For Women who are suceeding and consistently losing (Advice

Lifting weights is a good boost for your metabolism. If you aren't incorporating any sort of weight training, I would highly recommend doing so. Even if you're just doing pushups, squats and lunges, the benefits would be great.

My diary is open so feel free to look. I eat the tradionally recommended healthy diet. Whole grains, lean proteins, vegetable fats, veggies, some fruit. I avoid saturated fats, refined grains and sugar. I exercise most days. I usually do Zumba DVDs for 50 - 60 min a day, 6 days a week. And I do light strength training (desk pushups, squats, lunges, resistance bands) 4 -5 days a week for 30 min.

I have "cheat days" but don't plan them. They are holidays, parties or family gatherings usually. I drink wine, but that's not a requirement for losing weight, I just like it.

I would suggest to up/change your workouts, and NOT to eat your exercise calories back for a little while. Others will disagree with me I'm sure, but this is only my opinion.

Feel free to add me as a friend and check out my diary. It's not perfect by any means, but it may help you out with a few suggestions as least?!?

I have been dropping weigh consistently the last 2 weeks just by watching sodium the most out of anything. Keeping that low has kept my eating pretty clean and of course low sodium stuff is pretty much all healthy stuff. I'm also off caffeine which knocks out one low sodium bad food(soda, technically drink I guess). I've been doing very little exercise because I've been very fearful of what was wrong with me(a whole list of anxiety, panic attacks, shortness of breath and on and on) so I've been worried about working out too hard. I'm starting to now increase my exercise now that I'm starting to believe my Dr's that my heart is good. All I can say is never take Claritin daily seems to me the major major side effects(including anxiety, extreme panic, irrational fears that you can't logically overcome) aren't worth a few sniffles and watery eyes. LOL

My diary is open, feel free to look it over.

I workout 2-3 times a day, Turbo Fire and rotating classes at the gym including strength training and Zumba. Once I fix the flat on my stroller I'm going to resume jogging every other day.

I totally feel your pain! I was stuck in the same 5 lbs here recently, and as strange as it sounds - I took nearly a week off from my work-outs and lost 5 lbs! I have lost 89.4 lbs so far and done so by strength training (with a personal trainer) 2-3 times a week, doing various cardio work-outs another 2-3 times a week, and eating VERY healthy Mon-Fri (approx. 1700-1800 calories daily). Weekends I don't track my food - but I don't go hog wild either! Not sure what kind of excersize you are doing, but like one of the other responders - I can't say enough about strength training!!! If you have the opportunity to get a Bod Pod in your area, I strongly suggest you get one (and then continue to get them every 3-6 months)! Sometimes, women get so hung-up on the scales, that they don't look at the true overall picture. Although I have lost nearly 90 lbs and still weigh a little more than when I got married in 1998, I am WAY smaller! I put my wedding dress on a few weeks back and I could fit a whole other small person in there with me! It's incredible! I still have about 35 lbs to go, and I know they will be tougher to lose, but I am feeling better than I have in 20 years! Good luck in your journey - we're all here for you!

I would suggest to up/change your workouts, and NOT to eat your exercise calories back for a little while. Others will disagree with me I'm sure, but this is only my opinion.

Feel free to add me as a friend and check out my diary. It's not perfect by any means, but it may help you out with a few suggestions as least?!?

Littlefoot I am sure you know I disagree :-p I recommend eating at least 1/2 your exercise calories back, always being over 1200. I work out 5 days a week, 45minutes to 1 hour of cardio, then a variety of strength exercises. (300 crunches, 36 knee-ups, 36 push-ups, 36 pull-ups with assistance, 36 walking lunges with weights, 36 sqauts with weights, 36 leg curls, 36 leg extension, and 36 leg press). These days it is altered because I am in Physical therapy for a sprained ankle so the last 2 weeks are a bad example, but before that this is what I did, and I lost every week.

I took a look at your food diary. I am not sure if you are just not noting your water intake or just not drinking water? If your not, I highly suggest that you try to get in at least the 8 glasses. I also noticed that your sodium is rather high on many days. Sodiium. Once I began watching my sodium intake things moved for me. I strongly believe in doing a variety of work outs. For 2 reasons, it helps with work out boredom which often leads to stopping all together and it challenges your body daily. Hope this helps and keep up the wonderful job! DO NOT FORGET YOUR SUCCESS THUS TO NOW! Thats something to be very proud of.

I've been losing fairly consistently since I joined MFP in Feb. ... think I've had a couple of brief plateaus in there, one for three weeks, another for two, maybe. I have a lot to lose still, and that definitely makes a difference. Here's what I do.

Drink a lot of water. A LOT ... as in 15-18 8 oz. glasses a day. Yeah ... that's 120 oz.+ a day.

Sodas are off my menu forever, which was a big deal: I use to LIVE on fast food and real Coke. I moved to diet green tea, but decided I didn't need those fake sugars and the money would be better spent elsewhere. I read somewhere that artificial sweeteners can make you hungry. I think that's true but have no idea of what the science is behind it (and I don't care much, since I don't drink 'em now.) About the only fast food I indulge in anymore is KFC grilled chicken, salads, McDonald's oatmeal/fruit & yogurt parfaits and an occasional Subway sandwich on whole grain. I down a lot of KFC grilled but am working on cutting back on that, too.

Walk 2-3 times a week and alternate between distance and speed. That is, on one walk I'll try to do 6-7 miles, on another the distance will be half that but I'll try to keep my pace (and therefore my heart rate) up. I'm not doing the gym thing yet but want to start soon.

I've played around with calorie goals on my own several times. Just yesterday or the day before, I upped my cals from 1400-1500, just to see what happens. I lost a pound today, but I don't weigh every day so I don't know if changing calories up has really had a chance to make difference yet (or really, IF it will make a difference). Speaking just for myself, I see nothing wrong at all with testing a bit. And I firmly believe mixing things up sometimes is a good idea.

Edited to add this: Like some others, I try to make most stuff myself. No boxed dinners, canned anything or other stuff if I can help it. I'm trying to focus hard on fresh and fresh frozen.

Hang in there ... everything you're doing right is going to pay off. Forward we go!