I'm eating so little but not losing weight!!

[SprayPaint]

For 2 weeks I've been eating around 750-900 calories a day. My bmr was 1350 and read you need to eat less than 500 calories less than this to lose weight. I have an app where I am recording my food intake and also have been weighing stuff out when at home. I have increased my protein slightly but apart from that I'm eating like normal. Not much sugar or anything.

I am currently 8.5 stones and 5ft2 and I haven't even lost 1lb. This is my first time I am ever trying to lose weight I am disappointed that I haven't lost any weight.

Where am I going wrong or is this normal?! Could there be something else at play

8,5 stone is tiny OP. Do you need to be losing much more? Has your doctor told you you need to be under a certain weight? What is your purpose of wanting to be any smaller?

Might depend on your age - I'm finding it impossible to lose any but I'm early 50s

To echo a previous poster, 8.5 stone is tiny. I’m just over 10 stone, and am 5 ft 4 and have been eating around 1300 calories a day and been losing between 1-2 lbs a week. I think you probably don’t have anything to lose at that weight. Please look after yourself, I’d be feeling unwell if I regularly ate 700 calories a day.

You aren't losing weight because it's too few calories. Up the calories with healthy protein and fats, up the exercise so that you tonne what you have to change your shape rather than losing weight that you don't need to.

Well, your BMI is within the healthy weight category.

I think your body is trying to tell you something.

Jesus, I'm 5ft 2 and over 12 stone, my current goal is 9 stone. You're already slim, unless you meant 18.5 stone I dont know why you're dieting?

You don't need to lose weight and your body is preventing you from starving. Eat properly and stop being silly.

Why are you trying to lose weight? Your BMI is in the lower end of normal?

Eat healthily and exercise. Starving yourself (which you are doing) is very unhealthy.

I was doing what you're doing, OP. I was eating almost at starvation and I found that my body compensated by slowing down mentally and physically. Even exercising didn't help as I was probably burning muscle rather than fat.

Do some calculations and work out how much your body actually needs. You said 1350. Take off about 10%, divide that number by 5 or so and eat that regularly through the day (so 1200/5 = 240). This will tell you're body you're eating, it will keep your metabolism up, and by the end of the day it will have to burn fat to make up the difference.

Your body is trying to keep you healthy, that’s why.

Seems like some kind of stealth boast.

This. You've plateaued because you're at your optimum weight by the sound of it

I’m 5 ft 1, and can totally believe 8.5 stone means you may have weight to lose so I won’t argue with you about it being a potential.

Are you going just by the number on the scale or are you going by what you can pinch to tell you if you need to lose more? If you’ve rolls of fat tissue to grab, I get it as I would be the same if I was 8.5 stone. HOWEVER, I am small framed and have little muscle, having not been anywhere near athletic for a few years.

I’ve an idea on why the way you’re eating won’t help you lose weight but this post is long enough as it is. I basically agree with bifurCat. What’s your overall body type as a starting point, where and what is the tissue you want to lose? How old are you?

OP - I am the same height as you and have been a similar weight all my adult life. My weight only changed a couple of times when I was either eating a lot more than normal or a lot less - otherwise my weight stays the same, as that is my optimal weight. (I am 50 now.)

I would say the same is true for you.

Okay so for context, I have always been very very slim. I'm naturally very petite and have always been "skinny". My average weight has been 7.5 stone. This is right for me and what I would like to get back to.

Yes I have rolls of fat that I can pinch that weren't there before and have creeped up over the years.

What do you think is happening with me. Why can't I lose the weight?!

Weight loss needs water so are you drinking plenty?
Cortisol is a hormone that significantly affects weight loss and it rises if you aren't getting enough sleep or are stressed which also prevents weight loss.

And of course, like everyone else has said if you go too low on calories you will plateau.

Eventually if you keep restricting so heavily, the weight will come off, people who don't eat starve, but by then you'll be very tired, sick of not eating and possibly losing your hair.

You need to eat a diet you can stick to, that gives your body the nutrients it needs to thrive, and you need to look at it as being a long term goal, 1-2lb a week loss is considered good, and at lower weights like yours 1lb a week will be a push because there's less weight to come off.

Exercise won't dramatically increase your calorie allowance but building muscle increases your metabolism and regular exercise regulates your hormones and gives you better muscle tone and posture, so try to ensure you are adding that 8n to your routine.

I would give it a little longer. Also make sure you weigh yourself at the same time every day and I would be logging it generally to see if there is an average downward trend rather than expecting that say each Monday morning you are down by 1lb.

Are you eating the right foods and not just low fat stuff..
Are you getting enough micronutrients from what you are eating.
750-900 kcal isn't a lot to get all you need to keep your body burning energy efficiently

Honestly you don't need to lose weight

At 8.5 bmi is 21.4

At 7.5 bmi is 18.8

18.5 and under is underweight

Your body is prob telling you it can't lose weight on those calories and going into starvation mode

A deficit of 500 calories a day adds up to 7000 calories over 14 days, which sounds like alot but is actually only equivalent to 1kg of fat. Which means assuming all your calculations are accurate and your body is fully efficient you would expect to lose only 2 pounds over these 2 weeks, hence I wouldn't find it surprising that you haven't lost any weight. I think the key may be to persevere for longer or to introduce some exercise to increase your metabolism rate.

Your body may not allow you to be underweight again OP. What you're doing isn't good for you.

If you're feeling wobbly, put some exercise into your days and please eat more calories.

I'm 5'2" and petite. When I was (naturally) 7.5st I was too thin. When I was 8.5st, people started to tell me I 'looked well' (ie, better). Please reconsider your goal.

I think you're eating far too few calories and your body thinks you're starving it. Eat more and see how that goes - counterintuitively that might help.

Incidentally I've met myself coming backwards. People are now telling me I 'look well' because I've lost weight😆(2.5st and more to go).

Starvation mode is a myth. People who are genuinely starving become emaciated and ill.

I would suggest that your calories aren't as low as you think. You're either not counting them accurately or you're missing things out.

Be more active. As we get older we become less active. This is gradual and we don't really notice. Weight bearing exercise is great for women. It helps build bone density, builds muscle and raises the metabolism.

How old are you? It’s completely unrealistic for most women to remain the same shape and weight their entire adult lives.