200 pounds overweight and CAN'T have any substantial loss.

You should most definitely be losing some weight. If you're really dieting and exercising the way you say you are, you should ideally be losing about 15lbs a month. I know a lot of people would disagree and say "that's too much" or "too unhealthy" of a weight loss, but that's B.S. Fact of the matter is, if you have over 100lbs to lose and you're properly dieting and exercising, a 1-2lb weight loss per week is great and should be appreciated, however, for a girl your size (and mine, I'm 330#), a weight loss of 4-5lbs/week is normal because our BMR is much higher than most, and it's increased with our activity level.



It's true that being able to see your diary would help us, but I doubt if the type of foods you're eating and the lack of food logging is the reason you're not losing. If you think about it, your weight alone tells us roughly your BMR, which I would think is between 3600 and 3900, and that's if you're rested all day. Figure in the cardio you're doing 3x/week, that bumps your expenditure by a few hundred more, which means your daily calorie allotment, on some days, could be up to 4,000 or more. If you're only eating 1600 - 1800 calories, that's almost equivalent to a smaller woman with a BMR of 2000 consuming 800 cals/day, which obviously isn't going to HELP but maybe STALL her weight loss, not because of the "starvation mode" crap, but because she simply isn't consuming enough to compensate the energy she expends.

Personally, if I were you, I'd consider doing four (4) things:
1. First off, LOG YOUR FOOD! Keep yourself accountable for anything and everything you're putting in your mouth. Don't do what I sometimes have the habit of doing and nibble on things and say "oh, that didn't count anyways" lol

2. I know this is contrary to most beliefs, but I would consider eating a little bit more. Maybe increase your calories to 2600/day for awhile and see what happens. Then, if you find that it isn't working after a couple weeks, slowly decrease the amount of calories until you're back at your 1600-1800 calories. This way you'll know it isn't because you're eating too little.

3. Don't do just cardio. Consider doing some strength/resistance training or weight lifting. This is the type of exercise that will continue to burn fat even after you're done working out, AND it will help increase your [LEAN, not bulky] muscle mass, which in turn will burn more calories.

4. Consider decreasing the amount of carbohydrates you eat. Say, maybe, no more than 100g or so. NO - I am NOT advocating a "low carb diet", though it may work for some, I doubt most will be able to do it forever... I sure can't lol Perhaps a bit more healthy fats, protein and fiber (veggies) will kinda punch through that wall you can't seem to get through. If you must eat carbs, be sure it's healthy (whole grain/oats, beans, etc). If that works, try slowly reintroducing different carbs back into your diet.

Those are the main things I'd consider. And also, LOTS of water.

If none of those work, I would most definitely consider speaking with your doctor and discussing the issue with her to see if there may be some kind of underlying medical issue that's hindering your weight loss. Even if these options do work, I would still suggest speaking with your doctor just to see if he/she could chime in on what you're trying to do.

Best of luck to you, and I hope this helps.
Much Love and Aloha,
-Ihilani Kapuniai-

You can do this!! Remember to to make sure you are eating enough calories, if you under your goal calories your body doesn't get the nutrition it needs and can go into starvation mode, storing the calories instead of burning them.

And know it takes time...It's taken me a year to loose 20 lbs, learning along the way!!