Low cal diet & no weight loss

[Raintonrebel]

Hi all!

I recently signed up to my local gym on one of their transform programmes where you can lose a set amount of weight in 6 weeks. This is a combination of an eating plan they give you and attending 3 gym sessions a week. The diet is all clean eating (chicken and turkey, brown rice, greens etc) but works out roughly 1200 cals a day. I lost 5lbs in my first week but for the last 3 weeks it's going back on!

Before this I did slimming world and I had a consistent 2lbs a week weight loss but now I'm really deflated that things have halted. I know there is always an element of body shock when you start exercising but I'm actually concerned that my body had gone into starvation mode and is holding onto everything. I'm regularly burning 2400cals plus daily... but at only taking in 1200 calories I think there's too big a deficit.

I'm tempted to go back to my SW plan where I had a bigger calorie intake but still ate healthily and continue the exercise plan.

The inches are definitely coming off but you can't see inches written down can you. ☹

All advice welcome!!

RR xx

It could be water retention particularly if you have also upped your exercise. Starvation mode is a complete red herring. You are in a calorie deficit so should be losing fat, that doesn't always show up on the scales so it is also worth taking measurements.

Thanks @lemonandlimes. I've always drank a lot of water so wasn't sure about that. It's just so disheartening when my fellow transform members are losing 4-5lbs every week and I see them getting all excited and I can't join in that.

Siiiiiiggh....

Sorry @lemonsandlimes123

But you're losing inches! That's a pretty good indicator of success!

Are you by any chance drinking or eatings foods containing artificial sweeteners? If the response if yes, with even only a tiny sachet once a day in you tea, you might have found the reason. Watch this video nutritionfacts.org/video/effect-of-sucralose-splenda-on-the-microbiome/ detailing dozens of medical studies on artificial sweeteners and gut micro biome. And this would also explain why at first you lost weight then stopped. A week might have been all it took to change your species.
Go for prebiotic foods such as asparagus (don't peel them) , onions, leeks (don't bin the green, put them on a tray with smocked paprika and put them in the oven) , artichokes, endives, .. increase also you overall vegetables, and try to eat you brown rice cold. Cook it th night before and leave in fridge overnight. Cold rice is a resistant starch which favours good bacteria

There are millions of photos online of people who have stayed the same weight, or even put on weight and look loads better because they have been exercising. While you might not be seeing your efforts you are clearly doing something correct by losing inches.

This is a great artical on 'starvation mode' www.healthline.com/nutrition/starvation-mode#section4

Muscle weighs more than fat.. if the inches are coming off it sounds like you are getting stronger and leaner- this will be from your work outs. Ignore the number on the scales and go by how your clothes fit and your body shapes with the inch loss