Feedback (again) on plan?

_Khaleesi_

Hi Again! Allow me to kick things off with a breif rundown of who I am and what I am doing... and why I want some feedback. I am 5'9" and 24 years old. I am currently 173 lbs and have a goal weight of 150 lbs (roughly). I work as an Occupational Therapist, which is more sedentary then you think, and I am losing ounces a week. I would be extatic to be losing .5 - 1 lb a week instead of the slow trickle that I have been experiencing for several months now.

Exercise: I exercise 6 - 7 days a week. I am currently completing the Rushfit program (similar to P90x) and am on week 5 (nearly 6) of 8. This is completed 6 days a week. I either rest or do riding (horseback) the remaining weekday. Rushfit is 55 minutes a day. Riding is usually 60 - 150 minutes. I usually burn 300 - 450 cals a day.

Calories: I am set to lose 1 lb a week, with 23 pounds remaining until my goal. This means I have a limit of 1520 cals per day. I eat back my exercise calories until I am full. I do not eat copious amounts just to fill my quota. I used to come under quite a lot but I am usually coming close to meeting my limit everyday now. I had my calories lower (1200 cals) and plateaued and I just came back from a vacation where I am sure I went over every day (if you look at my diary it was Thursday to Sunday) but did not gain anything from it. Caloric limits and consumption has thus become a mystery to me.

Nutrition: Better than it was but still sucking. I have a lot of issues going over on carbs. My major downfall is a ridiculously low protein intake. My macros are set to 40/40/20 (carbs, protein, fat). Sodium has been a demon in the past but I feel like it is mostly under control. I struggle to drink 8 cups of water a day but usually JUST meet that quota. My fiber has been half decent and I have no complaints/ issues with that. I eat more fruit than veggies, it's another thing I am working on. ***When looking at my diary I ask that you ignore Thursday to Sunday of this past week as it was vacation. I logged some and didn't log some and it was a complete healthy lifestyle vacation (a decision made to help me get over some of the obessive tendancies I have with calories and intake).***

Mental/ Emotional Health: People don't give this aspect enough credit. I get 7 - 8 hours of sleep a night, sometimes I do not feel rested when I wake up. I am seeing a counselor biweekly to address issues that add to my stress and anxiety levels. I am currently unsatisfied with my job and am looking for another, but there are few to no available postings. I am getting married in a year and am planning that whole shebang but I wouldn't consider it stressful, yet. All in all, the biggest stress that I have is this weight loss process and succeeding at it. I worry about my slow loss, especially as I see others zoom past me. I want to do what is best for me, and fear that I am somehow missing a big piece of the puzzle because of the slow weight loss (and measurement loss) I have been having.

Plan: The biggest goal is to get my macros under control. I am not 100% sure how to do it. I know the sugar measurement is a bit of a misleading wench as it doesn't devide processed and natural sugars, and you can easily go over your sugar limit with a few pieces of fruit. I don't know how to best address that issue. But anyway, I know that I need to up my protein x1000. I am switching to a cereal that has a higher serving of protein in it (Kashi). I am planning to "mass boil" eggs in order to have them as quick protein snacks. I am drinking one gold standard protein shake a day. I am hoping to introduce protein into my lunches more through: precooking chicken breast, eating peanut butter and having trail mix. Is there more that I can do? Should do? I am hoping to introduce more vegetables throughout the day, and preferably ones that I don't need to have with a dressing (cooked broccoli/ cauliflower).

I hope to continue on with the Rushfit program for 7 more weeks and then reevaluate where I am at. P90X will likely begin January 1st. Winter in Canada and living rurally means that other exercise options will be limited. I have home DVD programs, free weights, wii Active 2 and JM's wii game. Going to a gym isn't an option right now, there isn't enough hours in the day (I live 35 minutes from a gym and have a daily 2 hour commute for work). So I think my alternative exercises are a good substitution.

I guess what I am looking for is... what other things should I do to try to kick this up a notch? Do you think my calorie limit is enough (I know that it's slightly under my BMR....)? Any friendly advice/ suggestions? I appreciate your advice guys. Please be kind! I am already hard enough on myself for the lot of us!

Thanks!!

dls06

Keep doing what you are doing. What would you tell your patients if they asked for a faster recovery. It takes time. It took a long time to put the weight on and it will take even longer to take it off the right way. Slow and steady and you will keep it off forever.

kendernau

Your plan sounds pretty good to me.

The only major thing I can think to recommend would be to see if you can find someplace to test your BMR, instead of using the rough estimate MFP gives.

Using an HRM to get an accurate count of calories burned while exercising can also help, as would using a food scale to weigh everything (and I mean everything, until you are sure your measurements are accurate).

Even if it is just a slow trickle, at least you are losing weight consistently.

I also work in a sedentary job, and eat most of my exercise calories back (as long as my body tells me it is hungry anyway - will go under if it isn't complaining), and I am trying to do a lot of the same things you are. The diet fix was the easiest part for me - I'm still working on the exercise piece. I have gotten to where I don't stress about the carbs number since I eat a lot of foods with natural sugars (fruit) and fiber (beans, lentils, etc.). I just try to get as close to the protein number as I can without going over on the calories, and try to limit my fat intake to MUFs and PUFs as much as possible.

_Khaleesi_

Hmmm... thanks guys.

I use a HRM when I work out, I have been considering a body bugg.

I guess I have to learn to be patient?