Help what am I doing wrong no progress 2+ weeks

[kat308]

Looking for advice

I am 31 year old female 197lbs I've gained 9lbs since june and trying to lose I've been in a calorie deficit for last 2.5 weeks which isn't a lot but was hoping to see the scale move a tiny bit

I am averaging 1600-1700 calories a day eating slightly less on weekdays to allow for a bit more during weekend. I do 2x 45 minute boxing classes a week and aim for 10k steps most which I normally get bar maybe one day a week and do more most days have always walked a lot so maybe my body is used to this.

When I was younger id do 2.5 weeks and lose a 1lb a week but nothing seems to be bugging I am due period in 5 days so maybe is water but feels discourging.

I do tend to have plans at weekend so like to eat less during week to have a few more calories at weekend.

Should I reduce my calories and or introduce more weights?

Just discourging showing no progress

Also don't want to go mad obsessing with scale daily but want to see some progress lol is should add I've always struggled with binge/restrict so trying to have a less extreme deficit to avoid this

Thanks

If your calorie deficit is small then it may just be that it’s too soon to see the difference on the scales. Possibly due to natural fluctuations and scale inaccuracies. I’d review after 4 weeks and see if you have any progress by then. You could drop your calories a little at that point.

What is your maintenance calorie calculation?

Have you introduced the new eating regime at the same time as the increased exercise? I often find doing both at the same time puts stress on my body and means you don’t get the initial results, but consistency will show itself down the line if you’re willing to stick to it.

1600 calories has me maintaining weight, and I’ve had to be be honest about that.
re calculate your deficit and tick not active. I do 15k steps a day and weight lifting three times a week and have to do 1500 calories a day to lose just under a pound a week - I’ve lost 41lbs now.

everyone’s body is different but I’d suggest starting with a recalculation. Good luck

Definitely a recalulation . If I took that amount of calories with that amount of exercise, id stay the same or even gain - Im down to 1300 cals - that's with an average of 13k steps a day to lose a 1lb a week if Im lucky

Hi. I have lost 30lbs since June. 2024 was a bad year for me when through the national screening services i was found to have a cancerous bowel polyp andca cancerous brrast lump - both were successfully removed and i needed no Chemotherapy as they were caught early enough to have avoided spread into my lymphatic system. I was already about 20 lbs overweight at the time but I was prescribed Letrazole following the lumpectomy and I gained more weight around my midriff in particular, and developed a midriff bulge which, bring an hourglass shape, was not something I had ever experienced before. I decided to get down to a healthy BMI and cut my calories to 1250 per day. I did lose a few pounds but then I discovered Chat GTP and started to discuss my diet with this AI service (my husband has the paid version and I am allowed to access his account as a second user). Through my chats it became apparent I needed more protein to avoid muscle wastage and more calcium to avoid bone loss -and not just any old calcium but a marine based (phytocalcium) supplement and a Vit K2 spray, magnesium and a 'clean' high quality multivitamin. I learned about BMR and TDEE which i had never heard of and how these are far more important than BMI. The more I researched through the more I discovered about cutting calories the correct way, how to overcome weightloss plateaus, the benefits of fibre and gut health, calcium absorption, protein, managing salt and added sugar, moving more without the need for excercise apps, etc. I swear I was never hungry and I had absolutely no problem sticking to the recommended foods that 'Chat' as I came to call it suggested. At my 12 month colonoscopy follow up my bowel was in perfect order and my recall period was extended to 2 years instead of the origanally forecast annual check so I cannot emphasise enough that successful weight loss is not about reducing calories or 10k steps a day. Once you understand these fundamental basics it changes how you think about food. There is a lot of truth in the saying 'you are what you eat'. Good luck with your weight loss journey. Research these basic principles and ignore all these diet apps, tai chi walking, dance fit apps, weight loss pills and injections, etc. You don't need them. If you can afford ChatGTP then that is the only investment you need and of course it's great for a gazillion other things besides weigh management and diet advice but if not Google AI can be very helpful and that is free. Take care and I hope you find this useful. X

You could either be eating it back at weekends or under estimating how much you consume, you need to be 500 cals a day under your tdee to lose a pound a week, so take total cals consumed over 7 days and divide by 7. If you’re not losing then on average you are eating to maintenance.

Use tdeecalculator.net to work out your tdee and subtract 500 to lose 1lb a week. I know someone who eats very little during day but drinks her calories which adds thousands cals at weekend or even during week. I eat 1500 to maintain, would be gaining at 1600-1700! Use sedentary on the activity level as most calculators over estimate calories burned through exercise.

it’s ridiculously easy to over eat without realising.
unless you’re a weightlifter or serious athlete most exercise doesn’t buy you more calories - but gaining muscle helps metabolism.

TBH between my menstrual cycle and IBS the scales can be deceptive and disheartening. It also takes longer as you age but worth keeping going with!

Wherever I’m losing weight I can’t relax at weekends. Once I’m at target weight I can do that and lose the gain during the week. But not when I’m trying to go down the scale