I gained a lot of weight with my pregnancy, and it took awhile to lose it. I worked with a bariatric physician to lose the weight since my own effort were producing minimal results. My husband is also a personal trainer and has taught me a lot of what he knows. So, while I am no expert, I have some good experience in the weight loss field.
First-You stated you had been overweight since puberty. Our bodies really like to maintain homeostasis, so the longer you have extra weight, the harder the body works to hold onto that fat. Plus, plateus are a regular occurence in the weight loss process, so just because you don't always see a two pound loss at the end of the week, it doesn't mean your body isn't adjusting and working to lose. Also, if you have been doing the same exercise routine for some time than your body has adapted and the same activity will be using less calories. Varying your diet will also help the scale to budge.
Second-As you lose weight your metabolism slows, meaning you need to eat less calories to continue to lose weight. You said you figured out with your trainer how many calories you should be eating, but unless you have had a doctor perform a basic metabolic test, any calculations are just assumptions.
Third-While yoga is a great exercise, it does little in the way of calorie burn for weight loss. Serious cardio like running, cycling will burn way more calories. Jumping rope is also a major calorie burner. Also, adding muscle mass will help raise your metabolic rate and burn more calories over time. You sound like you do have some muscle from yoga, but adding something like weight lifting would help you.
I don't agree with previous posters advice about raw food diets since I think that is likely to set you up for failure. Eating a super strict diet, with little in the way of taste and variety will set you up for a binge. While chemicals in food are not great for you, there is no evidence to prove chemicals will cause your body to hold on to weight.
Overall though, everyone's body is not the same, so a one pound weight loss per week may be what is best for your body. I do know that people who lose weight at a slower pace have been show to keep it off longer. Plus, there are numerous factors that can inhibit weight loss like an increase in stress, or recent illness.
And even though I just spouted out a long post on what I thought you should try, I think you might have better luck finding your answer by consulting with a nutritionst, trainer, bariatric physician, or other specialist. You also will probably find more accurate information on web sites dedicated to weight loss. sparkpeople.com comes to mind, but I am sure there are other sites as well.
That's my two cents...I wish you the best of luck on your weight loss experience and congratulate you on the hard work you have done so far.
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