To think I’ll be stuck at 16 stone forever

Perhaps you could restrict when you eat to an 8/10/12 hour window? My DH and I only eat between 11am and 7pm and that has really helped both of us lose a lot of weight in the last four years (four stone each) among other things we do that are not WLIs.

I've done a lot of reading and research (from doctors) on this and my take away from medical experts is that it is very hard to estimate your own calorie intake.

I think you are miscalculating.

It's also a PITA to track calories and if you're eating as little as you say there should be no need.

for example, what is in your salad and evening meal?

A lunchtime , salad for me would be either 2 hard boiled eggs, or 100gms cottage cheese, 2 sardines in olive oil, or 2 slices of chicken with green salad and a teaspoon of olive oil.

You could drop to 2 meals a day- for lunch just have fruit- an apple, banana, orange, whatever.

Also maybe get your thyroid checked.

Op, what age are you? Have you been to the doctors to get you thyroid checked and a full blood count? Do you have polycycstic ovaries that could affect weight loss?

I lost 8 stone 5 years ago and went from a size 16 to a size 8
I focused on fibre and hitting my protein goal. Cut out on complex carbs and replaced with simple carbs. Cut sugar out my diet. Do you know your macro split and are you hitting your daily goal? I actually found personally that I'd lose weight best when I calculated my weekly calorie goal and had less during the week and banked the remainder for the weekend. Are you weighing daily and taking the weekly average?

Edited to add, didn't mean to quote that post.

It will come off if you keep up the exercise and stick to what you're doing. I'd add a bit of fibre to your breakfast though, to help your metabolism. If you're doing weight training, you're building muscle which weighs more than fat, so the scales might not be relative to how your actual health is changing.

I don’t know why I am getting drawn in, but whatever:

Sorry if someone has already asked but have you had blood tests for under active thyroid? And a scan to see if you have PCOS? Both of these can cause the original weight gain and make it almost impossible to lose even on an extremely restrictive diet. PCOS management relies heavily on management of sugars- all of them, not just sweets! - and noting your cereals and breads, your diet could be working against you if you do indeed have PCOS. Many women have no symptoms other than weight and go through their lives beating themselves up and despairing over their weight loss “failure”. Be kind to yourself whether you go for the tests or not, you are making your body happier with what you’re doing!

Oh. And it sounds like you're doing great, by the way. Have you looked into intermittent fasting?

Have you listened to the zoe podcasts. So many science- backed topics discussed there!

@justmeandthedogs just in case you weren't aware, there is a good weight loss forum here and it can be very supportive.

I think science has moved on from this particular catch phase now, though.

I ended up having to see a private GP, who ordered much more in-depth tests. That one doesn’t test insulin resistance. She was happy to prescribe metformin anyway though based on reported symptoms and my complete inability to lose weight.

Firstly congratulations on your weight loss so far.

Secondly muscle mass weighs more than fat.

Thirdly, and I really say this with good intent, pasta, cottage pie and lots of sourdough don’t support weight loss.

We are all different but the only thing that worked for me to lose almost two stone back to a size ten was cutting that stuff out. I actually eat more than before but a balance of protein and greens with a small snack of nuts or cheese.

Oh and I cut out wine. I have a vodka soda with fresh lime if I’m out or have a hankering at home!

I believe you OP. I am exactly the same. I’ve been stuck at the same weight for ages although my scales also said 15:13 this morning.

I am post menopausal though. Like you I track and I exercise and try to eat enough protein. The one thing I don’t do is drink enough water but I find it very difficult. I hate the stuff. Drink loads of tea though.

If you find an answer let me know!

Yes, but you need to do it carefully (with electroyltes and magnesium supplements etc). I actually only intended to do three days but suddenly felt great on day 5 but pushed through! You don't have to fast at all, though.

OP have you had a recent blood test? If not I think it’s always good to have a blood test before starting any new health programmes. I didn’t realise but I was increasingly anaemic over the last decade .

That affected my sleep which in turn affected my cravings. And I believe the iron deficiency gave me some cravings too since my body was searching out certain nutrients. And even when I fought against my cravings I felt as if I didn’t lose weight as quick when I was sleep deprived and I looked more bloated.

Not suggesting you’re anemic but more generally it’s just good to get checked out anyway.

I didn’t think of it myself unfortunately but I really wish one of my GPs had suggested a blood test all the times I’d go to them with various ailments. So it’s something I’m now proactive about.

I did Noom for a while, and one thing I learnt was that sometimes the scales don't move, but like you say, you can see the evidence elsewhere, in your clothes for example, so trust yourself, you are going great!

Could you be insulin resistant? I couldn’t lose weight at all until I addressed that, and I tried some pretty extreme diet and exercise regimes in desperation. I started metformin and immediately stopped gaining weight, and after 3-months the weight just started coming off. I could eat a balanced diet and lose weight. My challenge is now the reverse. I lose too much weight on metformin but my insulin resistance returns rapidly when I stop taking it and I pile on weight even though I eat much less. It also helped reduce the intense water weight gain during my period, as I was in the same cycle where I could gain 3kg in the days prior to my period, and I would then spend the 2 weeks after trying to just lose that retention gain!

Btw Op it took me 2-3 years to lose 3 stone. So to me you are early days and are off to a good start. Just keep pushing and eventually the weight will come off.

I know a stone a year sounds slow but for me it was sustainable. Due to some injuries and illness I’ve focused almost solely on diet for the last year or so since even walking isn’t possible for me some days. And I think that leaning towards diet more helped.

My journey wasn’t linear, I lost 10 pounds within my first few months then put that back on then within another few months. I plateaud for months then finally lost that ten pounds again and more , gained some back, lost some, plateaued and so on! I started at 13 stones I’m now around 10 stone. Half a stone more to go! Finally. lol.

I haven't read the whole thread OP, so someone may have suggested this already, but I wondered whether if you are extremely sedentary when you're not doing the two workouts of the week, this may be the explanation, and your TDEE may be lower than you think. So I would try and walk 10k steps a day if you can, in addition to your formal exercise. Or if not 10k, as many as you can manage. Take stairs not lifts, walk up escalators etc. Whatever you can fit in.

You burned 1950 kcal just doing exercise? What were you doing?? I play tennis, which is intense and considered high calorie burning, and even an hour of play only burns 700 calories. More likely that is your overall daily calorie burn which is totally normal.