Hello everyone! I've been scooting around on traineo for a while, but have been putting off actually introducing myself. So here's a little about my history:
I was 170lbs when I was 13-14 yrs old. I improved my eating habits and started loosing weight, then discovered DDR (Dance Dance Revolution) at age 16. I had done weightlifting and running previously, but DDR finally helped me fall into a truly rigorous exercise routine. It paid off when I won second place in a DDR competition and-- more importantly-- lost weight more easily than I could have imagined.

I'm 18 now and have hit a plateau around 135-140lbs (I'm 5'5 and have a wide build). I exercise religiously-- DDR, gardening, and aikido nearly every day, not to mention walking because I don't have a car-- and I'm careful about what I eat. I don't cook very much, so my diet consists largely of oatmeal, fresh veggies, and occasionally bread and olive oil. My body fat is somewhere around 17%, which suggests that I should be nearing skinny... but I still can't seem to get rid of the belly! Thanks to aikido, I have monster abs, so strength in the area isn't a factor. I am afraid of cutting down even more on food-- all 3 of my best friends have been anorexic in the past, and I would very much like to avoid that path-- and I'm not sure that my body can take any more exercise than what I already do (I've started having problems with my feet). To summarize, I have no idea what I can do now to achieve the shape I want.

Suggestions?

Hey Sumiko, welcome to Traineo I'd probably recommend intervals for you. Something like HIIT. And if that doesn't work, try calorie/carb cycling. One or both of these methods should help you bust through that plateau. Good luck!!

That sounds like a very good body fat percentage and weight for a girl. Keep living your life and making small, gradual changes.

Sometimes for fitness, you don't always get to do the exercises you're great at or enjoy. So, do you want to spend time doing DDR and aikido, and not get rid of the "belly," or do you want to get rid of the belly and replace those other exercises with some running for a while? Just be logical and ask yourself why you're doing what you do.

Out of interest, where do you get protein from in your diet?

Thanks for the responses! HIIT definitely sounds interesting to me, since I could fit it in with all the other stuff I do (it's next to impossible for me to quit aikido at this point, and I need my weekly dose of dancing too, although I can probably cut down on that a bit until the next competition arises). I think I might try that out. Thanks!

For protein, I eat nuts, yogurt and drink milk, and occasionally I'll help myself to some tofu... I'm not a vegetarian, but I'm not a fan of cooking meat. I find it difficult to balance protein intake with fat, however, since a many sources of protein do seem to have a lot. Maybe I should cut down on the fiber and up the protein? Oatmeal always seems like a "safe" food to me, better than dairy products, but maybe it's not as good as I make it out to be?

Put protein powder in your oatmeal. I make it with water instead of milk, and add extra water, then add protein powder until it's at my desired thickness (I love really thick oatmeal, though...so I STILL don't use much water).

We are about the same size. I would also recommend a lot more protein, and more cardio. I do martial arts regularly, but only loose weight when I hit the track at least 2x a week. Its the cardio that helps me drop the weight. I also eat at least 60 grams of protein a day. At 1200 calories that means my diet is mostly fruits, veggies, and protein. I don't eat bread or starchy vegetables. Seems to be working for me, I was stuck in the upper 140's for a long long time.

Good rule of thumb is .8g of protein for Lean Body Weight or 1g of protein for every pound of weight.

Protein Powder
Eggs
Meat (chicken/fish)
Tofu
Soy

Lots of good options.

I don't "do" protein powder (thanks to my mom, who has raised me to "say no" to supplements) but I definitely like all the others on that list. I'll put in some effort to change my diet, now that I know what to lean towards.

I also started some HIIT training this past week and it definitely helped-- or at least, it felt good afterwards. I was busy over the weekend (digging a fence) and re-gained the two pounds I lost, but it's encouraging to know that there's hope for getting over that frustrating plateau. Tomorrow, I'm planning to continue the training, and with more enthusiasm.

Thanks for the help so far!