Hi Everyone,
I started my life change Jan 5/09. I've gotten down 70lbs.... from 339lbs to 269lbs! I'm very happy and my life has already changed dramatically. But for the past two months I've been fighting the same 10lbs. For example I've lost the same 3lbs now for the past month. I haven't gotten past that 269lb mark and most weeks now, I'm up 3, then down the same 3. I recently just started a fitness Bootcamp class and tomorrow is the last class for the 4 week set. I have been working hard at class and I feel stronger but my food is a mess! Some days I do great, it seems like I do well all week and then the night before my weekly weigh in...I end up eating salty popcorn or something! I've been motivated but I'm really struggling. I just need to break this cycle of loss/gain. I need to keep it moving, I still have so far to go. I won't ever give up but I guess I am just looking for some helpful tips or any motivation that might help me. I still want this badly...and I have to rethink why I'm doing this and that EVERY SINGLE CHOICE COUNTS. I am straying a bit, and I can give you all a million reasons that are legit but I don't want an excuse I want results. So any input will be helpful and I'll attach a pic so you can see the changes so far. Thanks!

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Hey there ... first of all congrats on your loss so far. That's an awesome achievement!

I totally understand where you are. I've been there and that's one of the reasons I took some time off to just maintain for a while. It's really hard to get back into the swing of it, especially when you feel stuck at a certain weight and just keep yo-yoing the same pounds.

Now might be a good time to rethink your food a bit. It's moving into autumn and it's a good time to think about nutritious winter foods - things you can make and eat that are healthy and filling. Maybe taking some time to plan your meals out for a couple of weeks - including snacks - would help. If you know you're craving something salty at night, then plan yourself a salty snack, followed by a big glass of water. That kind of thing.

I know when I'm really on track and losing well it's because i've taken the time to plan what I eat. When I take it as it comes, I tend not to lose.

Wow girl! What an improvement... you are doing an amazing job! Keep at it! Don't lose heart...
When you feel like a little snack go and have a look at your photos... see what those 'little snacks' did to you to begin with... that's what I've been doing...
My downfall (apart from very rich creamy fatty food) was wine... everytime I feel like a little glass of wine I dust off my photos (I keep them on my phone so I can get to them anywhere anytime!!) and it reminds me why I'm doing this...
Stay strong... you obviously can do it as you have already lost so much weight!!
Keep it up and stay focused!!!

You are doing really brilliantly. Congratulations on your weight loss so far.

I know so well where you are coming from in this.

I would attack it from a number of standpoints.

You have got well into the swing of what you need to do to lose weight. You know that you have to do the exercise and you have a pretty good idea of how to eat healthily. Now - in my opinion it is easy at this point to think that you do not need to log all your food or think about it as carefully as you did in the early weeks of the project. You can think that you are eating healthily - but one or two bad habits can creep in. I spent all of last winter with my weight messing around and keeping me away from goal. When I finally analysed things out I was eating home made soup which was high in sodium because of the stock cubes. It was a Weight Watchers recipe and I knew that the calories were low so I was happily eating it all the time. The only problem was that I never fed it all through fitday in order to check up that my nutrition was where it was supposed to be. I had become complacent by hitting my main targets day after day, week after week for months on end - that I had kept to the repetitive diet that I was used to (with the minor modification of the soup). Complacency can set in......

The other thing that I would suggest - and it does go against all the expert advice - is that you might want to try weighing yourself every day for a while. That way - if it truly is a case of your weight being ok for the rest of the week and then eating less than ideally the day before the weekly weigh-in - you would see it go lower and maybe decide to change your weekly weigh-in day to a different day of the week.

All the experts agree that people should not weigh themselves more often than once a week - but there are quite a lot of people on the forum that weigh themselves every day and frankly would hate to do any differently. I have weighed every day throughout my project. The concept would not suit every one - and you do become very aware that we all suffer from day to day fluctuations in weight - and have to get used to seeing the scale going up some of the time. Things like the weight of food, toilet activity and gain due to water retention either from excessive sodium or time of month all come into the equation. If nothing else it makes you very aware of the impact of eating too much sodium...

Motivation helps throughout a project - it takes a real belief (when tackling a big weight problem) that you are trying to do something that is really possible. If you are anything like me - one of the problems with earlier weight loss attempts was that you stopped believing that it was possible for you to get to where you want to be.

I found before and after pictures really beneficial. There are lots of impressive ones on the forum - but I will admit that I always believed when I looked at the amazing achievement of Charlie Walduck - who lost weight by eating healthily and exercising on one of our UK television program. He went from 44 stone (i.e. 616 pounds) to 14 stone (i.e. 196 pounds). There were times when I looked at those pictures every day to just believe that it could happen for me. I could be so much stronger if my belief was there....

This is the link for those pictures in case they help you...

Dr Chris Steele's PROVEN Fat Farewell Diet Plan - Introduction

Thank You all so very much. I need the encouragement and You've given it. I am realizing that my food needs to be tracked. And I'm starting today and I'll give it to my fitness instructor to have a look at. I am eating pretty much the same things and I have the issue of my husband not eating healthy at all. I typically didn't let it bother me in the beginning because I was so motivated to change...also the fact that we were not doing well as a couple almost helped me keep going and change for myself. But in the past couple of months things were going much better for us...and believe it or not...I function better with my new lifestyle when we were angry with one another. I at least knew what to expect and felt I deserved to take care of myself. But once we started to be ok...I found that instead of exercising I've wanted to stay home with him and sit together on the couch...just like old times! But that is not the new me, and I can't let that go. He isn't about to change his habits anytime soon and I have to find a way to make our relationship work with me being very different. I know we all have our struggles and this is mine...it just isn't easy. I"m a people pleaser and I feel like I'm not a good wife if I don't have his lunch made when he comes home from work, and supper on the table for him...but he is so picky that most days I have to make two meals...HIS and my healthy option. So my life seems to be more complicated as I'm going further. But the first 60lbs lost seemed so easy for me...but the last 10lbs have been torture! I've not been doing what I need to and I need to take control again of my future. I can't feel bad all the time... I can't make him happy all the time....don't get me wrong...he is a good husband and father...I just think we've been a certain way for so long...we don't know how to be any other way together...except lazy and fat. I really need to push forward. I lost 60lbs a few years ago and put it all back on...I can't have that happen again. I feel so good now...but I've been making lots of bad choices. Today is a new day...to begin again...I hope that I am strong enough. Thank You all for listening, I needed to own up and be honest and see that I am not doing everything I can to get to my goal. Wish me luck and strenght to keep going...regardless of my situation!

You've been handed some great advice. And you've done a terrific job so far... I love your willpower. Often times people will throw their arms up in frustration and give up at this stage. Which is crazy.

Why's it crazy?

This is a dynamic process. Unfortunately we don't get to pick One Way of doing things and have it work until the end. It takes continual adjustment based on your rate of progress.

So you're doing the right thing by signing up to a community like this and figuring out what "tweaks" you can/should make.

Let me ask you this...

Did you adjust your food intake since starting your weight loss process? What started out as a nice deficit will gradually become maintenance as you get smaller and smaller. Less mass means less energy required to move around and less tissue to support.

That could be one of the issues which merely goes back to what's been mentioned above about getting a better handle on your nutrition.

Best to you.

First of all, congratulations! You're doing great. It's quite an accomplishment to lose 70 lbs., so be sure to celebrate that and not to be too hard on yourself for being stuck at this point.

Next, the food in your diet is likely a big part of why you're not losing as much as you'd like. There are healthier alternatives that you should consider for the foods you like. There was a new diet plan mentioned on another forum that works with food substitution. You might want to look into substitution for similar foods with fewer calories/less sugar and sodium to see if that helps.

Remember that your metabolism plays a huge role in weight loss/gain, and it's affected by what, how and how much you eat. Focus on starting and ending your meals early (start with breakfast around 8am or so, and end with dinner before 9pm if you can). Eat several small meals per day, at least 6, and make sure they're packed with protein and fiber, especially vegetable proteins (present in raw, organic veggies). This kick-starts your metabolism. Foods and/or supplements rich in potassium also help aid your metabolism. Small portions are also important. If you cut meals in half, you can eat more often.

VLCDs or very low calorie diets can also help. Diets ranging around 500 calories per day can help people achieve more significant results in a shorter period of time.

And remember to weigh yourself at the same time each day. Early evening, at least 3 hours after waking, eating and/or bowel movements is best. This will help you to get a truer picture of your progress. Otherwise, you could be counting water weight or weight from bodily wastes rather than your actual weight.

Good luck, and again don't be too hard on yourself. The average person loses 2 to 4 lbs. a week on strict diets and exercise plans. Just know that you've achieved something great already and that with your continued efforts (and staying away from fatty, microwave popcorn and other treats) more weight loss will come.

- DH

This is a diet myth. There is no truth in the concept.

Meal Frequency and Energy Balance | BodyRecomposition - The Home of Lyle McDonald

There is no advantage involved in how often you eat or the time of day. The only thing that really counts is that the number of calories is not exceeded and that the food hits the nutritional targets. Some people find it easier if they have some sort of curfew or can eat small meals so that they do not want to snack beyond their calorie limit.

VLCDs tend to be very unhealthy. People can lose a lot more than fat - e.g. muscle. They also do nothing to educate people towards a healthy eating pattern so that lost weight is often regained.

Read this thread in detail before considering such a concept...

http://weight-loss.fitness.com/weigh...ories-day.html

A healthy rate of weight loss is 1% of weight per week.

Healthy Rate of Weight Loss

Steve, Thank You. As always you are a great supporter on this site. YOu are exactly right. I haven't changed my calorie intake much since beginning...so it's time to tweak that for sure. Plus I have to ensure that I do some cardio everyday in between my Bootcamp classes (3 days a week). I think I took it a bit easier because I knew I'd be working hard 3 days, but I still need that cardio and to keep going at least 6 days a week. But Nutrition is the key for me ... I am going to make an appointment to see a nutritionist or dietician...to see what advise they can offer me. Thanks again for your support and advise.

OMEGA...I think you are very right. I don't think a low calorie diet is what I'm looking for. I am working out hard and I need to eat properly to maintain my weight once I get to that healthy goal. I want this to be forever...no rebounding. And I agree with the calories too, I typically stay within a range and it's my choice not to eat after supper, only after my workout will I eat a small protein snack of about 100 calories, but that's about it. I appreciate your help and input, I really needed the support right now, and I can already feel myself getting stronger and things are under control, I had a great day today! Thanks again.