Hi all,
I've not been on for ages. I'm feeling a bit low at the amount with all this weightloss stuff. I've been working hard for the last few weeks. I eat about 1500 calories a day & do 10,000 steps daily plus some strength training but am finding my weighg isn't budging. For the last 2 weeks I've lost nothing. In fact I actually put about .6 of a kg back on. I'm thinking of increasing my calories this coming week but worried I'll put on more. Just looking for any tips & advice.
I got stuck on one weight for 3 weeks a while back. It is very frustrating but I thought just keep going because if I am counting calories and exercising it must come off in the end- and it did! Interestingly it was the lower weight that I had been to-young between for the previous 2 years. Once I got past that plateau I have lost weight fairly consistently so please keep going 😀
I've lost 3 stone so far but still have about 10 stone to lose! Thankfully I'm past the giving up phase so these days I just carry on but it's so frustrating. I keep worrying that I'm doing something wrong. I'll take your advice on board & hope for the best 😊 thank you x
I reckon you've hit plateau, increase your cals by 200 cals a day for 2 days, change a bit of excercise routine, and then go back to normal calorie allowance, your body has just got too used to stuff, so stopped losing.
Remember to vary your exercise and foods, the body gets used to a certain pattern and then settles into that weight. Try some swimming or hill walking or cycling...eat some foods you don't normally have - a stirfry, baked veg, thick soups, more protein & less carbs? See what can be changed.
Also, a lot of strength training will build stronger muscles which weighs could equal the weight of the fat you have burned, so try checking your measurements to see if these are changing at all? You might just be redistributing those lbs from flab to muscle!
Lastly, allow for monthly hormonal fluctuations in your weight, which is perfectly normal.
I do try my best to vary the food we eat & the exercise I do. We walk for 40 minutes everyday, plus step/dance exercise for 40 minutes daily & then strength training using bands twice a week with Saturday & Sunday being rest days. I'm hoping it's muscle. Despite my weight I'm fairly strong & fit. I really should check my measurements but I always seem to do it wrong.
The hormonal thing did cross my mind but I expected it just to affect last week's weigh in but not this week as well. I've taken all that you've said on board though so thank you 😊x
Heya. What is your calorie range when you put your BMI etc into the NHs calorie calculator?
Yes, 1500 doesn't sound very many 😕
Yes, i was just thinking with all that exercise that 1500 might be putting your body in starvation mode?
coachcalorie.com/raise-your...
X
Taking into consideration that you still have seven stone to lose, I’d be inclined to suggest that 1500Kcal may be too low an amount to satisfy BMR, so it’s likely that body is beginning to hold on to the excess, largely to maintain its existence, particularly since it’s pretty much the same organism as it was 2500 years ago where energy requirements are concerned.
Regardless of current weight and the size of the excess to be lost, whether it be seven stone or one stone, consuming sufficient calories to satisfy BMR at the very least should be a requirement for everyone, chiefly to ensure that the body receives sufficient nourishment to keep metabolism firing and to allow weight to be reduced.
Metabolism could be compared to that of a burning flame, when you consider what happens to a flame when its energy source is removed.
By restricting the body’s main source of fuel too severely (calories obtained from food), a similar dampening of the fire occurs, firstly in a reduction of the amount of weight lost, eventually followed by a reduction in energy levels, making it even harder to lose weight, since fatigue quickly becomes common-place even when performing routine activities.
As such, by increasing calorie intake to a level that allows the correct energy balance to be achieved, you’ll most likely kick start weight loss once again. Moreover, in doing so, you can return to cheating evolution.
To achieve the correct energy balance (consuming sufficient calories while introducing a daily deficit), you ought to obtain the numbers required to meet both BMR and TDEE. I use the Miflin St. Jeor method of calculating BMR, as opposed to the Harris Benedict formula.
The equation is as follows: 10 x weight (kg) + 6.25 x height (cm) - 5 x age (y) - 161.
Upon obtaining BMR, multiply it by one of the following to ascertain TDEE:
Sedentary = 1.2, Lightly Active = 1.375, Moderately active = 1.55, Heavily Active = 1.75, Athlete = 2.
Having obtained TDEE (calories required to maintain current weight), you’ll gain an appreciation of how large a daily deficit you’re able to introduce from your TDEE. However, don’t ever introduce a deficit from BMR for the reasons explained above.
As such, by aiming to introduce a daily calorie deficit of 500Kcal from TDEE, for example, you could expect to lose a lb a week through calorie reduction alone (taking into consideration that a lb of fat contains 3500Kcal).
The fact that your activity level isn’t sedentary means that the calories burned (from fat) through exercise could increase levels of weekly loss to 3-4lbs.
Bear in mind that as weight is lost, since the body won’t weigh as much, fewer calories will be required to satisfy BMR so the above equation should be re-performed with each 7lbs lost. In doing so, you’ll reduce the risk of further plateau upon your journey.
Given your current level of excess, you shouldn’t experience any issues by introducing a daily 500Kcal deficit. However, with a further 3 stone loss, for example, you may need to reduce the daily deficit to around 400Kcal, to avoid calories burned through exercise taking expenditure below BMR (as you weigh less, you’ll move with greater verve and vigour).
By re-calculating BMR and TDEE, you’ll know how great a daily deficit you can introduce, based upon the figures presented.
Equally, if the level and intensity of activity increases considerably, to the point that you’re exercising 5 days a week, for example, you may need to multiply BMR by 1.55. However, by continuing to multiply decreasing BMR by 1.375, you should be fine.
In case you’d not guessed by now, the art of successful weight loss is very much a game of numbers, but by continually knowing your numbers (BMR &TDEE), you’ll be better placed to apply the correct deficit, thus, achieving the correct energy balance en-route towards your intended goal.
Fed up.
Finally fed up
Fed Up and Miserable.
Fed up with being fat ☹ 
