Can't seem to shift last lbs

[thiswanderlustgirl]

I've been eating 1200 calories a day since September plus working out in a bid to loose ideally a stone/1.5 stone. I've lost 12lbs so far but in the past 3 weeks my weight has stuck. It goes down a tiny bit then bounces back to this 'stuck' weight and I just can't shift anymore. I'm doing 5 workout sessions a week, (plus weights), 10k steps and being very strict on 1200 cals a day but it's not shifting any longer. It's really frustrating.

Do i need to eat more/workout less?
Any advice would be appreciated! :)

Ur post and my post today are the same. And I’m still confused about the answer.

What are the "workout sessions" you're doing?
As all workouts are not equal. Eg if you're running 10 miles five times a week I'd be baffled if you're not losing weight, whereas if you're going to Body Pump or something that would make more sense.

I'm doing 35 mins cardio so a mix of stair stepper, bike & cross trainer. Then around 20 mins weights in same session.

it worked for first 12lbs but its super frustating that the same routine is now doing nothing, i don't really want to go less than 1200 cals either

Oh no! What are we doing wrong 😢🙈

Lift weights, heavy weights. Deadlifts, squats, bench press. Your body will change shape, you'll lose fat, gain muscle.

Meant to add, and you won't need to eat less calories than you are now. You'll need the muscle for fuel

What's your BMI?
If it's lower, your body will be more reluctant to reduce the weight than if you're more overweight.

How many calories does your body need? This will depend on your height, weight, general activity level and the exercise. Exercise burns fewer than you think, and less if you're smaller and older.

What are the calories that you're eating? Your body will respond differently to different nutrients. A diet high in fibre and protein with some healthy fats will encourage fat burning more efficiently than a low calorie, diet with lots of starchy carbs and ultra-processed "diet" foods. Eating a bit less than your body needs consistently on nutritious foods lasts longer than dramatic losses on restrictive diets based on arbitary numbers.

What is the focus of your exercise?
Any exercise is great for the body, but different programes will have different benefits. Your current plan sounds good for general health, but not necessarily targeted to fat loss. Focusing some sessions more on strength and increasing weights will be good for muscle mass (although will increase muscle density aka weight, but has the benefit of increasing general metabolic rate helping fat loss). A plan should progress and not repeat exactly the same thing week in week out. "Zone 2" conversational pace aerobic exercise is more efficient at using fat as an energy source than more intense cardio which uses glucose.
Do different types of workouts on different days, so some more strength based, some more cardio based.
Don't eat exercise calories back- especially if they're based on gym machine measures. Watch metrics are better but can still be generous

What other measures do you use? Scales don't tell you what your body is made of. I've gained a few lb of muscle and overall weight this year, but the tape measure shows my waist has lost fat which is the more important health measure. Photos show that my body is looking smoother and more toned. There's more to measuring progress than scales.

A stone is 14 lbs. 1.5 stone is 21 lbs.
From 1 Sept to end November is about 12 weeks.
12 lbs in 9 weeks is a very fast rate of loss unless you started huge.
More info about age & current weight & height could be useful.

I found running for at least an hour a great way to burn lots of calories. This combined with weights/total body type workouts.