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’ve been quoted in outrage but frankly my bmi is now 27 which is officially pre diabetic according to the nhs so something needs to change or I will gradually year on year get larger and larger?! So what do you suggest? Fasting is the easiest way to keep my weight under control.

I have never said 500 is ok quite the opposite, but 1200k is ok short term, if you eat plenty of protein you don’t lose muscle as I have already said.

Osteoporosis is as much about nourishment and food quality as quantity. High intake of UPFs is associated with 80% increased chance of osteoporosis. High consumers of UPFs are statistically more likely to be over than underweight.

Either way, when 61% of women are overweight or obese, undeating is a relatively small issue. Neither I nor anyone has said that the answer to obesity is anorexia - what an odd idea. The answer to both is balanced diet and normal food intake.

I think sometimes its easy to miscalculate how many calories we are eating, esp if you are giving yourself a small calorie deficit (which is the sanest way to lose weight).
Things like abit of oil in cooking, milk in tea, chips off a childs plate, etc can all add up if you arent paying attention and really who tracks that kind of thing!?

Best thing to do is track your calories and if you havent lost weight in a month then reduce by 50-100 calories and give it another month.
Its a slower way of doing things but slowly changing your habits works best anyways.

Obviously check first you have no medical conditions that could cause weight gain and ensure you are eating properly as some vitamin and mineral deficiencies can affect weight too.

The answer to both is balanced diet and normal food intake. well that we can agree on at last!

This is so true; cakes and biscuits at work, alcoholic drinks, people gifting chocolates.. so easy to forget those empty calories.

I decided to completely cut biscuits out of my life, I just won't eat them anymore. They're highly processed, full of trans fats and sugar. Just the worst possible thing, and I don't even like them that much! I've replaced them with dark chocolate and dried cherries, still calorific and a 'treat', but they actually have a nutritional benefit, I'm also less likely to pig-out on them.

If anyone has found a replacement for alcohol (that's not smoking or drugs) I'd be very interested to hear from you! 🤣

When you look at someone like the late queen who was very slender in her youth, her body gets thicker and heavier in middle age before going slender and frail in her later years ( granted she was ill when she died). This thickening of the female body around meno is annoyingly normal. I've lost 2 st throughout mounjaro and now weigh the same as I did 10 years ago but my body shape isn't the same. I have a 'matronly' bosom now and although the back size gas gone down, the cup size hasn't. I struggled to lose anything before the miracle of weight loss jabs, now I eat like 1/10 of what I used to and I'm not even exaggerating, I would still be losing on this intake pre meno but now I've plateaud, although it's not a bad weight/ size to end up at ( sz 14) so I'm pathetically grateful.

Me too. I’m 58 and 10lbs off a healthy bmi. I’m not trying to get there for how I look now (though that’s a bonus) but to have a healthy older age. I’m eating healthily (turned into a bit of a protein wanker!), cutting down booze, and doing A mixture of strength and cardio exercise that I enjoy.

The weight is coming off super slow but my body has changed shape and I feel much much better.

I remember my late uncle telling me that you know you are old when you have to sit down to put your socks on so that is one of my older age goals 😆

I always sit down to put socks on! Didn't think to ever put them on standing up!

Try intermittent fasting and only eating between certain windows. I find eating after 4pm works well for me. Stop eating 2 hours before bed.

Every other diet didn't work for me

From the snappy manner of all your replies....you sound hangry....

That would be a giant fail for me. Id be so hungry by 4pm I'd inhale the entire contents of my fridge!😅(TBH Id probably think Id been so good I deserved a take away as well!).

I think that is a key point though. Everybody is different and what works for one person wont work for somebody else.
Personally I eat regularly throughout the day, high volume plant based foods. That works for me, although Im sure that much fibre def wont suit everybody!

I would say that anyone overweight enough to warrant weight loss injections already had disordered eating.

No that’s not true.

Love this approach. I just buy slightly bigger clothes (love an elasticated waist) and enjoy life.

You’re really not overweight you know!! I’m 5 foot 2 I was 10 stone 6 months and a size 12 and I looked and felt fine but wanted to get stronger. I’m now 9.5 stone which is more than you and am a 8/10. I’m peri and have seen that half stone creep on which is annoying. I’m not calorie counting - I’ve reduced carbs, and focus on fats and protein. No low sugar crap. Real butter etc and I’m building more muscle and I’m really toned now. Between 9.5 and 10 is my happy weight. I could starve myself in theory to get down to 9 but I would look and feel crap. I hate the obsession that thinness equals good.

try to stop putting so much emphasis on the scales and eat well to nourish your body and train and lift to get strong to project your bones.

I agree that not worrying about weight and enjoying life if you're just little plumper than in yout 20s is the best approach.
Doesn't work for me though - I can't just switch my brain to 'hey, enjoy!' if I hate how I look and getting dressed every morning is an exercise of self-loathing and damage limitation, what can I wear so I don't show off my belly and fat rolls. Again, this is just how I feel, not a judgement on anyone else.

There’s no switching happening here. It’s a battle every day to ignore the horrible voice in my head that’s been there since childhood, thanks to diet culture and a mother who dieted all her life and remained overweight.

But it’s a battle I’m winning. Eventually, if you’re kind to yourself, you stop wanting the ‘bad’ foods, and start not minding too much that you’re bigger than you were pre-kids, pre-menopause, pre-fifty years of life. You start noticing women looking really good at all sizes, and start realising that actually, your body deserves gorgeous and fabulous clothes that are comfortable.

I’m not advocating becoming morbidly obese, before anyone accuses me of promoting ill-health. I’m just saying that, personally, I’m over beating myself up for being a size 14. I’m fit and strong and that’s cool. A bit of a creamy tummy is neither here nor there. I grew two nine pound babies in it, ffs!

I know exactly what you mean, and I hate my muffin top. However, I just find clothes that are cut in such a way that it doesn’t show. I make sue I’m active for general good health but try not to fight against my middle age shape!

It was when I realised I was sitting down to take them off as well that I decided to make it my mission.

Calculators are an initial starting point and aren’t perfect by any means. You review after a month and if you aren’t losing as fast as you want you need to drop calories by 200 or up exercise to increase your deficit that way. Just for the record I’m 5’ and I don’t noticeably lose weight if I eat over 1200 calories it’s miserable but especially when you only have a small amount to lose those are the toughest pounds cos you have so little leeway in your calorie allowance.

I find the opposite. Weight changes all the time, but changing a clothes size takes a very long time.

I had the same problem. Turned out I have an under active thyroid. I lost 6 stone once medicated. Ask your GP for a thyroid function test. If GP doesn’t agree have a private one done for £42 at Monitor My Health (test is performed by nhs staff in nhs labs) and take the results to your GP.