Why am I so heavy?

[Souvlaki]

I weigh just under 11.5 stone and I’m about 5 ft 6. I do HIT almost daily. I hardly sit down - very active. I don’t calorie count but I don’t overeat and really rarely have stuff like biscuits. I’ve got naturally terrible legs abs work hard to keep fit . Why oh why can I
Not get below 70!Kg? Anyone else weigh this much with similar lifestyle?

No my family are all slim.

You can be slim with type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes, btw.

I would do My Fitness Pal and weigh and measure portions and track everything you eat and drink. It's the only way to find out if you have a calories deficit or if for some reason your metabolism isn't working "normally" and needs investigating.

You may end up being surprised that you consume more calories than you think.

11.5 stone at 5 foot 6 inches doesn't sound particularly heavy too me. it sounds entirely about right. Practically perfect in every way.

Read James Smith's book Not a Diet Book, it'll give you direction.

I use MyFitnessPal and log everything when I have a few lb to lose. I stick to 1200 calories a day plus the extra it adjusts for exercise - it's connected to my Garmin so knows my step count plus my runs.

What the heck are naturally terrible legs? Do you mean developed thighs with just a bit of feminine softness?

You sound like you may be reasonably muscular with good bone density. Perfect body, skinny does not mean healthy.

What does "naturally terrible legs abs" mean? Terrible legs and abs? And "I don't seem to be able to eat abs" - is that form abs?

I think you have to be very slim to have visibly toned abs, especially if you're older.

To lose weight I always had to feel hungry at some point of the day, and 'not really full' the rest of the day. I don't think it's possible to lose weight if you're not feeling hungry. Perhaps it's possible if it's over a very long time (years..?) But I don't think it's bad or unnatural to feel a bit hungry. We all eat too much generally, much more than we need.

I like my FitBit and the app for monitoring calories. It automatically works out calories burned from my steps/exercise and I then log my food. It keeps a running total over the course of the day, so I can see if I’m under/over for the day. So this morning I logged the food I planned to eat and could see at lunchtime I was 300 calories over target, so I went out for a walk to get it back on track.

Yes, what’s terrible about your legs?

Where on your body do you store fat?

What are your fitness/looks goals?

I would take a moment and think why are you focusing on what the scales say? Honestly your weight seems fine. Go by how your clothes fit and how healthy you are. Take measurements of your legs, as hips and waist to monitor whether you're losing fat or not and take photos in a bikini so you can see progress, if that's whats worrying you but I would ignore what the scales say. You're obviously fit as you work out. I (pre pregnancy) weighed the same and the same height. I was doing hiit regularly and weight stayed the same but I did shrink a few inches all over and gradually slimmed a bit and then plateuead. Try Pilates or yoga as they do wonders for muscle tone and posture which give grace and poise. But honestly don't fret about how you look so much. Would you be so hard on your friend if she came to you saying the same thing about herself? Be kind to yourself.

Also it's very important to give your body a rest day to build muscle. Building muscle means your burn more calories at rest. Have at least one day a week where you don't do hiit and maybe just do stretches and work on posture.

I'm same height and normally 10st 7 and look a perfectly reasonable size 10-12 clothed a less attractive vision of stretch marks, veins and wobbles underneath and carrying an extra half stone since Christmas. I definitely look better nearer 10stone than 11 and whilst I'm not large, I don't have the same confidence so do know what you mean. It sounds like you are maintaining which is great day-to-day but not if you need to lose a few pounds! Sadly, calories in vs calories out is the only answer - MFP or similar logging app will work and I'd need to work on a 500 calorie deficit to shift it at a steady 2-3lbs a week.

How do people find the time to do 3 fitness classes 5 times a week plus other exercise? Genuine question as I don't have time for half an hour! (I am up at 630 as it is)

I’ve managed to lose weight by quitting alcohol and stopping eating after the kids go to bed. That was when I caved. I exercise twice a week (3 times when the gym is open).
I’ve 2 kids and in my 40s and agree with those saying the way to lose it is to allow yourself to feel hungry. It wasn’t until I stopped eating junk in the evenings that I managed to end that junk = high healthy = low cycle of feeding.
Now I’m finally happy with my body.

Some people are just heavy. I was an 8-10 and training for the army and weighed a lot more than you! I’m fat now but still considerably smaller than others who weigh the same. My daughter is the same, she’s a whole head shorter than her friends but weighs about twice as much.

I think it depends on your frame size and build, too. My sister and I are both 5ft 4". I am 8.5 stone and a size 8-10, whilst she can never get her weight below 10 stone yet is a size 10. She seems to naturally weigh more than me but is a similar size.

11.5 stone at 5 foot 6 inches doesn't sound particularly heavy too me. it sounds entirely about right. Practically perfect in every way.

It's 4lbs into the overweight range according to to the NHS BMI calculator.

Five pounds.

I'm a bit of an evangelist for Michael Mosely's "Fast 800" method (no relation, honest!). You lose initial weight pretty quickly, then can move into the gentler "maintenance" phase. There's an element of Keto but is not strict and you eat proper food. Also includes Time Restricted Eating and it turns out my late dinners were just as problematic as the calorie content.
I've just used it to drop my 7lb Xmas weight (in about 8 days) and it took no longer to lose the weight than the last time I did it (pre-lockdown) when I was playing netball 3 times a week!! I've just come to the conclusion that whilst exercise is obviously great for physical & mental health, it has so much less of an impact on our weight than we'd like - even hardcore stuff like HIT!
I am really missing plating sport though.

For me, the only way I lose weight is to eat 1200 calories or less and exercise (I run 30-40k per week and do strength training 3 days). Everything I eat is logged on mfp, down to the last almond (yes, I count them!). I also do intermittent fasting 18:6. I’m a bit older than you and unfortunately it is harder the older you get. When the gyms are open again I also plan to start lifting weights to build more muscle.

Please list exactly what you eat for us

I think it all depends on genetics/your frame/ your metabolism. I am 5ft 6 and have been 7.5st for the past 6-7 years. I eat healthily but don’t count calories, eat a lot of fatty calorific things like avocados, coconut oil, bananas. I eat carbs- a lot if pasta/ rice/ bread, occasional cake here and there. I naturally am not too keen on sugar and sugary things so don’t eat sweets very often. But i eat mostly the same amount as my 6ft muscular husband, minus the odd protein bars he has here and there. I will occasionally put on a couple of kilos if i am reaaaallly operating on holiday or over christmas. But i loose it as soon as i get back to my normal routine. I often don’t feel hungry in the morning if i had too much for dinner so i skip breakfast.

*overeating not operating🙄
I do an occasional yoga and a mini workout (like 15-20 min full body workout once or twice a week)

Too many calories