Struggling with choosing goal weight

Ooci

Hi!

I'm really struggling with a 3 month plateau in my journey now. I know I need to be eating around 1400 cals a day and I'll lose weight but every day hunger gets the better of me, though I try to eat mainly sustaining things like brown rice, veg, lean meat, brown bread, fruit and yoghurt. I do 1-2 hours of tennis every day and have a very active lifestyle. I've lost a lot over the course of a year - nearly 40 lb, and gone from a size 18 to a 12. I just don't know how much more is realistic. I'm 5ft1, age 41, and currently weigh 9st 9. In my early 30s I was always between 8 and 8.7. Can I get back to that? Would it look nice?
-Any tips much appreciated. I'll try to upload some photos.

Ooci

This is the before [/URL][/img]

SuggaD

Yes you can. Try to mix things up, lift weights if you aren't already, and be patient. Plateaus are inevitable. I would suggest upping your calories a bit as a way to mix things up. That always eventually got me off a plateau. But more than anything, be patient.

palwithme

We are in the exact same boat. I lost approximately 40 pounds, but have been stuck in the same place for about three months. It is so frustrating. I am going to take the advice above - eat a bit more and exercise more (or harder). I just started weight lifting this week. Hopefully that is what it takes.

Ooci

Thanks ever so much for your reply SuggaD. I'm not lifting weights, no - I'll get some. I love the tip of upping the cals, Christmas has effectively done that - and for some bizarre reason, I didn't gain at all, maybe because it felt like running a hotel! And I will try to be patient with myself, there's still the rest of our lives to go but I don't want it to take that long!
Here's the now pic anyway.
[img][/img]

palwithme

Gosh, you look great. You look so different!

SuggaD

Looking good, Ooci! Keep at it! We have to constantly trick the body. I can't tell you how many plateaus I had along the way. And the last 5 lbs were the hardest. I had finally given up and decided to try maintenance instead. My "maintenance" actually got me to my goal weight. *scratches head*

Ooci

Wow, I'd heard that at Slimming World but only as hearsay - not met anyone who's living proof. The plateaus are so frustrating aren't they. I just have to take heart from how much I have done and how it feels like a whole new self.
-This is me 10 years ago at 8st 4 - about a stone and a half less than me in the cheetah skirt and a Size 8 instead of 12. I wonder if I can be that light again or if I'm just simply more muscly and heavier now.

Ooci

PS Thanks so much for the compliment palwithme!