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?

Well done!
I don't think I saw you say how long you'd been plateaued for?
I hit a plateau this time last year and the only thing I changed was my protein intake - realised I wasn't eating enough so I changed things around and whilst calories stayed the same I ate more protein and lost another 9lbs without much effort taking me to where I am maintaining now.

Well done OP 👌

It had been a good four weeks (which I should’ve taken as an encouraging sign to be honest as I maintained around my period)

😆
Im sorry I shouldn't laugh, but this thread has been an epic shitshow saga and all for a tiny stall that really doesn't even count as a plateau. I get why you started the thread but I wonder if you have any regrets after the way it went 😆😆
4 weeks isn't a stall worth worrying about.

I think for me as it’s been so linear for me I really didn’t understand why it stayed so long, when nothing had changed. Bodies are weird eh

Its given me a good laugh in places!

@justmeandthedogs Good for you! That's great news

Pleased for you OP. Well done for sticking thru it.
BTW, nutracheck magazine this month has an article about set point theory...which may apply for you?

4lb down in 2 days I think shows that our weight fluctuates for more reasons than just food or exercise.

Well done.
One thing I've invested in during my recent diet is a very accurate weighhing scale.
I decided I couldn't trust my old one.

Great to read your update and you've started to lose again.

Did you actually change anything in the past few days? You mentioned a couple of times you were going to try some suggestion, I wonder if you actually did and this kick started your metabolism again?

Nope, I didn’t get round to it. Went on a run yesterday afternoon but that’s about it

Well maybe not kill you, but certainly prime your metabolism to go into fat storage mode and increase your hunger pangs later in the morning. I switched to full fat greek yoghurt, sprinkle of seeds, large spoonful of peanut butter mixed in or handful of walnuts and occasionally some thawed berries. The breakfast itself is probably at least 620kcal which sounds like a lot but I'm often not hungry until the evening as I don't get much of a glucose/insulin spike.

Storing weight around the middle/finding it hard to lose weight and getting more hair under the chin can be signs of insulin resistance (even without prediabetes/diabetes setting in). If you look up the symptoms of PCOS and you're getting similar symptoms, it might be caused by insulin resistance.

I find bread is my enemy and when I replace bread/pasta/potatoes fully with broccoli/salads with nuts/ beans/lentils etc, my body completely changes shape and I lose a ton of weight, even with serving the same number of calories as I feel full and can't finish some meals. I also don't feel hungry between mealtimes. The way of eating is also anti-inflammatory and my headaches/muscle aches/brain fog completely settle.

Your pasta bakes, wholemeal sourdough bread and honey, fruit on its own without something to ameliorate the insulin spike it causes are likely making things more difficult for you when it comes to weight loss.

Pumpernickel or rye bread is much less likely to cause high insulin levels, but still better to eat in moderation and at the end of a meal and eat the fibrous things e.g. vegetables at the beginning of the meal. You would likely get earlier feelings of satiety if you eat fibrous foods (but not any form of cereals, including Weetabix/muesli)> protein and fat > then your carbs at the end.

Do whatever works for you but be aware of insulin resistance as the enemy of weight loss.

I totally relate to your paragraph about bread @borborygmus1

Well I’m down another 5lbs since I posted this thread and I ate bread yesterday!

You ended up in A&E because you fasted ? Really, how long did you fast for?
It's you that's not happy with your body, why the obsession to lose weight, can you not just carry on as you are getting fitter and stronger?

I used to struggle with eating when I was young and would eat 200-300 calories a day. I passed out on my way to uni one day

Out of curiosity, do you always weigh yourself every day or is this just because you have become frustrated?

I weighed myself once and 10 minutes later went for a big number 2. Decided to weigh myself again for a laugh and had lost 0.4kg 😂

I would imagine a once-a-week weigh-in would suffice - you don’t want to become obsessive about it - and you will have more chance of seeing the number drop!

Weighing every day is better as you can actually track the downward trend. Say the first week you weigh on a “light day” and the next week you weigh on a “heavy day” (bloating, constipated etc) you end up thinking you’ve gained 4lbs but if you had tracked it, you have actually lost
i also find it takes the emotion out of it

I can fluctuate up to 4lbs on a single day. If I weighted myself once a week, there will be no chance in hell for me to see the actual trend. Weighting every day is not obsessive, just like it is not obsessive to brush your teeth every day or take a shower. You hop on a scale, you register information and you get on with the rest of your day.

I agree. I don't worry if I go up a pound one day as I know I'll probably go back down the next day. I'm a daily weigher and I just watch the trend over time.

I weigh myself most mornings. Depends on if I’ve pooed or not 😂

Good to hear the different reasonings on daily v weekly weigh-ins. I go for the same time/day each week - Friday morning so I’ve had as long as possible to get rid of any bloating from my Saturday ‘treat day’ 😂

Give up adding salt to any food at all. Try to eat less than 2g a day (rda is 6) contained naturally in the foods you eat. You can track it via nutrition counting ap. This made a massive difference to me. Excess salt you consume is stored in your tissues and it takes 3g of water to store a g of salt. If you stop eating so much of it your body will use your stored reserves releasing the water in the process. Make sure you eat potassium rich foods (banana/pumpkin etc) to aid the release of the stored salt via your wee. Drink lots and lots of water so your body has a chance to release the excess salts as wee. Give yourself the opportunity to sweat out as much salt as possible.

Are you really ‘fat’ or are you really water logged, storing salt?

The weight fell off my joints, neck and face when I did this…

Good luck!

She weighs almost 16 stone. Do you actually think she's a 10 stone woman with 6 stone of water weight? Come on.

Yep. A good amount of the overweight will be water being used to store the salt. Not all but a good amount. Addressing this issue could assist on her weight loss journey. Dieters often avoid sugary foods and lean in on salty snacks. So they lose fat but gain water at the same time. This can feel really disheartening. Especially of you are unaware of the role of excess salt in the diet.