How am I not losing weight?!

[Fefifoefum]

So I began running (couch to 5k) 9 weeks ago, to begin with I was eating whatever and actually gaining weight. So I calculated my BMR (1900) ) and then settled on eating 1600 cals a day (I am 17 stone and 6ft currently).
I’ve been counting for 4 weeks now, I’ve not lost a single pound!!!!
I am now running 3x a week for 30 minutes and I have an active job, on my run days I allow myself a few more calories, but never over 2000.
I’m the fittest I’ve ever been. I’m careful to select nutrient rich food.
Helppppppp

Don't eat back your exercise calories as it's so hard to know exactly what you're burning and generally we overestimate calories burnt, just stick to eating 1600 and then anything extra from exercise is a bonus. You're running for 30 mins 3 times a week but eating an extra 400 calories a day - that more than cancels out the exercise!

Your calorie intake is simply too high. You say on run days you allow yourself "an extra few" but actually mean 400 extra. That's a lot, C25K is unlikely to be burning that many.

Re-examine your TDEE, weigh and count absolutely everything you eat and don't eat back your exercise calories.

Yes you really can't eat back your exercise calories.

When you say calorie counting, how are you doing it? You need to be really really honest with it or it won't work.

At your weight (no offence) it shouldn't be hard to lose weight initially, so something you are doing us going wrong and I'd bet it's that you are underestimating your calorie counting.

Well clearly you're eating more than you think.

Agree it’s unlikely you’re burning 400 calories doing a 30 minute run, so stop allowing yourself extra on run days.

Also look at how much you’re really eating, are your calculations sufficiently accurate? Even 100 calories in the wrong direction is going to ge a problem if consistent.

I'm a similar weight and am on week 4 of c25k. It's really depressing but I've had to go down to 1450 cals a day to see weight loss and no extras for exercise. Originally I was doing 1800cals (my fitness pal said it would work. They lied!) and had very little weight loss. What I have found is ok is to even it out over a few days so I had an ice cream the other day which took me 100 cals over so just shaved 50 cals off for the next two days and I still weighed in lighter. I'm currently down half a stone. Only another 6 to go 😂

So I stuck to 1600 calories this week religiously, weighing and measuring milk/spread EVERYTHING.
Still nothing.
I also upped my exercise to actually running 5k (at 11.5 min/mile) so about 35 minutes ish 4 times, I’m also working full time, on my work days I’m walking 20k steps too.
Like someone said, this shouldn’t be hard at this weight! I’ve never had a problem especially at the beginning, but I’ve never exercised.

Help me! I’m so disheartened,

Don't eat back your exercise calories- I was doing the same and lost nothing but the weight cane off when I stopped. I'd experiment with 1400 calories per day too.

The other thing is to take your measurements as you might see a difference there with exercise which doesn't always show up immediately on the scales.

What are you actually eating? Can you post one days food and drink?

You don't lose weight running. You lose weight by eating less. I stopped eating sugar 2 weeks ago and have lost 4 Ilbs. You could walk, stop eating sugar and lose weight.

If you're new to this much exercise then the tape measure will be your friend not the scales. Don't stop exercise . I've been having between 1400-1600 calories per day and exercising 30 minutes per day and going for an hour walk and the scales weren't budging so I've decided to do inch loss instead.

Yes just to share my experience as very similar to yours. I'm 5 foot 4 and 15 stone so feel a bit short changed too!
I started running 8 weeks ago - I can run 5k now, yay! Also calorie counting - average 1500 cals a day. According to my TDEE that puts me in a deficit of about 3000 cals a week, but no loss on the scales at all.
Luckily I have also been measuring and I've lost 10cm around my waist so I know I'm going in the right direction. It blows my mind that I can stay the same on the scale but be shrinking anyway.
Definitely measure as well and see how you get on.
I've now incorporated 16:8 as well to see if that helps shift some pounds.

I have been on a diet since January and running since mid - March (just graduated from couch 2 5k). Pretty much whatever everyone else said - you eat too much. Excercise does not help in losing weight (I mean, maybe it does but not to the extend we think). I had most success when I stuck to 1200kcal - I'm 168cm and 70kg, as soon as I started eating back my excercise calories, I stopped losing weight.

A 300kcal deficit a day is 2100 per week. 3600 deficit is needed for 1lb a week so you will lose incredibly slowly. And as others have said there's very little margin for error there in the calorie count and certainly no room to eat any exercise calories.
I've been eating 800kcal a day (Michael Moseley's fast 800 diet) for nearly 3 months now which I thought would be impossible but actually it's fine. Not suggesting you need to go that low but I'd definitely look at reducing your calorie target. What really helps to feel full is to keep carbs low and eat full fat dairy. I also just eat two meals a day - I do much better if I don't trigger my hunger in the morning by eating breakfast.

Quite simply put- you aren’t in a calorie deficit.

If you were you would be losing fat.

Are you saying you have just stayed at exactly 17 every week for weeks? No fluctuations? That would be unusual and it might be worth getting new scales.

clicked on this because I'm in the same boat and it is driving me mad, so painfully slow. The last time the only thing that got it moving was ''zig zag'' which was in an australian women's magazine!

So it says, if you're trying to stick to under 1600 and finding it hard but stuck at a plateau, then make it 1750 one day and 1500 the next day so you're alternating between a bit more and a bit less. That feast, famine, feast, famine way of eatign stops the metabolism getting slugging.

I'm going to get back on to it now. i'm on a 36 hour fast today, so although I'm trying to stay under 1500, tomorrow i'll eat 1650 and then the next day 1400

It worked for me last time. I'm hopeful. Dont' want to have to end up reducing my calories to zero!

I also think you need to look at where your calories are coming from. It's very well to eat 1600 calories but if that's all in cake, it's unlikely to allow for any weight loss. Why don't you try cutting out sugar and bread for example? Focus on eating protein and veg and stay away from processed foods and sugar. This may help you kick start the loss.
Intermittent fasting may also help your appetite decrease and in turn reduce the calories you're eating.

That's not enough exercise to have much of an impact if you're eating back your exercise calories. Your BMR is quite high and if you want to lose weight you need to go lower.

I absolutely need to stay under 1200 a day if I want to lose any weight whatsoever.

As other have said. You are eating too much. I actually don't rate counting calories as I find it too much of a fuss. I just cut out all carbs (bread, pasta, potatoes and rice) stopped eating loads of fruit and switched to veg to snack on, and cut out the crap. Its so much easier to follow.