AIBU to ask you to critique my excercise and daily calories and explain why I'm not losing weight?!

[Canttasteanything]

I do weights and strength training twice a week for 60 minutes each time. I also do 5k once to twice a week.

I eat approx 1400 cals per day, and once a week about 2000 cals on a cheat day.

Why havent I lost weight in 8 weeks?!?! Do I need to loose the cheat day?

Doesn't sound like you have much to lose really. If you can tone up you will look significantly different. I am only 5ft 4 and when I weighed 9st 3 and was exercising lots I had smaller measurements than when I weighed 8.5 stone and didn't exercise at all.

can I suggest from now on using your body measurements instead of weight? As the training you are doing will be changing your fat/muscle ratio. At this point measurements could be a lot more useful than weight 😊

If you go by BMI then, you're smack bang in the middle. And your calories seem to be on track if not a bit low, and you're breastfeeding so I personally wouldn't drop anymore.

The toned look takes time, jeez, I've been at this 5 times a week for 9 months only taking one week off and I still have pockets of fat which are a sod to get off. Focus on body areas, if it's the tum you want to lose, do more core work or yoga. Saddlebags, bar work (as in ballet dancing bar work not 10 pints of Guinness 😂) arms, try flyweights with dumbbells. As someone mentioned, mix up the workouts you do, your body gets used to repeat exercises and is less efficient. Try resistance bands, kettle bells, yoga, Pilates, HIIT, CrossFit, sprints rather than 5k.

Having a blow out on food from time to time is ok, again, it's that mindset of "oh, I've been bad" really focus of fuelling your body with the best types of food you can and over time you'll crave the not so healthy stuff less.

Most of all, be kind to yourself!

You are very similar height and weight wise to me. You do not need to lose weight but you need to tone your body. If I don't exercise I get flabby but with regular cardiovascular exercise I stay healthy and toned looking.

Your weight is already comfortably in the healthy range so there is little benefit to it to lose further fat stores. Bfing could be a factor too.

It is easy to overestimate the calorie burn from exercise. Tired muscles retain water as they recover.

I'd focus on the quality of food/ balanced nutrition than calories at that stage.

Without you including your weight / height it's really just speculation OP.

A 3500 calorie deficit is about half a kilo in weight loss I believe.

You can calculate your base calorie requirement online and it can be surprisingly low (eg mine is 1600 as I’m only 5’6 and have an office job).

Your cheat day might be eating up all your calorie deficit....

I'm 5'5.5" and weigh 11st 7lb. I am running 5km twice per week and eating less than 1200 calories per day. I am also walking 4km every day twice with the dogs. I am slowly dropping, but I am also hypothyroid so it's a slow and soul destroying process.

I have also just started recovering after suffering Meningitis last year so have to take things really slow.

In the past I have found that running drops more weight for me than anything else.

For me, 8 stone at 5 foot 6 would make me look ill but appreciate everyone's bodies are different.

I don't think you'll lose weight with those exercises. You'll tone up and be stronger for sure though. If you want to be more lean and toned than I'd do more cardio. How about swimming.

I am a runner who has taken up swimming in the last few years and have really noticed how toned my upper body has become.

For me, 8 stone at 5 foot 6 would make me look ill but appreciate everyone's bodies are different.

I look very gaunt and tired at that weight. I look far better at 10st

1400 calories a day is reasonable to lose weight if you intend to lose it and not regain it all again. Do you include your drinks though?

What's your strength and weight routine? Are you really exerting yourself doing it? Same with running, are you getting your heart rate to its max?

Do you not feel any difference in your clothes?

I don't think you'll lose weight with those exercises. You'll tone up and be stronger for sure though. If you want to be more lean and toned than I'd do more cardio. How about swimming
I totally disagree with this. I was running 10K a day, 60 length front crawl in the pool, walking 12K average and cycling and I was struggling to lose weight.

I think took on HIT training and weights, didn't see any benefits for the first 3 weeks and then the weight just dropped very quickly. I now can eat 1,600-1,800 calories a day and my clothes are still getting looser.

For me, strength was definitely the way to go, to my surprise.

You probably overestimate the calories burned by exercise, and underestimate what you really eat. 2000 kcal really isn't a lot, if you say you spent that cheat day eating absolute crap. Have you seen the Secret Eaters? They all estimated they ate 1000, 1200 kcal or so. When secretly filmed, many got up to 3-4000 instead.

I burn a measly 300-350 kcal in an hour of weight training, about the same for 5K run, and I'm heavier than you . Sports of course has other benefits, but it will take quite a while to see any significant weight loss from that amount of exercise.

Women really don't gain as much muscle weight as people suggest they do

Yes to that! Not necessarity applicable to this thread, but i've seen countless threads where people claim that the person new to exercise is not losing weight because of all the muscle mass they are building. I've been lifting for years. No Karen. you did not put on 5 lb of muscle from this one Zumba class you did last week.

I agree with Swingofthings. I definitely lost the most weight doing weights and HIITs sessions. Never really lost weight running or doing aerobic style classes. The one thing I did though is continually upped the weights I was using. I always ensured my 3rd set of 10 reps was a huge struggle.

The muscle weighs more than fat is untrue.

It’s the same as 1kg of feathers weighs less than 1kg of stone. They both weigh the same

I've run everyday for nearly a year, minimum 3 miles, average 5, long run of 15 to 20 on a weekend, I've added one crossfit class and a spin class. I'm also a self employed cleaner so move a lot! Not lost a lb 🤔

For most adult women (unless you are exceptionally active, very muscled or rather taller than average) 1400-1500 calories is maintenance. I only really lose weight at 1000 cals per day.

Pedant alert blush: Muscle is not heavier than fat, it's more dense but a pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat.

So by that logic lead and feathers weigh the same yeah

At your height, 9 stone 3 is a much healthier weight than 8 stone. If you really want to lose more, you will have to eat quite a lot less, but I wouldn't recommend it, especially not while you're still breastfeeding.

Have you measured your self? You can be losing inches and not weight. Also it can take weeks for body to adjust to changes.

Wait until you stop breast feeding to decrease your weight more.

Also 5k steady runs twice a week won't make you lose weight. Do your runs outside making sure the terrain is hilly or alternatively do some form of intervals, then gradually increase your distance over the weeks. Unless you have reached your peak speed you will find you naturally get faster after a few months so you won't spend longer running.

Then, particularly on the days you aren't running, make sure you are generally active so lots of walking to and from places at a fast pace, cycling and if you have time do some swimming.

Oh and I've found classes for resistance exercises much better than just doing my own thing at the gym. The classes while at a schedule time tend to be shorter than an hour and are more intense.

And 8 stone at 5ft 6 is really very thin, and imho definitely not doable while breastfeeding. It's probably not that healthy a weight unless your frame is naturally very tiny. If it was you probably would not have to semi starve yourself to get that weight off.

I am 1 inch taller than you. I dieted to 9st 4 for my wedding. My boobs vanished and I actually didn't really look good in my clothes. At 8st I would have looked emaciated.

How are your clothes fitting? When I acquired a serious gym habit I put on half a stone and lost a jeans size.