Am I doing it right? What can I improve on?

yokurio

Ok. So I'm going to give you a brief overview of my diet and exercise regiment and you tell me if I'm doing it right.

First off, my goals...

1. I want to lose 20 more lbs, which would bring me to 180. I'm 5'9". I want to get to 180 because I feel that it would be less stressful on my body when i run.
2. I want to complete a marathon in October.

My workout regiment:

I'm divorced and have kids 50% of the time, so i try to fit it in where I can.

I'm running 3 times a week, one of the days is my long run, one day my short run, and one day is my tempo/speedwork day. I increase my distance by 10% every week, pretty much a mile every week or so. My back has started hurting the longer I go so I've incorporated planks in my regular workout routine. I also have had problems with my IT Band and i've been stretching a bit more before runs and A LOT after the runs, I also use a foam roller on it to loosen it up before and after runs. I normally will go to the gym after the runs and get some weight training in. Other than that i play softball on Sundays, that is my overall workout routine.

My diet::

I keep to the calorie, carb, and sodium levels that this site gives me, which is around 1500-1600 calories. I don't really care if i go a bit over on my workout days, the weekends are different though because I have my kids. I'm the type of eater that sees what my kids have and if they have leftovers I munch on them until we clean up. I already know that is my biggest downfall, but its still better than i ate 2 years ago. Here are my average calorie counts...

Mon- less than 1600
Tue- less than 1600
Wed- less than 1600
Thu- approximately or less than 2100
Fri- approximately or less than 2100
Sat- depending if i have my kids approximately 2100
Sun- depending if i have my kids approximately 2100

This is my normal diet. I know my problem areas are maintaining my control with the kids, I still feel most of the time I can control myself, but they are so much fun and I seem to eat a bit more when they are around. I understand that as long as I understand that this is my biggest issue and I know about it then I will be able to control it a bit, it's just frustrating.

My progress:

I recently broke through my 200 pound barrier. I'm 198 as of this morning. I have plateau's on a regular basis. I'm currently at a plateau where I can't get below 195. I try to shock my system every couple weeks by doing an all body workout, or like p90x for a week, but it seems like I can't break through. Hrmm...

What do you guys think I could do differently? I know I need to focus more on keeping to my diet throughout the week. I took this week off of working out because I hurt my leg, but I'll be back at it on Saturday for my long run.