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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Weight loss has stalled

89 replies

downloadtoad · 26/06/2026 08:21

I’m 5.4ft and weigh 11stone, I have lost 8 pounds recently over the last couple of months or so by being in a calorie deficit, I would say my body has got used to this as I can no comfortably go without snacking and just eat main meals.
For example yesterday I ate -
piece of toast and a protein shake
Greek yogurt with flax seed and blueberries
for lunch I had a tuna salad
dinner was actually a bbq, I usually let myself have carbs etc for tea.
I’ll usually have another protein shake in the afternoon.

I haven’t been calorie tracking for a while now but I was trying to initially stay under 1500 but I found it miserable, so I’d say it’s around 1800 calories, some days less.

What am I doing wrong ? You would think the weight should be falling off but it’s definitely stalled.

If relevant I do have pcos and bloat terribly from carbs, even the good ones. I also take metformin for insulin resistance due to the pcos.

OP posts:
IwanttoWFH · 27/06/2026 08:51

You’re eating the wrong things/too many calories. Do you need the slice of toast (what are you putting on it?) plus the protein shake and the Greek yogurt for breakfast? Plus the protein shake in the afternoon?
You should eat meals that mean you are full so don’t need to snack.

Try making overnight oats for breakfast with Greek yogurt, oats, a scoop of protein powder and fruit to keep you full. Lunch could be something with a small amount of carbs to keep you full (sweet potato is a good choice). Snack on fruit etc.

Re exercise, Pilates is not going to help you lose weight. Weight training is the best for this. I started 2.5 years ago and it’s been revolutionary for me.

RoseField1 · 27/06/2026 09:12

downloadtoad · 27/06/2026 08:04

Yes my tdee was 2000calories

Where did you get the figure of 1800 to lose? You could theoretically lose on 1800 if you tracked very strictly but it would be really slow. If you aim for 1500 and track you should lose 1lb a week.

InfoSecInTheCity · 27/06/2026 09:23

Hang on, when you say ‘stalled’ what do you mean? A stall would be staying the same for about 4 weeks. If you are looking at shorter term data than that then it could be:

  • hormonal
  • water retention caused by - heat, exercise
  • reduced sleep (who can sleep in this bloody heat)
  • increased stress

Ll of these things change how your body breaks down fat, processes and removes water and as such impact what the scales say.

i always go up the week before my period, then the day that starts the scales go down again. If I have a heavy exercise day that makes my muscles ache then I know the scales will go up for the 3 days after because your body uses water to heal the muscles so it hoards it. If I’m not getting sleep and loads of water then I won’t lose weight.

TheJuryIsOut · 27/06/2026 09:29

At 11 stone and 5 foot 4 you're not far off being in the healthy weight category at all, it could just be that your body is happy being just a bit overweight. But as others said you need to drop your calories. I'm the same height and have gone from 14 stone 5 to 12 stone 3 by calorie counting since Christmas. I would probably put weight on if I ate 1800 calories. I've still got around a stone and a half to lose and I've also stalled a little bit because I've become more lax over the past few weeks. I really need to crack on with it again.

downloadtoad · 27/06/2026 10:37

RoseField1 · 27/06/2026 09:12

Where did you get the figure of 1800 to lose? You could theoretically lose on 1800 if you tracked very strictly but it would be really slow. If you aim for 1500 and track you should lose 1lb a week.

Sorry I should’ve made it clear on my op, I initially started doing 1500 but it was hard, made me miserable ! So I thought maybe if I do a smaller deficit, and it did work, but now the scales seem to have stopped going down, I’m stuck between 10.13 and 11 stone

OP posts:
Didimum · 27/06/2026 10:47

With a TDEE of 2000 calories, and a deficit of 200 calories a day, you’re going to be losing less than 2lb a month.

TDEE is only an estimated snapshot, as is a calorie goal in a day. It will fluctuate and see this rate become even slower.

I do suspect you’re eating too much unfortunately.

Didimum · 27/06/2026 10:48

downloadtoad · 27/06/2026 10:37

Sorry I should’ve made it clear on my op, I initially started doing 1500 but it was hard, made me miserable ! So I thought maybe if I do a smaller deficit, and it did work, but now the scales seem to have stopped going down, I’m stuck between 10.13 and 11 stone

How long have you been ‘stuck’ for?

RoseField1 · 27/06/2026 10:53

downloadtoad · 27/06/2026 10:37

Sorry I should’ve made it clear on my op, I initially started doing 1500 but it was hard, made me miserable ! So I thought maybe if I do a smaller deficit, and it did work, but now the scales seem to have stopped going down, I’m stuck between 10.13 and 11 stone

It will work if you track, but with such a small deficit you have a tiny margin for error. How long have you been stuck for?

downloadtoad · 27/06/2026 11:34

Didimum · 27/06/2026 10:48

How long have you been ‘stuck’ for?

Probably about 3 weeks

OP posts:
downloadtoad · 27/06/2026 11:34

RoseField1 · 27/06/2026 10:53

It will work if you track, but with such a small deficit you have a tiny margin for error. How long have you been stuck for?

About 3 weeks

OP posts:
Hoops123 · 27/06/2026 12:08

People amaze me with this sort of question, the answer is that you are eating too much (inc shakes as contains calories). Reduce your intake a lot and you will lose weight, it’s simple science

Backedoffhackedoff · 27/06/2026 12:13

The glucose goddess is full of shite- just a charlatan

the protein shakes are fine- I am
boggled as to why you’d swap them for 2 hard boiled eggs if you like them and they work for you.

you probably do need a more aggressive deficit to lose steadily, but don’t forget you will lose at 200 deficit, just more slowly. You might’ve stalled and will know slowly shift - it might be more like 1lb a month rather than a week. But it’s a marathon not a sprint, and if you want to keep it off take the time.

RoseField1 · 27/06/2026 12:21

downloadtoad · 27/06/2026 11:34

Probably about 3 weeks

But your deficit will only lead to under 0.5lb a week loss anyway even if you stick to it perfectly? So you aren't stalled at all?

Didimum · 27/06/2026 12:40

downloadtoad · 27/06/2026 11:34

About 3 weeks

Your small deficit won’t necessarily lead to weight loss in 3 weeks, plateaus are common after a couple of months of loss (they can last up to 5-6 weeks), all the above is more likely as you near the healthy weight range.

If you want more dramatic results, you need a more dramatic deficit. And to be patient around natural plateaus.

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