Increased exercise but no weight loss

[SaltyLemons]

So I'm 5ft 2, just over 10 stone. For the last four weeks I've been doing 15-20000 steps a day and sticking to 1500 calories (with some weekend wiggle room but still hitting the steps 7 days a week.) I feel a bit thinner but I have lost 1lb?! What am I doing wrong?

exercise makes you fitter and healthier, but it does not make you lose weight

Read " why we eat too much" by Andrew Jenkinson

Lots of factors affect weight. It's still a loss and not a gain. And you said you feel thinner- I find that is the biggest battle!

Walking is great but add in some weight training too.

Keep going.
And make sure you're eating enough protein within that 1500 cals

You have to exercise a LOT to lose weight. Being active is great but it's mainly going to be diet. Up protein and veg, cut down sugar and ultra processed food and refined carbs. I'd add a bit of strength training and up the page of your walking to get your heart pumping faster.

Thanks all, better cut out that glass of wine even though it's within the calories!

It's working, isn't it? Stick with it - in a way that's sustainable for you. Being active is its own reward.

Then 1500 calories is too much, we all have different needs so you need to cut again. 1500 could be your maintenance and you need to go to 1000-1200 to lose.

Think of the exercise as benefits to your overall health and mental wellbeing not weight loss.

I’m 42 and 5 foot 4. To lose weight weekly I have to average 1350 a day in calories. I’m doing strength training and that’s impacting my shape but not my weight, that’s all about the food.

The calorie restriction is so depressing, but I think I'll just have to suck it up and reduce. That's deffo not sustainable for me though, but maybe for a few weeks

If it makes you miserable it's pointless. It would be better to lose 1lb a month for a year than to lose 4lb this month and then put it back on next month.

Yes this was my thinking but I just wasn't expecting it to be SO slow because it feels like I'm doing loads vs very little before. I walk on a treadmill for 2-2.5 hrs a day and get really sweaty to get to 15-20000 steps

Working out with weights will build muscle and muscle needs fuel. The treadmill sounds soul destroying. Go to the exercise section and look at threads about Caroline Girvan.

Also is your 1500 carb heavy? Have you tried low carbing/ upping protein?

Thanks, I'll look up CG. Carbs are always under 100g but when I keep it to 50 I do feel much better. Problem is, when I ovulate and before my period all I want is carbs and that always throws me off course

Have patience. Weight loss takes time. And check that you are actually in a significant calorie deficit. Unless I do long sessions in the gym or a lot of walking every day, I only use around 1550-1600 calories a day, so it would take me an age to lose anything on 1500 cals a day, and given that we all tend to underestimate calorie intake, it might actually be too much. My Fitbit gives me a rough idea of how many calories I’ve burnt each day, so if you have that or similar, try aiming for three or four hundred cals less than you are burning each day, over a longer period of time, for noticeable weight loss.

I echo what pervious poster said, it takes time.

It's a lifestyle change to be more active and loose the "wobbly" bits. That doesn't always mean weight loss, muscle can increase your weight, so I'd concentrate on fitness and set challenges. Then you can give the scales a side glance every 6-8 weeks...

Calorie restriction is the only way

If you do masses more exercise you will feel hungrier if you get into calorie deficit

You may find it easier to restrict calories for the week and eat a maintenance calories at the weekend if this is a long term thing

Muscle doesn't increase your weight!

It actually burns more calories than fat so helps you lose / maintain weight

If you have muscle you will be heavier than someone who looks the same - because muscle is dense - it occupies less space than fat

If you have muscle you will be able to eat more than someone who doesn't and not gain weight

Probably getting leaner as your muscles are getting worked, and muscle is heavier than fat. Also as other say you may need to reduce calories (and do not eat any back from exercising). I do lose weight on 1400-1500 but I'm 5ft 10in!

I suggest getting the tape measure out. Are you losing inches even if not weight? Do your clothes fit better/are they looser?

I won a month with a personal trainer a few years ago, I went about 3 times a week, I hardly lost an ounce, but I dropped a dress size.

Proper exercise is brilliant for weight loss but only if it's with calorie restriction (for me anyway)
It really is mostly about food though so I lose lots of weight cutting carbs/junk and just walking lots.

^this. Neither your current diet nor exercise approach are sustainable for you, which means you'll fall off the wagon spectacularly at some point and any loss will get undone. You need to think slow on this. Walking two hours a day on a treadmill is bonkers; can you introduce more walking into your daily routine instead?

I'm 5ft 2. I can't eat more than 1200 cals if i want to loose weight. If I ate 1500 cals I'd slowly put on weight.

Also agree 2 hours on a treadmill is nuts and obviously not working. I'm 8st 11. I work out with pt twice a week and a few walks during the week

I would definitely decrease your calories or try the 5:2 diet?

For me, I get skinny in the kitchen and fit at the gym.

Weight loss for me is all about what I eat. Exercise gets me feeling great and getting fitter and healthier.

Good luck OP!

Thanks all, back to the drawing board tomorrow. Lower cal, lower carb, less time on treadmill and a go at CG.