Feeling disheartened

[Thomasina79]

I have achieved a weight of 10 stone 7 but cannot lose any more. I stick to 1,000 and swim four times a week. Sometimes my weight can go up four or five pounds and then decrease to 10 st 7! I have given up so much. I even make my porridge with water, no milk, no sugar.

My diet is porridge, soup and bread and evening meal of around 400 to 500. Not sure what I am doing wrong. I am 5ft 6 ins and size 14 to 16. I used to be 22! I am post menopausal and reasonably active generally as we. As the swimming. I swim for forty mi utes four times a week.

I should like to be 10 stone

Your daytime meals sound fairly carb rich, you could try eating more protein and reducing the carbs for breakfast and lunch. That works well for some people.

But honestly, your diet sounds punishing. Very hard to stick to 1000 calories a day I should think. You’ve done fantastically well to come down from a size 22, perhaps you’ve reached the weight your body wants to be. From the sound of it you have a perfectly healthy BMI.

Switch to low carb. Your body needs fats and proteins to build and maintain and repair the actual cells of your body. You are not providing this.
Forget the calorie counting for a while and just eat a whole foods diet of fish, game, poultry, meat, dairy, green leafy veg, until you are full, when you are hungry and see what happens.

Also, could you add some resistance training to your exercise regime? Increasing your muscle mass will help with maintaining weight loss as well as being important for your overall wellbeing.

I’m not going to tell you to go low carb but your diet sounds really bland, boring and if it’s the same and not working then maybe you need to change it.

Have a read of "Why We Eat (Too Much)" by Dr Andrew Jenkinson.

It will explain the thinking behind the set point theory, and also why calorie counting isn't your friend.

This isn’t the main point but are you 100% sure about your measurements and sizing? I am the same weight as you, shorter and a 12, occasionally even a 10 in trousers.

But I do have small hips and a big bust so maybe that partially explains it…

(and I defo couldn’t survive on 1000 cals a day…)

This is a good point I am 5’5 and 11st 12 and I can get in a lot of size 12 clothes now. I have big hips but small top half

I’m proud of all I have achieved and my diets not all boring, though it sounds it! We always have a tasty evening meal, I just have less! Thanks for your suggestions, I just have that final goal I want to reach especially as all the residual weight is on my tummy, though swimming, especially back stroke is helping. I am a bit held back as I have a shoulder problem, torn ligament I think they said, so my exercise tolerance is a bit limited. Will see the shoulder surgeon soon.

As you lose weight your maintenance calories are reduced. So you may need to reduce your intake further

I wouldn't recommend cutting down any further than 1000 calories. It's already too low.

Have you checked your TDEE on a calculator? 1000 is too low. I'm 12st and 5'5 and to lose 1lb per week it is recommended for me to eat 1800 calories per day.

Eating such low calories is just asking for going into starvation mode and eventually a binge.