Advice on exercise/weight

[NotSoGlamorous]

Ok, there are tons of questions relating to weight loss, but I'm asking anyway as I want specifics for myself. I am 5'3" and weigh 170. I've been eating clean 95% of the time, counting calories (daily is 1200 average) and exercising more than the norm. I did drop from 182 in about 4 wks, but now, 8 wks in to the active working out and eating well, can't seem to budge the scale. I read conflicting things about amount of calories, over doing exercise, etc. It's confusing. My workout sched is comprised of HIIT, boxing classes, step, just into some weights and normal activity with kids, dog, etc. I average 1 &1/2 hrs every day. What advice can someone give for dropping some lbs? I'm not a big believer in the "you're adding muscle" thing because it's very hard for women to add to our bodies. MAYBE a pound in a 3 or 4 wk span. Help! Do i need to up the calories, do more exercise, perhaps more rest time? Thanks!!

[Barb135]

I don't know your age, but I'd guess that for your weight, 1200 calories is not enough, each day.

I'm not sure what you mean by "eating clean"; different people put different definitions on that term.  You can be eating healthy, and still not be eating the right things to lose weight.   You also have to watch portion sizes.

I agree with changing up your exercises.  It's true that when first beginning an exercise program you can be building muscle, rather than losing weight. You should always take your measurements before beginning an exercise regimen, because often measurements will decrease while the scale will not.  

You should also get checked for medical conditions, such as hypothyroidism, insulin resistance and PCOS, which can all cause weight gain/inability to lose.

[mzrichee]

are you giving yourself any rest days? make sure you get plenty of rest as your body do need some time to recover from all those workouts! if you've been working out 7 days a week, i say you should give yourself at least one day, if not two days rest. i personally would opt for the 2 rest days (sometimes 3 even) in a week. also, it doesn't hurt to change up your exercise routine if what you're currently doing now is what you've been doing the last 8 weeks. you see after a while your body gets familiar with the routines/schedules and it can perform them easier with less energy, etc. it's like your body is more efficient and can do it with less, so changing up your routine can be a good thing to fool it. you can try adding in some intervals, high/low-intensity workouts and see if that helps. for example, instead of doing step at the same intensity for an hour, mix it up with high/low intensities and only for 30-45 minutes. regarding your diet, it's great to hear you're eating clean. but i'm not sure about eating 1200 cal/day. you may want to add a little more to that. i truly believe in mixing up your calorie intake day by day. sure, sometimes 1200 cal/day is fine, but maybe on some days, do 1600 just to throw your body off.

hopefully this helps answer some of your questions. good luck, and keep at it. you'll get there!