Lost a stone and now I'm stuck!

[ThePandoricaOpens]

I started my weight loss journey 6 weeks ago after realising how much weight I'd put on over the last 3 years or so. I'm finally really motivated after stepping on the scales and seeing that I was 16 stone. At 5'8" that put me in the obese category. I'm following a calorie deficit diet and have limited myself to 1500 a day, I rarely go over it and some days I'm under. I'm mainly eating fresh fruit and veg and lean meat and fish. After 4 weeks I'd lost a stone but now I just seem to fluctuate between 15st and 15st 3lbs - it's so frustrating? I just don't know what I'm doing wrong? I walk my dog daily for 40-50 mins but can't do much more as I have very achy joints (menopause). I've Attached a pic of a typical lunch!

Sounds counter-intuitive, but sometimes, after a period of eating completely on a weight loss plan, an off plan day (hate the term cheat) will help kick start things again.

I've noticed it several times in my weight loss attempts, I'm currently 60lbs down from my start last year.

As long as you make it a one off, that you can put yourself back on your plan after it and it won't make you spiral into things, it can be helpful.

Try dropping 100 cals from your daily allowance. I'm 5'9" and I wouldn't lose on 1500 unless I was very active.

Weight loss isn't linear. I'd stick with it, not reduce calories. Have you worked out your TDEE? That's your basic calories you need to live including the type of lifestyle you lead (sedentary, active and in between). Take away 500 calories from that and you should lose a pound a week - though everyone is different snd may need tweaking. A stone in a month is almost a pound every two days - unlikely you would keep losing at that rate. Give it another couple weeks I'm sure you'll get a sudden drop.
By the way I'd add a big green salad to that lunch - minimal calories and will make your eyes feel like you're eating a proper meal.

Weight-loss always slows down after the first 6 weeks.

Is that cracker bread? I would have 2 of those, rather than 4.
however, it doesn’t look very filling.

That's really helpful, thank you - I've just done the online calculator and it says 15,390 calories a day which is more or less what I have. I guess I just need to stick with it!

Yes it's cracker bread, 20 calories a piece I think. I was pretty full after it, I think my stomach has got used to eating less!

Sounds like a good plan to me, thanks!

Oh ok, so try and drop to 1400 and maybe try and exercise more of my knees will take it!

Do the reset advised by a PP. I wouldn't cut your calories more at this stage. You're already 500 below the TDEE for someone your new weight.

Instead up your food volume so use your calories to eat more lean protein and more veg, especially leafy green veg. I'm 2kg down on my weight loss plan and would rather have a slice of seeded wholemeal bread toasted with chicken and salad. When I say salad I've just had some chargrilled artichoke and other bits. Raw sauerkraut is great because it's low calorie, a good source of fibre and good for your gut.

That's really interesting actually as I was cutting out things like bread thinking I couldn't eat it. I think I definitely need more fibre as I've been getting really constipated too!

The fibre in those crackerbreads isn't bad, they're just tasteless crap imho - I'd rather eat a toasted slice of tasty bread. Definitely try to get more fibre generally and drink plenty of water. You don't need to radically change what you eat to lose weight, in fact there's an argument for not doing so. Better to adjust portion sizes and still eat the things you enjoy. Most diets fail because they're not sustainable/don't include the things people like to eat. We shouldn't demonise foods, but instead be better at managing including things without going mad.

I eat brown bread or sour dough too and have lost weight, I don’t eat much pasta though as it does make me feel very bloated. I eat rice quite frequently.

I eat 2 slices most days. I have it as toast but don’t use butter. I put it with soup or have eggs or avocado or cream cheese on it.

in fact also I will eat brown bread or sour dough as a filling snack, I go for the the small slices that have no added sugar are probably better than a lot of the other snack options, the same volume in nuts would be so many more calories but I can eat 1 or 2 slices of bread and there is fibre too