Why am I not losing weight? Am I just being impatient?

Question

So I have been trying to lose 20-30 lbs (from 205-210 to 180-ish) and have gotten down to the 198-200 range but I seem to be stuck at a plateau. I ride my bike for 6-8 miles each day (roughly 30-60 minutes) as well as play volleyball for 2-3 hours twice a week. I am on a fairly strict diet: 5 egg whites with a bagel (290 calories, 11g protein for the bagel) and a multivitamin for breakfast, a protien bar for lunch (Myoplex Lite, less calories than most) and a roughly 750-1500 calorie dinner depending on the day. This puts me around the 2000-2250 mark for calories each day and I feel that I should be burning around 3000+... I have been stuck at 198-200 for a week and a half and am looking for ways to break out of the rut. I've got 6 more weeks to lose at least another 10 lbs! Any suggestions?

Answer 1

Don't drink any non-diet drinks. That will save you as much weight as all excercise and diet combined.

Answer 2

I've actually heard fitness experts say that when the body is losing a considerable amount of weight it will sort of plateau at a certain point for a little while before it makes that next push downward. They say it is the sudden standstill that causes people to give up on their diets and revert back to their old habits. But it does pass after a while. Just keep up your same routine for another week or two and I bet you'll start seeing more results. My friend recently lost 75 pounds (yes, 75!) over the course of about a year, and she did that for a while too. She melted from a size 18 to a 12 or so in just about 3 months, but then she was a 12 for about 6 more months after that before she finally downgraded into a 10. Just have patience and you will reap the benefits. Your diet plan sounds great!

Answer 3

I think you're calories in vs. out might be a little off. 2000-2200 calories a day sounds a little high for weight loss. It sounds a bit closer to weight maintenance which could be the reason you are not losing. I would shoot for 1600-1800 calories a day. I also think your calorie burn of 3000+ is high. Running at a moderate speed for one hour only burns around 400-500 calories. I would strongly recommend the site www.fitday.com as way to track your caloric intake and burn. Remember to include sleep in your activities so that you get an accurate metabolic rate. I would also be patient. Even on a strict diet and exercise regimen, weight loss can occur as slowly as a pound a week. So don't give up, stick with it, and maybe take a harder look at your calories in and out.

Answer 4

Here is what you need to do, if you are serious about losing weight and keeping it off. Eat 6 small meals a day about every 4 hours. Here what that will do for you, your metabolism will increase (i.e. Loose weight) and you will have more engry. If you go on a diet and eat less, your metabolism will slow down and store to fat. That is why diets dont work. Only the size of your fist, carbs (examples:baked potato, pasta, oatmeal, beans, corn, melon, apples, fat free yogurt, whole wheat breads)in one and protien (examples:chicken breast, swordfish, shrimp, turkey breast) in the other. You can also eat vegetables and salads with any meal, they dont have none or little fat). 30min cardo exercise every day. Any of these(examples: walking, jogging, swimming,running, biking, ect), Monday cardo, tues upper body (arms: curls, tricep extensions,pull ups, front press)(abdominals: leg pull crunch, leg raises), (chest: bench press, butterfly, pullover)(shoulders: front press, arm pullover, cross county skier machine)(back:seated row, lat pull downs, back extension)(YOU DONT HAVE TO DO IN ONE DAY, mix it up) wed cardo, thurs lower body (legs: leg pull,leg press, squats, lounges) fri cardo, sat upper. Sunday eat anything you want and dont exercising, you do this on sunday so your body doesnt go into starvation mode. YOU NEED TO TAKE SUNDAY OFF. If you stilck with this you will have a great body. also drink aleast 8oz of water daily! Stay away from Mcdonals, Wendys, ect because there is nothing good for you on the menu's even the salads are bad (beaon bits, cheeze, dressing, ect) Good Luck :)

Answer 5

Calculate how many total calories you're going to eat for a week.
Calculate how many calories you're going to burn in a week.
Determine how many pounds you need to burn per week.
Multiply those pounds by 3500 calories/pound.
That's how many calories you don't need to eat and/or how many calories you need to burn per week.
For example:
Let's say you eat 2250 calories per day * 7 days/week = 15750 calories consumed per week.
Let's say that you burn 2400 calories per day (from breathing, sleeping, walking, sitting, working out, etc) * 7 days/week = 16800 calories burned per week
15750-16800 = 1050 more calories burned than consumed in one week.
If one pound of body fat is equal to 3500 calories, it would take you 3.3 weeks to lose a pound.
If you want to lose 10 pounds over 6 weeks, you have to change that "1050" to "5833". How do you do it? Either consume less calories and/or burn more calories.
You have to have a net loss of 35000 calories within 6 weeks!
If you cut your intake to 1500 calories/day (instead of 2250) for the next 6 weeks and increased your daily calories burned to 85 more calories, you'd be there!
Do you really want to weigh less or do you want to be more firm?
Are you accounting for the increased weight of increased muscle?
If you really want to measure a goal, get your body fat % measured. Measure that week by week also.

Answer 6

I wouldn't be too impatient if I were you. It could be, however, that that is the healthy weight your body is supposed to be (depending on your height). I recommend the book "Fit or Fat" by Covert Bailey
Your program sounds very good by the way. Good luck.