Hello, I am a 5 foot 3, 140lb, 26 yr old mother of two. In high school I was active and i weighed 140lbs this is what I always remember weighing. After my son I got back down to 140. For the next 4yrs weight fluctuated highest reaching 165.. Had second child weight reached 186.... I lost weight after this in 2012 only to gain it back in 2013I have adopted a lifestyle change since Oct2013 and am back to 140 and not going to gain it back ever again. But now my goal is to reach 130lbs. I have been stuck at 140 for 3 weeks now. How do I lose the last 10 I do intervals for 40 mins followed but strength or a circuit for 30 mins. And I eat very healthy mostly veggies and fruits. Very small amounts of cheese, bread, rice starches and dairy.. Please help
Answered by Jamie Kerem Hello there,
It sounds like you're on the right track and have the perfect mindset! Congratulations on achieving the goals you set out for yourself, I know there is no better feeling.
Plateauing (or the temporary halting of any progression) can be frustrating, and often times people plateau for reasons they wouldn't think of.
Your training is absolutely fine, your eating habits however, are not. You are simply not eating enough to burn off that last 10 pounds.
Not eating enough?! As crazy as it sounds, this could be the solution to your problem.
Your diet focuses mostly on fibrous veggies and fruits and a spot of the occasional dairy and bread. This sounds like you're going very low calorie. So low, in fact, that your body begins to naturally shut down fat burning mechanisms in order to retain the fat it still has. This is a survival mechanism that has pre-dated cavemen. When there was a lack of food, instead of dying off, the body would hold on to whatever it had left.
Fat loss needs to be coaxed, not forced. For this very reason I suggest you start eating more carbohydrates right before your interval training, and more protein right after your workout.
This will not only tell your body that food will be regularly coming in so it has no need to hold on to what it has, but will also build muscle. The great thing about muscle is that it take more calories to function and be retained, thereby essentially allowing your body to burn more calories 24/7.
Introduce more clean calories into your diet, give it a couple weeks, and let me know how this makes you look, weigh, and feel.
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