Newb, initial success, subsequent frustration

danimalkeys

Hi, new person here. I downloaded the Android app to help track my progress a couple months ago, but have not logged onto the web site.

I a little about me: I just turned 50. Last Feb I decided I was tired of being overweight and getting out of breath going up the stairs. I'm a former competitive powerlifter, but I have not done any competitions in several years. My problem was I was still eatling like one! I got up to 280lbs (my competing weight was around 250, and even tho' I was big, I was in pretty good shape). My BP was on the edge, I was having joint problems and general issues from weighing so much, so I changed my lifestyle. Bought an elliptical machine to get my heart in shape. Changed my eating habits, mostly with portion control and cutting out a lot of "bad" carbs. Except for my weekend beer.

By August, I had lost over 50lbs and hit my goal weight of 225. I felt a lot better. Blasting away on the cardio, doing 3-4 miles at a pop, where I could barely finish 15 minutes when I 1st started. 6" off my waist. Lots of good stuff.

I won't say I fell off the wagon, but after I hit my target weight, I definitely went into a mode where I was allowing myself to eat more, enjoying some things that I'd given up like potatoes and pasta. I cut back the cardio to 2x a week. Thanksgiving came, I had a doctors appt in Dec, and my weight had gone back up to 238lbs. Time to get back on track. I set a new goal to weigh 200lbs by summer. I at least want to be down around 220 by my next doc appt in mid March.

So since then, I've been counting everything I eat, all my cardio, using the MFP app. The problem is I can't break 227lbs. I continually hover around 230, no matter how much I exercise or what my caloric deficit is. I'm on 1700 calories a day, plus whatever bonus I get from cardio, usually between 450-700 per day. 5 days a week I'm easily at or under my goal, and on weekends when I enjoy some beers, I will go over some, but not a lot. Still, the weight remains the same. It's getting frustrating. I do weigh myself daily, which I probably shouldn't do. Yesterday I was 228. Today, at 230 again.

I change up my workout routine on the elliptical, there are a ton of programs so I challenge myself with them. I really don't have any other options for cardio. I'd love to run outside but my knees just can't hack it. I've been hitting the weights again but not consistently enough to even count. I was amazed at how weak I'd become, from benching in the mid to upper 400's, to struggling with 150lbs. Squatting mid 600s and having 275lbs feel like a ton on my back. Very discouraging in that regard.

Anyway, sorry for the introductory novelette. I just need to find a way to jump start the weight loss because even doing what I think are the right things has stopped working.