Weight Loss: How to lose and not maintain

Hello.  I am a 25 year old male, 5'8", medium body frame, and I'm trying to lose weight.  Currently I am 202 lbs. and I've adapted to a healthier lifestyle for the past 4 months.  What that means is that I try to eat lean, rarely drink, and take in around an average of 8 hours of sleep per day.  At the moment I am trying to boost my metabolism by taking green tea supplements, eating smaller lean meals (i.e. ~6) consisting of vegetables, fruits, and lean meat. consume no more than 1200  cal per day.  At the moment I try to co Additionally I workout 4 days a week in which each work out consists of a 15 min cardio session and a 45 min weight lifting session of 4 sets of high reps (i.e. 4x 10-12  reps).  I try to focus on the major muscle groups throughout my body.

In short, I use to weigh 220 lbs and now I seem to be at a plateau to where I'm not breaking the 200 lb mark.  At one point in my life, I use to weight 160 lbs.  At that time I was working out 4 days a week and eating small vegetarian like meals.  

My question is how can I continue to lose weight?

[Dr. Kokil Mathur]

Hi!
The ideal aim should be to lose about half kg per week or two kg in a month. Some can effortlessly lose about 3 kg in a month. Too fast weight loss can cause rebound weight gain. Also, it can cause other problems such as loose skin, flabs at unwanted places etc. Apart from losing weight, you need to tone up the body. A combination of aerobic, strength training and stretches works best. Many people find it difficult to fit an exercise regimen into their lives. The best way is to join a nutrition expert and a physical trainer (or a gym) and follow their advice. Incorporating yoga into this regimen takes stress out of this exercise to lose weight. Also the diet should contain more of green leafy vegetables, fruits and protein and less of spaghetti, potato etc.  I suggest you eat frequent small meals and stop counting calories. It is best to eat lots of fruits and non-starchy green veggies, go slow on fats, eat carbohydrates in moderation and increase your protein intake (lean cuts, whites of eggs etc). Drink plenty of water and non fattening fluids such as clear soups etc. Look for hidden calories in salads and soups and avoid them (eg: cheese, butter, dressings etc). Hope this helps. Take care!