About Brian Expertise I can help set up a weightlifting program, give suggestions on specific exercises and how to deal with injuries. We can discuss your goals and effective ways to work towards them. I compete at powerlifting, and have been weightlifting for over 15 years.
Experience 15 years weightlifting experience, including competitive powerlifting.
Question Hi Brian! My name is Laura. I'm a 22-year-old female and my height is 5'10 and my weight 156. I am down from 190 pounds over the past year and my goal is 145, but, alas, I have plateaued and my weight has not budged in three months. I am Maid of Honor in a wedding coming up and I purposely ordered my gown too small because I was sure I would be able to fit into it in time. Well, the wedding's in January and I am stuck. I really need to jump-start my weight loss. I was doing so well, but now I'm stuck at eleven pounds above my goal. I am an avid runner: I go out for about an hour of running three times a week. I also use Denise Austin's 10-minute Hit-the-Spot series for arms (5 pound weights), abs, thighs, and butt. I do those about four times a week. I eat light and nutritiously. It's worked wonders up to now (one year I've been at it), but I need a change. Can you recommend something I could do differently to kick-start my metabolism again? I've come so far and I just hate being stuck, especially with a big event coming up and a size 8 gown hanging in my closet! Any advice you could give would be hugely appreciated. Thank you!
Laura
Answer Hi Laura. Congratulations on how far you've come! That's really great.
A cruel reality is that the less you weigh, the harder you have to work to lose a pound. If two people do exactly the same exercise, the person who is heavier will actually burn more calories than the person who is lighter. It sort of makes sense when you think about it: calories = energy and it make sense that it would take more energy to power a 190 lb. "machine" than it would to power a 156 lb. one.
My point is this: in order to get past this plateau, you'll need to work harder than you did to get to the plateau in the first place.
I think what you are doing is great...you probably would benefit most from adding one or two more days of running. I think losing 11 lbs. by January is doable. Why not run 5 days a week, and still do the workout tape (realizing that on some day's you'll be doing both).
