I'm stuck! How do I lose more?!

[itsgettingweird]

Hi.

I've been up and down about 9lb the past few years.

Various things going on in life including death and my own health issues.

Whenever I lose weight I manage really well to lose those 9lb.

I've done it again quite easily but I seem to get stuck at this weight once I get there. Previously it's been the cause of me giving up (I think but unintentionally).

I do not want to this time.

I've decreased my calories again but I'm already 300 a day under the recommended amount of calories recommended for me to lose 1.5lb a week.

Any suggestions?

Oh. Btw I'm still 2 stone over the recommended weight for my upper BMI so really want to keep going and lose another stone minimum.

I'm 5"7 and 13 st 9

Time to increase your movement then.

what’s your exercise like?

I'll add as well that I've been about 1-2 stone over weight for about 5 years.

After another bad patch I piled it on and hated how I looked. I wasn't in the right place to lose weight but I think I was putting it on slowly (1-2 lb a month) and so already hating how I looked I didn't notice iyswim?

Im really committed to this. I have 1200-1500 calories a day.

Walk 6k 4 times a week. These are the days I eat more calories.

Have stopped smoking which makes losing weight even more an achievement so far!

But I cannot eat below 1200 calories as I then get really low blood sugars and really heavy legs and feel dreadful.

Oh and do 10-18k steps a day as I also have an active job.

I'm up at 4am every day as ds is a swimmer too so move around for a lot of hours!

Maybe some more formal exercise.

Could you go for a swim?

Could you up the amount of water you drink?

Last meal of day 5.30pm.

Any of these work?

Are you eating healthy food? I’m on the anti UPF bandwagon at moment and waking up to the effects of processed food, artificial sweeteners etc.

I think you need to stop eating back your calories from the walking.

Yes maybe your calories need to be more protein heavy, fewer carbs and upf with hidden sugar in, and add in some dedicated exercise?

Try intermittent fasting? 16-8

I'm the same height as you and having difficulty getting down that last bit to the ideal weight even though, yes, my current weight looks OKish.

You say you're calorie counting but could it be worth weighing and measuring precisely just to check something's not creeping in and upping your intake?

I have never found walking effective for weight loss at an average-ish weight. Yes, it's great to be moving and out and about but look at all the other people walking, most will be overweight which shows you it's not a weight-loss fix unless one is very obese, which you're not. IMO the reason it's hyped so much is because of all the severely overweight/sedentary people who couldn't or shouldn't do much more, that's all.

If you fancy it why not join in the intermittent fasting challenge I started, most of us are in a similar situation?

My point is I've really noticed recently that the other people walking are overwhelmingly overweight but the people I see at the gym, the pool or out cycling are in much better shape, with the odd outlier which is someone trying to lose. That tells you all you need to know, really.

Up your calories to 1600
Make sure you have protein with EVERY meal
You should be hitting about 100g of protein a day

I bet You are not eating enough and get binge because you are so hungry, your body is now ignoring your hunger cues (Gherlin)

Gherlin increase with dieting which makes you hungry and unable to stick to diets.

How do you lower ghrelin?Ghrelin levels tend to rise and fall with how much you eat. Ghrelin may decrease when you are hydrated and increase when you’re dehydrated.
The types of foods you eat affect ghrelin. For example, eating foods high in protein or healthy carbs lower ghrelin levels more than eating foods high in fat.

I'm not.

My allowance is 1770 a day to lose 1.5lb per week.

I'm eating less much less than that at 1200 a day and 1500 on days I walk.

On days I walk my app automatically ups my allowance to 1900+.

This is why I'm struggling to understand why I lose it and then it just stops!

My diet is

5am banana and coffee

10.30am Apple/ grapes if I have time

Lunch (usually 12 noon) 0.5 chicken breast, 3 rice cakes, 5 strawberries, 15 grapes and half an orange.

Dinner (usually 7.30pm) either pasta or potato gnocchi. Veg or salad and usually chicken or sausages.

I can't change the times I eat because I take ds to training before and after work and my lunch break is set times because I work in a school.

I weigh everything. I log it properly.

I drink minimum of 2l a day. Usually 3. And that's not including 2 decaf coffees I also drink and 1 can of Pepsi max.

Sadly I don't have time to add in any more exercise. I'm out of the house 5.45am until 7.30/8.30pm everyday.

I know you won’t want to hear this, but the truth is if you’re 13 stone 9 and you are not losing weight then you are eating too much, so either you’re underestimating your calories, or not counting drinks adequately or having cheats. Over a week, averaged, you are eating enough to maintain at this weight. So it’s not 1200 and 1500.

right now, whatever you are consuming a week is enough to maintain at your current weight, you will need to go lower. I’m sorry, I know it’s horrible, but that’s why you’re sticking there.

I'll have a look at the protein I'm eating. I think my app tells me that. Maybe I could add some hard boiled eggs?

I'm also gluten free so I don't eat many carbs because I can't just eat any bread etc and the GF stuff costs a lot!

Dinner (usually 7.30pm) either pasta or potato gnocchi. Veg or salad and usually chicken or sausages.

is this multiple meals or just one, I mean is it pasta or gnocchi one night and then veg/salad with chicken or sausages another? Or are you having it all Ie pasta with chicken and veg. Is there sauce on the pasta or gnocchi`/ how is the chicken cooked, how many sausages, is there salad dressings?

I'm not cheating.

I'm being absolutely strict on myself.

I do lose weight. But then it stalls.

I'm reading and taking notes of what everyone suggests because I'm determined.

I'll adjust my diet if needs be but I want to be careful not to overeat and get in the mindset it's not working and I have to be really careful about keeping my blood sugars up because I really struggle with them dropping and that's when I would grab something bad!!! I do not want to go back there!!!!!

if you are not cheating and I’m sure you’re not, then you are underestimating your calories, I’m sorry,😞

I have either pasta (100g) or potato gnocchi (250g), either veg or salad and either chicken or sausages ( 2 heck ones)

I have no sauces or salad dressings. I have plain vinegar on my salad and log it!

I scan every bar code and add the weight. It matches on the app to the nutritional information on the back of the packets. So I've just assumed those calories match.

If they are wrong is there somewhere else I can get alternative nutritional information from?

For example - my app tells me my balance is 150cals. So I just assume that's right!

I guess what I don't understand is how come it must be a deficit to lose the initial rate but then it stops?!

That's the bit that makes no sense.

But I'll look at my protein.

some of it is water weight, and then your calorie intake is sufficient to take you to your current weight Ie drop you down to that but what you eat now maintains it.

i don’t really understand it, scientifically you cannot maintain at that weight by eating so little and exercising so much, it is humanly impossible . Even with thyroid issues etc, it’s not humanly possible,

maybe you need to see your doctor. Have him run some tests? One things for sure, eating more isn’t the answer.

You eat plenty of carbs, all the fruit have carb in (sugar)