100lbs lost and STUCK!

dmdaigle17

I've lost 100lbs and can't get beyond that for the life of me! My calories range from 1100-1500 a day. I change it up every now and then so my body doesn't get used to it. I walk/jog EVERYDAY 4 miles. And then typically do strength training exercises as well. Who else that has lost such a large amount is having/had trouble from here forward?

Any thoughts/ideas/input to get this weight off and moving again would be great!

LokiFae

I haven't lost quite that much (I'm on my way!) but I would try a different workout. Do you have any DVDs you could try? A cheat day may be in order too, just to jumpstart your metabolism.

femmerides

every few weeks or so i get stuck so i just take a few days off from exercise and focus more on my eating and usually i either maintain or lose a pound and then when i start working out again i lose even more!

00trayn

I agree, if you're walking or jogging every single day, your body has gotten used to the exercise and your metabolism slows. It looks like you're eating enough, but try to avoid going below 1200 calories. I usually eat a minimum of 1300, max 1500 and I exercise to burn 300-700 a day.

You should try a workout DVD or something. If you're used to jogging, run intervals where you run fast for a minute to really get your heartrate up, and then jog or walk for a minute. I've been using some great workout DVDs in the past few months that have kept the weight loss going. I started with the 30 Day Shred ($9 at Walmart or Target), and I moved up to Chalean Extreme and Turbo Fire now (available from Beachbody). They have strength and cardio together so you get a great workout. It just sounds like you need a change to kick start your metabolism again. I highly suggestion intervals training since it's proven to do just that.

trud72

hi ya,some times your body needs a break from loosing weight,keep up the good work and it will keep coming off dont loose hope it just does this from time to time...

karen1003

Hi! I just had to respond because I am in the same place you are! I have lost just over 100 pounds and am now struggling to even get another ounce OFF! For me, it is both the food and working out. I have become bored with my usual meals and am having difficulty shaking it up for fear that I will have too much sugar or carbs, etc (even though it's healthy ... it's different from what I was eating when I was losing). I am going to try and vary my workout as suggested below. I still have quite a bit to lose and I refuse to give up now!
It is great to know other people are in the same position - thank you for posting. One day at a time, right?
Congratulations on your success!!

baker_c

Congratulations on 100 lbs loss! What a success! I'm still working on my first 5 so I am very impressed with your weight loss.

ambercole

2 years ago I went from 250lbs to 130lbs. I found that once I got down to 150 or so it was super hard to lose that last 20lbs and even harder to keep it off. I had to workout SUPER hard everyday and had to strength train like a mad woman. i also had to eat ALL of my excercise calories. It's like the closer you get to your goal the harder your body fights againt you. It sucks!!!!

chanstriste13

no advice for you...sorry. but *tons* of praise! you rock! good luck getting there!

cabrzama

I've plateaued a few times and it truly is breaks and change that get me out of it. The last one had me really perplexed as it lasted about two and a half months. I had lost 43 lbs to that point. I tried doing small changes in my cardio and strength training. But there seemed to be two things (that I can tell that really pulled me out in a big way--have lost 10 lbs since then in a fairly short time):

1. Calorie accountability in my workout. I was basing how many calories I was burning in my workout on what the machine said. At one point it may have been fairly accurate, but as my efficiency in doing that machine (eliptical, treadmill, stair climber, bike) increased, and my weight decreased, that gap between what the machine was saying and what was really happening was getting wider. Finally, I bought a heart rate monitor that tracked calories based on how hard my heart was working. I was shocked that after my workout I was OVER-stating how many calories I was burning by about 300-350. So, I was eating as much food as I was 20 lbs heavier and burning lots less calories--so basically I was eating at maintenance level.

2. The second thing I really focused on, and this is still a struggle to change, is that I now try to focus more on what my body is telling me about hunger than what MFP (calorie counter) says is okay. Calorie counters are extremely helpful in getting you into the ballpark of where you need to be. But to find that sweet spot of what your body actually needs while losing weight is very much an individual thing. So now, I try really hard to not let external cues determine when and how much I eat. Rather I try to listen to my body. I've noticed there is a space of time between barely satisfied and stomach growling that is my sweet spot and it's actually just a little less than what calorie counters allow me or say is okay. So I try and aim for that.

There's a book I recently read called "Mindless Eating" by Brian Wansink that really helps open your eyes to the external factors or cues we use to know when it's time to eat. Unfortunately, we have become really conditioned to these external cues (what time it is, smells, social settings, etc) and less to what our own bodies tell us. Anyway, it's an excellent read.

So, there's my tips. I am back to losing again (just have another 15-20 lbs to go) and I am doing it more consistently than ever too, which is nice! Best of luck and hang in there--never give up--it's a journey, not a destination!

LotusF1ower

I've lost 100lbs and can't get beyond that for the life of me! My calories range from 1100-1500 a day. I change it up every now and then so my body doesn't get used to it. I walk/jog EVERYDAY 4 miles. And then typically do strength training exercises as well. Who else that has lost such a large amount is having/had trouble from here forward?

Any thoughts/ideas/input to get this weight off and moving again would be great!

Hi! Your before and after shots in your profile photo - I just had to say you look absolutely amazing now, beautiful face. WTG on your weight loss so far, an incredible accomplishment!!

Have you been taking measurements? What about your dress sizes, how many have you dropped? When you first started on your weight loss plan, did you have a dress size you wanted to get down to? If so, how many dress sizes are you away from that size goal? I strongly suspect you will find you are a hell of a lot closer to it than you realise.

Your photo, you only have to look at your "after" photo to see the difference in your face, how much it has slimmed down, this will be so for the rest of your body too. I think this because you are doing a lot of exercise and it is highly likely that you are very toned now, the scales will not necessarily reflect your weight, I bet you look smaller than what you weigh!

Sometimes, we get a number fixed in our heads that we wish to reach on the scales and forget the other factors that come into play after losing a lot of weight and toning up.

Vitally important you try to remember what size you wanted to reach and see how far away you are before you do anything else.

Once again, a million congratulations on your weightloss, a real inspiration to say the least!! :flowerforyou:

cabrzama

Sorry, one more suggestion of something I am doing different. Before I was doing 75% cardio, 25% strength training. I was really resistant to doing any more than 25% strength training because you can burn more calories in a cardio workout (thus eat more) than you can in a strength workout. I WAS WRONG!!! I am able to lose just as much doing weights, but not burning quite as many calories. I really think strength training and eating just enough calories to keep the hunger pains away (no more, no less) that really fuel the metabolism throughout the day.

The weight routine I adopted is called MAX-OT (you can Google and read more about it). Basically, you do the opposite of what I was doing before--it's more like 5 minute warm-up (treadmill walking) 35-45 min of weights and 16 min of cardio. The kicker, though, is you have to do it all-out--leave no strength when you are done. For the weights, you work two different muscle groups per day, lifting the heaviest weight you can lift 4-6 reps. When you can do six reps, you do the next biggest weight. I usually do 4-5 rounds of six different types of weights.

dmdaigle17

I've lost 100lbs and can't get beyond that for the life of me! My calories range from 1100-1500 a day. I change it up every now and then so my body doesn't get used to it. I walk/jog EVERYDAY 4 miles. And then typically do strength training exercises as well. Who else that has lost such a large amount is having/had trouble from here forward?

Any thoughts/ideas/input to get this weight off and moving again would be great!

Hi! Your before and after shots in your profile photo - I just had to say you look absolutely amazing now, beautiful face. WTG on your weight loss so far, an incredible accomplishment!!

Have you been taking measurements? What about your dress sizes, how many have you dropped? When you first started on your weight loss plan, did you have a dress size you wanted to get down to? If so, how many dress sizes are you away from that size goal? I strongly suspect you will find you are a hell of a lot closer to it than you realise.

Your photo, you only have to look at your "after" photo to see the difference in your face, how much it has slimmed down, this will be so for the rest of your body too. I think this because you are doing a lot of exercise and it is highly likely that you are very toned now, the scales will not necessarily reflect your weight, I bet you look smaller than what you weigh!

Sometimes, we get a number fixed in our heads that we wish to reach on the scales and forget the other factors that come into play after losing a lot of weight and toning up.

Vitally important you try to remember what size you wanted to reach and see how far away you are before you do anything else.

Once again, a million congratulations on your weightloss, a real inspiration to say the least!! :flowerforyou:

Thank you so much for all that you said! It really helped me a lot. I've lost 6 dress sizes and ultimately would love to see another 4 go away. I would still be "plus size" even at 10 dress sizes gone, if and when I reach that!

I guess maybe I should try to focus more on the sizes and not the weight? I have def. noticed more of a change in my measurements then in the scale all summer long.

It's crazy to think and say but I find myself much much much more self conscious now that I've lost this amount of weight then when I was carrying it!

dmdaigle17

I've plateaued a few times and it truly is breaks and change that get me out of it. The last one had me really perplexed as it lasted about two and a half months. I had lost 43 lbs to that point. I tried doing small changes in my cardio and strength training. But there seemed to be two things (that I can tell that really pulled me out in a big way--have lost 10 lbs since then in a fairly short time):

1. Calorie accountability in my workout. I was basing how many calories I was burning in my workout on what the machine said. At one point it may have been fairly accurate, but as my efficiency in doing that machine (eliptical, treadmill, stair climber, bike) increased, and my weight decreased, that gap between what the machine was saying and what was really happening was getting wider. Finally, I bought a heart rate monitor that tracked calories based on how hard my heart was working. I was shocked that after my workout I was OVER-stating how many calories I was burning by about 300-350. So, I was eating as much food as I was 20 lbs heavier and burning lots less calories--so basically I was eating at maintenance level.

2. The second thing I really focused on, and this is still a struggle to change, is that I now try to focus more on what my body is telling me about hunger than what MFP (calorie counter) says is okay. Calorie counters are extremely helpful in getting you into the ballpark of where you need to be. But to find that sweet spot of what your body actually needs while losing weight is very much an individual thing. So now, I try really hard to not let external cues determine when and how much I eat. Rather I try to listen to my body. I've noticed there is a space of time between barely satisfied and stomach growling that is my sweet spot and it's actually just a little less than what calorie counters allow me or say is okay. So I try and aim for that.

There's a book I recently read called "Mindless Eating" by Brian Wansink that really helps open your eyes to the external factors or cues we use to know when it's time to eat. Unfortunately, we have become really conditioned to these external cues (what time it is, smells, social settings, etc) and less to what our own bodies tell us. Anyway, it's an excellent read.

So, there's my tips. I am back to losing again (just have another 15-20 lbs to go) and I am doing it more consistently than ever too, which is nice! Best of luck and hang in there--never give up--it's a journey, not a destination!

Thank you for all the tips, including your additional one. I am def. trying to do better with just listening to my body and when it wants to eat but I have a hard time allowing myself that even when I know that I physically am hungry but am afraid to go over my calories. Know what I mean? I can 100% say though that I am finally at a point where I have control over the food and not it over me.