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Could someone give me advice on my diet and weight loss progress?

I am a 26 y/o w/m at 6'3". My weight was up to 305 lbs back in 2007. I have had a moderate weight problem my entire life. I started the Atkins diet in July 2007 and lost about 80 lbs. As soon as I stopped dieting, I fell right back into my old habits and got back up to 266 lbs. I started a low calorie diet in April 2008 and I am down to 199 lbs today. My job entails walking laps around a 200,000 Sq Ft supercenter for several hours at a time (Usually between 5 and 10). I use a low estimate for my speed (3.0 MPH). My primary function is to catch shoplifters, so I have frequent adrenaline rushes, and I am forced to move and stretch my body into several unique positions throughout the day. I feel like I am getting a sufficient amount of exercise at work. I would estimate that I walk about 5 miles on a slow day at work. I do light calisthenics about 3 times per week, normally just crunches and stretching. My diet has been pretty strict. I am using the site fitday dot com to track what I eat and make sure that my daily calorie balance is as precise as possible. My average daily consumption since mid May has been about 1400. I feel healthy, satisfied, and I eat when I am hungry. I have found several ways to slash calories from my diet. For example, I have found 71 cal wheat tortillas (taco size) that are great for wraps. I use very low cal and low fat lunch meats and fat free cheese for sandwiches and wraps. I eat a lot of fruit. The 100 calorie snack packs have been great for snacking. Ground beef has been virtually eliminated and replaced with lean ground turkey. My wife has really jumped on board with the healthy eating because my daughter is about to start eating table food. We have been using a lot of Lean Cuisine meals for quick lunches and breakfasts. In the event that we do get to cook a meal, we purchased a portion scale that has made it possible to be very accurate with serving sizes. I ALWAYS make sure to eat breakfast. I occasionally have to skip lunch, but I make a valiant effort not to. From the results I have achieved, I am confident that I am not making too many mistakes. I change things up quite often to keep my metabolism on it's toes. The only obvious mistake I see is not changing my exercise routine up. That is because I moderately injured my ankle back in May in a fight with a shoplifter. That has eliminated most strenuous physical activity. We don't have the money for a gym membership, and I do not have access to any weight training equipment. So, there is my background. Now for the question. Over the last couple weeks, my weight loss has hit a pretty big plateau. I have only lost about 6 lbs in the last two weeks. I am currently experimenting with eating a couple hundred more calories a day. Is it normal for the progress to slow so dramatically? Is there anything that I can do to improve my results? My goal weight is 180 lbs. That is about mid range BMI for a healthy weight. The NHI says my ideal weight is about 175 lbs. Does anyone have any advice or tips on how I can integrate some type of weight training into my routine in an inexpensive way. I am very concerned that I am losing more muscle mass than I am comfortable with. I still have very noticeable love handles. What can I do about that? How does body fat redistribute throughout ones body during periods of weight loss? I appreciate anyone who takes the time to read all of this and respond lol. I started the low cal diet in April 2009, not 2008....Sorry about that.

Public Comments

1. it is a very good progress keep up the good work!
2. Wow, your experience sounds a lot like mine! I used fitday.com on and off for five years, along with yo-yo dieting (unlike you I wasn't smart at first)... Then last year I lost 45 pounds in three months by making a lifestyle change, and I have since kept the weight off. While you said you are eating breakfast, maybe some of these tips will help you get over your plateau: Eat less, move more. Eat four to six small meals a day with breakfast being the largest and dinner being the smallest. Eat the majority of your calories early in the day. Avoid sodas and junk foods. Best of luck. It's always awesome to hear about people using portion control instead of diet pills to lose weight.
3. I have been overweight (fat) for years. I have always eaten healthy food,but i was just eating too much about 8 weeks ago I changed my eating habits,I now use a smaller plate for my meals and take longer to eat.I then wait 15-20 mins after eating before I decide if I want more.(you rarely want any more) I have found that this simple,easy change has resulted in my eating less than half what I was eating before. combined with easy exercise I have lost over 10 lbs,5 inches off my waist and 4 inches off my hips. I never realised that losing weight could be so easy,I am losing weight at a steady pace,I do not snack,I rarely feel hungry.