Any Advice?

Question
I'm an 18 year old female, 5'5" and 130 pounds. I'd like to lose about 10 more lbs and I don't know how to do it. I've already been dieting for a while (lost 24 pounds), but my weight loss has slowed dramatically. I eat like 1200-1500 calories a day and for exercise, I run on the elliptical trainer 3 days a week, and I do a 20 minute cardio routine (it's pretty intense i think) and I do light exercise to work my abs, etc. I also walk my dogs.

I can't get these last 10lbs off. I am pretty sure I get enough exercise, but do you think I should do more? I can't go any lower on calories because it makes me binge like crazy. Do you have any suggestions on food, calories, or exercise? I'm a vegetarian, btw.

Thanks,
Ashley

Answer
Ashley,

Congratulations on losing 24 pounds.  That's great!

Practically speaking, the last 10 pounds are usually the hardest and will take longer.

First, be absolutely sure that it is pounds you need to lose, rather than reshaping your body.

What I mean by that is once your body fat has been replace by more lean muscle mass, you will look thinner, you will be able to wear smaller clothes, but the number on the scale may or may not change.

So, don't obsess about the number on the scale because I know you are at a healthy weight number already.

And you are right about the calories, you should not go lower than what you are currently consuming, but I think you should actually go higher.  Closer to 2000 actually because of your activity level.  Remember that you must take in enough calories and energy to match your activity level.

I also recommend going close to 2000 because I am about to suggest you add resistance training to your workout routine.

You can do resistance training 20-30 minutes per day 2-3 days per week.

This will help your body burn more fat and increase your metabolism.  It is also the surest way to reshape your body.  Don't worry about bulking up because women can't do that.

So, make sure you are having protein and complex carbs at each meal (which should be smaller meals 3-4 hours apart) and add resistance training to your routine.

Check out http://www.oxygenmag.com for some routines.  It is the website for Oxygen magazine.

I think you'll be fine, you just have to shock your body out of complacency in order to get the results you want.

Good luck and I hope that helps.

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