Why am I not losing weight?

movinghelp

I have a holiday coming up and decided to try and lose weight in the 6 weeks before departing. I am now one week away from my trip and feeling really frustrated as the weight loss is just not happening. I also measured my waist and hips and there's been little change. Can any of you lovely people tell me why that might be?

Week 1 - cut out booze (allowed myself 2 glasses prosecco NYE - quite a drastic change, used to drink half a bottle of wine a night comfortably), reduced snacks but no real change to meals (quite carb heavy risotto, pasta, fajitas) so still eating about 1,600-1,800 calories daily

Week 2 - one night drinking (about 6 drinks) otherwise no booze, cut calories to about 1,200-1,400 a day and went to the gym 4 times (pilates, yoga, ballet barre)

Week 3 - no booze except 2 glasses champagne one night, more cardio on 4 gym trips (high intensity, spin, weights), few meals out in restaurants so again maybe nearer 1,600 calories a day

Week 4 - 2 nights 2 drinks each otherwise no booze, reduced carbs significantly, much smaller lunches (just soups, salads) so 800-1,000 calories a day, gym 8 times (mix cardio and strength)

Week 5 - as above, gym 8 times, 800 calories a day excluding 1 night where I had about 8 drinks and 1 big meal out (over about 6 hours)

Over this time I've probably lost about 6 lbs and an inch or so off my waist and hips. I wanted to lose nearer 10 (2lbs a week). Some friends have suggested I'm not eating enough so my body is storing it as fat as I'm in starvation mode but when I did let go and have a normal meal my weight shot up by 3 lbs the next day. I'm 5ft 7 and 10st 3 so to be fair it's not that I started from a very heavy point but I am eating (and drinking) considerably less than normal and going from no exercise to daily.

[Deleted User]

I just wonder how you can accurately measure 800 calories. It seems to me pretty hit or miss the true calorie consumption. Just some hidden fats/sugars and oils in everything you eat, soups. marge on your bread, pasta sauce, restaurant meals ( they pile it in ) etc and you can forget about a lowly 800 a day.A true 800 a day and everyone would lose weight just sat staring immobile at the telly all day. How can you say 800 calories a day excluding a booze up on 8 drinks and one big meal.. There is 2000 cals to add to your weekly guesstimate. My opinion is that you are having a lot more than 800 a day.

june89

You ARE losing weight, just not as much as you would like. But 800 calories a day and gym more than once a day? You're definitely not eating enough! 1200 per day is the absolute minimum that's recommended, and people can still lose weight on considerably more than that.

movinghelp

Agree calories are difficult to account but soups/salads from places like abokado have set amounts. Drinks I've accurately measured and yes that big night pushed me up over 2,000 but there were other days in that week that were very low around 700. Re-checking weeks 4 and 5 were probably nearer 1,200 calories a day but I also over estimated weeks 2 and 3 which were 1,300. Either way it's a lot less than I was eating before!

SailorSam

Why do you want to lose weight ?
If you're only 10st 3. and you're 5ft 7. You're perfect.
You don't want to end up like whatshername do you ? Posh Beckham, she looks awful.

tiger_eyes

2lbs a week is an incredibly harsh and punitive rate of weight loss to aim for when you're already at a slim and healthy weight. You have to under-eat your calorie burn by 1000 calories every single day to maintain this weight loss, and considering your BMI is only 22, you don't burn as many calories just to function as someone who is much heavier. A target of 0.5 lbs per week is far more reasonable and achievable.

PS: If you eat a full meal and your weight goes up by 3lbs the next day, that is a natural fluctuation in the level of water in your body, not a genuine weight gain. It takes 3500 excess calories to create a pound of fat, so unless that one meal was 10,000 calories, it's impossible to gain 3lbs from it.

moneyistooshorttomention

SailorSam wrote: »

Why do you want to lose weight ?
If you're only 10st 3. and you're 5ft 7. You're perfect.
You don't want to end up like whatshername do you ? Posh Beckham, she looks awful.

9 stones 5lbs is perfect for that height - assuming medium build actually (going by the old height/weight tables - which allow 4 lbs extra weight per each inch of extra height). My perfect weight is 8 stones 7lbs at 5'4" tall (medium build) - so I've added 12 lbs to allow for you being taller than me. At equivalent weight to your present weight - I would be 9st 5lbs and would have a bit of "pudge" around my middle and my stomach wouldn't be flat.

1. Maybe your body is "clinging on" to weight a bit because you only have a few lbs to lose?

2. I suspect the calory count is higher than you think.

3. Maybe a higher proportion of your food needs to be fresh fruit and vegetables?

HappyMJ

The closer you are to your target weight the longer it takes to get there.

It might now take months to lose a few more pounds continuing to eat healthily.

moneyistooshorttomention

When I was 8st 7lb (ie perfect weight) at one point I realised I had visibly lost weight - and I wasn't even trying to do so. I weighed myself and found I was 7 st 12 lbs (the bottom end of healthy weight range for me) and then went to the doctor to check out whether I had some sort of medical problem I wasn't aware of causing this.

My end conclusion was that it was just falling off me because it was a period of my life where I must have been walking 4-6 miles per day on average at fast pace (getting from A to B and I couldn't afford busfares). I was eating whatever I decided to eat (vegetarian and pretty healthy - no puddings/cakes/etc) and having whatever booze I chose to (reasonable amount - not heavy drinker).

So - I would tend to advocate a fair bit of walking each day and a healthy diet if there is only a small amount to lose. I'm just having to do a diet as such at present because I went up to nearly 2 stones overweight (combination of bad neighbours and house renovation having driven me to a bit extra booze and whatever food was fastest for some time after moving).

SailorSam

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

9 stones 5lbs is perfect for that height - assuming medium build actually (going by the old height/weight tables -

Ignore the tables. Cuddly women are much sexier.

movinghelp

9st 5 would be pretty unlikely for me, lowest I've been is 9st 8 and that was just after my mum died. 9st 13 was the goal for my holiday with the hope I could get down to 9st 9 by the end of March. BUT and its a big but I have a tendency to get obsessed with the numbers whereas my OH is very insistent I focus on other goals as well like feeling fitter or eating out less so I celebrate some wins even if the weight stays stable. I have a pretty flat stomach already, the goal is toning my arms and legs (legs are where I carry most weight) hence doing classes at the gym with lots of squats / lunges. I also want to be able to do full press ups as I do yoga and am keen to do full chataranga. Thanks for the feedback so far, sounds like I'm being a bit tough on myself.