Hey all, I'm new to this forum and am looking for some help. I recently turned 19 and have spent the last couple months loosing weight. So far I've lost approximately 30 pounds through brisk walking on a treadmill and am currently at 203 pounds and 5 foot 8 inches.

I have plateaued in the last couple of weeks and am looking to find some insight on to what I should do to help me loose more weight. I don't really care about dropping the pounds fast or anything like that, I just want to be able to do something solid and concrete that will make my weight stay off.

I started loosing weight last year, then gained most of it back, and am now trying to loose again. Like I said, 30 pounds are gone now but I'd like to loose maybe 20-30 more. If anyone has any suggestions on aerobic exercise, or weight lifting that I could do at home let me know. Thanks for your time.

First of all, not all plateaus are bad... sometimes you can be loosing fat, gaining muscle (which is heavier) and loosing inches and you wont see it on a scale. So try your body measurments first... if your loosing inches.. your on the right track and don't worry about what the scale says. I hit a plateau for 3 months.. I only lost 5 lbs in 3 months.. but I lost alot of size around my theighs and butt... but gained muscle in my arms and legs.. so the scale stayed basicly the same.

If you want to kick things up... try mixing it up a bit. Try a random routine on the treadmill including hills at a decent pace. You probably want to be doing a cardio workout... get your heart rate up. I think when you exercise you should feel like you have exercised.

There are 2 different schools of thought on the following... those who support running.. those who don't. Some say its really bad on your knees. I find bike riding worse on my knees. I have been doing about 10 min total of running in a 30 min brisk walking routine. So like.. 5 min walking.. 3 min running... 7 min walking... 2 min running... etc. Whatever feels comfortable to you. The first few times I did this I felt like death was coming to get me. But my stamina grew and now its not too bad. It has helped me get past my 3 month plateau. Maybe it will help you

Btw.. I am 19 also, just about to turn 20. I started out at 230 lbs and am down to 178 right now.. it can be done.

You have plateoued because you body has adjusted to your new routine. You neeed to change something to break the plateou. It has worked for me many of times during my 137# fat loss. I have now changed to a "bulking up" regamine. but whatever you do DO NOT CUT your calories any lower as long as your are already in a calorie defict you will be OK. Good luck to you.

how come Avi2kat shouldn't cut her calories anymore? I thought cutting calories is suppose to help you loose weight. BTW, Av2Kat you're doing great! Keep the motivation strong and you can achieve your desired weight!

Cutting calories will help you lose weight, to a degree. People who over eat for example really do need to cut back. But you still need to eat a certain amount per day to stay healthy - cutting out too many calories will put your metabolism in "starvation mode", which means that it will cling to every single calorie you eat and not burn any unless it has to, which effectively halts any weightloss.

Depending on your activity level, natural metabolism, height, etc, you want to be getting 1000-2000 calories per day. Its not an exact science unless you happen to be paying a dietician, but most people around here seem to start around 1500 and adjust their intake as necessary.