To think I’ll be stuck at 16 stone forever

OP sorry if someone has already said this but may be worth getting your thyroid checked? This can really affect you losing weight.

But that's OK, then. The scales show nothing but your relationship to gravity. I am 8kg heavier now than I was ten years ago but I still wear the same size clothes. I train Olympic weightlifting and there is considerable difference in my muscle mass. Taking measurements alongside your weight may well help you mentally through the process.

On another note, when was the last time you adjusted your calorie targets? You've lost 13lbs, you are a smaller person so your caloric needs may have naturally changed. I would consider using an app which dynamically adjust your calorie targets based on your rate of progress. Macrofactor would be one example.

You may have answered that later in the thread but how often do you weight in? My weight can fluctuate up to 4lbs in a space of a couple of days. I try to get on the scale every morning so I can track average weight for the week rather than snapshots in time.

No but honestly she didn't gain a stone of muscle. She just couldn't have. It's impossible. If her weight actually stayed the same then it's possible she did recomp a bit, losing some fat and gaining some muscle. That would make her body look different.

Starvation mode is a myth.

I'm in my late 30s and in my adult life I've been between 9-13 stone so I've lost and gained a fair few times.

I'm currently 10.11, 2 stone down since December as I crept up again last year due to stress eating (and also believing it was too hard due to my age, so just not starting, which was silly). I'm almost at my target.

It sounds like you are doing everything right. Continue what you're doing. 13lb since the start of the year is a steady loss of over 3lb a month. 1lb a week is recommended. If your clothes are fitting better, a drop on the scale IS coming.

I track my weight on an app called Libra and it reminds me that even though there are ups and downs day to day, the progress over 1 month is real.

It sucks as losing weight is hard and you want to see the scales move for that dopamine boost, it's just how we are wired. Try and not let the scale ruin your day and think 1 workout ahead, 1 meal ahead. Make sure you cook and eat foods you truly enjoy.

What?
You didn't burn those calories through exercise alone. Do you mean this was your total energy expended during the day?

Have you considered tracking macros instead of calories. (sorry haven't read every comment in case it's been mentioned already). xX

No you don't. What's happening is your TDEE is 300 calories under where you think it is.

Ignore those saying you are wrong on your calories. The same happened to me. I completely stalled for months and I was on 1200 calories. My TDEE is 2100! I've no idea why. It just seems to happen.

I ended up doing that 800calorie diet for a few weeks and that shifted the weight. But it's bloody brutal to be honest so I don't blame you for not wanting to do that! I've heard good things about fasting as well.

It is hilarious that there are people who think somone who is not losing weight is more likely to lose weight by either maintaining or increasing calories.

The First Law of Thermodynamics doesn't apply on MN. 😁

Maybe I’m in error there BUT she certainly lost no weight what so ever and she was being very diligent, she had plenty of support from her family and work colleagues. She wasn’t the sort to secret binge,

BUT muscle is heavier than body fat, she became very “toned” and I confirm to the PO she did loose a good deal of weight eventually when she found her exercise routine to help her, running and swimming. Weighs did nothing for her.

We were all very proud she reached her goals for her wedding!

@justmeandthedogsJenkinson talks about the weight set point: I’d give it a read. if your clothes are fitting better, I’d deffo take that win - better than I’ve achieved - sitting at 10 at 7 been trying to lose the same 21lb for like 2 years. The people saying “oh you’re eating more than you think” despite your saying you’re logging all food religiously - honestly, so fucking patronising.

Some real misinformation on here, and it’s just misleading the op. She’s not going to lose weight, if she beleives it.

its not feasible to maintain a 16 stone body mass on 1500 cals a day, unless bed or chair bound, the op says she runs 3 times a week. And is very active. It’s simply not feasible.

it is also not feasible to build muscle whilst in a defecit unless she has a high protein intake, ie over 2g per kg of body weight, and does heavy resistance training, neither applies here.

op, your calorie count is off somewhere, I’m sorry, but it is. There is only one other feasible explanation, if you’re genuinely in a defecit and only eating 1500 cals a day, and this is your body is retaining significant fluid which, co incidentally is the exact same amount extra each week as your weight loss.

so if you’re consuming as you say, you’d be losing up to 2lbs a week. So this means each week you gain another 2lbs of fluid. Which means you are very unwell indeed and need to see your gp urgently. It’s either that, or you have your cal count wrong.

It is much, much more complicated than that.

@justmeandthedogshave you read “Why We Eat Too Much” by Andrew Jenkinson?

I'll be honest I haven't read half the comments as I couldn't get passed the 'you must not be logging calories accurately' or are lying thing alot of posters said.

Sometimes calories in calories out doesn't work! I know that as I'm currently stuck in that position - I'm eating 1600 cals (accurately and meticulous logged) and do exercise 4 days a week at least. Not losing a lb, then going up and down the same sodding 2lbs. For the last 6-9 months. Its frustrating as hell!

I'm trying to train myself to not look at the scale but how I feel in fitness and how my clothes fit (sometimes hard as I've not dropped a dress size in about a year now). But having a life of always looking at scales its really hard not to do that.

Have you thought about seeing a nutritionist or can your PT help with nutrition? I'm seeing someone to help look at macros and the breakdown of what I eat to see if its too much carbs or sugar etc that is causing issues. This weeks change is drink more water - lets see if that helps.

I recall reading something about internal "set-points" which lead to these intermittent plateaus during weight loss (in Second Nature info I think). Your body is adjusting to the weight loss you have achieved and responding differently.

Dont give up - maybe focus on measurements not kg for a few weeks, tweak your diet a little to keep it "fresh" and hopefully you'll slip off the plateau soon :)

It is. That's not the problem.
How long has your stall lasted? Sorry if you've said elsewhere.

Then you have to get inventive. Cold hard boiled eggs.

You can do this or don't. Commit to it or don't. Losing weight is hard I get it. But in a year you could look back and realise that you nearly let the fact that you work (and didn't bother to find workarounds) keep you at 16 stone.

Have a look at anything by Dr. Andrew Chaffee or Dr. Ken Berry for inspiration though (and eye candy).

Take the win. If you feel better and look a bit better then good for you. Where do you see this ending anyway? Once you get to 14 stone or 12 stone or whatever are you planning to say job done and kick back? Just treat it a journey to better heath in general and consider weight loss and shape as a side show.

And by the way you do realise that the more slowly you loose weight the more 'permanent' it will be.

That said I have had some good rapid results from 1 meal per day and 48 hour fasting, but I am in a slightly different place to you.

Going against the grain a little bit but depending on how long you've been in deficit, could you actually be not eating enough and your body is in starvation mode and clinging on?

I've also been on a bit of a journey and am now tracking calories with a decifict but prior to that I was exercising loads but not calorie counting. The scales didn't move much but my body composition did and my shape had changed with clothes fitting differently. Do you have abody composition machine at the gym you've been using? Instead of the scales changing you might notice changes in % body fat/% muscle instead?

It's really disheartening when you don't see the numbers change though, completely get it. And everyone's metabolism is different. I'm short, squat and find it really hard to lose weight. It's not always as easy as calories in vs calories out so don't get too discouraged and keep going. Can you discuss it with your PT?

Like fuck did she put on a stone of muscle 😆 that's literally impossible. She got hungrier from all the exercise and ate more.

Honestly OP running slowly really doesn’t do much at all. In my experience it’s a lot of effort for little/very slow gain! Building muscle is the way to go and cutting calories right down.

The 2024 Food Foundation report showed that obesity and overweight caused nearly 40,000 deaths among UK adults in 2021 and are now the leading risk factor for years lived with disability in the UK.

Maybe women (and men) just prefer not to be dead or disabled?