Why can't I lose any more weight?

[Anonymous]

Here's a little background, thought I'm not sure how much it will help:

For most of my life, I've been overweight. It didn't start getting really bad until adolescence when I started to become obese (5ft 9in, around 300lbs) and I stayed that way through high school. When I got to college, I finally turned started turning things around and lost about 100lbs over the course of two years. At the beginning of this last summer, I was somewhere between 190 and 200lbs. Over the course of the summer, I worked out incredibly hard (two hours at the gym Monday through Friday with 45 mins on weights and 1 1/2 hour cardio every day). I watched what I ate (probably between 1500 and 2500 calories per day) and eventually got myself down to a solid 175-180.

Here's the problem: it's been more than six months since then and I'm still the same weight, maybe even a little bit more. Obviously I don't exercise as much now that I'm back in school, but I've cut my calories down significantly (1200 to 1500 per day, since it's recommended that you not eat less than 1200 calories per day) and I do hard cardio around 3 times a week and moderate weight training off and on. Over the holidays, I put on a lot of weight, probably ten pounds, but even that I was able to shed in only a few weeks. Now I'm back to my 180 self though, and I can't seem to get that number to drop any lower.

This number wouldn't bother me so much except that I seem to carry it all on my waist and thighs, meaning I still look overweight (ie, I have kind of a male muffin top thing going). It has occurred to me that it's just extra, stretched skin left over from my obese days, but it feels thicker than that...it feels like fat.

Does anyone know what is going on? Am I doing something wrong? Am I not doing something I should be? I'm willing to do whatever it takes to get down to the 160s, I just don't know what to do!

Thanks for your help!

[shortie]

There may be a couple of issues here- but whatever it is, I think you should definately see a doctor/nutritionist if you;re genuinely concerned. One possibility is that you have a thyroid problem, or a a metabolic disorder which can prevent weight loss, and other is that you have hit a plateau, which can happen after you have lost a lot of weight, and can be avoided by increasing your excersize or diet in order to boost our metabolism. Also- muscle weighs more than fat so it could be the weight training that's making you look heavier. I have to say, though, congratulations on what you've acheived so far, its impressive, I know how hard it is to lose weight. I think expert advice would be the best way to go for a conclusive answer, though- and nutitionists and medical experts are usually more knowlegable than gym dtaff.personal trainers, in my opinion. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

[OutOfMyElement43]

Up your calories to 2500 on a high carb, good carb, diet. See link:

link

If you maintain your current weight, keep upping the calories in increments of 100 until you gain about 5 pounds. Try to get a good idea of how many calories you can eat to stay at that weight. Lets say you eat 2600 calories to maintain a weight of 190 pounds.

When you find the right calorie to weight ratio, start dropping the calories in increments of 200, until you're losing about a pound or two a week. You're body has adjusted to such a low calorie diet. Your metabolism is at rock bottom. You have to get your metabolism back up.

[TimePhantom]

It may be muscle that is causing the weight. You said you lifted 5 days a week, so you probably built up your muscles. It can be hard to get rid of muscle and lose weight at the same time. I am sort of the same way, I am 6' and weigh around 200, I have been this weight for probably 5 years. It doesn't matter if I am working out or being really lazy and eating bad but I never move more than 10lbs around 200.