To think I’ll be stuck at 16 stone forever

[justmeandthedogs]

I’m in the process of losing weight and since the start of the year I’ve lost about 13lbs.

But I seem to be in a loop. I’ll hit 16 stone 0.3 on the scales and then go back up to 16 stone 4, then go back down, then back up. It’s like an annoying cycle.

I eat well:

breakfast - yoghurt with berries and sometimes a drizzle of honey. On low protein days I’ll add some skyr.

lunch - something from home. Usually soup, a salad or a bit of meat with some veg.

dinner - again something prepped. Can be another big salad, cottage pie, pasta bake.

I eat 1550 calories a day, which is a deficit for my height and weight. I go to the gym twice a week (under the direction of a PT, to lift weights), try to run 3 times a week but I’m waiting on some new running shoes, and the other two days a week I’ll walk 10k steps minimum. I try to drink 4 litres of water a day at least.

my clothes fit better but the scale just won’t change 😥 do I just accept I’m stuck here?

the scale will move. You are doing al the right things.your clothes fitting better is a good start

With respect, you're not eating 1550 calories a day. That's what I eat to lose a few pounds and I'm 8.5 stone and a reasonable athlete (which is why occasionally I want to cut, for performance).

You are eating more than you think. I'm half your mass and can lose weight on 1550.

I am. I track every single thing that enters my mouth - down to the 3 calories from some squash or oxyshred for the gym.

Perhaps you need to redistribute your calorie intake. What I mean is, have a larger breakfast and smaller dinner.

What @Spaghettifountainsaid. It will be portions, or extra snacks that are creeping in.

keep a food diary for a couple of days to see what’s happening, if you use nutracheck or my fitness pal it will calorie/ macro count for you.
weigh everything include all your drinks.

As I’ve said, I do. I track every last gram that enters my mouth.

If your clothes are fitting better then you’re doing well. Maybe try to not focus on the scales for a while and try a different goal - maybe a running distance for example. Keep doing what you’re doing and enjoying the increased fitness and wellbeing. See what the scales say in another month?

It's impossible that you're eating that and not losing fat. I know it's frustrating to have people say that but your TDEE must be well over 2000 and fat loss is predictable if you're in a calorie deficit.

Why not cut the calories for a few weeks? I wouldn’t lose a pound on 1550 a day. I’d also be swapping pasta bakes or cottage pies for something without carbs.

Yes I’m trying to hit that. My goal is to consistently be running an 8:05km by the end of May.

Do you weigh 16 stone though? Whether you'd lose on that amount is irrelevant to OP

How old are you? I’m sixty and since turning about 50 I gained weight if I exceed 1300 calories a day. It’s shit.

In the end my cholesterol was so high, my endocrinologist suggested Mounjaro and I lost over 40% of my body weight in a year and my cholesterol levels are now 3.2

Have you considered WLI? I appreciate they are expensive and not for everyone.

Because I’ve tried lower calories before and it spirals into a place where I end up with very unhealthy habits. Carbs are nothing to be afraid of and needed if you’re doing a lot of cardio and exercise. I mainly eat wholewheat pasta and lots of lovely wholemeal sourdough

Occasionally if I've had a stall I find the only thing that breaks it is a day or two eating more calories than what I have been. Sounds counterintuitive and if you've been dedicated even a bit scary but it has worked for me.

Calories in, calories out. You can't argue against science.

That’s why I track everything I eat

Please ignore the posters who want to tell you you’re lying about your calories. I believe you.

Also totally agree with the above poster about my calorie needs being less now I’m over 50.

It can be so frustrating when the scales don't shift!

Some people take longer to lose weight. It's great that your clothes are fitting better.

My advice would be 10k steps everyday minimum (this made the biggest difference to me)

Could you go to the gym for classes, maybe rather than running? I just think they prompt you to be more activated in a concentrated period of time.

Eat all the fish and veg you can! It's much better than meat I find. Oh and boiled eggs too. I take it alcohol has gone?

You're doing great 💐 don't give up!

Exercise matters little for weight loss; negligible calories burned which people think gives them license to overeat to compensate, and it spikes hunger, again, contributing to overeating.

I do 2 seasons a week at the gym with weights, the lessons don’t really line up with my work schedule unfortunately 😕 I think I might just set myself a running goal as running has felt a lot easier since I started with my PT.

Okay that’s all well and good but I track my calories. I am aware that it can spike hunger which is why I save my dinner for after, but I find that after my gym sessions I’m usually not that hungry.

Thing is, it’s hard to exactly calculate the number of calories you have unless it’s only prepackaged food which obviously isn’t ideal. So I do think you must be having more than you think somewhere!

That's fair enough, I just know I'm more accountable with someone there to watch me 🤣

You've reached a plateau. It's fine, keep doing what you're doing and you will start losing again.

Then you are miscalculating something or a few things.