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

😍 I love that's how it works. It encourages me to lift heavier too.

Your BMI is coming out as being in healthy range. That's why it's hard to lose weight...

My friend had a similar problem and reduced her calories a bit, but what she did as well, was not count any green vegetable calories, her reasoning being that nobody ever got fat eating that stuff, its essentially water, nutrients and fibre. This meant that she was only counting protein and fats and carbs, although she was pretty low carb too. She lost nearly a stone pretty quickly doing this without feeling ravenous.

Tracking ‘most’ days is the issue here as if you’re not losing weight you’re either in a calorie surplus or at maintenance. Although you say 1350 calories should be a deficit for you, you are either consuming more calories than you think you are through inaccurate or inconsistent tracking or if your tracking is accurate for all meals and snacks 100% of the time you’ve proven that 1350 isn’t actually a deficit. If that’s the case you should reduce by 100 calories a day, track accurately for six weeks and reassess.

I can only repeat she’s at the high end of healthy range and only 1.4 points off overweight category.

OP already does plenty of exercise, including weights, eats lots of protein, so she will have good muscle mass.

If she wants to take 6 weeks to drop some fat and then go back to focusing on building muscle that’s ok. I’ve done that. Building muscle is a long term plan.

And any short term weight loss through calorie restriction will go straight back on (and more as you’ll have slowed your metabolism) when she starts to eat normally. We need to think long term.

Nonsense. If she goes back to normal balanced healthy diet she will not put on weight afterwards. For that she’d have to suddenly be eating more than she’s burning.

If the 3kg of fat that was bothering you enough to go on a diet in the first place has vanished, and been replaced by amost 3kg of lean muscle which takes up a lot less space in your body, I'm quite sure you wouldn't be in here posting about your lack of progress. You'd notice.

Sorry OP I reread the above and it's very terse. I'm annoyed at the assumption women our age can just magically swap out fat for the equivalent amount of muscle in the space of a few weeks, unless you're Superwoman or taking testosterone it's incredibly unlikely. Far less likely, at least, than the possibility that your haven't got your nutrition quite right for weight loss yet.

But hopefully, with all your hard work, the body recomposition will come.

She's not gained a few kilos of muscle!!

well, I’ve been strength training for a very long time. And not light weights .But I’ve made a really concerted effort to progressively overload this past month, maybe longer. I am def lifting a fair bit heavier, especially in my powerlifting moves.

but I’m aware that this won’t be lovely muscle weighing in heavier. But it will be interesting to see if I’ve made strides with fat loss percentage at all - I did a scan about 6 months ago so I have a base line comparison.

its not easy and I don’t think that - it’s really fucking hard at this age!

The internet is full of health influencers, some with 'Dr' in front of their name, who battle for our attention by finding novel, challenging and sometimes outrageous things to say.

That doesn't equate to a long established fact being 'debunked'. Go back to traditional, respected, unbiased sources of information, and you will find they are all saying the same thing - reduce your intake of saturated fat, it increases the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Carnivore 'diet' is dangerous because of what it includes, and what it excludes (namely all the good things you should be eating to counter the negative effects of any saturated fat you do have).

Edited because I thought you were quoting me, but we agree on this one. Such a pervasive view though isn't it, this 'ohhhhh you've put muscle!'

Edited because you edited yours 😆

Could you share your tips please on what you did? Well done by the way.

Ditto

Have you considered using a different way to measure your loss instead of scales? You could be gaining muscle while losing fat. Which is why the scales wouldn't be showing much of a change.

You could use body measurements or workout goals (learning to do a pull up) to measure success.

I weigh myself every morning on my smart scales (£20ish from Amazon). They give me my BMR - which is the number of calories you need if you are lying down to breathe and keep all your organs performing. I eat around that number of calories each day, thus ensuring that I have a calorie deficit each day but have enough. If I was a normal healthy person I would eat more calories because I would be much more active.

My aim is to eat a Mediterranean diet, so lots of veg and pulses, Greek yogurt, some fruit, lots of olive oil, lean meat and fish, nuts and seeds. I eat very little bread, pasta, potatoes and rice. Drinks are water, coffee and tea and only very occasional alcohol.

The high fibre content helps to control blood sugar and blood fats.

i never feel hungry.

I don’t worry if I have the odd meal out and eat something completely different like a pizza.

If you're properly progressively overloading for the first time
And properly eating enough protein and calories for the first time
Then it is also possible you've gained muscle for the first time!

I can just about gain muscle, but I need to be careful to lift heavy AND get the 2g/kg protein AND have enough calories {about 2000)...and even then it goes on about 1:1 with fat

The only thing that works for me is 16:8 intermittent fasting - and I pretty much eat whatever I want during my 8 hour window. I'd certainly drop more weight faster if I stuck to a very calorie controlled diet, but since this works for me slowly and steadily, I don't really feel the need. Definitely worth a go! I'm peri, so not through the menopause yet - so not sure what difference that makes.

It’s def NOT the first time for all those things. I have been doing those things for a long time.

I have STEPPED IT UP this past month

Definitely never listening to bloody online / my friends advice again - 6 pack lots of protein 6 little meals but eat more. Put on half a stone 🙄🙄. And it’s not muscle either despite frequent gym trips.

Back to calorie deficit 16/8 which worked for me before. But thanks to listening to their nonsense have 1.5 stone to lose now not 1st. Should have stuck to what I know works for me. Learn from my mistake!

I was you. I counted my calories, always restricting myself, worked out - no weight loss.
Turns out I really needed a lot less calories than I thought for weight loss in perimenopause, and yes even after being a lifelong calorie counter, I was underestimating my intake by a lot. So I got an app with AI that photographs all I eat and keep calories around 1000-1200, have lost 30 pounds in 3 months.

It’s actually shocking how little an older woman needs to eat. No wonder so many are overweight. What we think of as “normal” is far far too much.

I kind of agree with you but OP has disappeared without saying what she eats.

She said that 1350 cals a day was 'hard'.

For me, that's pretty much my 'normal' .

It's 3 meals of 450 cals each (although I don't calorie count.)

Breakfast- greek yoghurt, seeds and fruit. Or eggs, or porridge (30gms oats.)

Lunch- for example- a 3 -egg omelette with mushrooms and a large salad, & fruit, or a bowl of homemade soup & 1 slice wholegrain bread, or a piece of cheese, celery, apple & oatcakes.

Dinner- fish /salmon fillet, or a chicken breast, lots of veg, maybe more yoghurt.