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’m 57. I’ve always had to work to stay in the healthy weight range, and it’s got harder in the last few years. I’m 5ft 5 and usually vary between 9.5 and 10.5 stone, depending on whether I’m dieting or not. I would never lose weight on 1350 calories, despite doing lots of exercise. If I want to lose weight I have to stick to 1000, and even then it’s painfully slow.

Good luck OP. Dieting in your 50s is miserable. For the first time ever my weight has crept up to 11 stone, so I’m on day 4 of a diet, and I’m already fed up!

Three meals a day plus some snacking means your body is constantly just trying to digest and burn off the energy from the food you are eating, you’re not giving it a chance to tackle any excess stored energy i.e. fat.

Try 16:8 fasting.

I am 5ft 2 and can only lose weight if I eat 1200 calories.

It's so hard. I can only lose weight if I eat hardly anything at all, and what I do eat has to be salads, veg, lean meat etc. It's misery for a prolonged period!

@Montuaklighthouse (love you username, love montauk!)

Surely everyone wants to be the best version of themselves? I will not stop striving to be 9st12 because I look great at that weight, slim, toned, happy with no double chin.

I don't think it is miserable or obsessive. Otherwise we would all just slide into being fat and dumpy and invisible. I want highlights in my hair, nail polish on and for my husband to fancy me and be proud of me.

So I will keep counting calories and doing the exercise. That said I also do the walking with the dogs in the woods and the yoga. But that doesn't make you thin!

It can be done. I lost 17kg when I was 61 (so fully menopausal) for health reasons. That was 4 years ago and the weight has stayed off.

I never, ever track calories - one of my adult DC has a history of anorexia so calories are a taboo subject.

I eat loads of fruit, veg, salad, nuts, seeds and legumes upwards of 10 small portions a day. I eat small amounts of protein at every meal (an egg, Greek yoghurt, cheese, a small amount of fish or meat). I only eat 2 meals a day and otherwise graze when hungry on small portions of any of the above. I don't eat many carbs (I find them bland, other things are tastier).

I do have treats. But where before I would eat a handful of Hotel Chocolate chocolates most days now I might eat 2/3 chocolates a week. The box my daughter gave me for my birthday 4 months ago still has a few left in it. Instead of slicing cheese off a big block I have one of the little prepackaged ones from M&S. I still drink alcohol quite often. I eat out with friends but will only have a starter or if it's something bigger, bring half of it home to enjoy the next day. I love Pizza Express and one of their Romana pizzas lasts me for three meals with a salad on the side. Apart from that I dont eat much processed foods - maybe bacon or sausage every couple of weeks and the occasional fishfinger.

Portion control has been crucial, then eating mostly healthy unprocessed foods plus only having 2 meals a day (brunch and an early dinner) have worked wonders for me. It's like a little miracle. My blood pressure dropped from high to healthy, my sleep improved, my BMI dropped from 29 to 21 and I've gone from a dress size 14/16 to a size 8/10.

I'm 5'6", over 60 and to lose any weight I have to go below 1000 cals a day, even at 800 I struggle to lose any. I'm not the most active person, normal stuff, but don't want to up the activity as that won't be sustainable for me.

It's a great theory to think you need more but I've tried that diet too in the past when someone tried to convince me I was eating too little and that was why it wouldn't go. I would never lose weight on the 1200 cals for example I lost 2 stone on when I was 21, not now! We're also talking just a half stone to stone, doc would like me to lose a stone but I'd be happy with half.

Last year I spent months calorie counting determined it was going, I'm very good at it and I cook practically all meals from scratch, no takeaways (never did) etc and while I lost some it was just an unsustainable diet, 2 small meals a day, couple of low cal healthy snacks. Luckily I have a small appetite and don't really feel hungry but my body clearly does not need much to operate on!

How are you getting so much protein in with so little calories?

Lifting weights, exercising, optimising nutrition so we are strong physically and mentally is so much more important to our ageing and our longevity than a few extra pounds, you don’t actually even weigh that much.

Eating only 20% below your TEE isn't going to give you a fast weight loss. 1lb in a month is about what I'd expect tbh.
Don't forget that hitting heavier weights at the gym will mean you're likely growing muscle. You could drop the weights slightly and focus on cardio?
I lost a lot of weight previously and it is miserable when you get to that last half stone because your calories are so low.

Your activity levels and exercise are excellent. You must be really healthy.

Maybe you are just the right weight for you.

Yeah clearly the meditation is not working judging by your snarky responses. If you know so much why ask a random and generic message board, go find a specialised weigh training site and post your sneering comments on there

A pound is a pound yes but muscle takes up less space per pound than fat so the same amount in volume will weigh different

I'd suggest it just takes time. At the start of my weight loss journey, I didn't see any benefits in the first month or so, but then it did start dropping off quite quickly. It's like my body took 6 weeks to get the memo. Keep going.

1350 calories is too much for weight loss at your height. I’m 5’ 4” around 7 stone 12. If I put on a few pounds and need to lose them I need to eat 1000 to ensure weight loss. I don’t calorie count though - I know roughly what to eat -

Superfood & fibre smoothie for breakfast
Protein and vegetables for lunch
Soup for supper
Snack on seeds, dried fruit, nuts.

You just have to get used to being hungry. It’s only for a couple of months and then it’s over.

*Disclaimer: do not try this if you have any history of ED

No she isn't, she's getting annoyed at having to repeat herself when people comment without reading the full thread!

Everyone is different, the online macro calculators are just a rough guide.

Three years ago I started to lose weight. For a year I was doing weight training, HIIT classes, lots of walking, eating 1300 calories per day. It look me a year to lose 1 stone 😭

For the second year I continued with the same exercise routine, but reduced my calorie intake to 800-1000 calories per day. Absolutely bloody depressing, but the weight starting falling off me. I then lost 3 stone in a year.

I’ve been at my goal weight (9stone) for 12 months now - I can only eat 1200-1300 calories daily to maintain my weight. And I still exercise 3/4 times a week and walk over 10k steps every day. If I start to increase my calories back up, then my weight starts to move, so I reduce it back down.

Everyone has different genetics and you have to discover what your body needs. An online calculator might say something, but every body is so completely different. Unfortunately for me I’m a loser in the genetics department!

My husband eats like bloody horse (when we plate our meals I have a half or a third of his portion!) he eats lots of snacks, does a desk job, rarely does 5000 steps a day, goes to the gym 1-2 times a week. And he has a muscular body with barely any fat on him! Lucky sod.

I agree, OP is so rude in her responses.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/bodytheorybyamy/

I encourage you to consider alternative approach. I worked with a PT years ago in person (she isn’t an internet scam) now she focuses on working with older women who have restricted/reduced their calorie intake for years which results in very slow metabolism and difficulty loosing weight. I only started loosing weight (mid 40’s) when I did a reverse diet to slowly increase my calorie intake whilst aiming for minimum weight gain. Then I went back to a weightloss phase and the weight started shifting..it took a lot of time but it was the best long term solution for me.

Oh okay good to know, I’ll have a look thanks. Yes I make sure at least to do the 12 hour window but often do 18/6.

I was thinking this. You sound strong abd healthy.
Do you have areas of fat you want to focus on?

Try 5:2? And cut yourself some slack the rest of the time

Low carb diet worked brilliantly for me during my pregnancy for gestational diabetes, but it won't obviously work now I'm perimenopausal.

It's just a case of eating less, moving more as others have said, especially post menopause. The reduced oestrogen affects fat storage and distribution, and I've heard people say they have been slimmer once on HRT.

Not the answer necessarily I know, but just a perspective.

'I want highlights in my hair, nail polish on and for my husband to fancy me and be proud of me.'

Serious question, @Ilovelowry - does he do the same for you?

Montauk is amazing, something magical about places that poke out into the ocean like that.

I hear what you’re saying - although my point isn’t about not wanting to be the best version of yourself. It’s about balance. If you only focus on the scales and strive and strive to drive that number down by any means then that’s simply just adding stress to a body that is already exercising a lot. When we get older, we typically lose some stress resilience and cortisol goes up and holds onto weight (our body feels under threat). Until we re-learn how to manage this, we struggle.

Some people are more susceptible to stress - some people have a lifetime of trauma or very stressful jobs or relationships, or all of the above. This plays a role in how our body responds to diet, exercise, immunity..

Being the best version of ourselves isn’t just about ‘being thin’ or being a specific number on the scale.

Sure, being a healthy weight will usually mean a much better outcome for our long term health, so aiming for that as part of our overall health (mental, physical, emotional..) is going to reap more benefits.

@Sorryagain

when you start to up your exercise and do more weight your muscles become inflamed as they are building and growing. This inflammation and increased exercise will lead to water retention to assist with the healing and often that means the scales don’t reflect the weight your loosing despite feeling and looking leaner. This is where people fail and think this lifestyle change isn’t working and give up. Don’t get disheartened you are on the right path. It will lead to results. Take measurements and pictures. Focus on the non scale victories and suddenly you’ll wake up one day in a few weeks and the scales will have dropped. If you’re not eating in a calorie surplus you won’t be gaining fat!

I can’t believe the amount of people saying eat less🤦🏽‍♀️. If you drop your calories below your TDEE your body will hold onto what you eat and slow your metabolism so you won’t loose anything

I know it’s frustrating but slow and steady will win the race! Be kind to your self