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?

Sympathies OP, I've been where you are and it's tough.

I was stuck at 16.5 stone for ages but the calorie counting and restricting wasn't working for me, as I'd have too many lapses.

I've been doing Slimming World for 3 months and have lost 2 stone already.

The main thing is getting plenty of protein and fibre, and enjoying food/cooking fresh all the time. I barely snack, but if I do its on fruits, nuts, eggs etc. I probably eat more calories than you do, I also run 3x a week and gym, etc.

I will say although I love bread and don't believe it is a demon like some, I don't eat it at all anymore (you can on SW but I've decided to avoid it).

It really doesn’t. That test was fine for me, despite insulin resistance being off the charts. I’m guessing if you aren’t accepting of a medical reason like insulin resistance, as the inability to lose weight sent me freaking crazy, then there might be a bit of truth to what other posters are saying. It honestly doesn’t sound like you are that fussed about fixing it, which is 100% fine. Sounds like you are fit and healthy, even if weight is a bit higher than you want!

Hooray!! Well done.

I think my body has just been hanging onto it as it’s started to come off again! So frustrating

Yes but it tastes nice and 12g on my morning yoghurt won’t kill me.

I’ve stocked up on some high protein/low calorie meals for the freezer, so that I have something in for when I feel lazy

I think it's a normal part of dieting tbh. Well done for sticking to it and I'm glad you've started losing again.

I'm in a similar position myself, have lost barely 2 lbs in the last 6 weeks, but my clothes feel looser and people are even telling me I look thinner. Go figure!

Well done on breaking the plateau @justmeandthedogs . I bet you feel amazing this morning.

One small point on the freezer meals, they don't always have a complete protein as their main protein source. A lot of them are bulked out with quinoa or lentils, which are fine, they're good, healthy foods and full of fibre and other micronutrients. I eat them. But if you're eating them for muscle repair, they're not the best.

You can still use them for muscle repair, but make sure to pair them with another protein source to make them complete, e.g., a Greek yoghurt after quinoa or wholegrain rice with lentils.

And if you can get to either Aldi or Lidl (I always forget which one sells which), their high-protein bbq pulled pork and quinoa micromeal is amazing, just have a yoghurt after it to complement the quinoa.

I’ve got them mainly for when I really can’t be bothered to make a proper dinner, because I figure it’s better to eat them then a slice of toast and a cup of tea 😂

Honestly download a daily weighing app, it made a huge difference to how I felt about weight loss because even if you keep getting the same weight on the scale for a while, it tracked it and I could see the downward trend
I think 8 weeks was the longest I stalled and then I lost 7lbs in a huge whoosh

Some of these replies are fucking wild- suggesting the OP is a liar, that a 16 stone active women should eat 1200 calories and should eliminate carbs etc. WTF.
All of these adult women eating ‘like birds’ should be worried about their bones tbh
Op so much of this advice is the biggest load of shit I’ve ever read. Get to the GP and have your thyroid etc checked. Read ‘why we eat too much’ by Dr Jenkins to help you understand why you aren’t losing on a calorie deficit (as many people don’t despite the hysteria about defying science)
Also check out Dr Stacey Simms
Keep going, you’re doing amazing

If you stop eating carbs the weight will melt off. It’s that simple

Nah that's not it

People are trying to help her because she came on here asking for advice and has discounted pretty much all of it. I ate about 1000 calories a day for about six months and lost 14 kg and my bone mineral density is excellent.i didn't go into starvation mode. I didn't even lose any muacle. BMD is about load on bone and unless you are eating nothing but bread you will be okay. The issue is clearly that for whatever reason 1400 is too high for now. If she cuts it to 800-1000 she will lose weight. Simple. It really is that simple.

I can never decide whether the amount of pro-ana content on MN is just plain terrifying or just painfully sad.

You will have lost muscle mass

I prefer to play the long game. If I want to lose weight I really don't mind a bit of muscle loss. Lose the fat and some muscle then start to build up muscle again when you reverse diet. 🤷

Says someone who has 0 clues how much effort/time/energy muscle takes to build. Hint... you cannot build it on fresh air.

Qualified personal trainer.
Obviously you want to don't want excessive muscle loss, but some loss is quite common during a cut. At 16 stone, I'd be prioritising reaching a healthy weight

Did you post on the wrong thread? I’d ask it to be moved. On a side note I’ve never seen that on here,

It’s really not that simple- hormones, insulin resistance and set points are all proven factors inhibiting weight loss. If op drops to 800-1000 calories she will lose weight yes, but will plateau aagain and will need to drop down further.
No active adult woman should be eating 800 calories.
Mumsnet really is toxic af sometimes

That’s really not true, I’m genuinely surprised at how many people do not understand basic biology and how our bodies are fueled, they need to teach it in school,

to explain the cals you consume fuel your body.
if you don’t consume enough, your body burns fat or muscle to fuel it
this then makes your body lighter. As you’ve burned the fat or muscle off to make up the cal defecit to fuel your body.
your metabolic rate will drop if you consume too few cals. And you will have an energy slump, but again, if you remain in a defecit your body will burn fat or muscle to fuel you.
in studies on starvation, the body continued to lose weight, even though metabolism dropped,
‘this is because we have a basic metabolic rate, just to exist.
veey very few people’s basic metabolic rate is below 800. You’d need to be bed or chair bound and small.
most people’s bmr will be 1000 plus. And the op moves. She is not bed bound. Her bmr at 16 stone will be much higher than 1000.
the body cannot fuel itself on air. It simply cannot. It is either cals consumed or burning fat or muscle. There is no alternative. There is no set point, where you eat in a defecit and your body fuels itself with air.

there are only two explanations. 1/she is consuming more than she knows. 2/she is retaining fluid to an extreme extent, and every week offsets her fat or muscle loss with more fluid.

it is overwhelmingly likely to be the former, no matter how angry it makes her, and she doesn’t seem keen to make an urgent doctors appt either.

Mad because my qualified PT has said that he would like for me to be eating more, which I’ve pushed back on

Personal training qualifications don't guarantee someone is going to be giving good advice. I work with a personal trainer (also qualified!) and she would never give such advice as this. Lose fat and muscle on 1000 calories and then grow your muscle back? Are you ok??

15 stone 9.1 this morning!!!! I think I can say it’s well and truly broken now.

I find it really sad.