900 calories a day

[BroadDaylight]

I run around 100 miles a month and do a 30-minute HIIT three times a week, and 15 minute dumbbell workout every morning.

I eat healthily, no junk food, nothing processed and cook from scratch. I log my food and my daily calories are between 1200-1500 a day but I'm just maintaining, even with exercise.

I am still a stone (maybe a little more) overweight and it's making me depressed. I can't shift it.

I've read that because of my height (5'1) I need to reduce my calories to 800-900 per day, has anyone had success this way?

OP, starvation mode is something that comes with being underweight. It brings depression, lethargy, a feeling of cold, and hair loss with it. The weight loss industry has made more of it so that they can make more money.

I don't think you're in starvation mode.

Metabolism drops as weight drops, because it doesn't take as many calories to run a small body as it does to run a big body. So, x calories might be enough to lose weight at the start of a diet, but eventually with weight loss, x calories is maintenance. You have to do periodic recalculations to ensure consistent weight loss.

The facts are, if you're maintaining body fat, you're eating enough calories to maintain your body at its current energy expenditure. So, you may need to recalculate. 500cal per day is 1lb per week. This isn't a magic number though - you don't have to lose 1lb per week!

Investigate whether it's skin or fat round your middle, because it is surprising that you are maintaining fat with your current calorie intake and expenditure. If it's fat, lift weights to build muscle. Muscle burns calories, fat doesn't.

Have you tried metabolic confusion, eg mixing carb days, protein days, low cal and high cal days? I’m fairly short too and find my body gets used to things v quickly,( I even have to mix my shampoo up as my hair gets really crap if I use the same one loads).

I’ve never been overweight so I can’t comment on losing weight over the long term. But whenever I have put on a bit and need to lose it 1000 cals is about the max.

I don’t count cals but work out roughly that I must be below it. Fruit, spirulina shakes, soup and then one meal a day of either lean protein + veg or complex carbs + veg. One hour’s exercise a day - doesn’t seem to matter what it is - dance workout, walking on treadmill. I lose a pound a week. It’s never not worked.

Is lifting weight different to dumbbell workouts? Thanks for all your help and advice. :)

Have a look into calorie cycling, that could help you

You don't mention your age OP- in my 20s I lost 50lbs, over 6 month, with a measurable weight loss each week. In my 40s I needed to loose 28lbs, that took 6 months too and I would go weeks with zero weight loss. Now in my 50's I have 28 lbs to loose and have only managed to loose 5lbs, after months of diet and exercise. Yet as my earlier weight loss shows I know how to diet, it's just as you get older it genuinely gets harder. But is you need a boost make celery soup and it before each meal and have it as a snack

Oh and yes to the 1200-1500 calories maintenance for shorter women, if I want to drop a few pounds eg after holiday etc I tend to have to go 800 calories plus any exercise calories

I've had some real success on 16:8.

I've lost almost a stone in four weeks.

@BroadDaylight

Is lifting weight different to dumbbell workouts? Thanks for all your help and advice. :)

Sort of (it depends what you do in your dumbbell workouts), I used free weights for bicep curls but my workouts mainly involved the barbell. So squats, deadlifts, bench press, shoulder press, then pull ups/leg press/calf machine. Basically all the stuff the blokes do! You do 3 sets of 8-12 reps and then add more weight when it becomes easy. I got quite toned and lost weight, and it didn't feel as exhausting/thankless as cardio did.

Dumbbell workouts are good, but make sure you hit the big muscles (quads and hamstrings/glutes)

Building triceps is good for looking toned, but a big fat tricep won't burn very many calories because it's a little muscle. A well toned set of upper leg/thigh muscles will really up your calorie requirement/burn your fat.

Look up squats, lunges, deadlifts. Use the dumbbells, work to near-failure. Make sure you look up proper form too, so you don't get injured.

What’s your macro breakdown? Protein V Carbs V Fat

@BeijingBikini

There's advantages to dumbbells and to barbells for all of those exercises. One isn't better than the other.

You need to shift the weight on your middle - so you need to do 5 mins abs after your cardio every single day. You'll gradually build up to 10 mins abs on some days.
I rotate the following - ABS: lower tummy, six pack, sides, all-round tummy.
After my cardio, I do 5 mins shoulders, glutes, arms, thighs on alternate days. My entire workout is usually at the moment 25 to 30 mins per day. I then do some press-ups randomly. And I walk a lot.
Pilates is great for core strength and losing belly fat - as is yoga.

Have a look at Jason Fung's explanation of the two compartment problem on YouTube. Explains about how fat is burned, and about intermittent fasting.

Definitely worth a try.

100 miles per month and 900cals per day sounds like a recipe for disaster if I'm honest.

If you took 2 people of same height and weight, but person A had been that weight all their life, and person B had become that weight quite recently by losing weight, person B would need 10-20% fewer calories to maintain than person A. There's a term for this, but I can't remember what it's called. Person B will eventually need more calories to maintain, same as person A, but it can take up to 2 years IIRC.

Also, if you've increased you mileage and/or amount of exercise recently, you body will hold on to more water as it's trying to adapt/repair. It will let go eventually, but for me it can take up to a month!

I would stick to certain number of calories, say 1000, for 2-3 weeks, and see if that makes any change, and then re-evaluate if needed.

I wish to God, I had never , ever started dieting as a 14 year old. Its no life.

You're probably also carrying fluid - cut out salt completely for a day and see if you pee like a racehorse the following day.

Thanks so much. What you're saying makes such sense about arm muscles being smaller; I will add more squats/lunges etc and try to build more strength quads/hams/glutes.

Get your thyroid checked

I would look up carb cycling.

You need to do more 5 min abs workouts! And cut out salt. Throw your salt cellar out now.

@BroadDaylight

Luckily my diet is healthy with good fats, complex carbs and lots of variety with my (plenty of) veg. I saw a great registered dietitian that helped inspire me and set my calories to what they are now.

I read that starvation mode is a myth?

That's amazing you have a flatter stomach now after your twins :)

You are not eating enough. You're really not.

Find a dietitian or nutritionist..(not sure of the difference and can't be bothered googling) that calls themselves a feeder!! They are the ones who get results!! Their client body transformations are insanely good compared to those who give their clients restricted calorie plans!

Okay, I'll add abs workout too, and cut out salt. :)

Get a thyroid test. OP, this happened to me when I went on a diet, and by the time I'd had to go onto 800 cals a day to stop putting weight on, the GP gave in. Even though he - and everyone else - didn't believe me.

You lose a stone when the pills work - 10-14lb is average.