Why am I not losing weight?

[PuppyDay]

I am late 40s and in the last year I’ve put on 4kg. I want to lose it before the summer holidays and to get back to my normal weight and size. I have a lot of nice clothes that currently don’t fit well and I want to get back to them too.

for three weeks I have tracked calories in MyFitnessPal and stick to 1,500 a day. I intermittent fast and only eat in a seven hour window. I drink only black coffee, herbal tea and water. This is a big reduction in what I eat and I’m hungry a lot of the time. I go to the gym five times a week and do 10km on the bike and resistance 10 keeping rpm over 100 and by the end I’m covered in sweat. I then do 20 mins of weights. I also walk 10,000 steps or more each day.

in three weeks of this I have lost 0.3 of a kg. No more. Why????

69.5 is 10.9 and 65.5 is 10.3 - that seems very low for your height. Is it the weight that bothers you or is it in specific places that you don't like? Because if it's just on the scales, I'd be accepting it as my new normal given your diet and exercise regime.

You are struggling to lose weight because your BMI is 21.4. You don't need to lose weight.

Your BMI is 21.2

I think your body is telling you that you don’t need to lose weight

It’s more that I’ve put on a dress size and my clothes are tight. That’s why I want to lose. I care less about the number on the scale and more about that as I’ve carefully collected nice clothes over many years of being the same size.

Your BMI is 22, up from 20.7, so pretty good. I'm not sure if it's actually realistic to get back 😫

I'm similar - was 62kg, 1.71 BMI 21 for all my adult life. Hit late 40s and put on 7 kg in 4 years. No real changes in lifestyle. Never dieted. Just ate to appetite. It has to be automatic and hormonally dictated. How can I keep a weight constant at 62kg, even 2 pregnancies in between
with self control? I just didn't. My body did it. And my body's doing it now! But it's annoying.

I know you say you are tracking your calories but are you actually weighing and measuring your food? If not, do that, it’s eye opening (and not in a good way 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️)

I am your age and I lost the stone that crept on (hello peri!) by tracking my macros.
There is a free FB group, Macros Inc. If you post your height and weight in there they will give you a breakdown of the calories needed to loose weight, broken down into proteins carbs and fat. Not all calories are created equal in terms of making you feel full so if you focus on high protein and high volume foods, you should feel less hungry.

I would also change your exercise regime. All that cardio will inevitably make you hungry and, for me at least, it stopped being anywhere near as effective as it was for weight loss when I was younger. Instead, I switched to primarily strength based workouts. Sydney Cummings is brilliant and she has literally thousands of free strength based programmes on YouTube. I get my cardio from an hours dog walk everyday.

Doing the above has helped me get back to and maintain the body I had in my 20s so it is possible, I think you just need to make some tweaks.

If it's more to do with your shape then your weight then the amount of time you spend in the gym will make a difference as you tone up.

Have you been measuring? Possibly a better tool for you. Alternatively find your favourite piece of clothing that is a bit tight and try it on every week to compare.

I get it, @PuppyDay you are bang in the middle of healthy weight with that BMI but that’s not the point when you know you’ve sneaked into the next dress size.

I’m 5’9 and if I eat more than 1300 I will gain. Even 1200 doesn’t lead to a quick loss like it used to - I will not lose anything for a few weeks until my body goes ‘ah she means it, ok then’. I am half a stone over my ‘vanity weight’ (and I am also well within the healthy range) but at 53 it is harder to maintain, never mind lose.

Quite honestly I get round this by having some of my favourite clothes in two sizes. They will fit for months, even years, I relax for two weeks on food and bang, they’re tight.

As PP said, staying the size I want does mean eating very carefully and quite little. There’s no leeway for snacks but I can incorporate a bit of fun with a weekend wine and pizza as long as I only eat yoghurt the rest of that day!

Also agree with BuildingtheFuture that weights are much better than cardio as we get older. I’ve read that cardio can spike out cortisol and it’s the last thing we need at this age.

I don't know why you aren't losing weight, but I was without my car last week.

I walked or cycled to work and home again, and in to town at the weekend (each about 4 miles). I lost 5 kg and an inch off my waist line.

I'm post-menopause so this is the easiest way I've found to lose weight. Once ds breaks up from school and I don't need to drop him at the school bus, I'm going to cycle in throughout the summer. 🤗 Thankfully most of the way without traffic.

Use the stairmaster for 20 mins
Cross trainer 20 mins

reduce calorie intake
1.5 litre of fresh lemon water
Yoghurt/fruits for breakfast
clear vegetable soup with protein lunch/dinner
Green tea
peppermint tea capsule

I know women this age who basically starve themselves now to stay their 30something weight. If that’s the life you want you have to cut back more at this age sadly. I’m in the same boat, crept up 3kg on my small frame; it’s super annoying but eating out is one of my great passions especially this time of year and the willpower is lacking 😑

This is not healthy

Can you have them altered? Most good quality clothes allow for it.

Sounds a far better option than trying to lose weight that you really don’t need to.

Try a keto diet! I'm 51 and it works!
'"Sort of keto" doesn't work well.. you have to go all in!
But you sound mega and super disciplined! Loads of eating plans and recipe ideas online! ..4kg.. piece of piss! Good luck OP x

I'm 5'11 OP. I lost more weight eating high protein and around 1800 calories a day in an office job than I ever did eating 1500 and exercising a lot. It might be worth considering.

If you use the me three sixty app you should see significant changes in your body shape with that much exercise.

Well, your BMI is actually in the healthy range. Just because you've developed a little middle age spread its not going to do any real harm. Eat more calories in the form of healthy proteins like chicken etc.

Could it be that your body shape has just changed due to having kids?

Why would it be "wafting a couple of 2kg dumbbells around". Talk about closed-minded and sneering. Building muscle means your body burns more calories even when resting. For women in particular in helps with bone density which is so important as we age. Humans lose muscle as they age so countering that is an important part of being strong and healthy. You progress to lifting heavier weights with good form.

You lost 5kg in one week?

It’s more that I’ve put on a dress size and my clothes are tight. That’s why I want to lose. I care less about the number on the scale and more about that as I’ve carefully collected nice clothes over many years of being the same size.

Honestly if you haven't tried it- pilates. I was so sceptical but its toned me like nothing else and I find it enjoyable.

Your BMI is 21.3 which is the lower end of a healthy weight for your height.

Your maintenance calories would be 2192 per day, based on exercising 3 days a week.

Perhaps you need to concentrate on building muscle / changing shape - not losing weight.

That's highly disordered eating.

This. Higher protein diet will keep you fuller. Reducing calories beyond where you are isn't healthy and it's possible you're not eating enough to lose weight so I'd consider increasing them slowly. I'm late 30s but have been seeing a PT (with nutrition qualifications) on and off since my 20s. Not once have they ever suggested dropping below 1500kcals (I'm only 5ft5). I'd be utterly miserable and it's not sustainable. You must be starving with all your exercise.

I’m 61 and successfully lost 10kg since Christmas. It has been mainly for health benefits I’d gradually put on weight over the last 10 yrs despite dropping weight in 2020. I was diagnosed with breast cancer shortly after losing the weight and had to stop HRT and started hormone blockers as part of the BC treatment. DH had a stroke not long after I finished treatment so life was turned upside down. I ate on the run and a lot of convenience food.

One of the side effects of hormone blockers is weight gain so I essentially blamed it on them but really it was comfort eating. It was a really stressful period.
My weight stabilised and then yet another major life event occurred last year, my younger DSis died fairly suddenly of pancreatic cancer.

I stopped making excuses and set out a long term plan to improve my eating habits. I bought some fancy scales and worked hard at accurately sticking to a calorie deficit diet but the one thing that I gave up was bread and refined carbs. I reduced portion size and the weight started to shift. The one thing I haven’t changed is exercise. I am fairly active but only walk for exercise.

It probably helps that I have a standard muscular body type ( common in elite athletes) which doesn’t alter as you age, so I have a naturally high muscle ratio. When I put on weight it goes on all over my body not in specific areas. And my visceral fat level is normal so health wise this is healthier.

I am now still losing weight but at a low steady rate and I am maintaining the healthier eating. For example we had a rare treat yesterday of a Dominos pizza, before ordering it I checked the calories involved and since I had only had 200 calories in the day I was able to eat it without guilt.

Life is boring enough when retired without the odd treat so managing calorie deficit allows the odd treat.

Because I have been avoiding ultra processed foods and refined carbs I dined them unpleasant to eat. Ready meals have a lot of sugar in them so taste overly sweet when you haven’t eaten them for a while. I have insulin resistance so high sugar foods make me sleepy. This is much more noticeable now and it really puts me off eating cakes and biscuits, I have no problem avoiding them.

I love bread but really don’t miss the effect it has on my body.

I would start by low carbing first, if you fast do it between 8pm and 1pm. When you eat for the first time don’t eat carbs since it will trigger insulin making you hungry. Eat a high protein meal that with satiate your appetite. Dont snack but concentrate calories in your evening meal. Again avoid high carb. The ideal thing about low carb is that you can eat richer fattier food which are harder to digest and you feel fuller longer.

I’d seek help from a professional. Sounds like you might want to build muscle to change your body composition and measurements rather than actually lose weight.
You probably need to increase your calories and focus more on progressive weight training to build muscle to achieve this (but I’m no expert).