Stuck on these last three pounds, HELP!

I could have written this post because this is so me. I've been stuck with these last three pounds since August. Nothing I do will take it off. I'm at the point now where I'm about ready to write it off. Statistically speaking, three pounds is nothing. I think, for me, I just want to see an even 30 pound loss.

I have a Fitbit and I eat under my calories burned every single day. I do circuit training 4x/week.

Now, I have noticed a change in my body and I have dropped a pants size so I'm thinking I'm actually gaining muscle and that's why those three pounds are sticking around.

I have no advise for you other than you're not alone.

Your goal should be set to .5 lb. per week. The closer you are to goal, the harder it is to lose. (Personally, I'd ditch the "nutrition" bars. They're no better for you than candy bars.)

Read this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-Sexypants

I at first thought you were a vegetarian by looking at your diary for the past 3-4 days and then I saw some meat like 5 days ago or so. I was going to suggest that if you were a vegetarian to consume more protein. Perhaps more protein would help though. I agree with the other reply that suggests its muscle weight. I saw your goal as to fit into your size 3 pants, can you do that yet? If so I would chalk it up as 2-3lbs of fabulous muscle
I know myself the number on the scale shouldnt matter but I struggle with the numbers too.

I'd try cleaning up your diet some. Lower the carbs and up the protein. Ditch the bars and go for unprocessed. Then, shake up your workout routine. HIIT workouts, or maybe just adding in sprints. Finally, be patient and aim for .5 lb a week.

I'll try raising my protein intake, I just can never think of what I can have for protein other than chicken and eggs!? Nuts are really calorie dense.

Yes, nuts are calorie dense, but they also have high satiety value, meaning a 100-calorie handful of nuts will keep you full way longer than a sugary "nutrition" bar. Hard-boiled eggs, string cheese, portion-controlled nuts, and yogurt are all yummy, high-protein snacks.

Is something magical going to happen at 120 lbs? Because at this point, you may be better off focusing body recomp than a number on a scale. Add in more protein, and start doing some resistance training. You'll strengthen the lean muscle, which will help you burn fat and lose inches. Which means you'll still end up in your size 3 jeans.

Protein can come in several forms. If you've got a decent blender, you can find a protein powder that goes well with your taste buds and add it with fresh fruit, ice and some milk (which also has a decent amount of protein) to make a smoothie or a shake, a real one.

Cottage cheese is one of my favorites, when I pair it with a cup of mixed fruit in light syrup. Cottage cheese is mostly whey protein.

Meat is great, I LOVE asian food, my ketchup is the same as the ketchup of japan: soy sauce. I usually stir fry up some vegetables and cook some rice and have a well rounded meal. I love adding either strips of chicken breast or sliced sirloin to the wok and stir frying them first.

The trick isn't to find new sources of protein, it's to make the ones you already know fun and uplifting. Look for new recipies, go in the culinary direction you want!

My favorite late night snack: Deviled eggs.

They're nasty and full of fat though, so I thought like Alton Brown. Egg whites are mostly protein, and yolks are protein and fats. Mayo, the key ingredient in deviled eggs, is whipped egg whites with oil blended in, in an emulsion.

Okay, well if yolks are mostly fat, can't you just thin the hard boiled yolks with some skim milk and use only a tablespoon of mayo to get the consistency right?

I also add in honey mustard, salt & fresh pepper, a dash of horseradish, a tsp of sweet pickle relish, and smoked paprika on top. The whole thing comes out to

3 hard boiled eggs = 230 cals, 2 carbs, 15 fat, and 18 g of protein, and they taste just like paula dean's heart attack mayo bombs.

That's the challenge for people like us, finding inexpensive sources of protein that we like, and preparing them in what may be... unorthodox ways. 90% lean ground beef is epic, so is ground turkey but it's more expensive. Steak, beans, pork, chicken, eggs, fish, and protein fluff muffins (made with protein powder, you can find recipes anywhere) are all ways you can eat protein. OH and don't forget! CENTER CUT BACON, WHICH HAS MORE PROTEIN THAN FAT IN IT! Yes, you can have bacon too if you want.

Make your own little cookbook! Every time you think of something you like and crave, think of how to rearrange the recipe to optimize protein and limit fats.

:drinker:

Do you guys really think that changing my macros will help with my plateau? Does eating too much carbs encourage weight gain/stall somehow?

Yes. Here's how it breaks down:

It's called the thermic effect of food, it's the caloric and metabolic cost of your body breaking down a nutrient into smaller forms that it can assimilate.

Carbs cost about 5%, meaning you get 95% of the calories absorbed from eaten carbs.

Fats are around 0-3%, since a fat is just fatty acids attached to a glycerol molecule. When you eat a fat, the body has literally very little to do to turn the fatty acids you just ate into fatty acids which get stored in your fat cell.

Protein costs 25-35%, meaning out of 100 calories worth of protein, you'll only absorb 65 to 75 calories worth of that food. The rest of the energy is absorbed, but it takes SO much more effort to unchain amino acids that you lose a lot of energy in the breakdown, and it's much less efficient.

So, you can see that two diets of 1500 calories, one focused on carbs and the other focused on protein, the higher protein diet will show a larger loss in weight. I know there are a couple studies out there, but I don't have them bookmarked.

And as to your question about low carbing,