Why the f*** can’t I lose weight? I’m doing everything right

[Sorryagain]

Postmeno, 55, want to lose half a stone. I don’t like my weight. I’ve always worked out, done lots of heavy-ish weights and eaten healthily but in the last month I’ve really upped weights a lot. I’ve also

• kept to a low calorie count (20% off my TEE - track food most days. Try to keep to 3 meals but some days I do graze but not over cal limit
• upped protein most days to around 100-120g a day
• upped walking to try to do 7.5-10k a day
• added at least one HITT class onto 3 days weight training
• drink more water (my weakness)

i don’t drink, I eat v little sugar and almost no white stuff

the scales have moved by 1lb! I’m so fucked off.

I know post meno it’s hard but this is ridiculous.

I feel stronger, though, and I sense more muscle definition. But I don’t believe muscle will weigh more and keep me at this weight

thoughts? It’s v un motivating

Plain and simple - your calorie limit is too high.

No, it isn’t. It really isn’t.

Probably eating too much. I was surprised how little I had to eat to lose weight.

Youve gotten your TEE wrong and eating too much. Mine is also lower than the calculators online suggest - by quite a lot.

You could also be counting calories incorrectly, but people overestimating how much they're burning is usually the main culprit.

People will say "muscle weighs more than fat" and will try to tell you it's tjwt
It's not. It takes many months of weight training to form even 1lb of muscle when you're not eating above your TEE.

Other than that, you could be retaining water weight - which also would be unusual in a deficit. Usually when you start a calorie deficit it shocks your body into dumping a bunch of water weight

I’m not post memo, I’m peri, so slightly different stage but I had exactly this recently. My husband and I both went on a health kick, and he merrily watched the kilos drop off whilst I did all the right things and nothing happened. Nothing! I’d always been able to shift a 1/2 a stone or so fairly easily before. Anyway, the good news is, the scales did start changing. Suddenly. I had a drop of a few lbs one day out of nowhere and then things started gradually shifting. I did have about 7 weeks of the nothing though. During that time I tried to focus on other changes - I could see myself looking slightly more toned etc, other numbers on the scale (body fat percentage did improve) and I felt healthier etc. It was all very frustrating, but I think my message is. Keep going!! I know for lots of people the scale doesn’t move as they’re kidding themselves and eating more calories than they think etc, but like you I was almost certain I was doing it right… so keep going!! Although, it might be worth thinking about whether more lean protein, less processed carbs etc might help and all those other useful things…

Eating too much. I can only lose weight if I eat 2 clean meals a day. Look up IF.

I’m 5ft 2, 1129lb.

I used this:
www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/

then reduced by 20%

I eat 1350 cals a day. I also track macros

Have you been taking measurements and photos of the changes in definition?

How many calories are you eating a day?

How long have you been doing it for? It can take so much longer than when you were younger! Also Is there any chance it’s just fluid?

The only thing that works for me now I’m peri is intermittent fasting. No food between 7pm and 12 noon. It works a treat.

Ah, you've just answered the calories. Maybe try cutting down to 1200. On the 6 pack revolution diet you do 6 meal / shakes a day each 200 calories and high protein...pretty much no refined cards and it's the only diet where I lose weight and don't feel starving...and I'm taller than you.

Oh and try to enjoy being healthy and strong and trust you are doing good for yourself the rest will follow ☺️

Op what weight are you?

I’m going through the same thing. I’ve decided to stop fighting it. I look at the rest of the animal kingdom, and see the same thing happening. Young animals are slender, then they get a bit rounder in middle age, then they go skinny before they die.

Why make yourself miserable trying to fight nature? We can’t have the body of a 21 year old ever again, because we’re in our 50s. Nature gives us that extra weight for a reason - I’ve read somewhere that women who are slightly overweight in later years live a bit longer. Maybe we need that extra fuel reserve, who knows?

Now, I’m trying to love my body. It works well, so I’m done slagging it off. Instead I fuel it well, exercise it every day, and after that, let nature do its thing.

I’m buggered if I’m going to starve myself ever again. You can’t run a Mercedes on tap water

I hear you. I do. It’s just frustrating

1350 calories a day is miserable.

I’ve answered all weight questions above

Preach!

How many calories deficit are you in? As given you don't have much to lose I imagine your maintenance rate isn't very high?
It takes 500cals per day deficit to lose 1lb per week. (Obviously will be some variation as all calculations are estimating your calorie burn based on your height/weight and activity level and its hard ti gauge activity super accurately).
So if you don't have much to lose picking it off at 1/4lb a week sounds about right tbh.

Weights will tone you but aren't a massive calories burn. If you want to burn more calories I'd suggest paring the weights back and adding some more cardio (running, cycling etc).
But really- I think you should be happy with what you have lost and just concentrate on making sustainable changes that you can keep up so you maintain the loss, rather than focusing on getting 7lb off NOW.

May I ask why you want to lose weight? Is it for health reasons?

This 👆

Don't focus on weight, focus on measurements. If you are exercising, you will be gaining muscle mass, and as muscle is heavier than fat, you could end up slimmer, but heavier.

Also, walking isn't enough in itself. You need to add speed in to burn the calories. I lost weight a few years ago, and walked 6 miles, 3 times a week as fast as I possibly could. Had previously been walking the 6 miles and it did nothing at an amble pace.

Dont go by weight alone. If you've upped resistance and weight training, then you'll be putting on muscle, which actually weighs more than fat. Try taking measurements, like waist to hip ratio, or seeing how much fat you can pinch in certain areas. Increasing your muscle mass at this age is very important, so you're actually doing amazing!

I've recently lost weight, and it's not because I've been dieting, it's actually because I've been too ill to cycle to work, so I've lost muscle mass in my legs (and actually put on some fat). So losing weight isn't always a good thing.

You're doing everything right; focus on getting fitter, not lighter, you will start seeing the benefits. Sadly we can't lose fat from specific areas, our genetics tell the body where to put fat, mine is on hips and legs, I will never have slim legs no matter how much I diet, so I focus on things I can do, like having toned arms and shoulders. I make being fit my goal, as this is how I will keep my mobility when the aging really kicks in.

Sorryagain

I’ve answered all weight questions above

You said you’re 1129lb?

Obviously that’s a mistake - 129lbs

I think she probably meant 129lb - 9st 2lb.

They're not going to be putting her in a documentary any time soon.