Help!Losing the last 10lbs..what to change in workouts.

saleens7gurl

Hello all!. I am not new to MFP, but I am new to the forums, so hello!

To give a brief run down, I have lost about 50lbs over the past year, and about 27lbs since I started using MFP. I went from a size 14 to a size 6 in jeans, started at about 200lbs and now fluctuate between 148-152 lbs on any given week for the past 3.5 months. I went from 30% body fat to 20% body fat. I was never very concerned about the physical weight, but more about my clothing size, BFP, and overall fitness level. I have accomplished a lot, but I would like to reach my goal of 140lbs and/or 18% body fat.

I currently run about 30 miles a week and regularly compete in road races, especially 1/2 marathons. I am also training for a Spartan Race in July, which is a mud/obstacle course race. I love running, but really do not do as much strength training as I feel I should. If I have to the choice of how to spend my workout time, I would much rather go out for a nice run as opposed to doing push ups, pull ups, squats, or weight training.

I understand a large problem of this portion of weight loss is that once your body starts to get towards your "ideal" body weight, it becomes harder to loose weight. I have run into a couple of problems with MFP in this regard. I have recently switched from a highly active job that required a fair amount of physical labor to a desk job. Subsequently, I switched my activity level in MFP from very active to lightly active, since my only physical activity was going to come from my workouts 5-6 days a week. My daily calorie allotment to lose 1 lb per week dropped from 1760 calories a day to 1500. Since then, I have kept consistent with my logging, met my calorie and expenditure goals, and have not lost any more weight over the past 4 months and have not made a dent in my BFP.

I have maintained a very good high protein diet. I don't eat junk food, drink sodas, or eat sweets. I eat tons of veggies and moderate carbs (enough to keep my energy up and to help in my runs). I also do not eat a ton of fat (less than 35g a day. If I do eat fat, it is healthy natural fat. I eat mostly organic, all natural foods. Nothing overly complex with lots of additives. Big focus here has been CLEAN fuel to burn.

My question (I apologize for being long-winded here) is whether I need to change my dietary goals (eat more) and/or change my fitness plan to incorporate more strength training to raise my metabolic rate. Given that my workout time has become more limited because of the job change, I want to make the most of the time I spend working out. Running is very important to me, as I am working on cutting my 1/2 marathon time from 2:13:26 to 2:05:00, so I need to train in that regard. But will more strength training help in cutting the BFP? I want to be able to see the abs that are under an inch 1/2 of fat and the muscle tone I have gained. :-) I feel I am so close, but have hit a bit of a wall here.....


PLEASE HELP!

Thanks!

dogo187

I think that you know what you need to do...you have to start some weight/resistance training....

building lean muscle will make your body leaner and smoother and well, you will look better...

in all honesty, when you start weight and strength training you will probably gain a few pounds due to muscle being much more dense than fat but with that you will probably find that your clothes fit better and become a little loose...

sounds like your diet is fairly healthy, once you start strength training you might want to increase your protein intake to 1g of protein per 2lbs of body weight...

have you thought about a program like Insanity or P90X? both are great programs that will give you results if you eat well and follow the program...

congratulations on your progress...really well done!!!

abelmorales3150

Hello all!. I am not new to MFP, but I am new to the forums, so hello!

To give a brief run down, I have lost about 50lbs over the past year, and about 27lbs since I started using MFP. I went from a size 14 to a size 6 in jeans, started at about 200lbs and now fluctuate between 148-152 lbs on any given week for the past 3.5 months. I went from 30% body fat to 20% body fat. I was never very concerned about the physical weight, but more about my clothing size, BFP, and overall fitness level. I have accomplished a lot, but I would like to reach my goal of 140lbs and/or 18% body fat.

I currently run about 30 miles a week and regularly compete in road races, especially 1/2 marathons. I am also training for a Spartan Race in July, which is a mud/obstacle course race. I love running, but really do not do as much strength training as I feel I should. If I have to the choice of how to spend my workout time, I would much rather go out for a nice run as opposed to doing push ups, pull ups, squats, or weight training.

I understand a large problem of this portion of weight loss is that once your body starts to get towards your "ideal" body weight, it becomes harder to loose weight. I have run into a couple of problems with MFP in this regard. I have recently switched from a highly active job that required a fair amount of physical labor to a desk job. Subsequently, I switched my activity level in MFP from very active to lightly active, since my only physical activity was going to come from my workouts 5-6 days a week. My daily calorie allotment to lose 1 lb per week dropped from 1760 calories a day to 1500. Since then, I have kept consistent with my logging, met my calorie and expenditure goals, and have not lost any more weight over the past 4 months and have not made a dent in my BFP.

I have maintained a very good high protein diet. I don't eat junk food, drink sodas, or eat sweets. I eat tons of veggies and moderate carbs (enough to keep my energy up and to help in my runs). I also do not eat a ton of fat (less than 35g a day. If I do eat fat, it is healthy natural fat. I eat mostly organic, all natural foods. Nothing overly complex with lots of additives. Big focus here has been CLEAN fuel to burn.

My question (I apologize for being long-winded here) is whether I need to change my dietary goals (eat more) and/or change my fitness plan to incorporate more strength training to raise my metabolic rate. Given that my workout time has become more limited because of the job change, I want to make the most of the time I spend working out. Running is very important to me, as I am working on cutting my 1/2 marathon time from 2:13:26 to 2:05:00, so I need to train in that regard. But will more strength training help in cutting the BFP? I want to be able to see the abs that are under an inch 1/2 of fat and the muscle tone I have gained. :-) I feel I am so close, but have hit a bit of a wall here.....


PLEASE HELP!

Thanks!

Hey dude,

I know exactly what it feels like hitting a plateau! What kind of drink are you taking after your workout? One of the most important things to do is provide nutrients for your body immediately after you're done working out... that's when the magic happens! In addition, I would try switching out my workout, if I were you.

Running is definitely a great workout, however, you should include some weight training in your workout. I'm a soccer player by nature so I use to run A LOT, but never was able to get the lean mean body I wanted until I included some weight training in my workout.

I was able to overcome my plateau, I know you can too man!

I'm cheering you on!