To think I should be losing more weight?!

[Namechangegamechange123]

I’ve been on a significant lifestyle/diet overhaul since Jan, ive given up smoking, joined a gym with a personal trainer, and currently aim for around 1500 kcal per day.

I go to the gym 4 x per week, sometimes more. Of this two sessions are high intensity spin, one is body pump (weights), one hiit work out and one hour per week with the personal trainer.

I eat 1500 kcals most days. Occasionally on a weekend I have 1800. I track it all on MFP.

I started at 19stone. I’ve lost 1 stone.

I have had 2 children and since I hit 30 I cannot lose it. This is the most I’ve ever lost, usually it’s around 5lb and no more.

Sorry posted too soon!
AIBU to think that I should be losing more?!
I’ve mentioned it to my Gp before but they always just say there’s nothing they can do and it’s diet and exercise... which I’m doing!

Are you looking everything that passes your lips and in the correct portion sizes because that doesn’t sound very much weight off for what you are doing. You’re right to question it. Do you eat back your exercise calories?

logging not looking

That doesn't seem like enough no. But what is your diet now? And have you improved your fitness, like are you out of breathe as much during exercise, does your heart rate rise a lot? If not then you are improving your fitness which is still very important. Do you drink enough water?

Do you know how many calories you burn in a day? Without knowing that it’s pretty much impossible to see how many calories you should be eating. You’ll get loads of replies saying fasting, low carb, blood sugar diet etc. and if one of them suits you then that’s great but all of them only work if they create a calorie deficit. I’ve lost 3 stone so far following Team RH fitness on Facebook and it’s all about the calorie deficit, once you’ve cracked that then it’s time to think about your nutritients.

I log every single thing and it’s weighed.
I never eat back my calories

What are you eating? If you eat things like fruit and veg regularly throughout the day as well as sticking to your 1500 cal it should keep your metabolism up.

That doesn't sound right unless you are significantly changing your body comp. have you measured body fat %. Do you feel better / are your clothes looser? Are you really truthfully logging everything?

Upping your cardio exercise might help and perhaps lowering your calories to 1300-1400.

I’ve dropped nearly 2 dress sizes, my fitness has improved 100%

I’m guessing your body fat is reduced a lot though, sounds like you are toning up through gym sessions and making muscle instead of fat. That’s what the scales show but what about your clothes? If they aren’t significantly looser than my theory isn’t correct. In that case I would suggest getting your thyroid function checked

Well then I think it's working but you're maybe doing too much strength work and not enough cardio to burn fat off. Up the cardio, dial down the strength. Lose the weights training and ask the pt for more cardio, and increase the cardio. Do another spin class too if you can or just go running.

A calorie is not a calorie. Say 100 calories from a "100 calories pack " in crisps do not equal 100 calories of leeks. The insulin response will be different, the gut bacteria , and so one.
You should especially stay away from sweeteners, so low-cal yogurt or dessert, or drinks (sodas, hot choc) as they have been proven to make you gain weight.
Try to limit your processed and ultra processed food. Slowly switch to real food if you are not already eating it. So plain brown rice with soy sauce instead of a low cal curry jar, just have a nicely grilled chicken breast, loads and loads of raw and cooked veggies (oven roasted) , have a cup of hibiscus tea when you feel like a snack .

You might need to lower a bit your calorie intake. 1800 is not a weight loss number. So maybe you are ruining your work during the weekend.

You are on the right track , keep going

Please dont disheartened. Two sizes is great. If I lose a stone I don’t drop a dress size

That doesn’t seem rewarding for such impressive effort.

You say you started at 19st so I’m assuming you have a lot to lose? If so, you’d expect to lose quite quickly to start with..

I would try requesting your doctor does some investigations for thyroid disorders...

Hope you get some good results soon - very demoralising to try hard and not see results 🤞

Two dress sizes is great! It’s obviously working but not showing on the scales so much. I would still consider upping the cardio though.

Maybe your gaining muscle? Muscles weighs more than fat?

If you’ve gone down 2 dress sizes then it’s working! Muscle weighs more than fat so that’s prob all it is!

Didn’t see you’ve lost two dress sizes - that’s great! You’ll probably have a big scales adjustment some time soon..well done.
(Keep drinking tonnes of water, too - that really helps).

Ok so my plan this week - extra cardio.
I’m going to cut out bread entirely - I’ve been having limited whole meal but going to cut out totally. Increase water intake. Anything else? I’m getting married at the beginning of October so I’m on a deadline!

Your fitness improvement sounds great!

I can understand your frustration about the weight, though. I started at over 16 stone at New Year's. I have joined Weight Watchers, stuck to the plan, and I'm very near the three stone lost mark. I've (shamefully) done little to no exercise.

Maybe stick with it another month, then reassess? I think WW is great for learning about portion size, making better choices, etc.

That’s really annoying OP
Really at that pace you should have lost more than a stone
But keep at it ! As your fitness levels and overall well-being will be better anyway

Well done

And hope someone has ideas as to why it’s so slow

You've dropped two dress sizes, that's amazing. Keep going, don't stop weights / resistance in favour of cardio. It's a long process (I've been there from 16 to 11 stone). If you can see progress in your clothes ditch the scales and get a tape measure.

And two dress sizes ! I have lost 2 stone and am same size (baggier) so you are reducing

I wouldn't worry too much OP. Slow and steady is good. What's the impact dress size wise? I've been doing similar since April last year, and in that time lost around 1st 8lb or so. To me that means I've gone from a tight 14 to a loose 12. My body fat % has dropped about 4% whilst my lean muscle mass has increased about 2%. I also take measurements once a month to see progress.

Why are you not eating back exercise calories though? If MFP is set to a deficit, it will keep that in mind with exercise calories. I have my Fitbit linked and eat 1800-2300 calories a day, depending on how active I am. Mine is set to only a 0.5lb/week loss, but I do have less to lose.

But most importantly: you've lost more than you have before. You've quit smoking. I'd say you're doing pretty well! Keep it up!