Why the F*** am I not losing weight?

[Noyesno]

I work out about 3 times a week - lots of weights/resistence. I am a clean eater and careful about what I eat/how much I eat. I put on a weight a couple of months back - convinced myself it was muscle - but then had a FIT 3D scan done in a gym, which roughly shows fat/muscle percentage and it would appear it was only marginally more muscle than my FIT 3d scan a year ago.

I'm 54, post menopausal, and I would like to lose about half a stone.

So, two weeks I signed up to a new programme. A great online gym programme with nutrition attached. Signed up to My Fitness Pal, to chart my calories/macros etc, an agreed amount with the trainer running the programme. Lots of protein - which I've upped considerably. Rest of calories to come from carbs or fat, whatever suits.

I've been really careful except on one day when we entertained.

I've tried really hard. I've done 10K steps on average per day as well as 3-4 workouts.

Just weighed myself. I haven't lost a single pound.

What am I doing wrong?

Really? Just maintenance? What would I need to be on for a deficit - and how did you work that out?

There are various on line calculators

tdeecalculator.net

It's easy to have a couple where one needs half what the other needs

Deficit is 1 calorie a day under

A pound is about 3000 calories

Eating 100 less a day loses a pound in a month

Having 100 a day more gains a pound a month and nearly a stone in a year

100 a day is an apple - a healthy snack

It's amazing we are all roughly the right weight when you look at how tight the numbers are and how little leads to weight gain

This is a lovely post.

I think we can all be too hard on ourselves sometimes. A small amount of extra weight isn’t always a bad thing.

I think eating well and maintaining a healthy lifestyle make you feel (and look) so much better. The weight will move if you keep it up. Personally I wouldn’t start weighing calories as that seems a miserable existence, but I had an eating disorder many years ago so refuse to go down that obsessive path again. I’m sure it works for some.

What are your stress levels like? There is quite a bit of evidence that links stress to increased weight without over-eating. It is something to do with how fat cells form.

I introduced meditation and yoga into my routine and the weight came off.

Be careful on low fat diets as you age - your brain needs those good fats, as do your joints. They have linked long term low fat diets to Alzheimer’s disease.

Staying healthy is a minefield!

Yes I'll reintroduce healthy fats when I'm at my goal weight. It seems though, that lurpack and mayo aren't healthy fats! I don't particularly like avocados, but can introduce reintroduce extra virgin olive oil. I'm already eating lots of salmon. , but chicken is my protein of choice.

Why are you focusing so much on a number?

How do you feel in yourself? Energy levels? Mood? Sleep? How are your clothes fitting?

I’m the same height and weight as you at that moment and hate it. It might be healthy for our height but I’ve never been this weight. People mean well when they say it’s a healthy weight for our height but it totally depends on how you carry it.

My PT put suggested 1700 calories and 110g protein a day which I think is ridiculous and won’t lead to weight loss.

Agree with this, if you exercise and burn say 300 calories, your body will "save" 300 calories ie slow down so it isn't in a deficit. Mentioned on another thread about the tribe who were studied who were out all the time hunting and did not burn many more calories overall than a desk worker. Humza tribe something like that. Very clever our bodies, they try and keep us alive!

I always mark 3 week into a health kick for feeling better, hopefully. 6 weeks for toning up etc

Don't just measure weight, also track your inches. Arms, legs, waist etc. Even if you're not losing weight, you could be losing inches.

@midgetastic thanks for that link. I put my own numbers in and it came out at almost exactly the same basal metabolic rate as my FeelFit scales so I’d feel confident using those figures.

Will you try what the PT has suggested or dismiss it and do your own thing?

I was going to suggest wegovy but your weight looks quite healthy. I don’t think you’d meet the criteria. It has been great for me, but I am a lot heavier.

@NigelHarmansNewWife I’ve stuck to it for two weeks and will give it maybe another two but I’m not sure. Any suggestions?

Keep doing, last year I started weights 5 times a week, 10,000 steps a day and calorie deficit. I didn’t lose a single lb in 12 weeks but I dropped two dress sizes and my body shape changed considerably.

the scales mean very little

I wouldn't lose weight on 1300 calories. I have to have 1200 or less. I am older than you though. Have you worked out your tdee? Do this and it will tell you the amount of calories you need.

Going against the grain here. But if you do lots of exercise you need to fuel that. As you can see cutting calories doesn’t work (if we are exercising). Our bodies are clever, you will slow your metabolism down and this will impact thyroid and hormone function.

You are right to lift heavy weights - we want muscle. You say you are eating enough protein but if you are counting calories are you sure? We also need healthy fats. Don’t cut these out.

Next Level by Stacy Sims is a great book for active peri and post menopausal women. It explains why are usual tricks to lose weight suddenly don’t work at this stage in life. The answer is not to keep cutting calories more and more! You do need to eat healthily though obviously!

Our usual tricks not are!

I wouldn't lose weight on 1300 calories. I have to have 1200 or less. I am older than you though. Have you worked out your tdee? Do this and it will tell you the amount of calories you need.

Are you quite short?
The OPs is doing quite a lot of activity while consuming 1300.
To be doing OP's activity and only losing weight on 1200 seems baffling to me.

I just worked mine out and (at 5'8") is gives me basic metabolic rate as 1243 and just under 2000 to maintain my weight with the activity I do (moderate)

Hi,

So just did the TEE calculator. BMR - 1,147 calories per day. Moderate exercise 1,779 calories per day.

So in order to lose, I have to hit around 1, 147 a day? It seems so little 🙄

It is little. And ridiculous and unhealthy.

@Noyesno Hi,
So just did the TEE calculator. BMR - 1,147 calories per day. Moderate exercise 1,779 calories per day.
So in order to lose, I have to hit around 1, 147 a day? It seems so little 🙄

It is. Maybe try what other people have said, wait a few weeks doing all the exercise you are currently doing and see if you start losing any weight. If it's still not coming off then try cutting down on calories.

the issue is using mfp loads of the entries are wildly inaccurate, double check everything u input and make yr own entries and the weight will come off. Also if they rnt using medical grade equipment the scans are useless too.