Need some motivation

I'm in a similar situation as you are.  I started this journey at 260 and tipped the scale this morning at 200 even.  Up 2 lbs. from last week and I was expecting it but still the disappointment set it. 

On my way to work though I thought a little more about it and determined that I'm being ridiculous.  If you had told me Jan. 2012 that 16 months from then I would be down to 200 I would have laughed at you.  My original goal had been 220.

Now I don't know other things about you like your height, muscular build etc. But maybe you have hit your equilibrium weight.  Maybe this is the healthy weight for you.  20 lbs. isn't like the "last few" pounds, that is still a lot of weight to drop.  It can be done no doubt, but at what cost?  Will you be sacrificing muscle to get there?  Quads that help pull you and your bike up that hill?  Shoulders that pull you through the water.  Will you be passing the point at which you will start to see negative returns on your weight loss? 

Again I don't know any of these things, and you may still have "plenty" to lose, its just some food for thought.  Take it for what its worth.  And if you are bound and determined to get to one 170 then as you said HTFU, embrace hunger, and get there.

Good luck

I'm going to give you another perspective here:

When you're training hard, you're putting much stress on your body. Yes, it's 'healthy' stress, but it's still stress. And you're trying to stress it by eating less to lose weight as well, or in your case, you're just really hungry all the time. It's often hard to lose weight when you're doing hard training. You're also doing mostly cardio (I assume, since you're HIM training) and not building muscle. 

When you can let your body REST, eat real whole foods, lift some weights, get plenty of sleep...you should lose weight. I've noticed with myself and my friends, that once we get to a pretty healthy weight, more does not come off with increased training...at 190, you're not a big guy, especially from where you used to be.

I'm not saying to cut back on training, or not do the HIM, but I think right now you need to concentrate on FUELING your body for your training. If the race is your priority this year, then that has to be your focus. If you keep restricting to try to lose weight, you'll start to see negative consequences: over tired, sick, injury, decrease in performance. 

If you're that concerned about the 20lbs by August (which, at this point might be a little ambitious), you should get your resting metabolism tested, figure out how much you're really burning in your workouts, and see a nutritionist. That takes a lot of work as then, you'll have to be very precise with your foods to hit the magic numbers of just a small deficit a day. 

OR, you can just keep training, make sure you're eating enough good-for-you foods, that you feel fueled for your workouts, and ENJOY your training and your race. Then, work on recovery, lighter workouts, strength training and food after August.

$0.02

You're right there 20lbs is not the 'last few'.  I have a hunch that I could loose another 20lbs, I still have noticeable fat around my stomach and some on my chest, although my legs, arms, face are all pretty lean.  I wonder if I am in just this prolonged 'equilibrium' state, building lean muscle mass at the same rate I am loosing fat.  Those last pounds will take longer to come off then the first ones.  

Thanks for that perspective - I have heard it before I think its something that I need to accept to be true for myself.  I always thought that, that would be true just for athletes, which I could almost say that I am one.

I think I just have an odd body shape/size as well.  When I tell people that Im 190, some of them do not believe me.

I think you and Kombi are right here I might need a trip to a nutritionist.  I just found out this year that I have some pituitary issues.  Was diagnosed with diabetes insipidus.  This has nothing to do with blood sugar diabetes.  If you're curious I have a post in the health section of these forums.

Nope no ethical reasons, I just feel that a whole foods plant based diet should be the staple in a diet.  I only eat vegan at home.  If I go out or am at a friends/relatives house I will eat meat.

I do eat nuts, and beans, never been a big fan of avocados.

Thanks for all of your responses!  I have a feeling the next step is to the nutritionist.  Luckily I have fantastic health insurance.