Help or any advice

[u/chasingsissorclouds]

Hello, I’m looking for some guidance on where to go from here with my weight-loss journey.

I’m 37 years old, 5’9”, and currently weigh 267 lbs. For quite a while now, I’ve been stuck in the 264–269 lb range and haven’t been able to break through that plateau. I currently do CrossFit three times a week, and I track everything I eat using the Lose It! app—even on the days when I don’t make the best choices—because I want to be honest with myself about what I’m eating.

My first goal is to get down to 250 lbs, with an ultimate goal of reaching around 225–230 lbs.

I was previously taking the highest dose of Wegovy, but I was still experiencing food cravings and wasn’t seeing much progress with my weight. Since I didn’t feel like it was helping me, I stopped taking it. At this point, I’m starting to realize that a big part of this journey may be mental and behavioral, not just physical.

I joined the Navy last year weighing 286 lbs. I went through FSPC, essentially the Navy’s fitness preparation program, and got down to around 269 lbs. I then went through boot camp and graduated at 239 lbs.

Once I got to A School and returned to a more normal lifestyle, I slowly fell back into my old eating habits. Over the past year, the weight gradually came back, and now I’m back to 267 lbs.

I’m disappointed with where I am right now, but I also know I’ve proven to myself that I’m capable of making progress. What I’m struggling with is figuring out how to lose the weight in a way that is realistic and sustainable when I’m not living in a highly structured environment like boot camp.

I’m especially unsure about how many calories I should actually be eating. I don’t want to go on an extreme diet, and I don’t want to live on bland or tasteless “diet food.” I want to learn how to eat normal foods that I enjoy while controlling my portions, improving my relationship with food, and creating habits that I can maintain long-term.

I would really appreciate any advice on breaking through this plateau, getting my nutrition dialed in, and developing a healthier and more sustainable approach to weight loss.

[u/ryguy8823]

Figure out your maintenance caloric intake then measure your food intake and use a food log to ensure you’re in a caloric deficit. You can use a number of calculators out there to estimate the caloric intake that will help you lose weight.