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Exercise Questions - Why Has My Weight Loss Stalled?

Exercise Question:
I started walking 2 miles a day (4.5 mph) and limiting my calorie intake to about 1500 a day. About a month later, I lost about 8 pounds and felt great. Then the next two weeks I upped my walking to 4 miles a day and same calorie intake. ABSOLUTELY NO CHANGES! No measurement changes and no weight changes. What is the problem?

Exercise Answer:
There are two main reasons why your weight loss has stalled. These main factors include your limited calorie level and the absence of a weight training routine. At your current weight (240 pounds), your body needs more than 1,500 calories per day to run optimally. I would recommend not going lower than 2,500 calories per day. When you limit your calories to only 1,500 a day and then walk for 4 miles on top of that, your body is very likely go into starvation mode and completely lock up from burning any fat since its thinking there may be a period of famine coming soon. It will lower its metabolism and store as much adipose tissue (body fat) as possible. Your goal is to "fuel" your body with good, clean and nutritious foods that will prime your body to build muscle and burn fat. I would recommend focusing on lean protein sources (chicken breast, turkey breast, egg whites) and lean fibrous carbs (broccoli, mushrooms, squash, zucchini).

Eat several, small and nutritious meals throughout the day. You will gain several benefits from eating several small meals throughout the day. Your body's metabolism will be revved up throughout the day. You will also have something in your stomach every few hours and be grazing all day long. This is important because you will not feel deprived like someone who eats 1 meal in the morning and then waits until dinner time to eat again, which usually tends to create a mini-binge since the person is extremely hungry. Try to eat a small and nutritious meal every 3 hours and you will reap the rewards!

Along with your current walking program, I would highly recommend adding a resistance training program to your overall fitness plan. Begin a weight training routine 3 times a week and focus on basic free weight movements such as bench press, squats, barbell curls and triceps push downs. These core exercises will build quality muscle which will burn more calories and give your body a drastic change in composition. You can review our weight training guides here:

• Weight Training Guides Database

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