Why am I not loosing weight?

[GColdtimer]

I have a stone to loose. Last month I have:

Cut out most alcohol,
Cut out bread, pasta, biscuits, crisps and crap generally
Have protein smoothly for breakfast, soup for lunch, healthy high protein low carb dinner
Have been doing exercise 3-4 times a week (good mixture of spin, strength, etc).

Probably been eating between 1200-1500 calories per day, all if which are good calories.

Not lost an ounce.

Any ideas? This is a constant problem with me.

Hmm, I have three thoughts on this

1. Not eating enough - up the protein, and natural fats (salmon, avocado, nuts olive oil etc)

1. the whole muscle denser than fat, not lost pounds but are your clothes looser- try gauging it with a pair of tight jeans/fitted top

1. maybe you are at your body's natural happy weight and your body doesn't want to loose any more!!

Hope this is helpful/reassuring!!!!

Thanks plumstone. Everyone tells me I look like I have lost weight and I feel clothes fit me better so I suppose the exercise could have done that.

Will maybe try upping protein at lunch rather than all the veggie soups.

I am sure number 3 isn't the case - 5ft and 9st12, heavier than when I was 9 months pg with dd1!!

Will take measurements and track those. Just those bloody scales are getting on my nerves!

Another question (I know I am talking to myself ). Does water really help weight loss? I probably don't drink enough.

Sometimes it takes a while but then a whole load suddenly drops off. It did with me so dont be discouraged.

Are you tracking your calories properly or just estimating them? It might be an idea to use My Fitness Pal or similar just to be sure you are keeping to as few calories as you think.

Are you drinking enough water?

Do you have healthy snacks in between meals to keep your energy levels up and keep hunger at bay?

What about portion sizes?

(I should practice what I preach )

Probably not enough water - does it really help?

Yep using MFP and am having a handful of nuts or protein between meals so 3 meals, 2 small snacks a day.

Good to know it might all just happen. It's so de motivating.

I hate scales - they are the tool of the devil - I use a very tight pair of red size 10 jeans - bought (don't laugh) for the purpose of "arse sizing" (they were bought from a shop with generous sizing)

I am at best a small 12 which means the jeans go up and do up but I would never go out publicly in them (think two rounds of edam!!) This means in my little world, that all my curves are at their optimum level!!

Currently a 14/16 and the jeans have been banished to the bottom drawer, I need to get my current jeans (Next, skinny, size 14) to be a tad looser stop leaving marks on waist so the "arse sizers" can see the light of day!!!

Years ago the tape measure was the best way that I found, I measured waist, hips and thighs had a number in mind and as long as I didn't go above life was full of fluffy bunnies, sunshine, gin and low cal tonic!!! Good Luck x

I like that idea plumstone!!

I might just ditch the scales, am actually feeling quite good and scales just make me want to head for biscuit tin. I have some old jeans like that - I might take your approach.

Hmm what's going in that smoothie?

Typically soy milk, small banana, handful of frozen berries. Maybe some flax or some oats or 1 teaspoon nut butter.

Try low carb for lunch and no carb for dinner.
1500 would be too much for me to eat and lose weight. Ditch the snacks and put the nuts in the meals.

Thanks coffee, looked back on MFP and it's actually 1200 per day mostly. Not sure I want to eat less than that but will try no carb dinner.

Fair enough heartsinaspade, have always wondered about the nott eating enough theory. What do you think is the answer then?

The answer is that you're eating too many calories to lose weight. I would suspect you're not logging portion sizes correctly, at a guess.
If you're also eating all your exercise calories back, that would explain it, as mfp is a bugger for overestimating how much you burn from exercise.
You are only short, so 1500 cals a day will be maintenance for you, not loss. I maintain on around 1400 net cals, and I'm 5ft 6ins.
But weight loss can and is a slow thing, when done properly.
For example, it took me seven months to lose a stone recently - 2lb a month. Just keep doing what you're doing, be honest with portions and snacks, and it will happen.
Also, ignore the "not eating enough" nonsense, it's dangerous!

Also, exercise - what are you actually doing? If you're only moving 3-4 times a week, and some of that is weights, up it to 30 mins a day of cardio (even if low intensity) with weights on top.

Exercise, sadly, doesn't make a huge amount of difference, and three to four 1-hour sessions a week isn't really going to dent the sides.

I have recently significantly increased the amount of exercise I do, and I haven't lost any weight, as I am eating a bit more due to being more hungry.

I don't need to lose weight and am pretty much at my body's natural weight anyway, so didn't really expect to lose much. I'm more doing it to be fit, healthy, active, toned, etc, now that I'm in my 40s.

But, the fact of the matter is, weight loss/maintenance is (IMO) 90% diet, 10% exercise. I do also agree with hill82 that you probably are eating more than you think you are. That's almost inevitable when you increase the amount of exercise you do.

Thanks everyone. Am going to be more diligent on MFP and not eat more to compensate for exercise. Will try a straight 1200 calories everyday with high protein, low carb and keep on what I am doing.

I went back to my logs and have lost 1lb since January 8th and a few inches so obviously doing something right.

And thanks for that link. I have had people saying "you are not eating enough" and I just couldn't't see how that was true. After all, my friend who went through a divorce recently lost about a stone in two weeks after her partner left because she just couldn't eat. Surely if starvation mode was true she woulnd't have lost anything. But it was bothering me so thanks.

Im 5ft1" and I went on a calorie controlled diet 1200 cals for 3 weeks. I didn't lose a single pound. I think if you are short you need to cut right back on calories. My mini-experiment showed me that 1200 cals was not low enough for me. Because this is difficult to have this few calories, I find low carb diets work better because then you are not hungry.

Thanks janice I fear the same could be true for me. Will try being deligent on calorie counting.

never eat back for exercise - you have 10,000 calories stored across your hip - that is your reserve

no snacking
three small or two medium meals per day

drink plenty of water

if not hungry when you wake up, do not eat - wait till lunch
but drink plenty

Are you sure calories aren't slipping in through drinks? I often catch myself having bsentmindedly chugged down DD's leftover orange juice- that's 100 calories, right there!

maybe you are pregnant? I was