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?

I’m a similar height (163 cm according to my ID) and was a similar weight - 62 kg last summer. Your calories sounds okay to me, I lost weight slowly but easily on 1600 kcal and I’m over 40. I assume there’s either something wrong with your calorie count or your exercise. Both are easy to fix

• you have to be very thorough with your calorie counting, no assumptions, weighing everything, measuring out drinks (milk in coffee, etc). I am always very conservative with my calorie count - round stuff up and add a bit more if in doubt.

— regarding the exercise: if I walked fast, steadily in the 80-90 cardio zone (out of breath) for two an a half hours that I would be close to walking 20 km non-stop, in one go, which is quite a lot. I could do it again the next day but I would definitely feel it in my body, and I am quite fit, I run 12k without any problems. Do you feel tired afterwards or the next day to the point of needing a break? If not, then probably the exercise is not as strenuous as assumed.
This can be easily fixed by doing workout videos instead - you get someone giving you tempo guides and helping you to push harder. It’s not necessary to work out for 2.5h, a 30 minute HIIT session is super effective and at that weight I was easily burning 400 kcal during a HIIT workout provided I tried as much as possible to stay in the VO2 max zone.

I wouldn’t do exercises I didn’t like and would not force myself to go so low cal or low carb that I couldn’t sustain this long term.

edit: typo

If you went from very little exercise to a lot more you can hold onto some inflammation. I would use a tape measure. Every time I start doing circuits again I hold onto an extra 5lbs (but I use weights). If you are sore anywhere it could be water retention.

I’m late 30s, 5’2 and in the 10 stone bracket too. I run 3 times a week and do 20,000 steps a day minimum. No car so I walk a lot. I don’t drink or smoke and I’ve cut out the evening eating (lots of chocolate) trying to drink more water. I’ve lost 3 lbs in a month. My heaviest I was 13.13 and I’m a lot smaller now so much less to lose so generally happy enough with a pound a week. I think so long as you keep eating healthy and moving it will slowly come off.

When we exercise our bodies use the easiest source of energy available and that isn’t fat so you won’t burn fat. It’ll help stop you putting on weight though.

If you calorie restrict, at some point you’ll stop doing that as it isn’t sustainable so all the weight will go back on. I don’t ever think about calories but I think about what the food I’m putting in my body is to my health. Avoid UPFs, cut down on carbs. Cut out sugar (a really hard one for a lot of people). Consider time restricted eating. The weight will come off but it takes longer as we get older. Over time you start to eat less anyway as youre not so hungry but you don’t need to starve yourself.

what’s your typical diet like? If you don’t mind me asking.

Bollocks. She's lost weight, so it's not too much.

The muscles don't get any heavier unless they are actually getting bigger which is very unlikely if not impossible in calorie deficit so this isn't the explanation

Muscle is not and never will be heavier than fat. A pound is a pound no matter the composition of the item. Muscle takes up less room on your body as fat is fluffy and holds water. Muscles are dense. They weigh the same which is why you can end up not losing weight very fast if you are body comping by doing a lot of exercise in a deficit but this tends to take a long time. You can lose fat and gain muscle (I have) but this took me many months of very slow progress.

I am not loosing any weight either. I stopped drinking loads of beer every day and started running 5k every second day. Been doing this for three weeks but I haven't lost any weight. My face looks better after alcohol swelling has gone.

If you do a lot of exercise suddenly you will hold onto water more easily. You might even eat more carbs to account for it as you will be hungrier. Also holds onto water. Water still has weight to it so you will gradually see a difference. You will probably be losing fat, your body will get smaller over time so use a tape measure to compare. Weight on the scale isn’t always as simple as do X and it will result in Y straight away. A lot of people who suddenly go from 5000 calories a day to 1500 will lose a lot of weight rapidly but if you have less to lose, or were not dramatically over eating it will just take a little longer. Stick with it

Are you in a calorie deficit?

I am eating normally. I don't snack because I don't feel like it. I was just thinking that I would loose weight after stopping drinking large amounts of calories.

Only if you're in a calorie deficit.

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