed, then to pilates or your strength building. Persistance will get there! Don't give up! Good Luck!!

I like to lift weights and do squats.  Building muscle is great because it increases your metabolism, helping you burn more calories.  I'm not saying you have to bulk up your muscles, but by lifting and not overeating it will just help you tone down.  I'm not sure if you're doing this already, but it definitely helps.  Just don't work the same muscles two days in a row, they need time to rest or they will break down.

I've been trying to combine some kettle belling into my exercise routine. With it i do both squats and swinging. Thing is i have trouble with knowing how much of it is enough? Am i meant to just keep doing it till i can physically do no more or am i meant to do a certain amount of sets. Im also much stonger than the avergae woman so what an average woman would be able to do in regards to lifting weights i would be able to do much more. Does this mean i would therefore have to up the weight of what im lifting and also increase the sets etc?