No progress.... EVER! Frustration!

Definitely frustrating when you plateau..........I did for almost three months. Sometimes, body simply saying I need to adjust or maybe even need a few more calories. Rest is also essential.....use to work out six or seven days per week and now give myself at least two days every week just to recoup. Hang in there........you will reach your goals!

I have struggled with my weight - ups and downs and various attempts at weight loss - throughout my life. Between January and the end of April 2009 I lost 30 lbs (going from 158 to 128lbs) under a low calorie diet. At the end of that time, when I started excerising more, I realized I needed to intake more calories - considerably more - to fuel what I was doing, because I felt weak and even frail on the low calorie diet. I lost more weight after I consumed 2,600 calories a day while active, and ended up at a low of 114 lbs(at 5'4"). I am now 120 lbs 3 years later, having let things go a little, and I'm trying to get back on track. I do believe the low calorie diet I started with helped fuel my weight loss in the beginning, but ultimately what ended up being my long-term thing was regularly eating between 2000 and 2400 cals and still excerising(but not as intensely or frequently as the year I lost the weight).
The average American consumes 3700 calories per day - if I'm honest with myself, that's about what I ate when I was a size 12 and about 15 lbs over the top of my BMI range, which is about the size of the average American woman. Keeping in mind- an Uno's "individual size" pizza has 2000 calories - even though it looks small and is marketed for one person. Some restaurant desserts have 800plus calories for a size where you might "guestimate" 200. So you have to read labels on everything.
So even reducing your calories to 2200(an honest 2200, not leaving anything out) can help you maintain a lower weight over time. I also do strength training to keep a high metabolism.
One thing I do remember from my strength training/exercize in 2009 - not eating enough can make you frustrated with both the diet and the exercize. Try making a list of foods to keep off limits, and give yourself permission to have other things as you feel the need.

I have weighed the same for over 30 days now. I am maintaining the same eating plan and adding activity. I use very light weights and do barre 3 (you can do at home mybarre3.com) I have upped my walking, skipping and horn playing. (I have a behind the desk and in seated meetings kind of job).. my waist is shrinking, and my strength/edurance is increasing. (BTW,have lost 42 pounds since December 2011)...

For whatever reason, the Barre 3 and maintaining a strong hold on what goes in my mouth helps - it seems like most days I end up 35% protein, and the fats/carbs are each in the 30's. I never drink less than 64 ounces of water a day. I weigh 132 lbs at 5'8"...

I do't eat bread, pasta, potatoes or rice. In nine months, the only time I have had ice cream or bread was last weekend at my 84 year old mom's house, and I stayed in my calories for those days. Drank a lot of water. Stayed active!

I wear size 8 jeans, but they now fit every where but the waist... it works for me, but I will say I feel like my body is transitioning now as I develop more long lean looking muscle. and I am sticking with my program

I was listening to a Jillian Michaels podcast where she talks about people trying to lose "vanity pounds", ie your body isn't overweight and therefor wanting to lose weight. She talked about how it's a totally different ballgame to someone who is trying to lose 50 or 100 pounds, because your body is healthy at the weight that it is and will do anything to keep it that way. She had callers who had the exact same problem as you, that they were incredibly fit, ate very clean and restricted calories and couldn't lose any weight.

Apparently anything over a 1,000 calorie deficit (750 is ideal) is far too large of a deficit if you're not overweight, and your body will slow it's metabolism down, going into starvation mode to resist losing what your body views as necessary weight. Even if you are eating 1600 cals, if you're burning 3,000 a day then you might not lose any weight, it might cannibalize your muscle to reserve the fat.

If you can afford it, maybe buy a fitbit or a body bug to accurately measure your bmr, and then you can determine what your true deficit is. Otherwise, if you've been going at it since March (well done) then maybe its worth experimenting around with changing your macros (ie proportion of carbs, protein and fat) and make sure that you are changing your workout routine every few weeks.

Hope it helps

It can be frustrating big time - you have the diet/nutrition down and the exercise too so good job all around!

My suggestion would be to change up a little on the workout routine and change your strength trainong to a program like
Starting Strengt or Stronglifts 5x5 or New rules of lifting for Women.

Heavy compound lifts do make a big change in your shape.

I also train 5 days a week, mainly cardio upto to 3 miles a day, burning between 350 - 500 calories at a time. I eat healthy, limiting fats and complex carbs etc etc...but i dont seem to be losing any weight...i see a change in body shape as i can see certain parts are more looking more toned but i dont seem to be losing weight...if anything i've gained it? Any ideas?

What is your sedentary TDEE, I'm 5'7 and about 134 and mine is 1700 a day so you may be eating too much if you NET this. Also how are you calculating your exercise calories, the calculators can way over (or under for some people) estimate so you may be eating back way too many calories which could be stalling your weight loss. If I ever have to estimate my cal burn (machine or MFP) I'll just add half and eat those back to buffer against any inaccuracies and to take into account net not gross calories burn.

Hope this helps, good luck

I FEEL your frustration! I'm doing Insanity Workout - which is extreme (especially for a couch potato). My #weight loss has been slow. I don't know the answer....But it's good to know I'm not alone! If you get any GOOD tips, share! I've considered a personal coach - maybe someone with dietary knowledge can find the one or two changes that will make a difference!

You're doing fantastic. just keep on doing what you're doing. It takes a long time to fine tune your body composition.

2 thoughts--
1. Make absolutely sure your numbers are as accurate as possible. Don't estimate on calories. I don't know if that's you or not, like I said, it's just a thought.

2. If you've been restricting for awhile maybe your body needs a reset. Dan gave me some great advice when I was in a 3 month plateau, and it was simply to go back to maintenance for awhile. I did that for a month, and then I cut calories again and the weight started coming off again.

Unfortunately there's no way to spot train so overall fat loss is the only way (short of surgery) to get rid of belly fat. I don't have that problem but mine settles on my thighs. No matter how skinny I get my thighs barely change, it can be frustrating!

How's your protein? Aim for at least 1gram per pound of lean body mass.

And are you taking progress photos? If I look in the mirror, I see the same person I saw ~15 pounds ago. It isn't until I compare photos side by side that I see progress.

Plus, it's next to impossible to change our basic shape. Some folks have wider hips, some have wider shoulders, some have wider waistlines. Focus on being the best you you can be, not fitting some imagined ideal. I have a short torso, small boobs and meaty legs. I'm never going to look like a Victoria's Secrets model unless I have several more vertebrae added to my spine and can transfer my inner thighs up to my chest. But I can still be happy with what I got.

Open your diary if you want more specific advice. What are your macros? "Eating clean" is great, but it doesn't mean much. I eat clean most of the day, but I eat ice cream and frozen yogurt most days, and they aren't homemade.

I am in maintenance, eating about 2000 per day and working out 5-6 days per week, and my waist hasn't changed in months either, including over the last couple of months that I was still losing about a pound a week. And while I would like it to, I'm not sure it's going to get any smaller. Just keep doing what you are doing if it's what you want to be doing. If not, shake it up and see what happens.

2 months and no progress? lower the calories.

Bump.