Please help-suggestions with food/fitness-I'm stuck!

Ralstonk2
Ralstonk2 Posts: 345 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
A little background on my story. I've lost 60 lbs and have kept it off for 2 years and have been at my current weight and maintained it since July. Which is great don't get me wrong! But I want to lose another 15-20 lbs and then also tone up and gain some muscle. The 60 lbs that I have lost was all done by diet alone, no exercise. Now granted I've exercised here and there doing a workout video or I've gone to the gym with my girlfriends but no actual routine. I don't have a gym membership but I have a treadmill at home and lots of workout video's at home. I'm hoping to get the clear from my Dr this week that I can start working out next Monday (Doing the 30DS), I had surgery 2 weeks ago and am still recovering. I am stuck at this weight of 138-142 for months now and can't get past it. I know I need to start working out. But do you think working out will help this 8 month plateau that I've been on or is my body just stuck at this weight? And yes I want the scale to go down along with losing inches in my inner thighs and my hips and to get some abs! I need some help! I know eating right isn't cutting it anymore and I NEED to do something else extra. Thoughts/suggestions would be greatly appreciated! THANKS!!!!!

Replies

  • ze_hombre
    ze_hombre Posts: 377 Member
    If you are wanting to lose inches around your legs then the best exercise is running. Do the Couch to 5k program if you aren't a runner already.
  • Bownzi
    Bownzi Posts: 423 Member
    It could be that what ever you had surgery for was keeping you at this weight. Pain or things like that can keep you down...but if you start light...keep logging it in you will make progress... There is a lot of support here from people they have kept me going...
  • ValerieMomof2
    ValerieMomof2 Posts: 530 Member
    I would highly suggest weight training if you can. Talk to your doc obviously about your limitations since your surgery
  • lizziebeth1028
    lizziebeth1028 Posts: 3,602 Member
    A little background on my story. I've lost 60 lbs and have kept it off for 2 years and have been at my current weight and maintained it since July. Which is great don't get me wrong! But I want to lose another 15-20 lbs and then also tone up and gain some muscle. The 60 lbs that I have lost was all done by diet alone, no exercise. Now granted I've exercised here and there doing a workout video or I've gone to the gym with my girlfriends but no actual routine. I don't have a gym membership but I have a treadmill at home and lots of workout video's at home. I'm hoping to get the clear from my Dr this week that I can start working out next Monday (Doing the 30DS), I had surgery 2 weeks ago and am still recovering. I am stuck at this weight of 138-142 for months now and can't get past it. I know I need to start working out. But do you think working out will help this 8 month plateau that I've been on or is my body just stuck at this weight? And yes I want the scale to go down along with losing inches in my inner thighs and my hips and to get some abs! I need some help! I know eating right isn't cutting it anymore and I NEED to do something else extra. Thoughts/suggestions would be greatly appreciated! THANKS!!!!!

    Any workout is better than no workout, so once you get cleared from the Doctor start moving! 30DS is a nice DVD, but I found it a bit to hard on my knees to do more than 2 times a week...so I would do other workouts in between those days. After such a big weight loss you would probably benefit the most from 'the new rules of lifting for women' or 'stronglifts 5x5'. Both are excellent straight forward strength training programs.
  • DanBol86
    DanBol86 Posts: 3 Member
    Hi there. The closer you get to your goal the harder it is to continue to loose weight. It is most likely that the amount of calories you are now consuming is no longer creating a deficit. A pound of body fat is 3500 calories.....so, to loose even just one pound a week, you would need a daily deficit of 500 calories loose the 1 pound. Your diet could also be affecting your weight loss goals. If your diet was fairly extreme, like around a 1000 calorie a day deficit, chances are you lost muscle mass as well as fat. Your body can only burn so much fat for energy, then it will go into a catabolic state, burning muscle for more efficient energy. Since muscle increases your metabolism, if you did loose a substantial amount of muscle, then it is possibly your metabolism has slowed in order to preserve muscle and keep normal body systems functioning. If I were you I would try increasing your cardio, incorporate some weight training to preserve/re-build muscle, and try "cycling" calories. Cycling works well when you have hit a plateau. Let's say your goal is to consume 1500 calories a day. instead of a strict 1500 a day, try doing 2000 calories one day and 1000 the next, this way you stay at 3000 calories for the two days but confuse your body into increasing metabolism. Ok.......that's a lot for now so I'll leave you with that. Anyways, if you have any questions, feel free to ask me!
  • Ralstonk2
    Ralstonk2 Posts: 345 Member
    Thanks everyone for the great suggestions! I really appreciate the help and taking the time to read it! :-) I love all the support on here! I've logged in for 430 days as of Sunday! So I know this place is very supportive and really helps. This is where I came to help lose the 60 lbs I lost! I will glady take more suggestions/thoughs or if anyone else has experience with this long plateau with results I would take that too! :-)
  • Ralstonk2
    Ralstonk2 Posts: 345 Member
    BUMP anyone else?
  • Ralstonk2
    Ralstonk2 Posts: 345 Member
    BUMP
  • Ralstonk2
    Ralstonk2 Posts: 345 Member
    Okay! I can't believe I'm about to do this. BUT I just got in my bathing suit I ordered and the bottoms are snug but they fit enough that if I work on it they should be okay. Give opinions please. BUT really. I'm posting this picture because I want suggestions on how do I get my legs to slip down. My hips and thigs are huge. I'm so embarrased to post this. I've always had huge legs and after losing 60 lbs they have gone done trust me. But seeing them in this picture today is just horrifying to me. So, how do I get my inner thighs to slip down and my hips? PLEASE HELP!!!!! And if you read all of this, I can't workout hard because of surgery issues and it's possible that I may have to have surgery again here soon. So I need low impact things that I can do to lose inches off my legs/hips/thighs and weight. Thank you all so much. This is all starting to depress me. Not being able to give this my all and seein myself like this. My stomach is still a little swollen with my incisions from surgery just a few weeks ago. Here goes nothing....... :sad: :embarassed:

    33013aftersurgery.jpg

    Edit: Wrong picture posted.
  • Ralstonk2
    Ralstonk2 Posts: 345 Member
    BUMP to see if it will show up on my page again!
  • ValerieMomof2
    ValerieMomof2 Posts: 530 Member
    First of all, you look fantastic. Secondly, your doctor really should give you guidelines on your workout since we don't know your history. Can you do any strength training--even body weight exercises?
  • Coyoteldy
    Coyoteldy Posts: 219 Member
    surgery recovery often makes us feel like we have gained weight.. and pain slows everything down..start with easy exercise and increase as you feel strong enough...maintain a calorie deficit and you will lose again...
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    It's difficult to give you suggestions while you are still recovering from surgery.

    If you have been in a deficit for a long time, I would suggest a couple of weeks at maintenance and then when you are able to exercise, start a regime that includes full body strength training and keep your deficit to lose half a pound (around 200-300 cals).

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