Going back and forth with the same 5lbs

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liznlu
liznlu Posts: 16 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello everyone,

I have lost a total of 50lbs doing Weight Watchers. I was able to go down to 155lbs and I felt awesome! It was short lived though because in order for me to keep the weight that low I had to workout 2 hours a day and strictly eat clean, ie: no processed foods. It is very hard to maintain that lifestyle especially since my husband is not following any diet and we usually go out to dinner on the weekends.

I have gained 10lbs back and have been able to maintain at 165 for over a year now but I want to go back down to 155lb. My body fights it though. I do really well during the week. I exercise Mon-Fri and I go from 165 to as low as 160-161, however once the weekend rolls around and I am not tracking all my calorie intake I seem to gain the pounds I lose during the week. What I try to do on Saturday and Sunday is to have a healthy breakfast and lunch so that I save most of the calories for the evening since we go out to dinner or order in and watch movies. I want to enjoy life like a normal human being without stressing that I will gain the weight I put so much effort into losing.

My workouts consist of
Monday - Insanity for 40 min in the morning and then a 4 mile run in the afternoon
Tuesday - a 4 mile run in the am and sometimes I will do Insanity in the evening
Wed - I go to the gym and run for 25 min on the treadmill and then workout on the machines for another 25-30 min
Thursday - 4 mile run in the morning
Friday - 4 mile run in the morning and Insanity in the evening
Saturday is rest day
Sunday - 4 mile run

I burn at least 600 - 1000 calories a day

I don't know what else to do

Oh and I don't eat my workout calories, I have found that this won't help me to lose weight..

Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated!

Replies

  • dls06
    dls06 Posts: 6,774 Member
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    You have to want it in order to do it. You are making a lot of excuses why you can't?
  • _Sally_
    _Sally_ Posts: 514 Member
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    Maybe increase strength training? The more muscle you have, the higher your base metabolism.

    Also maybe make one of your runs a tempo run or hill repeats, etc. Interval training is a good metabolism booster.

    You may just need to shake things up a bit, not do more of what you are already doing.
  • Mrs_TrimWaistFatWallet
    Mrs_TrimWaistFatWallet Posts: 486
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    More strength training.
  • lexiwho
    lexiwho Posts: 178 Member
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    Without seeing what you're eating, it will be extremely hard to tell you where to change things. How many calories are you eating a day? When you go out on the weekend, do you just eat whatever you want or do you pick healthy choices? Give us some more information so we can try to help.
  • eketner
    eketner Posts: 1
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    sounds like you're doing great! the only thing that helps me is to switch up the type of cardio i do and add more weights. i know insanity has strength training, but maybe you could try more weights at the gym?
  • JillyCornwall
    JillyCornwall Posts: 376 Member
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    You don't say how many calories a day you eat in the week, if they are very low then your body will hold onto the extra you eat at the weekend, especially if they are 'junk'.
    You need to work on converting body fat to lean muscle mass and to do that you need to eat well in the week...and have your weekend treats but try & keep them healthy.
  • keschuh79
    keschuh79 Posts: 29
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    I would change up your workout routine. Change the types of workouts, switch the days around, etc. Your body has probably found your workout routine predictable. I can't speak on your food intake, but as far as workouts go I found that for myself my body reacts more when I try something different. And I'm a big advocate of taking classes offered by local gyms. I rarely get bored, and they constantly push me to work harder or do something different.
  • liznlu
    liznlu Posts: 16 Member
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    You have to want it in order to do it. You are making a lot of excuses why you can't?

    I don't understand what excuses are you talking about. I am the last person to make excuses. When I want something I become a fanatic. I workout until my body is exhausted and can't no more. During the week I am as strict as can be. I want to be able to enjoy life as well with my husband on the weekend without having to obsess every morsel I put in my mouth. I don't see this as an excuse I want it to be a lifestyle.

    I managed to lose 50lbs doing just this but put on 10lb back. I did have a personal trainer too but he is very expensive. I spent almost 3000.00 dollars and I want to be able to do this on my own without having to shell out a small fortune to drop 10lbs.
  • EJWoolcock
    EJWoolcock Posts: 60
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    Maybe try mixing up the exercise - do something completely different like Zumba or a circuit (I don't know what Intensity is I'm sorry). Also, if you are eating the same foods all the time, maybe try changing what you are eating a little bit to shock the body a little.

    Good luck! I believe in being able to live like a normal person, otherwise we are thin, but not living!
  • liznlu
    liznlu Posts: 16 Member
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    I am eating 1000 - 1200 calories a day.

    My breakfast normally consist of either oatmeal with 1 cup of Unsweetened almond breeze, 1/4 c of blueberries.
    Mid morning snack a piece of fruit
    Lunch 3 oz of protein and a bowl of salad with balsamic vinegar
    Mid afternoon snack a protein shake
    Dinner 3 oz of protein with either whole wheat pasta or brown rice
    If I am still hungry I may have 1oz of almonds, or 94% FF popcorn, or a popsicle as a treat occasionally.

    Weekends I eat for breakfast an egg white omelet and for lunch 3 oz of protein with steamed veggies.

    When we go out to dinner I skip the bread, the appetizer and the dessert.
    If we go to Olive Garden I have the chicken with apricot sauce, if we go to Uno's I will have the Power Salad, If we do tex/mex I will have the fajitas because I can customize to my liking.

    I do have a drink or two on the weekends and I know that causes water retention but overall I should still be able to break this plateau.

    Help!
  • JillyCornwall
    JillyCornwall Posts: 376 Member
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    If you are only eating 1000-1200 cals a day and doing all that exercise you weekday net is probably only about 600-800 cals..no wonder you are not losing..its too low, your body is being severely strained just to survive..so when you eat it grabs every calorie & stores it ready for its starvation it knows is coming after. you need to add more protein and a couple of carb snacks.
  • ATXJudie
    ATXJudie Posts: 67 Member
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    If you are only eating 1000-1200 cals a day and doing all that exercise you weekday net is probably only about 600-800 cals..no wonder you are not losing..its too low, your body is being severely strained just to survive..so when you eat it grabs every calorie & stores it ready for its starvation it knows is coming after. you need to add more protein and a couple of carb snacks.

    It may even be less than that -- if you are truly burning 600-1000 calories with exercise each day. There are days where you are barely giving your body 200 calories to fuel off of. Just sitting around takes more energy than that. I can't believe you aren't just tired all the time. I would also suggest eating more -- add more protein, snacks, etc. Especially on days where you burn 1000 calories!!!

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