Need to lose 10-15 lbs MORE!

[koco115]

Im 23 yrs old, 5'3' and i weigh 145lbs. My ultimate goal is 130-135lbs.

My story is this. I joined LA weight loss almost year ago. I've lost a total of 50lbs through the program, which is basically just eating right. I lost 20 lbs right away, got stuck for about a month, then lost 15 more by adding exercise (cardio), then I got stuck for another month. Then i lost 10lbs on my own (without "LA LITES" aka protein bars), then got stuck for two months, then 5 more lbs and now I've been stuck for 5 months.

My typical Day is: EVERY DAY

Wake up 6:30- 7:30 AM:
Cardio: treadmill 300 cal, 100 crunches, biking 200 calories, drinking cold water
1 cup green tea

Breakfast 8-9 AM:
8 oz skim milk with soy protein (if I'm still hungry, usually I'm not, I'll eat whole grain cereal 1/4 cup with skim milk or plain oatmeal with splenda)

Snack 10-10:30 AM:
fruit (usually apple)

(at least 3 days a week) 10 am-1 PM: 30- 60 min of cardio pilates/yoga/dance

Lunch 11-12 PM:
8oz water with soy protein mix & one of the following:

tomato soup (made with water- 90 cal) & 1/2 grilled cheese sandwich (no butter- pam spray 1/2 slice american cheese on 1 slice whole grain bread) made on george foreman grill
OR
tomato soup with celery & lite cream cheese
OR
1/2 turkey sandwich on whole grain bread (1 tbs lite mayo) and salad with little oil and apple cider vinegar

Snack 1-4 PM:
Green tea & fruit OR special K snack bar (90 calories)

Dinner 5-7 PM:
Lean protein w/ veggie or starch
Fish or chicken with broccoli or a salad or 1/2 cup brown rice
OR
a lean cuisine
OR
turkey burger on whole wheat bun
OR
1 cup turkey chili

If I'm craving in the evening (Not typical but happens) something sweet i'll do either 1/2 cup of lowfat yogurt or 1/4 cup cereal with skim milk or a special K bar
If i want something salty, or crunchy I'll have a few wheat thins with cheese(with 4 oz red wine sometimes) Or 100 cal popcorn

And i usually bike 200- 500 calories more throughout the day before or after dinner or both depending on how i feel

Every body tells me i should just be happy with the 50 lbs i've lost already but i'm not. 145 was not my goal and it's still not a healthy weight! I KNOW my body is just trying to stabilize my weight but I also know i could stand to lose 10-15lbs more and still be healthy! And although i look great in clothes, I'm going to mexico in 12 weeks and i want to feel comfortable and know i look good in my bathing suit! I spend almost all of my free time working out (at least 500 a day), I'm counting calories (I eat no more than 1200 a day), I'm limiting my starches and only eating whole grains, i eat until I'm comfortable, I eat veggies and fruit as snacks, I'm eating lean protein and healthy fats, I'm drinking skim milk, green tea, and lots of water. I feel like i've tried everything! and everyday the scales the same! What else can i do to lose 10- 15 lbs in 12 weeks and get a more toned tummy (i have some stretch marks so i'm using cocoa butter)! I'm willing to use any pills/diet/excercise that works! Please help! (Oh and I've also been using a slendertone flex 30-120 min a day for 3 wks which i think at this point just makes me FEEL better mentally and hasn't done much more than tighten some of my loose skin)

 

[wishes]

how are you logging your calories? fitday.com ? something else?
You may want to double check those calories. Alternativly 1200 might be a little low, try moving it to 1500 a day or so, crank up the cardio a little and you should get going again

 

[Darth Pooh]

how are you logging your calories? fitday.com ? something else?
You may want to double check those calories. Alternativly 1200 might be a little low, try moving it to 1500 a day or so, crank up the cardio a little and you should get going again

Yep... wishes might know a thing or two about this whole weightloss business.

But I also suggest that your plateau might be due to the ability of you tracking properly. Also, I found that when I am in a plateau that I really just tried different things. I researched HIIT and started doing that twice a week to really step up my game. It worked for me... might be something you are interested in.

I was also on LA Weightloss (lost about 30-35 lbs until I went to the cals in vs cals out routine through research). I found that LA Lites were overpriced and not as nutritionally sound as some of my other choices I've used like Fiber One bars or Kashi Bars. More protein and fiber in both of those for lower calories! I also realized (later as I did research) that LA Weightloss drops your caloric intake so low, that when you are in a plateau you really have no where else to drop down before you body goes into starvation mode. Upping your calories won't make you gain weight if you do it slowly (I was VERY afraid to do this, but since I have I actually lost more you have to take that leap of faith on your own).

 

[koco115]

Yeah, I dropped the la lites because i found they were so high in calories too and now i'm doing calories in calories out, and i manually log my calories using caloriecount.com and reading labels.

Just by reading other posts and doing research i've heard about upping my caloric intake due to starvation mode, but i admit, I'm scared! It seems like if i eat 1 cracker too much the scale goes up again! But i think that i can add a bowl of cereal or an egg to my meals in the morning without hurting much and maybe some more fruit later. And i'll try to up my cardio.

But i was wondering if anybody knows anything more about starvation mode. How can it last? will my body forever try to up my weight if i continue to eat les then 1200 cal or at some point will I lose again?

Thanks for the help! And i'm still open to ANY suggestions.

 

[Ever84]

Welp, my advice would be to add in whey or ceasian protein instead of soy. Soy doesn't absorb like the other two do. The difference in Ceasian protein and Whey is there time release. Also these two protein shakes help build muscle and help you cut back on the carbs and fat because you are full off the protein for longer. Overall I know it's helped me out a ton along with weights and cardio. Perhaps add in a little protein at each meal or snack time.