To think my body just wants to hold on to weight !

[cushioncovere]

I've been eating so well and exercising so much over the last week- ten days.

I have a good amount of weight to lose, so it should start working reasonably quickly.

I've also done a lot of exercise and I've had a stomach bug. Would you believe it I still have lost no weight ? It's ridiculous !

I've also been exercising most days. I play tennis around 4 times a week and lift weights / gym cardio once a week or so.

Why can't I shift weight !! I've been eating a lot of chicken breast and broccoli and salads, these are my go to foods when trying to lose weight as they're super filling and really filling. Trying to avoid any sweet / starchy / processed foods as they just make me more hungry.

I weight all my food, except vegetables.

My guess is insulin resistance, which would be aggravated by your insomnia. I needed medication to correct my insulin resistance (metformin) but there are tonnes of alternatives. I tried everything else before this and had 0 success. On metformin I’ve been able to eat very normally and lose weight gradually.

I know how you feel OP.

I feel that weight which has crept on realllllly slowly (over years) seems to be the hardest to shift.

I have to almost live on nothing but air and be faint with hunger for a week before my body will relinquish a bit of fat 🙄

Once it starts shifting though, it does carry on ...

APART from the week before my period (when i feel like a balloon) and the week i'm on my period when i eat everything not nailed down. I spend the next 2 weeks trying to make up for it before it starts again🙄

Also at 100 kilos and 5’6 there is no way you should do 1200 cals or a 1000 a day deficit. You can probably eat about 1800 and still lose at a good rate. If you go too low you will give up - stick to about 500 cal deficit, lots of walking, strength training 3 days a week and you should get really good results.

I'd consider doing a bit of intermittent fasting, OP. 16/8 or 18/6. Not necessarily long-term, but just to kick start things a bit, which it is great for.

I'm the same height as you and was also pushing 100kg once. I'm 77kg now and still working on it.
It was hard losing the weight but what worked for me was putting all food/drink into my Fitbit app so I could log it accurately. I aimed for 2,000 calories a day in, 2,500 cals "out" and it did work. Agonisingly slowly at a 1lb a week but I had lost a stone after 3 months. Never used to be that hard when I was younger lol.

I really doubt you're burning 3000+ cals a day unless you're cycling miles to work?

I found that when I was on WeightWatchers last year, for a while it went really well. Then I used water rather than skimmed milk on my porridge and it seemed like my body was protesting as the weight I'd lost (almost a stone) didn't want to shift after that.

Have you had your thyroid checked?

Definitely dont cut your calories too low, it has to be sustainable over the long term.

I started as 225lb, 5ft 8, 40 yrs old and MyFitnessPal calculated I need to stay under 1670 calories a day. I've stuck to that and lost 21lbs in 12 weeks. Some days I'm a bit under, some days a bit over but over the week it averages out.

I don't eat back exercise calories because I don't fully trust that they're accurate and by reducing carbs and increasing protein and fat I don't often feel hungry enough to need to.

I also think you probably need to up your cals slightly, try 1700 instead and that will be more sustainable longer term.
How much water are you drinking? Aim for at least 2l a day
Are you tracking protein as well as cals? Try for at least 100g/day initially, then up to 0.8g per lb body weight.
Lack of sleep can be a factor - difficult with small kids but aim for 7-9 hours per night.
I would up the weights to 3x week if possible as increasing muscle will increase your metabolism.
You sound active in terms of exercise but remember that planned exercise only burns 5% of our daily cals and your NEAT is more important so just increasing steps can be beneficial.
As well as weighing yourself try measurements and progress photos as well.
Would recommend following Sean Casey and the Fitness Chef on instagram. Good luck!

Keep Going - all that exercise will mean your muscles retain extra water for a while. Weight is not just fat, so keep going and it will happen. You didn't gain weight in a week, so you won't lose it either. Be patient x

Definitely dont cut your calories too low, it has to be sustainable over the long term.

This is so important!

Yes you'll lose weight quickly if you are severely restricting, but if you want steady and sustainable weight loss, then it isn't the way. Trust me, I've done it enough times. Then when you fall off the wagon from over-restricting, the weight just shoots back up.

OP we are similar in profile (I'm 36, have a 15 month old, 5'7'' and over 100kg). I am eating 2,300 calories a day on average and losing an average of 1kg per week, but it took 3 weeks for the scales to start moving. If you're active, you're not going to lose weight as fast. This might seem a bit shit on the scales, but it means you're keeping your muscle while losing actual fat. Crash dieting or other forms of rapid weightloss mean you lose both muscle and fat, which is pleasing on the scale but less sustainable and not as healthy. When I lose weight, I can slowly decrease my calorie intake to keep losses steady and sustainable.

You're going to get lots of recommendations for ways to get that scale moving, but if you stay consistent, it will (provided there's nothing hormonal going on, if you don't see movement on the scales in 4 weeks, it might be worth getting some bloods done).

Oh really. Ok. I'll look into it. It's always been painfully slow for me and unless I'm literally starving myself, it does not shift. My fear is that I need to be eating around 1000, otherwise it happens too slowly to keep me motivated.

Who the fuck eats 2500 calories worth of chicken and broccoli? I’m sure op isn’t an idiot.

@crepedechine thanks. That post was so patronising indeed.

Do you think you could have a thyroid problem that's affecting your weight?

Between boxing day and early march I lost 24lbs by going to circuit training for 40 mins 3 times a week, walking as much as I could (on mat leave), drinking at least 2.5 litres of water a day and following a diet set out by the gym which is essentially very low carb and high protein.

By doing what your doing I would have thought you would have lost something in 10 days - lots of exercise and low calorie. The first 2 weeks I lost 6lbs and was only slightly overweight starting x

Should have said I am also similar age. 37 x

I have quite regular blood test. The last being done in December and it didn't show any issues.

I agree with you, I would expect to have seen some movement.

It's always been an extremely difficult process for me. But I thought because I was smaller and didn't have as much to lose, it was kind of normal.

I only ever lose weight fast if I'm literally starving myself. Think, one meal a day.

When I was on my wedding diet, I used to eat no breakfast and just cucumbers for lunch.

Then at night I would eat chicken and broccoli. I was starving constantly. That's the only way I've ever been able to shift weight. It's really sad and I actually hate calorie counting so much. It makes me feel really sad and obsessive.

@cushioncovere definitely wouldn't be that then.

Have you thought about possibly trying a personal trainer with a nutrition plan for a month to see if that helps. They might be able to pin point the issue.

I can see your train of thought about starting smaller but for context I was 10 stone 7 starting (slightly overweight according to BMI) and now I am 8 stone 12lbs. I am only 5ft 4 though.

Before anyone shoots me down I don't think 10 stone 7 is in anyway big but after having my second baby I couldn't fit in any of my clothes.

Maybe give it another few weeks as others have said but your definitely doing all the right things so I think there is likely something contributing to you holding on to the weight.

I say this with love, but 10 days is nothing. You need to let go of the idea that you need to see quick results for motivation - the time will pass anyway and the alternative to slow progress is no progress or further gain. Work out what you can do sustainably, week in, week out (this is unlikely to be less than an average of about 1800 calories at your weight and activity level) and then do it and keep doing it.

I'm 51, and was also 100kg+. 10 days of diet and exercise did nothing. 10 weeks, I felt different but no-one else noticed. 10 months and I'm 25kg down and people literally don't recognise me. If you want to drop 30 kilos, this is going to take at least a year, probably more, and then you have to maintain it. Consistency is literally everything, so start with what you can sustain. Wish it hadn't taken me so long to work this out, but hey...

To be honest I would really expect to see a loss after your first week..when you're quite large you do loose weight quickly at the start (even If it's just water weight!) Have you tries a different set of scales? You shouldn't be exactly the same.

Makes me think of this quote :-)

Also following for advice as I’m much the same.

Urgh. Missed the point. You said all you're eating is chicken and broccoli. My point was, unless you're tracking HOW much chicken and broccoli then it's a bit pointless to say that.

Not patronising at all. People think eating healthily means they will lose weight, but that is rarely how it works.

What's the answer then ?

I like exercise too and it aids in toning your body and maintaining muscle mass, which is important.

I don't want to just lose weight through diet as you lose a lot of muscle mass that way too.

I don't want to be left with lots of flabby skin either.

I don't know what to do.

I've been looking at insulin resistance. Perhaps a glucose monitor could help or something.

I am like you. Can be sick as a dog and lose no weight. Was hospitalised a couple of years ago and are no good for 5 days. No weight lost. I was terribly morning sick when pregnant. Lost no weight. Am on Wegovy. Hardly eating. Losing about 1/4 kg a week.

I don't know why but I defy science.

I exercise 6 days a week with a PT so it's not lack of exercise. I'm eating so little as wegovy takes away my appetite. It's been 6 weeks. I've hardly lost a thing

It must be from not tracking your fucking vegetables... 😂