Why is my weight loss so slow?

[Feelfat]

I’m heavily obese, out of desperation I paid for WLI myself as didn’t want to go through GP. I was as motivated by threads on here and posts on social media. It’s been 6 months now but I have lost only 14 lb so one stone. No one has noticed at all and when I’ve told family they said themselves it’s not noticeable yet but to carry on.

Thing is I’ve not always been big, I’ve been slim most of my life then suddenly after kids I’ve blown up. It took me only a month to lose a stone previously so now when it should be easier as I’m fatter so more weight to lose plus WLI then why is it so slow? I feel like not buying another pen. I don’t need to go up a dose as I have suppression but I don’t know why I’m not losing. I’m still wearing same size clothes so not just weighing scale issue.

So......you're saying that you're eating around 900 calories a day AND exercising but losing half a pound a week?

I'd book an appointment with your GP as there's obviously something going on internally - thyroid, pituitary, hormones......which is stopping you losing weight

What is your TDEE Minus 500?
you need to drink plenty of water on MJ! Sips during break won't work you'll end up making yourself ill.
if you aren't losing it's because you aren't in calorie deficit. You need to count your calories.

You need to be drinking more water when im dieting i drink 3 to 4 litres of water a day if you can't due to work at least do it on your days off

I found Mounjaro far more effective than others - lost an average of 1kg a week with it (I achieved my goal of losing 3 stone in total after pregnancy). Not an expert, of course, but i think different people suit different WLIs.

There is alot of incorrect advice on this thread and its no surprise people are confused when it comes to weight loss. OP well done on your 14lb loss however its purely biological calories in vs calories out. I have lost 20kg in around 18 months with calories counting this is whilst maintaining my muscle mass with strength training x3 per week, I have not used a GPL1 however the process is the same. I would suggest joining team RH they do a programme specifically for those on a GPL1 or if you want to go it alone work out your tdee here https://tdeecalculator.net/ but dont overestimate yout activity level which people often do. Im moderate and thats with walking 10k steps per day & x3 strength training sessions. You sound like your tracking sometimes but its not consistant which it needs to be to see any meaningful results. I suspect you are trying to eat to few calories on some days and then going on a binge which is not sustainable.

Start counting calories so you can follow your intake. Also, weightloss jabs don't work for everyone. Also my advice is to go on whatever WLI you're on, their subreddit on Reddit. You will get a lot of good and targeted advice.

Just because it’s the weight loss and maintenance plan that works for me: join Slimming World and keep to it.
But if you’re really only eating what you told us, and you’re not losing weight, you should see your doctor before deciding anything else.
Wishing you well.

I've just checked mine for the weight I'm currently , plus the weight I want to be , which is at the higher end of normal bmi for my height and maintenance calories will be just over 1200 ! How depressing . So to get to mid bmi I would have to have 850 calories a day .
Hate being 5ft !

slimming world has a 97 percent regain rate. It’s how they make their money, most people do it for years and years on and off, and always end up fatter than they were. Very few people can maintain, it is designed so you can’t. It has a much higher regain rate than any other diet.

There’s not just one study on it there’s loads! Lots of new ones too just have a look on google scholar.

Its effects can be over stated but it doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen and may be what’s happening in this case.
i just at looked at what she was eating and it wasn’t a lot!

………..

Yes, the body adapts to lower calorie intake through a process called metabolic adaptation (or "starvation mode"), reducing energy expenditure to protect survival. When calories are consistently restricted, your body lowers its basal metabolic rate (BMR), burns fewer calories, and increases hunger hormones, which can cause weight loss plateaus.

PubMed Central (PMC) (.gov)
+3
How the Body Adjusts
Reduced Energy Expenditure: As you lose weight, a smaller body needs fewer calories, slowing your metabolism.
Hormonal Changes: When calorie intake is low, appetite-regulating hormones change, increasing hunger and decreasing fullness signals.
Lowered Metabolism (Adaptive Thermogenesis): The body burns fewer calories than expected for its new size, adapting to the lower energy intake.
Efficiency: The body becomes more efficient at using the few calories it receives, reducing energy costs for basic cellular processes

Op that doesn't sound like enough nutrition at all. Processed food but not enough protein - I think go back to basics and get used to non processed, protein rich meals 3 times a day and drink way more water. Reduce carbs and good luck

As many have said, more water and you need to count calories. What you measure you can manage so start weighing and measuring food and portions and then if you are still not seeing anything after another month, revisit.

I didn’t know that and have wondered about the long term success rate.
I only know that it works for me, as I’ve been at my target weight for 23 years.

What op has posted barely meets any nutritional requirements, it is not too much, it is not a good diet though. I eat way more than that and am not obese

I lost 14lb in 12 weeks despite only starting with a BMI of 25 and not calorie counting. It doesn’t work for some people, but have you been getting into a calorie deficit, what dose are you up to?

Also, make sure you are prioritising fibre and protein, you are still susceptible to cravings and hunger (especially if it’s just not as potent for you) but higher amounts of fibre and protein will help with those pangs, as well as reduce the likelihood of negative SEs.

Not going to comment on weight but if that’s yours usual diet then you are not getting anywhere near enough protein for a start

you should be eating things like

greek youghurt
cottage cheese
feta
chicken
turkey
beef fish
measured portion of nuts
berries
pulses
wide range of veg etc

ditch refined carbs /ultra processed food.

I second this 🤌🏽

Do fasting also ⚡️ Weight will drop off along with inflammation

Um. I didn’t dispute metabolic rate dropped, I disputed the fact it would stop weight loss at these levels.

Perhaps it is pcos or thyroid especially if after having kids.

I never feel hungry anyway so wli probably wouldnt helo but do have pcos so would help that.

Op are there days where you suddenly eat a lot more of drink alcohol?

@Feelfat , the above is absolutely terrible advice which completely ignores modern science. There are a few things which influence how our bodies use or store energy, the amount of calories is one but not in my opinion the most significant.
You don’t tell us what dose you are using, if you haven’t gone up the doses despite slow weight loss that is where to start. These drugs were originally designed to help people with type 2 diabetes by addressing their insulin resistance but you need to be on a dose that effectively does that for you. We can have a significant level of insulin resistance for years before a doctor will deem it to be an issue but it will still be encouraging our body to store fat and to be making stored fat very difficult to burn.
I had the cleanest possible diet, plant based and UPF (where I was able to control it) free but my weight just kept going up and I found it nigh on impossible to lose. Mounjaro has worked for me and I lost over 80lbs in about 14 or 15 months, not particularly fast but I did have to get up to the highest dose; I’m maintaining now and coming back down. I will have to take this medication for life probably, it is clear to me that the drug bought my metabolism under control.
As has been mentioned Cortisol can be another culprit which interferes with our ability to lose weight as can poor sleep. Sleeping well and managing stress are very important.
Your diet doesn’t look high in calories and lowering calories further puts you at risk of malnutrition. To be firing on all cylinders our bodies need the proper nutrition. I would highly recommend Ultra Processed People by Chris Van Tulleken and I have gained a lot of useful knowledge from the Zoe podcasts. These sources are much more reliable than random individuals on chat forums with no scientific background and often a horribly judgmental attitude.
Calories are the measure of how much energy a substance makes when it is burnt, that is simply not how our bodies work; different foods and drinks behave very differently when we consume them and have profoundly different effects on fat storage and our weight. Your diet looks like it might be quite processed and that is definitely problematic, concentrating on eliminating as much as possible UPFs and cooking from scratch ( I know you’re busy but you have to find a way like batch cooking and freezing) eat good quality protein, fibre and plenty of vegetables. I had to cut down dramatically on fruit because it’s very sugary and now only eat one piece directly after a meal. Snacking is your enemy even if that snack is ‘healthy’ I no longer snack at all, every time we eat anything we raise our blood sugar and put our body into fat storage mode. I now eat twice a day at lunch and dinner which extends my overnight fast. Our bodies are not meant to be constantly fed, another good book which deals with this subject is The Obesity Code by Dr Jason Fung, you can find him on YouTube.
Exercise is good for us so try and fit some in, while losing weight it’s particularly important to concentrate on muscle building.
Finally hormones can be very unhelpful to women where weight is concerned, if you think that it’s possible you could be in peri or active menopause then going to the GP and obtaining appropriate medication may prove helpful; if you do this it is imperative that you mention you are using GLP1’s because they can interfere with the absorption of Progesterone. While you are there get them to check your thyroid function.
Never again blame yourself and don’t let ill informed individuals blame you, if eat less and move more worked we would all be beautifully slim fairly easily but we’re not…