Stats: Age = 58; Height = 6 ft. 0 in.; Daily Caloric Need, according to Harris Benedict Equation: 3293.

Diet:
Typical Breakfast = 1 cup oatmeal, 1 cup fruit (strawberries, blueberries, etc., 2 tblsp. dried roasted pecans, 2 cups coffee with 1/2 tsp. sugar.

Midmorning snack = 1 slice whole grain bread w. 3 tblsp. hummus

Lunch = Turkey sandwich on whole grain bread, w. 2 slices avocado and sprouts.

Midafternoon snack = 1 handful nuts

Dinner = 4-6 ozs. chicken, lamb, or fish. 2 cups salad w. vinegar and oil, 1 cup brown rice. 1 glass red wine.

I drink a fair amount of water each day - around 50 ozs.

I don't routinely count calories, but I have done this for 2 or 3 typical meals, and it comes to around 2,700 calories.

Exercise:
4 days, followed by 1 day of rest. A typical 4 day cycle consists of 3 cardio routines and 1 weight training, and on alternating 4 day cycles, 2 cardio routines, and 2 weight training sessions. All sessions last a minimum of 1 hour. On average, I've been doing at least 2 weight training sessions per week, and 4 cardio sessions per week.

I figure my weight training sessions are burning around 400 - 450 calories each.

I work with a personal trainer once a month. He gives me a new routine for the month, and each month there is a brand new routine, so I don't get too used to doing anything.

Cardio - I do interval training 2 to 3 times per week, and the rest is steady state cardio. My max heart rate is 168. The steady state cardios are at around 135-140 bpm, and I typically burn around 850 calories. The interval training consists of 10 to 20 sprints, each lasting between 1 minute and 3 minutes, during which I get my heart rate up to 154 - 157 bpm and burn around 900 calories.

I have been gaining strength over the past few months, and my cardio has improved considerably. When I started last July, my resting pulse was 69, and now it is somewhere between 52 and 54.

My Goals:
I would like to get down to 190 lbs. by December 31, 2008. That comes to around 2 pounds per month. I started changing my lifestyle July 1, 2006, when I weighed an all time high of 270 lbs.

Medical:
Other than being older than most people here, I have no medical problems.

Reason for Posting:
From January 5 through yesterday, I didn't lose an ounce, despite what I believe is at least a 500 calorie per day deficit. This morning, though, I suddenly dropped 2 lbs. I weigh myself every day, so I wouldn't be surprised if it goes back up again. However, I'm hoping I may have finally broken through the plateau.

I would like some general feedback on my program. I think it is pretty good, but the plateau for a month worried me. Do I just need to be more patient? Will the calorie deficit eventually convince my body that I'm serious? Can you think of anything I'm doing/not doing that I should try?

Hey TomO made your way over here eh

To be honest the only thing I would do is take out the breads and replace them with better complex less processed carbohydrates and a little more protein. 1 complete protein source each more or snack. Believe it or not cut your calories a little more or more ideally bounce them. You could safley be bouncing from 2200 to 2600 hundred and still preserve muscle and lose fat with your kind of routine and planning you have going on with adding a little more protein.

Other than that, looking pretty soild.

Thanks, Leigh. The bread is all whole grain bread. I thought that was good for you. By more complex carbs, do you mean carbs from veggies?

I tried protein shakes for a while, on the advice of my trainer. Do you think I should go back to them for snacks?

Thanks!

Good Complex Carbs-Oatmeal, sweet potato's, brown rice, yams, beans...

Whole grains while not bad, are more processed. If you are trying to optimize your cutting then removing this is a possibility. It is just a tip and up to you.

Protein shake are okay in a crutch but should never be a replacement for whole foods.

I only use protein shakes after my workouts, never any other time. After a strength training session its good to get a protein and carbohydrate mixture into the body.

^agreed tony.