Still at a plateau

nanderson2575

19 year old sophomore in college. I've dedicated my entire summer to losing weight. I'm 5'7 and the largest frame of weight to have at my height is around 163. I workout twice a day five days a week. 30-40 minute cardio and 20ish on weights/abs. I managed to drop to 171 from 186 in may which is great, but I'm struggling with losing weight now. It was easy, but I had to change my workout because my body was too familiar with the routine and lately my diet has been off. I try to eat healthy but I have that negative thought in my mind that whatever I eat will make me gain weight, forcing me to not want to eat when I should. Along with not seeing results like i'd like. I know i need to be patient though. I've been overweight most of my life and most of my family are too. They all have negative eating habits and it's hard to fight against it sometimes. I don't want to eat myself into an early grave, my body deserves better. Any advice for me? I could really use it.

kindrabbit

Hi, well done on the loss you've made so far and well done for breaking the mould and making a change in your life.

Bad habits are hard to break though. You say your diet has been 'off' lately and that's probably what's happening right now. You are right that you have to be patient and don't be afraid to eat - that's the fuel for your workouts. I have to say, working out twice a day for 5 days a week is excessive and probably unnecessary. Your body needs time to heal and process your workouts.

Workout out sensibly, eat well and within your calorie goals and find a way to enjoy your exercise and your food. You got this!

atypicalsmith

Get determined and do the job. Don't use family as an excuse. Pretend you're a train on a mission.

Sued0nim

nanderson2575 wrote: »

19 year old sophomore in college. I've dedicated my entire summer to losing weight. I'm 5'7 and the largest frame of weight to have at my height is around 163. I workout twice a day five days a week. 30-40 minute cardio and 20ish on weights/abs. I managed to drop to 171 from 186 in may which is great, but I'm struggling with losing weight now. It was easy, but I had to change my workout because my body was too familiar with the routine and lately my diet has been off. I try to eat healthy but I have that negative thought in my mind that whatever I eat will make me gain weight, forcing me to not want to eat when I should. Along with not seeing results like i'd like. I know i need to be patient though. I've been overweight most of my life and most of my family are too. They all have negative eating habits and it's hard to fight against it sometimes. I don't want to eat myself into an early grave, my body deserves better. Any advice for me? I could really use it.

OK things you need to know

1) you lose weight in the kitchen - weigh and log your food to a decent calorie defecit across the week
2) you cannot out-exercise a bad diet
3) your body doesn't get familiar with routines

Is your 'routine' a good one?

for your weight-lifting, is it progressive and focused around compound lifts?

- for a good programme google stronglifts5x5, ice-cream fitness, starting strength etc .. all good programmes with progressive loads
- do not add a calorie burn for strength - if you do, do so carefully because you don't burn that much

Set your macros appropriately (0.64-0.82g protein per lb bodyweight / 0.35g fat per lb bodyweight as minimums)
Eat a nutritiously widespread balance of foods
Don't make any food bad .. you can work in anything you like within your calorie defecit with care and attention