Ha! Actually I was referring to how long I've been on MFP! Because 47 IS NOT OLD! I look forward to hearing from y'all.

Thx for the reply.

I do think the best assessment for me will be to track a few areas with the calipers. Might give me a better picture. And I need to stop looking at a % goal. It is just a number. And in my case, since I know my fat patterns, even if I have some % number that sounds awesome (getting below 20%, or whatever) what does that matter if my abs still look like 30%--all that means is that my legs are now skinnier! So I will concentrate on lowering the skinfold mm on my abs (both the diagonal and the vertical fold, I'm not remembering what they are called. Right now the vertical measurement is 13 mm and the diagonal above the hip is 10 mm) I think it is pointless for me to measure the thigh or bicep, since I can barely even get a skinfold on those. Would that be reasonable for tracking?

My current regimen has been all over the place. Let me explain.

First of all, I really like running. It is not that I am a great runner, or training for anything (although a triathalon is on my bucket list), I just find it to be very relaxing and mentally therapeutic. If I had more time, my runs would regularly be longer. But not faster. When I started trying to improve my speed it nearly killed my love for running! I don't feel as positive about any kind of strength training! It is all about what I am SUPPOSED to do. I think partly it is because I have to focus more and count. I can't just let my mind roam free like when I run. (I swear I could solve all the world's problems in my head if I could just run long enough!)

When I first added some resistance training (about6 months into my initial loss), I was using 30 day shred DVD (Jillian michaels) and others similar. I was doing that maybe two or three times a week and running 3-5 miles on the other days.

I also tried the "body for life" plan for lifting. But the DVDs were the only thing I consistently(??) stuck with. (Partly I think because of the counting, etc I mentioned above--you don't have to count with the DVDs on--and partly because I could get some cardio burn in, to help raise my TDEE, which is disgustingly low without some cardio. Especially when I weighed 115). Also, I always made it a point to use the heaviest weights I possibly could on each exercise. So if the DVD was doing say 16 reps with 5 lb bells, I would do 8 reps more slowly with 10-12lb bells.

About a year ago I did "Body Revolution" and stuck with the program for the full 3 months. It was okay but I really like more flexibility in the routine. The results of that program were pretty good. I didn't lose any weight, mostly because I couldn't seem to eat at a deficit because the workouts made me sooo hungry! But my lower abs flattened and I got some definition to my upper abs. The biggest difference was the overall shape of my torso. It became slim from the side instead of being shaped like a cucumber (does that make sense? I never really had a belly since when I initially lost weight, but I have an even blanket of fat that covers me from just below the chest to the top of the hips. It makes my waist thick, and of course causes nasty muffin tops! I still have a waistline, just too much flabbiness)

During the summer I started a planned program with dumbells that includes lots of squats, lunges, push-ups, curls, dips, step-up-and-press, planks, stability ball work, sometimes combination moves like shoulder raises with squats, etc. I did 3 sets of 8 of each exercise (or 2 sets of 10 if time pressed). I used the heaviest weight that I could do correctly for each exercise. I did this 3 days a week for the summer--8 weeks. I also often did a walk or run at the end of the program, or at another time during the day (I am a teacher so I have more time in the summer). And I ran on most off days. The results were that I felt confident enough to wear a bikini for my 25th anniversary trip to the Caribbean. (One of my non-scale goals!). I didn't quite look like I had hoped, but I felt pretty good about it. You can see a couple of pictures on my profile page.

Since school started back, I dropped back to mostly running or walking (again 3-5 miles) about 4-5 days a week, and throwing in a DVD a couple of times. During the school year, I simply don't have the time to lift and do cardio on one day, and I felt like I needed the cardio to burn some calories, especially since the above mentioned awesome trip included all inclusive food and drinks, and I came home a few pounds heavier! I'm glad to say those pounds are gone. But I'm stuck again.

This week, I started back on the dumbell weight program again, since I have decided to eat at maintenance, and I think I can make it without the extra cardio on a few days a week. I still plan to run 3-4 days a week, when weather permits.

I have dumbbells from 3 lbs up to 20 lbs, and I plan to add a set of 25 lbs ( on my Christmas list!). I also have kettlebells in 8-10-12 lbs.

I do need to workout from home, which means dumbells, rather than barbells. I just don't have the space. And I don't have the time to waste travelling to the gym, since I stay busy working, providing for my family, and doing taxi service for my teen boys (one just got his liscence, so that is helping a lot!).

Macros--I usually get at least 70 grams of protein a day, but I rarely exceed 90. On a good carb day I stay under 150g (probably 60% of the time). The rest of the time I stay under 200--except on holidays or something where there is more dessert. I try to keep fat below 30%, but usually end up about 35%. Or whatever is left over. I am still under the mindset of keep fat low because of cholesterol (mine tends to be high, mostly because my good cholesterol is high), but that seems to be wrong, according to the new research. But it is very hard to get past earlier conditioning!

Basically, I am just tired of eating at a deficit and getting few results. And it seems like when I try to eat at maintenance I gain. Here is the tricky part: if I am stalled again while eating at a deficit of about 250 cals, then doesn't that mean I am at a new maintenance? That seems to be the story of the last three years--eat at slight deficit, lose 2 or 3, then stall. Take a maintenance break, gain 2-3 back, plus another 1-2. And suddenly I am up 15. So at this point, I would be happy to maintain for several months at what my maintenance should be, based on the past three months. Which should be about 1500-1650. (Again based on results--and I figure there are some inaccuracies. After all if you log 10 items and are off 10 cals each, suddenly you lose 100 cals of your deficit!)

And this is another reason I have been inconsistent with strength training. When I switch to maintenance, I always want to make sure that I am not gaining. And of course when I lift, I do see some gain because of soreness,etc. and that always scares me. So in the name of confirming my numbers,I stop lifting. And the cycle repeats. . . .

My husband tells me I look great, and to just be happy. I get that, but I have been a little freaked out about continuing to gain, because if it continues, I'll eventually be right back where I started!

Also, I know it is unreliable, but at 129 lbs, what do you think my burn might be from lifting? Is it even possible to estimate?

And when you are really sore from lifting (like today, since I re started my program!) do you lift anyway, or wait another day?

Sorry so long, but. Hope this helps you get the full picture.

Soooo frustrated! I went to maintenance about a week ago (I usually eat at maintenance at the holidays), and now I've re-gained the 4 lbs of vacation weight that it took 4 months to lose. Really? 4 months to lose it, and 7 days to gain it??

I hope you're right about the water weight!

No, I really don't have access to a barbell or squat rack. At this point in my life, I need to exercise from home. If I spend 20 minutes driving to and from the gym, basically that takes most of the time I have to work out. It is a tough balancing act to make sure I don't shortchange my family. By the time I take care of work commitments and family commitments, there is just a little time left to exercise. I'm really not trying to be stubborn here, I am just in a time in life that everyone agrees is a difficult balancing act. In just a few more years that will change. . .

Yes, probably I could lift a bit more, but in all honesty, with the routine I am doing, I can barely finish a set of 6 with the 15 or 20 lb bells, at least on my upper body. I could probably do a bit more on lower body, but I do have to watch the knees. Unfortunately, as a young person I did not participate in sports or much of any other kind of exercise other than some of the early 80's aerobic dance/jazzercise stuff. So I built probably ZERO muscle mass. And genetically my frame is tiny! I was, and still am an artist/intellectual/bookworm, so really there was no interest in any of that stuff until I realized as an adult that I would need to do some sort of exercise to keep my body healthy. Now I realize that it is doubly important because of the tiny frame that is my family's inheritance! That small frame meant that as a young person, I was able to maintain a fashionably petite figure for a long time. I didn't break 120 lbs until I was past 30. In my early 20's I easily maintained at 102. But the slowing of my metabolism has caught up with me now.

240 calories burned from lifting 45 minutes seems similar to what I was thinking. I estimate that I burn about 150-170 for a 30 minute session. So that helps confirm I am on the right track. So many people on here post huge burns, but they weigh a good bit more than me, so it helps to hear from someone similar in size. And there is no way during the school year I could do two-a-days! I do that some in the summer. But not during the school year!

Non exercise activity is a huge factor! Some of my days are moderately active, and some are completely sedentary. It all depends on my tasks for the day at work and at home. Not sure how much control I have over the work! A little more at home. Hmm, I guess I could clean house a bit more!! That would be a plus, lol! Other than that, my hobbies tend toward sedentary! Other than working out and running.

Thanks @heybales. I read your link and bookmarked to re read for better comprehension.

Unfortunately, the weight doesn't seem to be water. A week later I am up another pound. Now at my highest since my initial loss. I'm nearly halfway back to my weight before MFP.

And I can no longer claim that it must be muscle gains. I put on a jacket today that I hadn't worn in a year. It is a form-fitting style. It wouldn't button without all the front bulging open. So depressing. All the weight just flies back onto my mid section. I guess that is just my age.

I did just get a new Misfit Flash activity tracker. I'm hoping it will be more accurate than the Bodymedia I have been using. Yesterday Bodymedia said I burned 2600 calories. I didn't even work out. Not even a slow walk. Misfit gave me around 1800. Even though I've known Bodymedia was high, I tried to use it to track relative activity. But even that was no good. I knew it had to go when one day it reported 2500--and that was a no workout office work day.

So I am hoping the change over to misfit will help. I'm just trying to strike a balance between not feeling deprived and hungry all the time, not having to devote ALL my free time to working out, and maintaining a reasonable weight/size without continuing to gain. Because of the past 2+ years struggle, I am getting very discouraged.

So far the Misfit seems to be somewhat close to what has historically happened for me based on my logging and weight. It is also close to many of the calculators. Including your spreadsheet that I have used to find the "ballpark". I think it will give me a usable number, when combined with my customizing my MFP goal.

Bodymedia was so far away that even changing the height couldn't bring it in line. When my height adjustment got below 3 feet, I gave up and tried figuring the percent of accuracy for me based on results to give me some sort of average. (It was between 65-70 % accurate based on the math).

I probably was a little obsessive about trying to get it to work, but that is because my activity is SOOO variable from day to day. At home I am quite sedentary, and at work some days I am very active, and some days I am mostly at my desk, and there are days somewhere in between. I think that the last straw with the Bodymedia when it gave me a burn of over 2500 on a day when I sat and typed for the majority of the day. Didn't even work out that day. No way that is accurate when you weigh 130 lbs! I think it was picking up typing and interpreting it as exercise, based on the graphs!

Anyway, I would just use an average TDEE, but I like to get "credit" for my run days, or other more active days and eat a bit more. Not to mention the fact that my total burn on those days is so much higher than on sedentary days that I don't want to "starve" myself on those days. Mostly though, I like to be able to use some extra activity to balance things out so that I can live life normally, food wise, and not have to constantly and always eat leaves, twigs, and the occaisional can of tuna. Yes, I like to have my cake and eat it too, but really not a very big slice, and not all that often!

On the article linked above, could cardio be substituted for some of the metabolic training? Or done on some of the rest days? (I am looking at the first column of the schedule on the 2nd page. The one that has: lift heavy day, meta day, rest day, lift heavy day, meta day, rest day, rest day.)

Wondering if there will be any more advice. . . .

After planned maintenance for December, I have been eating very carefully to try to lose a bit again, but once again I am soooo frustrated! After over a week of staying true to the eating and exercise, I have put on another pound, and I am once again at my highest post-loss weight (132.8 lbs). Yes, part of it is hormones and water, but that is what I have been telling myself for 20 lbs now. Let's be real--I've not gained 20 lbs of hormonal water weight and held onto it for three years! ( and unfortunately I've not likely gained 20 lbs of muscle, either!).

Here is the frustrating part. I'm going to talk calories now, and I am talking total daily calories. Not calories after the exercise is removed, etc. In mid November I set my goal for maintenance (about 1550-1650 most days). I kept up my lifting three days a week and cardio three days a week routine. Over the Christmas week I stayed in control with my eating--most days ate about 1500-1600. cals. My goal was maintenance. But I was not very active. I did not work out, and I really sat around a lot! But starting December 29, when we returned from travelling, I have been working out again. And since New Years, when I re dedicated myself to eating at a deficit, I have eaten 1305, 1281, 1191, 1369, 1267, 1422, 1286, and Friday I ate at maintenance 1656. I have worked out hard about 30+ minutes every day but Sunday. I would estimate at least 160 cals burned each day (circuits with some cardio) and some days double that. If you want to look at net cals, do the math, but the numbers will certainly be low. My diary is open. Below 1200 net most days. And I seriously gained a pound?? But this is what has been going on for three years now,although after about two months of this, I will usually go back to maintenance out of frustration, which isn't really maintenance, since I gain even more.

I know there is some inaccuracy in logging, since it is sure not an exact science, but I've been pretty careful.

From August through years end I was very faithful to alternating lifting (not circuit training) days and cardio (usually running) days.

Since New Years I have gone back to a more metabolic style workout four days a week with pure cardio two days. I decided to do this because with the winter weather I've not been able to get out to run regularly, and thus I will need to get more cardio in somehow. I am such a wimp in cold weather! I will stick with this program until it is warmer. (March ?). Then I will go back to the regular lifting alternating with running. Unfortunately, I am exactly where I was weight-wise when I returned from vacation in July. But if I am truthful, I really have been eating closer to maintenance for most of October-November-December, so I really shouldn't be surprised. In my dreams I like to think 1550 is a deficit,though!

My bodyfat seems to be about the same as this summer. Hard to gauge that, though. Clothes fitting about the same, maybe just a tiny bit better.

But I really thought I would see a drop in weight since New Years, even a half pound or so, not a gain!

Sorry to be a broken record here, but I wish I would stop gaining. And a bit of a loss would be nice. I guess eating less might do it, ha ha!

Anyway maybe this will help you guys see what I have been dealing with, since basically this has been my pattern for months and months and months now.

Still eating at around 1300 per day--at least there is no gain. And I am back where I was the week after Christmas.

Working out 6 days as outlined above. Looking forward to warmer weather to go back to my lifting-running routine, but if am sure there is good in a change from time to time!

Again, my main concern is--will I see steady loss at 1300 per day, and if not why not?

Okay, protein without adding too many calories is ALWAYS a challenge for me. For one thing, I like carbs (!), and then there is the money thing. Adding carbs to your meat really stretches the budget, and feeding two teen boy athletes gets pretty expensive!

I do shoot for at least 70 grams. And obviously fail fairly often. I figure I hit 65-75 about half the time.

And you are right. When I eat more protein, hunger is less of a problem. So I will keep focusing on that.

Also, I have noticed that the weight stays down better when I keep the carbs below 150. So definitely something else to watch. I've done controlled carbs before, and it really worked for loss, but I did not find it to be sustainable in real life for maintenance. I just need more flexibility.

For my workouts, I work out from home. That is one reason running has worked so well for me overall. And I have used various DVDs (many in a metabolic, circuit training style) too. Until about two years or so ago, basically my plan was just to do SOMETHING every day, making sure that one day a week was a less vigorous something, like a walk or some gentle yoga. About two years ago I started being more intentional with strength training. I first used the "body for life" lifting plan, but I didn't particularly like it. So I would bounce back to the circuit training, after a few weeks. And I would go back and forth between the two without commitment. Always, though, my running was pretty consistent. Nothing excessive--maybe 15-18 miles a week.

In the summer (June and July) and in November and December I was lifting (using a dumbell program) 3 days a week and running about 30-45 minutes three days a week. For the weight program, I have sets of bells from 3 lbs (hardly use now) up to 25 lbs, and I would do three sets of 6 of each exercise with the heaviest weights I could handle for 6 reps. The bells I have will be sufficient for upper body for awhile yet (mostly I max out at the 15's on the upper body), but I could see that for lower body I might "grow out" of what I've got (actually I just got the 25's for Christmas) before too long. In June and July I also often added a short run on lifting days. I'm a teacher and my schedule permits that in the summer.

When I got back from vacation at the beginning of August this year and saw how much I had gained, I went back to circuit training, more metabolic style two days a week for August-September-October. (Always with running at least four days a week. I like running.) Basically I was trying to get a few more calories burned. (Unfortunately, I really like to eat, but my size doesn't permit that, as you noticed above!)

After Christmas the weather here turned really cold (unusual for here), and I am a real wimp in cold weather. I was using various DVDs-circuit training, kettlebells, kickboxing (yuck), etc. to get something in without going outside. So a couple of weeks ago, I decided to go back to a program I had used a year ago--Body Revolution--since I was doing all the various circuit training DVDs. I decided that at least it had a plan for not overusing various muscle groups too many days in a row etc, and would probably be better for the cold months when I couldn't get my cardio in outside. And I got okay results with it last year. I did not lose much weight, but my body did reshape a good bit.

So I am wondering if I should just keep that up for the three months the program encompasses, or just use it when it is too cold to get the cardio in outside and go back to the more traditional style of lifting for most of the time.

Also, I read something recently that said if you are not at a certain lower percentage of bodyfat, you need to get closer to that before re comping (or bulking which is not something I am planning to do right now). The number given for men was 15% bodyfat. I have no idea what would be comparable for women. And is that a valid concern? As best I can determine, I think I am at about 25% (and it is ALL on my abs. You can't pinch anything anywhere else, of course except the normal woman places. My arms and legs, and even hips, are quite lean and firm). Do I need to get to a certain % or weight first? I think I would be more comfortable being about 125, and then dealing with % and ab fat. By the way, I still had ab fat at my lowest (middle age) weight which was 112 lbs. (it has been too long since I was young to remember how it was in my 20's. Everything was smaller then. But basically in my 20's I maintained below 110 lbs easily by just being sensible and walking my dog every day! Those were the days.)

Sorry that answer seemed to go in about five different directions! Hope some of that helps.

By the way, thanks for confirming that I will indeed have to reduce calories at my size to lose. I get mislead too often on the forums (too much "don't set your goal for 1200" stuff, and people get aggressive about it. It led me astray for quite awhile. But I am certainly smart enough to do the math and see that I will have to net below 1200 to lose.

By the way--I am currently using a misfit activity monitor to figure calories beyond sedentary, but I also know that regardless what the thing says, most days I have to be under 1400 gross cals to lose. Unless it is a day like yesterday where the weather was beautiful and I went for an extra long (over an hour) run. Overall, though, I think the misfit is pretty accurate.

Thanks for the protein suggestions. I do love Greek yogurt, but I hadn't thought of adding protein powder. I'll have to try that.

And I love tuna for lunch. Unfortunately, my boys don't love it (except for in my tuna-pasta salad with lots of veggies, which is a little carb heavy), so we don't have it for dinner often.

I am happy to say that I was down another 0.4 lbs this morning. I'm very pleased, especially since my eating over the weekend was HORRIBLE! My boys' swim club had a home meet, and I run the concession stand. So I was stuck for hours each day selling hot dogs and nachos, with no other options for lunch and dinner! (Too busy to pack a meal, or at least not enough pre-planning, since I had to be there so early each morning to set up. At least all the set up and ice-hauling, and everything got my activity level up! But I am embarrassed for anyone looking at my diary over the weekend! Oh well. Real life! That is exactly why controlled/low carb never worked over the long haul for me. Flexibility is a must during this season of my life.)

When I get a chance I will get a few more specifics about the weight training I was doing in November and January.

And I am certainly hoping not to stall after a few weeks, as has been the pattern. Hopefully I won't get lazy with my food, which is partly the problem. After a few weeks success, I say to myself--going over a little surely won't hurt--and suddenly those pounds jump right back on. I do always log, but I can sure convince myself to overeat.