Can anyone work out where I’m going wrong?

[Lowin2024]

Prefacing this by saying I know I don’t have much to lose - I want to lose 5lb, but I am short and small framed and that amount is very visible on me. I’m almost 40.

I thought the issue was my snacking. I typically get really hungry around 4 and eat several hundred calories worth of biscuits, crisps at that time and often quite a bit of post dinner chocolate. I’ve totally eliminated that over the last 3 weeks and I’ve increased protein at lunch to keep me fuller. In 3 weeks I’ve not lost a single pound.

This is a typical day for me:
I do intermittent fasting so no breakfast, but I have a black coffee when I get up.

Lunch - something like 2 scrambled eggs, cottage cheese on toast and a piece of fruit. Or I might have a homemade soup with seeds sprinkled and some bread topped with hummus.

Snack - a couple of rice cakes with peanut butter

Dinner - always homemade, often a bean chilli on quinoa with guacamole, a veggie curry on brown rice, sometimes a piece of salmon with potatoes and veg. Fruit or sometimes yoghurt for dessert.

Exercise - I try to get 10k steps a day, usually manage 5/7 days, and then in addition, pilates on Mon, body combat on Weds, gym session with weights on Fri and Sun.

I feel like I’m doing so much and yet NOTHING has changed! Am I missing something obvious here?

Are you taking measurements? I can not lose weight but lose an inch or two

I'm short as well and to lose weight I can only consume 1200-1300 cals per day. Which is very little really. What works best for me is to only have carbs at one meal. It's so tough when you're small 😩

Honestly, it sounds like you cut the snacks out but may have replaced the calories in your meals.

Guacamole, hummus, nut butter are all really high in calories. They are good foods. But it’s easy to eat a few hundred calories of them.

If you couple that with slightly portions of meals, since you are more hungry as you cut out snacks, it naught just be balancing itself out.

I agree that going back to logging your food is probably the best idea. At least for a few weeks.

Just wanted to say thanks for all the thoughtful helpful replies

Ive downloaded nutracheck and put in my weight and my goal and it is suggesting 1200 a day to achieve this at a rate of 1lb a week. I put in my food for the last 3 days and it has been 1500-1600 on average. So clearly, that is probably more of a maintenance amount for me which is very depressing but I guess this is the reality of trying to lose weight as a short person. I’m going to religiously track and try to keep within 1200 for the next two weeks and hopefully that will start to help things shift.

Peanut butter is not high in protein it's high in fat with some protein. If you're going to have peanut butter go for a powdered version you have to reconstitute with water. All the fat removed but still tastes like peanut butter!

You have to get some kitchen scales and weigh things out because you're pissing in the wind otherwise.

Reading with interest after skiving slimming world tonight. I'm feeling rough but I have also been dreadful this week and had way too much chocolate

Those of you who do really calorie controlled diets, how much are you exercising?

I am lifting weights once per week, Pilates class 3 or 4 times a week, running 3 times per week (including hilly off road 10k runs) plus a minimum of 10,000 steps per day.

If I are what some people are suggesting, I wouldn’t have the energy to leave the house!

I'm also short and small framed and usually have 5-10lbs to lose when I need to. It always takes 6 weeks for weight loss to start kicking in no matter how much I exercise or calorie count. In fact those first 2-3 weeks I always find I bloat more and feel heavier. I don't think you need to reduce your intake further (unless your current portions are absolutely huge). Up the water intake and maybe get someone to look at your weights routine in the gym as it may not be the most effective. Maybe add an extra workout in the week like a HIIT session.

Losing weight is such hard work mentally, all consuming. Good luck!

Ok. A little update.
I started tracking on Nutracheck.
I was eating about 1500-1600 cals and apparently for someone of my build that is not sufficient to lose weight.
I cut to 1200 cals and a few days later I am 1.5lbs down.