Why can't I lose more weight? Weight loss stalled for months.

[crouton]

Now it's my turn for a plateau post.

History -- I previously tried to lose weight in 2008. Got to 220. Never got any lower. Gave up and gained back up to 245. In January 2010, we had moved, I had a good gym nearby, decided to try again. Now I am, once again, staying steady around 220. The lowest I've gotten is 217, then it goes up again. This has been ongoing, as you can tell by my Bodyspace graph. I know that in eight months I should have lost more than 30 pounds. My goal is weight loss. I have recently changed my goal weight to 150 based on the metabolism test. I am 5'4" and I am 39 years old.

I know that diet is 80% of weight loss. I used EmmaLeigh's calorie post as well as had a metabolism testing done at my gym. I came up with 1500 - 1600 calories. My diet does tend to vary, though, from 1500 - 1900 just depending. I do weigh and measure, even drinks like Crystal Light mix-ins and cream in my coffee. I used Sparkpeople but now I'm using the Fat Secret app on my phone. We are on a food budget, like most everyone, and we do use Angel Food boxes monthly to help stretch the budget so some things we have may not be the best choice but it's what we have.

Here is a typical day:

Breakfast - pre-workout, around 7:30 or 8am - 1 c cereal with 1/2 c milk and fruit if I have it. Right now I have some fresh blueberries, so I add about 1/4 - 1/4 cup fruit. If there is time, I scramble two eggs to have with it.

Snack - post-workout, around 11:30 - Protein shake, with either water or milk. I just use whatever flavor I want at Walmart.

Lunch - eaten at work. I now work 2-9 and have my lunch around 5pm. Typical at-work lunch is chicken or tuna salad sandwich and I add 2 hard boiled eggs for the protein, 1-2 cups of broccoli or carrots or green beans and a CarbMaster yogurt or Greek yogurt.

Supper - eaten after work, around 10pm. I try to make supper ahead, like cooking a chicken the crockpot, then all I have to make are side dishes. Supper really depends on what was on sale that week and what we have. It could be sloppy joes made with turkey meat, chicken, microwaved lasagna. I keep portions to 1/2 cup - 1 cup and make a vegetable like broccoli, carrots or green beans to go with it. My "dessert" most nights is 1/2 cup Kroger vanilla yogurt mixed with protein powder.

I maybe drink 2-3 cups of coffee at work with Splenda and creamer. I don't drink soda, even diet. I drink water and sometimes use a mix-in when I have them.

Workout - I started working out in January and following a weight lifting program from BB.com. Then I switched the weight workout to NROLW and did phase 1. When I finished that, I decided to take a break and do the Bodypump classes at the gym for a while. So for the past 4 weeks I've been doing this - I work out 6 days a week.

Mon / Wed - Spin class, 1 hour, followed by 1 hour yoga.
Tue / Thur - Bodypump, 1 hour.
Sat - another type of cardio. Could be another spin class, a Zumba class, or just on the elliptical for 45 minutes.

I plan to start back in the weight room with NROL4W, Phase 2, around the middle of August.

I am planning to also make a doctor's appointment in the next two weeks for an annual exam and I'm going to bring up my concerns about not dropping any more weight and see what types of tests they can run. I have to start with whatever blood work is cheapest, again due to money and lack of insurance, but I know that a doctor visit seems to be the next step.

I'm not giving up this time. I want to get to the bottom of this and get the weight gone.

Any advice is appreciated.

[take.it.off]

Plateau = time to change something

Personally I would say:
- drop down your cardio (I think it's to much)
- Focus more on lifting heavy with good form
- and most importantly, get your diet in order...1500-1600 doesn't sound right to me for your weight (but I could be wrong).

and yes...the doctors apt. That could be key.

Also: how much water are you drinking? Make sure you stay hydrated. and where are your healthy fats? It takes fat to lose fat.

[Rowyn]

If your metabolism testing was correct and you need to be eating 1500-1600 to be in a typical 500 cal deficit and you sometimes eat up to 1900 cals, you need to tighten it up. I am the same way, I have a very efficient metabolism, I have to keep myself to a careful deficit or I will just sit and not lose weight. It doesn't take more than a couple of hundred cals to keep myself from making progress.

Why did you stop strength training? The problem is that you can't really move onto phase 2 if your body has now lost the muscle you had been building. The more muscle you build, the more cals your body will burn to maintain them. However, at your weight with 90 pounds to lose, just making sure your calorie deficit is correct is the most important criteria.

My only advice is to weigh/measure (you said you do this) and TRACK your cals so that you are staying in the proper deficit. It sounds like you are in a plateau because you aren't keeping your cals in check. Even if you have to eat bologna or lasagna or whatever, plan for the cals for the day so that you don't find yourself at 1500 cals just before dinner and hungry.

What online calorie counter do you use? Some are more reliable than others and can screw you up if your cals are really tight. I double checked the cal and nutrition content of all my "favorite" and commonly eaten foods to make sure the counter was correct for my particular brands. Cripes, one of the entries for romaine lettuce had it at 50 cals per cup!! Now that mistake would work in your favor if you are dieting, but others could work against.

[theGuy045]

You need to eat a lot more protein & green vegetables. Your body needs food to recover. Drink a lot more water too.

Forget about calories. Count grams of protein, carbs, and fat. Make sure you intake the correct macros per meal and use the mirror to judge progress, not a scale.

You need to eat more times throughout the day as well. 4 meals with 1 being a shake isnt cuttin it. 5-6 meals evenly spaced. It's tough to do but totally possible.

[theGuy045]

Personally I would say:
- drop down your cardio (I think it's to much)
- Focus more on lifting heavy with good form
- and most importantly, get your diet in order...1500-1600 doesn't sound right to me for your weight (but I could be wrong). .

^^ this too

Heavy weight won't make a woman big and bulky either. Don't let anybody fool you.

[crouton]

Trying to answer everyone.

Not sure how much water I drink. I have an 18 oz bottle I keep full all day.

Fats - I eat peanut butter and nuts and stuff and use smart balance when I eat rice or potatoes, but I don't have a supplement.

I didn't stop lifting. Bodypump is a group class that uses low weight with high reps. I was kind of bored in the weight room and wanted to see if I could do it.

Green vegetables - I am eating like 4 cups of broccoli daily plus any peppers I may have for eggs. I do need more protein but I can't seem to get protein without adding calories.

[Gibman]

this is such an easy answer. eat less!!!!

[vandalgirl59]

You need to eat a lot more protein & green vegetables. Your body needs food to recover. Drink a lot more water too.

Forget about calories. Count grams of protein, carbs, and fat. Make sure you intake the correct macros per meal and use the mirror to judge progress, not a scale.

You need to eat more times throughout the day as well. 4 meals with 1 being a shake isnt cuttin it. 5-6 meals evenly spaced. It's tough to do but totally possible.

I disagree with the meal # thing....it doesn't MATTER how often she eats. IF she likes 3 meals and shake, there is absolutely no reason to cram in 6 meals. Meal timing/frequency rules=total bs. I agree however with needing more protein, veggies, water, etc. Always good things

[tlam12]

You cannot really judge if you're at a plateau when it seems that you have not been consistent with a lot of things. You should claim you are at a plateau only if you've been consistent with your diet and training routine for at least (give or take) four weeks.
-Have you been counting your macros daily?
-If so, have you been eating within those dietary boundaries?

You should also be consistent with training at the gym.
I personally don't believe in the whole low weights, high repetition thing. I feel as if it doesn't get you anything besides muscle endurance.

I also agree with the previous posters about excessive cardio. Good grief! You actually don't need too much cardio to lose weight - contrary to popular belief . I used to be one of those people who would do cardio for one hour or so per day. Thank goodness I got out of that.
Diet is key to many fat loss questions that people ask on the forums.

I understand that you work and everything, but so do many other professional bbers. If you want it bad enough, you'll work hard for it. Even if that means planning your meals beforehand.

[karoline8]

Trying to answer everyone.

Not sure how much water I drink. I have an 18 oz bottle I keep full all day.

Fats - I eat peanut butter and nuts and stuff and use smart balance when I eat rice or potatoes, but I don't have a supplement.

I didn't stop lifting. Bodypump is a group class that uses low weight with high reps. I was kind of bored in the weight room and wanted to see if I could do it.

Green vegetables - I am eating like 4 cups of broccoli daily plus any peppers I may have for eggs. I do need more protein but I can't seem to get protein without adding calories.

I know it´s all about cals in and cals out but I´ve gotta tell you that when I eat starchy carbs like white rice or potatoes I balloon up....could be eating the same amout of cals in other veggies but am not effected like with the starchy stuff (and wheat) .....I know it soulds strange but that´s what happens to me ...another thought...have you been doing the same cardio routine for a long period of time? If you have your body could have addapted to it and you may not be burning as many calories as you initially were...good luck to you I hope you get this figured out.

[inbetweendays]

I really question the calorie count as it seems low for your stats. However if it is correct then the fact that you eat in a range of 1500-1900 is too broad. You really need to consistently stick to the loss range you've calculated.

And yes, too much cardio and virtually no lifting. (I count body pump as cardio.). Definitely get back on a heavy lifting program ASAP.

Also what are your macros?

Good luck with your doctor's appointment and hang in there!

[crouton]

I feel I've been consistent with workouts over time. When I started in January was doing a 12 week lifting program from BB.com. I did weights 3x week and did a Zumba class 3x week.

When that 12 weeks ended, I got the NROL4W book and did phase 1, which was about six weeks. That was also when I started cycling instead of Zumba and went to 5 x at the gym instead of 6. So I was lifting 3x and cardio 2x.

When I finished with that, I was bored with the weight room and had heard about the Bodypump classes and basically just wanted to see if I could keep up. At my weight I hadn't even planned to do the spin classes because I didn't think I could. Once I proved that I could do them, I decided to do Bodypump as well, just to prove it to myself. So I've been doing the workout I described for going on 5 weeks. I also added back in the extra day. I forgot to add in the Bodypump class on Sunday. So I do Bodypump 3x and cardio 3x and take Friday off.

I don't feel like I overdo cardio. I'm not in a spin class or on a treadmill or elliptical for hours everyday. With the amount of weight I have to lose I don't feel that 3x week for an hour of cardio is too much. That's another reason I added back in that 6th day at the gym. I was losing weight on my original workout of 3x cardio / 3x weight training and when I stopped that 3rd cardio day I started to stall.

So I don't feel that I've been inconsistent with my workouts. I think sticking with one thing for 12 weeks was pretty good since I've seen other posts with people wanting to change up after 2-3 weeks and not even finishing a program all the way through.

I do agree my diet needs to stay level. I do not really look at my macros at this point because of my weight and the amount I need to lose at this time. I have been reading articles by Tom Venuto and Wetwolf that say when you need to lose a lot of fat you need to focus on total calories and focus on macros when you get down to those last 10-20 pounds. My diet is carb heavy based on the records, although the carbs are coming primarily from vegetables. I don't eat white rice, I eat brown and white potatoes are rare. When I can get them, I eat sweet potatoes. I also eat wheat bread with my tuna / chicken salad sandwiches and I don't add sugar to foods or drinks. I use Splenda when I need a sweetener.

Many of you are saying that 1500-1600 is too low. So with my stats are you saying I should be eating more? I came up with 1500 using EmmaLeigh's post and the metabolism test says 1629. So based on my stats and with an activity level of 6 days a week in the gym what do your figures say? Again, I'm 5'4" and 39 years old. My calorie counts for the past few days are:

Sunday 1458
Monday 1961
Tuesday 1867
Wednesday 1547

[Rowyn]

I know it´s all about cals in and cals out but I´ve gotta tell you that when I eat starchy carbs like white rice or potatoes I balloon up....could be eating the same amout of cals in other veggies but am not effected like with the starchy stuff (and wheat) ......

This happens to me too, goes straight to stomach puffiness. Its water though I think, since it will go pretty quick when I get rid of it in my diet.

I don't feel like I overdo cardio. I'm not in a spin class or on a treadmill or elliptical for hours everyday. With the amount of weight I have to lose I don't feel that 3x week for an hour of cardio is too much. That's another reason I added back in that 6th day at the gym. I was losing weight on my original workout of 3x cardio / 3x weight training and when I stopped that 3rd cardio day I started to stall.

So I don't feel that I've been inconsistent with my workouts. I think sticking with one thing for 12 weeks was pretty good since I've seen other posts with people wanting to change up after 2-3 weeks and not even finishing a program all the way through.

I do agree my diet needs to stay level. I do not really look at my macros at this point because of my weight and the amount I need to lose at this time. I have been reading articles by Tom Venuto and Wetwolf that say when you need to lose a lot of fat you need to focus on total calories and focus on macros when you get down to those last 10-20 pounds. My diet is carb heavy based on the records, although the carbs are coming primarily from vegetables. I don't eat white rice, I eat brown and white potatoes are rare. When I can get them, I eat sweet potatoes. I also eat wheat bread with my tuna / chicken salad sandwiches and I don't add sugar to foods or drinks. I use Splenda when I need a sweetener.

Many of you are saying that 1500-1600 is too low. So with my stats are you saying I should be eating more? I came up with 1500 using EmmaLeigh's post and the metabolism test says 1629. So based on my stats and with an activity level of 6 days a week in the gym what do your figures say? Again, I'm 5'4" and 39 years old. My calorie counts for the past few days are:

Sunday 1458
Monday 1961
Tuesday 1867
Wednesday 1547

When people say they "change things up", that means their exercise split, rep schemes, stuff like that. But they do not stop lifting, otherwise you will lose all that muscle you were working so hard to build.

However, I do agree with you on the fact that where you are at weight-wise, with alot to lose, your main concern is shedding fat through deficit right now and staying at a decent activity level in general. It also makes sense to me that your main focus is overall cals versus macros---just sayin that it will help you stay full while on deficit if you focus on protein first and do not avoid fats (doesn't seem that you do), eat high volume carbs (vegs/fruits) to fill yourself up. But if hunger is not an issue, then that's less of a concern. For me, I have to have three meals and feel "full" after I eat. Personal preference, I don't do the constant snack all day 6 "meal" thing.

I have a very efficient metabolism and my maintenance is a bit lower than expected by calculations according to metabolism testing as well. I have to stick to it correctly or I don't lose weight, even though many days its a matter of only a couple of hundred cals, grrr. Your average for the past 4 days is 1700 cals---there was only one day you were within your targeted deficit. 7 days of the same average will keep you at your current weight, if all other calcs are correct. If you continue to randomnly bump around, you aren't really at a plateau because you haven't given the deficit a chance to work since you have not maintained it.

That's just my take on it, anyways Been there, done that myself.

[Landor]

Everybody has pretty much covered it. Just to recap that the scale will play mind games with you if you are trying to lose fat and gain muscle. It is not about weight it is about fat and muscle. Muscle weights more then fat.

If you are dieting right you could possibly see a one to five pound lose a month. Weight yourself once a week, not every day. Take a picture of your self in the mirror and print it out. Circle your fat spots with a marker and then every month take another picture. Compare them. If your lifting three times a week you should see muscle improvement and fat loss.

If your diet is right you will see the differences.

Forget about that scale.

[kudostojen]

I know it´s all about cals in and cals out but I´ve gotta tell you that when I eat starchy carbs like white rice or potatoes I balloon up....could be eating the same amout of cals in other veggies but am not effected like with the starchy stuff (and wheat) .....I know it soulds strange but that´s what happens to me ...another thought...have you been doing the same cardio routine for a long period of time? If you have your body could have addapted to it and you may not be burning as many calories as you initially were...good luck to you I hope you get this figured out.

^^^Dido with the starchy food. I balloon right up.

__________________________

I do have to disagree with the cal intake though. If you start at 1500/day, you won't have much room to go lower when you DO plateau. I think 1800-1900 then adjust accordingly.

Definitely start weight training. Not only is it better than cardio, IMO, but you'll feel better and stronger too.

[sweepone]

Here is a typical day:

Breakfast - pre-workout, around 7:30 or 8am - 1 c cereal with 1/2 c milk and fruit if I have it. Right now I have some fresh blueberries, so I add about 1/4 - 1/4 cup fruit. If there is time, I scramble two eggs to have with it.

Snack - post-workout, around 11:30 - Protein shake, with either water or milk. I just use whatever flavor I want at Walmart.

Lunch - eaten at work. I now work 2-9 and have my lunch around 5pm. Typical at-work lunch is chicken or tuna salad sandwich and I add 2 hard boiled eggs for the protein, 1-2 cups of broccoli or carrots or green beans and a CarbMaster yogurt or Greek yogurt.

Supper - eaten after work, around 10pm. I try to make supper ahead, like cooking a chicken the crockpot, then all I have to make are side dishes. Supper really depends on what was on sale that week and what we have. It could be sloppy joes made with turkey meat, chicken, microwaved lasagna. I keep portions to 1/2 cup - 1 cup and make a vegetable like broccoli, carrots or green beans to go with it. My "dessert" most nights is 1/2 cup Kroger vanilla yogurt mixed with protein powder.

I maybe drink 2-3 cups of coffee at work with Splenda and creamer. I don't drink soda, even diet. I drink water and sometimes use a mix-in when I have them.

You are eating way too much. Also too much breads (chicken sandwiches for lunch and sloppy joes for dinner).
What helps me on my plateaus is too cut way down one day to maybe 1300-1400 cal and the next day eat 2400-2600-kinda keeps my body guessing.

Also just throw those online body estimators out the window. Some people they do not work for and are not accurate.
Like for me and you. I have a very slow metabolism and I suspect you do to if you are being honest with us what you eat Yes, youa re still eating too much but you are working out)


My maintenace calories are supposed to be something like 2800 per day or something like that...can't remember the exact number. If I eat at 2800 I blimp out and gain weight and even at the 500 cal deficit at 2300 I just don't lose any weight. I don't lose any weight unless I eat maybe 1800-1900 per day tops. At an average of 2100 or so i start to gain weight. It's a fineline I have to watch every week.

2-3 days per week cut your calories down to 1200 or less. Face the cold hard facts, that is the only way you are going to lose weight...and no your body will not go into startvation mode...there are no fat people in concentration camps. Again, you are I are unique, we have an extra slow metalbolism, we are no longer spring chickens as someof the posters are.


BTW: get rid of those flavored packets you are putting in your water..nothing but poison and they cause you to gain weight I don't care what anyone say's. I've been through this before.

[take.it.off]

You are eating way too much. Also too much breads (chicken sandwiches for lunch and sloppy joes for dinner).
What helps me on my plateaus is too cut way down one day to maybe 1300-1400 cal and the next day eat 2400-2600-kinda keeps my body guessing.

Also just throw those online body estimators out the window. Some people they do not work for and are not accurate.
Like for me and you. I have a very slow metabolism and I suspect you do to if you are being honest with us what you eat Yes, youa re still eating too much but you are working out)

My maintenace calories are supposed to be something like 2800 per day or something like that...can't remember the exact number. If I eat at 2800 I blimp out and gain weight and even at the 500 cal deficit at 2300 I just don't lose any weight. I don't lose any weight unless I eat maybe 1800-1900 per day tops. At an average of 2100 or so i start to gain weight. It's a fineline I have to watch every week.

2-3 days per week cut your calories down to 1200 or less. Face the cold hard facts, that is the only way you are going to lose weight...and no your body will not go into startvation mode...there are no fat people in concentration camps. Again, you are I are unique, we have an extra slow metalbolism, we are no longer spring chickens as someof the posters are.

BTW: get rid of those flavored packets you are putting in your water..nothing but poison and they cause you to gain weight I don't care what anyone say's. I've been through this before.

um...are you srs?

please tell me you are joking.....

OP - dont listen to this post.

[kudostojen]

2-3 days per week cut your calories down to 1200 or less. Face the cold hard facts, that is the only way you are going to lose weight...and no your body will not go into startvation mode...there are no fat people in concentration camps. Again, you are I are unique, we have an extra slow metalbolism, we are no longer spring chickens as someof the posters are.

It sounds like you think that some of us on here don't have to work hard to lose fat. You're sadly mistaken. I have other issues with the rest of your post but this stood out the most.

[summertown74]

You sound like I feel!
I like tom venuto, and just want to remind you of what he says about a plateau:

It means you've lost your deficit. Pretty simple, really. The tough part is figuring out where it went! Personally I think you're right about the cardio, but I do think you should reestablish a heavy weights routine.

Good luck lady!

[crouton]

I'm not. I have some issues with the post as well.

[Jeanle]

um...are you srs?

please tell me you are joking.....

OP - dont listen to this post.

^^^ This.

You've gotten a lot of good advice.

1500 sounds low to me too, especially with spinning classes. 1500-1900 is too broad a range, tighten it up and try to stay within 100 calories of your target EVERYDAY. Regardless of how many calories a calculator says, you are eating too much if you are not loosing. Maybe you are measuring generously?

Bodypump classes are not the same as lifting. If you stop lifting, you will loose muscle. Get back in the weight room. I do more cardio than the average lifter, but that is because I love my morning jog. If you enjoy it, try to find the appropriate balance of calories you need.

Good luck!

[kimm4]

You are eating way too much. Also too much breads (chicken sandwiches for lunch and sloppy joes for dinner).
What helps me on my plateaus is too cut way down one day to maybe 1300-1400 cal and the next day eat 2400-2600-kinda keeps my body guessing.

Also just throw those online body estimators out the window. Some people they do not work for and are not accurate.
Like for me and you. I have a very slow metabolism and I suspect you do to if you are being honest with us what you eat Yes, youa re still eating too much but you are working out)


My maintenace calories are supposed to be something like 2800 per day or something like that...can't remember the exact number. If I eat at 2800 I blimp out and gain weight and even at the 500 cal deficit at 2300 I just don't lose any weight. I don't lose any weight unless I eat maybe 1800-1900 per day tops. At an average of 2100 or so i start to gain weight. It's a fineline I have to watch every week.

2-3 days per week cut your calories down to 1200 or less. Face the cold hard facts, that is the only way you are going to lose weight...and no your body will not go into startvation mode...there are no fat people in concentration camps. Again, you are I are unique, we have an extra slow metalbolism, we are no longer spring chickens as someof the posters are.


BTW: get rid of those flavored packets you are putting in your water..nothing but poison and they cause you to gain weight I don't care what anyone say's. I've been through this before.

You can't be serious?

Based on the OP's stats she can use a bigger deficit, but going down to 1200 calories absolutely not! In order for the body to continue running efficiently and keep fat loss moving at a steady rate you need to fuel it properly with food. If she were to go this low, I guarantee she will hit a plateau and end up losing muscle as well. Not only this, but when she continues losing, she will need to continue lowering calories. Where the hell you advise she goes if you have her starting at 1200?

Completely ridiculous...

[kimm4]

OP,

How long have you been eating in a deficit? If you've been going for a long period of time, then I recommend you bring your calories back up to maintenance for a good 4-5 weeks. Give the body/metabolism a break from all the dieting. After this you start out fresh on your eating plan.

Jumping from 1500-1900 is not working to your advantage. You're not giving the body time to adjust to some solid numbers.

I'm would advise 1800 calories. This should be a good place to start. As long as you're tracking your numbers and keeping accountable, things start moving along.

Hope this helps.

[sweepone]

You can't be serious?

Based on the OP's stats she can use a bigger deficit, but going down to 1200 calories absolutely not! In order for the body to continue running efficiently and keep fat loss moving at a steady rate you need to fuel it properly with food. If she were to go this low, I guarantee she will hit a plateau and end up losing muscle as well. Not only this, but when she continues losing, she will need to continue lowering calories. Where the hell you advise she goes if you have her starting at 1200?

Completely ridiculous...

Kimm
Go back and read what I posted. I said to lower her calories by a significant amount one day and then eat more then normal the next day. This helps me get over the plateaus that have plagued me every so often. I weigh myself every day and keep very strict calorie counts-I even have the calories in my vitamins and supplements included. It works for me.
At my deficit if I eat the same amount of calories per day my weight loss slows.

Read Part 2 below in the OP's case.

[sweepone]

It sounds like you think that some of us on here don't have to work hard to lose fat. You're sadly mistaken. I have other issues with the rest of your post but this stood out the most.

Of course everyone struggles with weight but looking at your pics I doubt you have ever been at the Op's weight. The Op is either lying/misrepresenting what she eats or she just needs to cut down the calories or a combination of both. Simple as that.

She says she eats 1500-1900 per day and she works out but can't lose the weight. That is not logical as Spock would say. She just plain needs to cut the calories out. Have you seen her pics? She is obese. farting around with a 100-200 more calories deficit is not going to do it for this woman. Have you seen her legs? They are as big as telephone poles (sorry OP but I was obese at one time to 328 lbs at my heaviest weight). You all need to face the facts sometimes.



In college I ate a large pizza 2-3 days per week after dinner and was 170 lbs and could not gain weight. Now I have to really watch what I eat and if I start straying over 2100-2200 calories per day I start gaining weight. People tell me at 2200 calories per day I should be losing muscle and wasting away..I'm not I'm gaining strength every month and muscle mass and feel the best i have ever been in 20 years.

Like what I said before the BMI calculators that tell you what you should eat (maintenace) are way off for me. If I ate what it told me to eat I would be at 300 lbs again.

You guys sometimes make this too hard and try to be to scientific that you can't see the forest through the trees.. Sometimes you have to go with the most simplest answer...in this case the OP needs to cut back her calories...way down (if she is being honest with what she is eating).

[sweepone]

Looks like I just got negged for giving advice when "I don"t have the knowledge".

LMAO 291.50 lbs down to 228 since November 2009 and the best shape I have ever been in 20 years and the strongest I have ever been in my entire life.

[kimm4]

Kimm
Go back and read what I posted. I said to lower her calories by a significant amount one day and then eat more then normal the next day. This helps me get over the plateaus that have plagued me every so often. I weigh myself every day and keep very strict calorie counts-I even have the calories in my vitamins and supplements included. It works for me.
At my deficit if I eat the same amount of calories per day my weight loss slows.

Read Part 2 below in the OP's case.

I did. Who wants to be messing around changing calories every single day when there's no need to? Simple refeeds, carb cycling, etc...is fine when you've been on a solid program for a long period of time. The longer you diet, the more you lose, the harder it becomes...but she's not at that point yet...so there's no need for it.

[summertown74]

Have you seen her pics? She is obese. farting around with a 100-200 more calories deficit is not going to do it for this woman. Have you seen her legs? They are as big as telephone poles (sorry OP but I was obese at one time to 328 lbs at my heaviest weight). You all need to face the facts sometimes.

Just because you were once obese gives you NO CALL to be so offensive to this person. Shame on you.

[kimm4]

Looks like I just got negged for giving advice when "I don"t have the knowledge".

LMAO 291.50 lbs down to 228 since November 2009 and the best shape I have ever been in 20 years and the strongest I have ever been in my entire life.

You've been doing this since 09 and congrats to you for your loss. But there are people here who do this for a living and have been at it for decades...

Yes she can use a bigger deficit because of her stats. I already mentioned that in my 1st post. But getting down to numbers like 1200 and even you doing 1300-1400, it is too much of a deficit.

If you had to take drastic measures like that to get your weight down, then I'm sorry to rain on your parade, but you don't have enough knowledge/experience to diet in a healthy manner to get your results period!

There is no reason for you to be so offensive and call out the OP like you did. Now you're just being a dick and deserve every neg you get.

[kudostojen]

Of course everyone struggles with weight but looking at your pics I doubt you have ever been at the Op's weight. The Op is either lying/misrepresenting what she eats or she just needs to cut down the calories or a combination of both. Simple as that.

Everyone on these boards has to struggle with diet and training, thin or not.

btw, don't assume you know a person because you see 18 months of progress pics. There's a lifetime that you don't see.

She says she eats 1500-1900 per day and she works out but can't lose the weight. That is not logical as Spock would say. She just plain needs to cut the calories out.

did you ever think she might need to talk to a doctor about this, if she's being honest. There may be more issues that she's not aware of.

Considering your success, your arrogance surprises me. You're so quick to jump to so many conclusions.