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?

Following as im in a vicious circle of dropping few pounds then gaining them back. Dropping weight is becoming increasingly difficult. But I haven't been tracking calories...

What’s your height ? I was 17s and 5/7 and my tdee was 1800. To lose weight you need to lose 500/600 c a day from your tdee

I was on 1200c a day to lose 1-2 lbs a week

unless you are 6f you are unlikely to lose weight on 1550c a day

I beleive you track it all and I use mfp to track calories but you need to eat 300c less a day to lose weight

it is literally what you are eating

so smaller portions

Oh I feel you, OP. I'm stuck going up and down the same 5lb ... it crept up and is hard to get off. I can do it if I'm sticking to 1200 cals. But where's the joy? So now, its by clothes fit and being good. Seriously reducing carbs is key, I rarely eat bread (but love it so much), pasta or rice, potatoes. Swede is my new low carb friend!

I'd consider WLI to get some off quickly but I was prescribed some a while ago and they really screwed with my metabolism and I didn't lose weight!

Try adding a bit more walking (headphone in, podcast on!),different exercises are good .... also outside in the fresh air so more about mental health benefits!

It’s not because of your weight, many of us have been where you are. And we are responding from a position of knowledge.

the fact is it is not humanly possible to eat in a defecit and not lose weight, over a prolonged period, it it not humanly possible to maintain 16 stone on 1500 cals a day. There is no way round this fact. Unless bed od chair bound,

to maintain at 16 stone the body needs a min of 2100 cals, usually more.

as such, over the course of an average week you’re consuming 500 cals a day more than you think,

In that case it doesn't matter what the scales say, what you are doing is obviously working, just be patient and stick at it. And ignore the carb haters 🤣

What app are you using to calculate the calories? They're not all as accurate as they could be, especially if it's an AI one. Have you tried the (admittedly old-school but it works for me) method of just weighing on regular scales and using the nutritional information on the packaging to tot up the calories? It could be that the app is at fault.

If it's not the app, have you tried calorie cycling? That can help to shift a plateau.

My TDEE is around 2100, at a sedentary level, according to multiple websites.

Eugh I don’t know why I read these because the comments are always shit. ( not your fault OP ). 1500 calories seems quite low for someone at 16 stone… was that set by your PT or My Fitness Pal. When I started out I was on 1800 calories and I was a stone lighter than you. I also think your diet sounds a little bit boring and I’d probably add some eggs and maybe some nuts etc in there. That’s up to you though - I think it’s a plateau and it will correct itself. I’ve never not had one even on WLI. The running isn’t going to fix it but you should do it for your health anyway. ( but what has your PT said about it. ?)

And remember, you need to readjust and recalculate your deficit continuously as you lose. Your body will require less calories and you lose weight, so you need to eat fewer and fewer calories to continue to lose.

I don’t get the carb hate at all 😭

again, I am aware. Nutracheck does it for you every stone or so.

Does that not logically tell you something is wrong in your calculations?

how do you feel you’re fueling your body if it is not cals or burning muscle or fat?

Well done OP - you’ve lost 13lbs and built a great fitness routine.
why don’t you focus on body composition and get your PT to do a body comp analysis once a month? Your plateau sounds like you’re laying down some muscle - which is heavier than fat - and your body shape is changing for the better so you’re losing body fat. You won’t necessarily see that on the scales for a while, but the body comp should show you fat percentage dropping and lean muscle mass going up.

Don’t be disheartened. The rate of change on the scales does slow after the initial big drop with weight loss, but if you stay the course it will work. It’s only been 17 weeks of so this year and you’ve made a lot of progress.

My PT said it’s all a part of it.

I just find it so frustrating because I only have two weeks of the month where I can truly lose. I retain so much water ahead of my period and it then takes a week or so to come off.

My PT said it’s all a part of it.

I just find it so frustrating because I only have two weeks of the month where I can truly lose. I retain so much water ahead of my period and it then takes a week or so to come off.

No way i could eat all those carbs and still lose weight.
You still get a load of 'carbs' even without bread and pasta etc, you really don't need to add them on "for cardio".

Not sure if anyone has said this as I haven’t read all the replies but if you are exercising (which it sounds like you are) you could be gaining muscle as you loose fat. Muscle weighs more than fat so you might find you hit a certain weight and stay there for a while until you stop gaining as much muscle and carry on loosing fat. Ignore the scales, one pint of water weighs one pound, so if you have a big wee before weighing yourself the scales will show a loss. If you drink a pint of water then get on the scales it will show a gain.
concentrate on how your clothes feel and your body looks, don’t worry about the scales and keep doing what you are doing

Well done on the weight loss so far! I’m sure you’re tracking your calories really accurately. When I was 19 stone I couldn’t lose any weight unless I ate below 1400 calories a day. Science would say otherwise but this truly demonstrates the chronic nature of obesity/insulin resistance/other factors at play.

I’ve lost 5 stone with mounjaro - not saying you need to go down the injection route but it was the only way of stabilising and sorting my metabolism effectively enough to let go of the weight. Eating 1600 calories a day so more than I would have previously too!

You could eat your daily deficit made up of just entirely bread and lose weight long term.

But do you track your calories, OP?!!!! 🙄😂

It's frustrating that people aren't listening to you.

Can I ask how long you've been at 16 stone? If it's been a while, your body might've settled at a new higher set point and the weight will be harder and take longer to shift. You might also have developed insulin resistance. It's a sod to deal with.

How often are you weighing yourself too? If it's daily, drop it to a week. There's a reason Joe Wicks calls it "The Sad Step" – we give far too much power over to the numbers on it. If your clothes fit better and your fitness is improving, focus on those for now and less on what the scale tells you.

Stop eating " lots of lovely sourdough ", it's just bread...if I ate lots of bread I'd put weight on.

Sure, try that then.

You need to divorce the exercise from the weight, the exercise will not be making a difference to your weight. Great to do for your health of course.

Have you had your thyroid checked? It’s a simple blood test to check you thyroid stimulating hormone level, it might be worth ruling it out at least.

Maybe try focusing on other areas of health and see where that gets you? Are you sleeping well? Are you making good choices for gut health?