Cheer me up a bit? Where am I going wrong?

[fat13]

I was 17 and a half stone at Christmas and have worked really hard to lose it. I lost a stone and a half pretty much without trying at the start of the year and when I saw February 1 was a Monday decided to go for it (logical, right!?) I know I weighed exactly 16 stone then.

Obviously the losses have slowed down and I’m now hovering around the 12 and a half mark but the scales just aren’t bloody moving and it’s driving me nuts!

I am on an 800 calorie a day plan, it’s those prepackaged shakes/soups etc so I know I’m not overeating.

I am active, I walk usually around 15,000 steps a day.

I just can’t think where I’m going wrong. Last week I made DH hide the scales as I was getting obsessive. That was Wednesday. I just got on the scales at the gym (yeah I know!) and I haven’t lost a pound!

I know I’ve done really well but it’s frustrating because the end is in sight now but it’s taking forever to get there!

Well - it’s not all that quick really. Six months, and I don’t seem to have particularly loose skin. I’m still pretty overweight as am only 5’2. According to the scales I’m now 12’10.

You're not listening op!

I’m not in school!

I would say it should take 2 years to lose 7 stone in a sustainable way. 4-5 stone in the first year, 2-3 in the second.

It probably depends on the diet and how much to lose - if you’re going from 15 stone to 8 then that’s different again. But how in 5 days have I gained 3lbs? I am absolutely baffled. Even worse when I stood on the scales in the kitchen I was 13 stone so I’m completely doubting myself now. I feel foolish.

You seem to be ignoring most of the advice you are being given but my advice would be to up your calories for a few days and see what happens. When I have been coached before and professional body builders cutting weight do this, when you're dieting and especially low carb which I assume you are, you deplete glycogen stores. To avoid plateaus or to come out of one often people will have a "refeed" ie a high carb cheat meal like pizza or burger and chips and also reduce your exercise for a day or two. You'll likely go up a few pounds the next morning (water weight from extra carbs not true weight gain) and then the next day should be down a few lower than before. But I agree 6 months on 800 cals you are destroying your metabolism. Your body adapts and will learn to function on this and use it more efficiently. You can "teach" your body to have higher maintenance calories. I'd suggest getting a coach/PT to lose the last few stone healthily and rebuild your metabolism so you can maintain your weight loss in the future.
When you have a lot to lose it's easy. When you have less to lose it's a lot harder.

Well, you're obviously becoming a bit obsessed. Again NOT HEALTHY. Sorry if that's not what you want you want to hear ...

@fat13

Starvation mode is a myth, do people still believe that?!

They do. And spout shit about it regularly.

Your body needs fuel to work - if it's not getting enough it burns fat. You don't see obese Ethiopians in starvation mode!!

But 800 cals a day is very unhealthy. Double it along with your exercise and you'll do and feel much better!

I don’t think I’m ignoring it, apart from the stuff about starvation mode which really isn’t a thing and I haven’t ignored it - I’ve addressed it and explained why it’s wrong.

But it’s not so much about advice but now I am emotionally, I don’t know if I’m conveying it badly but I feel almost like I’ve been cheated on, only by myself. I don’t know how much I weigh so I don’t really know how much I’ve lost.

chic I probably am tbh but I’ve been massive for years and actually sticking to this diet and turning things around for myself has been the best thing I’ve ever done. For the first time since the early part of this decade I am wearing clothes I like, not just what fits, am looking forward to starting a new job, even planning a wedding. And I know logically that’s all still there but it feels like it’s been taken from me.

*how I am.

@CovidCrow

Ok I shouldn't have used the term starvation mode but you know what I mean. The body gets used to what calories you're on and your metabolism slows.

It doesn't. Your body CANNOT get used to surviving on 800 cals a day. You lose weight until you're dangerously underweight by doing that.

Stop spouting pseudoscience.

I’d take body measurements and ditch the scale for a little while. You’re working out, probably gaining muscle (which weighs) and our weight fluctuates at different times of the day and month. Always weigh yourself in the exact same spot and never on a carpet.

Measure your waist, upper arms, wrists, thighs, calves, hips etc, make a note and don’t measure again for a week.

I’m not doing any resistance training though, so it won’t be muscle.

The scales are not the only measure of fat loss- are you taking body measurements every 2 weeks and a progress photo every month?
Try and stick to only weighing yourself in the same spot, once a day, straight after waking up and going to the loo- that will be your lightest weight. Changing the scales location or weighing multiple times a day will mess with your head.
Do you do any other exercise than the 15,000 steps? Your metabolism is fuelled by muscle mass so strength training is key to preserving muscle and boosting your metabolism.
On 800 calories a day for 6 months I’m guessing there’s been some muscle loss alongside the fat loss.
I’d up your calories for a month, eat 1g of protein per lb of your goal weight and make sure you’re drinking half your body weight in fl Oz of water eg if you weigh 168lbs you need to be drinking at least 84 fl Oz to remain adequately hydrated. Also make sure you’re getting a decent amount of fibre to keep things moving
Plateaus are normal, you can’t drop your calories any lower so look at other ways to get going again

@fat13

I know and I’m genuinely pleased for you but at the moment everyone losing would just make me feel like absolute shit. I’m really sorry if I sound ungrateful! It’s not like I’m saying oh, I ate a load of crisps and get support getting back on it. I have stuck to it but just isn’t working and I don’t really understand why!

Not everyone is losing. Some go three weeks or more at the same or even increasing me but it is a great thread with lots of advice, suggestions, support and friendship.

It did work for you but now it isn't as your metabolism has changed. Your body has got used to 800 calories. You need to restart everything ime.

It doesn't. Your body CANNOT get used to surviving on 800 cals a day. You lose weight until you're dangerously underweight by doing that.
Stop spouting pseudoscience.

So you're saying she should still be losing weight and will continue to do so?
(But she isn't because her calories are far too low. She needs to start again).

I retain water like crazy when I do cardio.

Hmm interesting! I’m just so confused by the lack of any loss. Most frustrating.

If you've been eating say 2,500 calories a day your body gets used to that, add in carrying excess weight around and your metabolism is working hard constantly trying to burn all those calories.

When you cut down to 800 calories your metabolism is still working at the same rate so you lose a LOT of weight in the beginning.

After a while though your metabolism says "oh right, this is all we're getting now, no need to work as hard" and it slows down, hence your weight plateaus. But you've nowhere to go from there because you can't cut 800 calories!

And that's not sustainable either and eventually your body starts turning none essential stuff off to keep the essential organs going, so your skin and hair goes to shit.

Say you hit your goal weight and go back up ti maintenance at say at say 1,200 calories, because your metabolism has slowed you pile weight back on until your metabolism catches up.

Hence the yo-yo diet!

Compare that with if you cut down from 2,500 to say 2,000 that's still a drop so you still lose weight just at a much slower rate. But because it's not such a drastic shock your metabolism pretty much stays working at the same rate, hence you get longer term sustained weight loss.

Even if your metabolism does slow slightly and your weight loss plateaus, because you're on 2,000 you still have some flexibility and can drop to say 1,800 calories.

There is no quick fix that is sustainable and there is no such thing as starvation mode.

There is a group on FB called Team RH. I don't agree with everything he says but he has some good videos explaining why not to restrict calories too much, when to do a refeed, etc
You need to be prepared to take advice on board and make some changes. Someone famous, but I can't remember who, said the definition of madness is to keep doing the same thing and expecting a different result

Bloody heck, you've done an awesome job of losing weight. Well done.
At some point you are going to have to start eating real food again and work out how to maintain a stable weight.
Could you try eating a diet suitable for a 10 stone woman. If you add some extra exercise in, you will lose weight slowly, tone up and hopefully be in a position to not yoyo.

When you say you are on a 800 calorie diet.. are you weighing your food? Are you using a tracker such as myfitness pal? Are you weighing literally everything from the butter on the bread to the milk in your brew??

There are some well intentioned but ill-informed posters on this thread.

Metabolism can be measured very effectively in the lab in a sealed chamber. And studies show that metabolism does reduce in order to try and stop and even reverse weight loss.

Concepts like calories in/ calories out and referring to starving Ethiopians miss entirely the point that the body does not want you to starve to death in a famine and will therefore reduce as much non essential activity as it can to use as few calories as possible.

Substantial weight loss tends to include some loss of muscle mass, so the theory used to be that metabolic rate would be lower in a formerly obese person than a person of the same size who had never been overweight due to the fact that they had a smaller amount of muscle.

However a study of contestants of the US TV programme The Biggest Loser found that contestants gained substantial muscle mass during their weight loss (because they were doing lots of exercise) but still ended up with extremely slow metabolisms even years after their weight loss. Their bodies expended less energy, growing hair and nails more slowly, slightly lowering body temperature, conserving activity etc.

I have lost ten stone and my body temperature is about half a degree cooler than it used to be, which equates to about 20 calories an hour less burned... That's about 500 calories a day I'm conserving. I have to be aware of the fact that I have an obesigenic Metabolism due to my history of obesity and my BMR is only about 1100 calories a day. I raise it through exercise, mostly.

If you are interested the papers published on this are available online. There was also a very good summary in the new York Times about it www.nytimes.com/2016/05/02/health/biggest-loser-weight-loss.html

@Cookiedough123

When you say you are on a 800 calorie diet.. are you weighing your food? Are you using a tracker such as myfitness pal? Are you weighing literally everything from the butter on the bread to the milk in your brew??

No, I’m not eating bread or butter or ‘proper’ food.

I do appreciate the advice but upping my calories at this point is insane. I think I’ll try dropping one product and see if that makes a difference.

How long have you plateaued for? I lost a lot of weight a few years ago and now maintain a fairly low weight but on the way down I had multiple plateaus which drove me mad then suddenly a fairly good loss.