To think I’ll be stuck at 16 stone forever

Well maybe not kill you, but certainly prime your metabolism to go into fat storage mode and increase your hunger pangs later in the morning. I switched to full fat greek yoghurt, sprinkle of seeds, large spoonful of peanut butter mixed in or handful of walnuts and occasionally some thawed berries. The breakfast itself is probably at least 620kcal which sounds like a lot but I'm often not hungry until the evening as I don't get much of a glucose/insulin spike.

Storing weight around the middle/finding it hard to lose weight and getting more hair under the chin can be signs of insulin resistance (even without prediabetes/diabetes setting in). If you look up the symptoms of PCOS and you're getting similar symptoms, it might be caused by insulin resistance.

I find bread is my enemy and when I replace bread/pasta/potatoes fully with broccoli/salads with nuts/ beans/lentils etc, my body completely changes shape and I lose a ton of weight, even with serving the same number of calories as I feel full and can't finish some meals. I also don't feel hungry between mealtimes. The way of eating is also anti-inflammatory and my headaches/muscle aches/brain fog completely settle.

Your pasta bakes, wholemeal sourdough bread and honey, fruit on its own without something to ameliorate the insulin spike it causes are likely making things more difficult for you when it comes to weight loss.

Pumpernickel or rye bread is much less likely to cause high insulin levels, but still better to eat in moderation and at the end of a meal and eat the fibrous things e.g. vegetables at the beginning of the meal. You would likely get earlier feelings of satiety if you eat fibrous foods (but not any form of cereals, including Weetabix/muesli)> protein and fat > then your carbs at the end.

Do whatever works for you but be aware of insulin resistance as the enemy of weight loss.

Great to read your update and you've started to lose again.

Did you actually change anything in the past few days? You mentioned a couple of times you were going to try some suggestion, I wonder if you actually did and this kick started your metabolism again?

Well done.
One thing I've invested in during my recent diet is a very accurate weighhing scale.
I decided I couldn't trust my old one.

4lb down in 2 days I think shows that our weight fluctuates for more reasons than just food or exercise.

Pleased for you OP. Well done for sticking thru it.
BTW, nutracheck magazine this month has an article about set point theory...which may apply for you?

@justmeandthedogs Good for you! That's great news

😆
Im sorry I shouldn't laugh, but this thread has been an epic shitshow saga and all for a tiny stall that really doesn't even count as a plateau. I get why you started the thread but I wonder if you have any regrets after the way it went 😆😆
4 weeks isn't a stall worth worrying about.

Well done OP 👌

Well done!
I don't think I saw you say how long you'd been plateaued for?
I hit a plateau this time last year and the only thing I changed was my protein intake - realised I wasn't eating enough so I changed things around and whilst calories stayed the same I ate more protein and lost another 9lbs without much effort taking me to where I am maintaining now.

I find it really sad.

Personal training qualifications don't guarantee someone is going to be giving good advice. I work with a personal trainer (also qualified!) and she would never give such advice as this. Lose fat and muscle on 1000 calories and then grow your muscle back? Are you ok??

That’s really not true, I’m genuinely surprised at how many people do not understand basic biology and how our bodies are fueled, they need to teach it in school,

to explain the cals you consume fuel your body.
if you don’t consume enough, your body burns fat or muscle to fuel it
this then makes your body lighter. As you’ve burned the fat or muscle off to make up the cal defecit to fuel your body.
your metabolic rate will drop if you consume too few cals. And you will have an energy slump, but again, if you remain in a defecit your body will burn fat or muscle to fuel you.
in studies on starvation, the body continued to lose weight, even though metabolism dropped,
‘this is because we have a basic metabolic rate, just to exist.
veey very few people’s basic metabolic rate is below 800. You’d need to be bed or chair bound and small.
most people’s bmr will be 1000 plus. And the op moves. She is not bed bound. Her bmr at 16 stone will be much higher than 1000.
the body cannot fuel itself on air. It simply cannot. It is either cals consumed or burning fat or muscle. There is no alternative. There is no set point, where you eat in a defecit and your body fuels itself with air.

there are only two explanations. 1/she is consuming more than she knows. 2/she is retaining fluid to an extreme extent, and every week offsets her fat or muscle loss with more fluid.

it is overwhelmingly likely to be the former, no matter how angry it makes her, and she doesn’t seem keen to make an urgent doctors appt either.

It’s really not that simple- hormones, insulin resistance and set points are all proven factors inhibiting weight loss. If op drops to 800-1000 calories she will lose weight yes, but will plateau aagain and will need to drop down further.
No active adult woman should be eating 800 calories.
Mumsnet really is toxic af sometimes

Did you post on the wrong thread? I’d ask it to be moved. On a side note I’ve never seen that on here,

Qualified personal trainer.
Obviously you want to don't want excessive muscle loss, but some loss is quite common during a cut. At 16 stone, I'd be prioritising reaching a healthy weight

Says someone who has 0 clues how much effort/time/energy muscle takes to build. Hint... you cannot build it on fresh air.

I prefer to play the long game. If I want to lose weight I really don't mind a bit of muscle loss. Lose the fat and some muscle then start to build up muscle again when you reverse diet. 🤷

I can never decide whether the amount of pro-ana content on MN is just plain terrifying or just painfully sad.

People are trying to help her because she came on here asking for advice and has discounted pretty much all of it. I ate about 1000 calories a day for about six months and lost 14 kg and my bone mineral density is excellent.i didn't go into starvation mode. I didn't even lose any muacle. BMD is about load on bone and unless you are eating nothing but bread you will be okay. The issue is clearly that for whatever reason 1400 is too high for now. If she cuts it to 800-1000 she will lose weight. Simple. It really is that simple.