Could use some advice with my weight loss journey?

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Diva777

New member
Hey guys. I'm a 19 year old female currently weighing 155 lbs and I'm 5'7. I used to weight 195 lbs but in the past year and a half I've managed to take 40 lbs off. However I still would like to lose another 30 lbs. I'm having a little bit of trouble losing these last 30 lbs though. I admit I did take a break from exercising after my 40 lbs weight loss.

I fell out of my routine for about 5 months and it was hard to get back into eating healthy and exercising regularly. I've been exercising about 5-6 times a week burning 200-300 calories a day and trying to eat a 1200 calorie diet however most days I eat more around 1500 calories. I've been back on track for About 2 months now I've given up wheat and sweets and most days eat very healthy combined with around 45 min cardio. In these two months I haven't noticed really any results though. My thighs do look a little smaller but I haven't really lost any pounds on the scale maybe only 2-3 lbs.

I do have cheat days but maybe a cheat day only once a week. Could this be the reason I'm not losing much weight? Or have I just not given it enough time? Would it help if I incorporated strength training? If so, what kind of weight lifting exercises could benefit me best? I also want to tone my arms, legs and back more. I think maybe I'm eating too much and should be burning more calories daily. I just get so hungry sometimes and I think part of my problem is I have too many calories for breakfast I'll have healthy things to eat like eggs and oatmeal but I think I use up too many calories earlier in the day so I end up over eating by night time comes around. Any advice could help me out, I'm trying to reach my goal weight but I feel stuck in the process and a little discouraged since I'm not seeing too many results!
 
I have some appointments to go to right now but I will try to help you when I get back on later.
 
Firstly Congratulations for the fat you have already lost, well done

At your current weight you have a healthy BMI and your 30lb loss goal would put your weight at the low end of the healthy BMI range, so your goal is achievable but as you get closer it will become much more difficult and very slow.

Bodyfat % is a better way of tracking than BMI but measurements need to be done correctly, digital bodyfat scales are not very accurate but can be useful to see trends.

According to the Harris-Benedict equation your BMR is approximately 1555 kcal per day at rest, so your calories if they are at 1500 is ok and could go higher based on your exercise and depending on how you are tracking your calories. If you are only estimating your calories from each meal then it is easy to under estimate how much you are eating. Careful measuring and tracking becomes more important as the amount of fat needing to be lost becomes less.

your cheat days are not helping, if you can go longer between cheat days it would help.


Strength training is important, it helps to maintain your lean muscle mass while in a calorie deficit, more muscle = more calories burned
a full body workout 2-3 days a week is a good start for strength training for a beginner, focussing on compound movements to get more results in less time.
A compound movement is one that involves movement in more than one joint and muscle, eg squats, push ups, lunges, pull ups, deadlift etc.

you will not get huge muscles when eating at a deficit, it will only help maintain what you already have but as you loose more fat those muscles will become more defined making them appear a little bigger.

when tracking progress it is important not to rely on the scales, take tape measurements at important points each month, your looking for body re-composition not just pure weight.
 
Awesome, that info helps a lot! I'll make sure to incorporate strength training. I think I can do better on holding off on cheat days too.

Also, I read somewhere that a high protein/low carb diet with help with weight loss. Is this true? And how can I eat a lot of protein without overdoing it on the calories?
 
Yes, low carb works great, but is not for everybody, personally I eat a strict keto diet, which kills cravings and hunger but you can feel pretty bad for a week or so when you first cut out the carbs, it is not mainstream but the science can be found in studies online. This is a personal choice which works for me and avoids foods I like but am allergic to. A standard diet can work as well, it is not a case of one way of eating suits everybody.

it does not need to be high protein, only enough protein to maintain muscle, I have a LOT more muscle than most other ladies so my protein intake is on the high end at 100 gram per day based on my lean muscle mass and competitive powerlifting. For a normal person whichever way of eating is chosen 1 gram per kg of bodyweight when doing general sport activity is reccomended
 
Ok thanks. And normally for exercise I spend most of the time on the treadmil. I normally walk/run on an incline of normally around 3 or 4%. Also I'll do intervals of running/walking. Normally I'll do 10 intervals of running as fast as I can for like 30 sec then walking for 30 sec etc. would it be a good idea to boost up my workout? Normally after I've completed my intervals then I'll walk at a pretty brisk pace. I'll spend about 45-60 min on the treadmill. Would I see results faster if I ran more? Running is really not my favorite haha
 
do you have access to other forms of cardio ?, rowing machines are a great form of cardio or get on a bike and ride around a near by park or forest. Joining a sport is also a good option, exercise does not have to be booooring.

I played a 15 minute game of bubble soccer a couple of weeks ago, it was awesome fun but felt like an hour at the end. Whatever you choose needs to be enjoyable or you won't stick to it in the long run.
 
I do have a stationary bike I could use.
Do you know of any effective treadmill workouts? Are intervals I'm doing good to do?
 
You are maintaining because you're not burning enough calories. Step up your workouts even if it's not 5-6 days a week. Include some weight training instead of just cardio.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Thanks. I increased my daily burn from 200-300 to 500 the past few days. I'm hoping to see the scale budge soon
 
I have fat on my inner thighs that I want to lose. Are there any specific exercises I can do to tone up that area?
 
Sorry to say Diva, but you cannot spot reduce, the first place you put fat on will be the last place you take it off.

there are exercises to strengthen the area but they won't target the fat in that spot.
 
Bummer. So I guess my best bet is to continuing exercising and eating healthy and then I'll lose fat overall my whole body right?
 
So I've been trying to follow a high protein/low carb diet. However I've noticed even foods like bananas and some healthy foods like fruit have quite a bit of carbs. I'm trying to stick to no more than 50g of carbs a day. My question is...the carbs that are in healthy foods like fruits, are those carbs okay to eat? Or should I cut out all foods high in carbs no matter if they're healthy? Are those carbs good carbs or will eating a lot of them slow down my weight loss? Thanks :)
 
Do you follow a certain program? I guess there are many plans of this kind. Some say carbs are important others try to avoid carbs most of the time. If you want to do this, it might be a good idea to look for a program, a book, a schedule that appeals to you and follow the instructions. There you should find the answer whether fruits are ok.
I personally would say fruits are ok. I know People who have lost weight by eating fruits only. Maybe you should leave some time space in between the meals. Eat the fruits first, because it is easier and faster to digest and later you eat your Proteins?
 
Diva, so long as the fruit fits into your planned macro's then fine, I usually prefer berries over fruit as a lot of fruit choices are very high in sugars.
 
havent been on here since the summer. but since august I've went from 155 lbs to 133 lbs. I want to lose about 10-15 more lbs. My upper body is slimming down my arms and upper back are thinner but I look like I have a little more weight to lose. My thighs are still flabby and I want to lose morr weight off my stomach area. I don't want my lower body to be so soft I can still grab a handful of fat off my thighs and stomach and I want to be more toned! I know I'm at a healthy weight but I want to tone my legs and stomach. I know it won't happen over night but I'm wondering what the quickest plan would be to lose 10 more lbs. I could use some advice on what exercises to do...will running help? intervals? thanks :)
 
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