Eating really well and exercising but cannot lose weight

Shinbin223

Hi all just posting here in the hopes that someone has some advice or tips. So I’m 30 year old woman, 5’3 and currently weigh 58kg. I am still a size 10 but I find I am naturally quite petite so I am not happy at this weight.
Ever since January (post-Christmas) I have struggled so much to drop so much as 1kg. Every other year after Christmas, 3 weeks of normal eating would have me back to my ideal weight of 55kg, along with 3/4 brisk walks per week and I never had any difficulty with this. Since January I have stayed at my Christmas weight and no matter what I do I can’t shift it. Maybe it’s a sign of my metabolism slowing down once I hit 30, I’m not sure but it has me baffled.

In the last two weeks the only “bad” food I have eaten is a slice of biscuit cake and two sausages at a barbecue (filled my plate with salad as well).
Exercise wise I am doing circuits/boxercise classes 2-3 times a week and I really work up a sweat in them. I generally go for walks of 45 minutes - 1 hour 2 or 3 times per week. I’d cover 6.5 km in 45 minutes so I am walking quite briskly.

My diet at the moment consists of the following:
Breakfast of porridge made with half low fat milk, half water with berries or other fruit and chia seeds.

Lunch is normally a salad of leaves, grated carrots, beetroot, tomatoes etc with a boiled egg and salmon or chicken.

My evening meal is 1 small boiled potato or 1 small portion of carbs such as whole meal pasta or rice, along with either steak/fish/chicken and two to three types of vegetables. I would also have a stir fry with chicken/steak, some spices and lots of veg and a tiny portion of noodles (1 nest of noodles does me for 2 dinners as I make enough stir fry for 2 meals ).
(Lunch and evening meal alternate as sometimes I have my hot meal at lunch time and salad in the evening).

As I said this has been my diet since the end of June, when I got more serious about trying to shift this weight. I have had a few nights out drinking or at parties but for the last 2 and a half weeks I have had nothing on so I am really surprised that I am not losing any weight. I have been very strict with myself of late and I have only had a slice of biscuit cake and the two sausages in that 2 and a half weeks.
I know 58kg isn’t heavy but I carry all my weight on my lower half so I look quite out of balance as my top half is so petite. Any ideas or suggestions would be appreciated.

verycool

Maybe alternate exercise would work? Like cycling, swimming or yoga?

If you're still having problems I'd get a checkup to see if there are any issues.

A longshot, I know, but it would hopefully rule out some worries!

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

Forget the weight for now, are you losing any body fat? You could be gaining muscle with your exercise routine so the scales is showing zero progress, so don't focus entirely on weight. Are you noticing any changes with your body? Better toned etc?

If nothing is changing at all, then you need to reduce your calorie intake further.

pinkypinky

Are you drinking enough water?

GreeBo

Are you losing inches from your waist/bum?

I'd be adding some resistance training to your workouts (maybe 2 nights between the boxing/etc)
You dont have to go full metal and hop into a squat frame, even just getting some bands and doing lunges/squats/curls/overhead presses would help.
15 mins a session and you should see some benefits in a couple of weeks, toning if nothing else, which will improve how you look.

silverharp

it is a good idea to keep track of a few other measurements besides weight. The problem i would see with trying to reduce calories at this stage is that your body works on a budget and it will simply slow down to the new calorie level. i'd go with shaking up your diet rather than just tightening the screw, you dont seem to eat much fat so one thing would be to switch out the carbs for fat, have the eggs for breakfast, maybe an avocado salad for lunch and have your fish/meat with veg for dinner.

Bredabe

Have you had a medical checkup? some conditions make ppl fat/make it harder to lose/keep ppl slim. Calories and exercise cant overcome these and you may end up malnourished.

allybhoy

Forget the scales for the moment, your diet seems clean enough and if you are exercising as you say you are then you will lose weight, it just takes time. 3 weeks is not a very long window, keep the improvements going for another 3-4 weeks at least before you start worrying about your weight. Your body is just adjusting to the changes but eventually your hard work will pay off its just not an instant thing and being that bit older now (sorry! ) your metabolism is probably a bit slower than it was before.

Indie.

OP I have had the same issues recently. Was hitting the gym 4 or 5 times a week and my diet was decent. Just couldn’t lose any weight.

Went to the doctor for a checkup and blood test, turned out I had an under active thyroid which can lead to weight gain. On medication now and finding it much easier.

I’d recommend getting a blood test done.

Alf Veedersane

Musa Crooked Rap wrote: »

You could be gaining muscle with your exercise routine so the scales is showing zero progress,

That's highly unlikely. It's aerobic exercise....circuits and brisk walking and eating like the OP does isn't going to result in enough muscle growth to at the root of the problem.

OP, you're looking at it through a prism of 3 weeks. The last week or two before your period, oestrogen levels increase and that can lead to water retention, which might offset any weight loss.

How is your sleep? Stress levels?

Give it some more time to fully assess what you're doing?

_Brian

You can “eat really well” and still be eating too much.

Track consumption through an app like “my fitness pal”, you may need to weigh portions initially to get a grip on the actual real life portions your eating.

It’s possible your building muscle and removing fat, but muscle being denser can keep the scales up - but that isn’t a bad thing as muscle burns more calories on the long term and weight loss will kick in.

lau1247

Not sure if this would help but I remember I saw this on some program before, do you put a lot of sauce/dressing on your food?

On the particular program, the person is eating healthy with salads and vegetable but they end up putting lots of dressing etc and it defeats the overall purpose of having salad.

Just something to be mindful of.

seefin

Shinbin223 wrote:

Exercise wise I am doing circuits/boxercise classes 2-3 times a week and I really work up a sweat in them. I generally go for walks of 45 minutes - 1 hour 2 or 3 times per week. I’d cover 6.5 km in 45 minutes so I am walking quite briskly.

Did you only start the exercise at same time you started watching what eating?
Can gain water weight when do high intensity exercise so maybe masking any fat loss? Definitely start tracking everything you eat using an app.

Shinbin223

Thanks to all who replied to my query. I have upped the exercise from walking to couch to 5k. I started at week three because I knew I could run a bit already and I have done that twice since I posted.
I don’t like the idea of tracking calories as I feel it would be very easy to get obsessed with them and I don’t want to do that unless I really have to.
Clothes wise I don’t feel different although when I look in the mirror, I feel like my bum has gotten more toned. A friend of mine who is doing the same boxing/circuits class with me has gotten really toned arms since we started 5 weeks ago and I don’t seem to have made much progress which is frustrating.

I will definitely think about getting blood tests done in the next few weeks if there is no movement. I haven’t been as disciplined with food and exercise in a long time and I am probably going to end up getting frustrated and over eating if I don’t see results soon.

Alf Veedersane

Shinbin223 wrote: »

I don’t like the idea of tracking calories as I feel it would be very easy to get obsessed with them and I don’t want to do that unless I really have to.

Just on this, it's more to educate yourself on what you're eating and how much is in it. It's more an educational tool than anything.

It allows you to just assess what you're eating.

Penn

Shinbin223 wrote: »

Thanks to all who replied to my query. I have upped the exercise from walking to couch to 5k. I started at week three because I knew I could run a bit already and I have done that twice since I posted.
I don’t like the idea of tracking calories as I feel it would be very easy to get obsessed with them and I don’t want to do that unless I really have to.
Clothes wise I don’t feel different although when I look in the mirror, I feel like my bum has gotten more toned. A friend of mine who is doing the same boxing/circuits class with me has gotten really toned arms since we started 5 weeks ago and I don’t seem to have made much progress which is frustrating.

I will definitely think about getting blood tests done in the next few weeks if there is no movement. I haven’t been as disciplined with food and exercise in a long time and I am probably going to end up getting frustrated and over eating if I don’t see results soon.

I get that you don't want to get obsessed with the numbers by tracking calories, but I think it might still be worth doing for a week just to establish portion sizes, and at least highlight anything off in your general day-to-day. I think doing that for a week, you could then stop as you'll have gotten a better idea on if anything in your diet is causing the issue.

GreeBo

Penn wrote: »

I get that you don't want to get obsessed with the numbers by tracking calories, but I think it might still be worth doing for a week just to establish portion sizes, and at least highlight anything off in your general day-to-day. I think doing that for a week, you could then stop as you'll have gotten a better idea on if anything in your diet is causing the issue.

+1
When you actually count everything you can get surprised.

Macy0161

GreeBo wrote: »

+1
When you actually count everything you can get surprised.

Don't forget milk in teas/ coffee's. In my experience that can significantly add up.

I get the whole obsessive thing - I am that person. Still I lost the weight and have kept it off, so I'm prepared to live with that.

Tar.Aldarion

Macy0161 wrote: »

Don't forget milk in teas/ coffee's. In my experience that can significantly add up.

I get the whole obsessive thing - I am that person. Still I lost the weight and have kept it off, so I'm prepared to live with that.

This is why some people I know have almond milk, regular milk 64 calories per 100ml, almond milk 13 calories. 5 times less. Obviously you'd be getting a different nutrient profile but if weight is concern I'd be drinking as little calories as possible in general. I see people go through half a litre of milk a day easily which is a few hundred more calories.

mathie

Also Olive Oil

One Tablespoon = 120 calories.

I've seen people pour tablespoons worth into the pan without hesitation as its "good for you" :rolleyes:

You can cook without oil.

GreeBo

mathie wrote: »

Also Olive Oil

One Tablespoon = 120 calories.

I've seen people pour tablespoons worth into the pan without hesitation as its "good for you" :rolleyes:

You can cook without oil.

Olive oil is good for you, but you shouldn't cook with it as it burns at a much let temperature than other oils and is actually very bad for you when burnt.

If you are frying user coconut oil or sunflower oil.

Keep the olive oil for drizzling.

youtube!

The answer is fasting. I was like you and just could not get down past a certain weight /size no matter what I did. I read about the benefits of fasting, It is so good for your health, it actually gives the body a chance to repair its own DNA when you give it a break from having the digestion process going on from early morning to night. You will sleep better, you will wake refreshed, your skin will be clearer. Remember also that when we feel hungry we are almost always dehydrated and hence we mistake our hunger for thirst. I lost 10 kilos with this approach and am now quite happy with my weight/size. Hunger comes in waves so just let it pass and drink some water. Personally I do a 17/7 as in I stop eating at 5 pm and start again at 10 the next morning , I do cheat the odd time but you get used to the regime surprisingly easily once you go past the first week. The weight will melt away and you will fell fantastic. That's my input.

Mellor

GreeBo wrote: »

Olive oil is good for you, but you shouldn't cook with it as it burns at a much let temperature than other oils and is actually very bad for you when burnt.

If you are frying user coconut oil or sunflower oil.

Leo the olive oil for drizzling.

That's extra virgin oil. Virgin olive oil, or refined olive oil are more suited to frying.

Teyla Emmagan

My metabolism also ground to a halt when I hit 30. I went from being able to lose a few pounds a week easily to eating like a saint and shifting nothing. You may find what worked before just doesn't work anymore. Time for a radical overhaul I'm afraid.

GreeBo

Mellor wrote: »

That's extra virgin oil. Virgin olive oil, or refined olive oil are more suited to frying.

Sorry, I assume anyone means extra virgin olive oil when they mention olive oil!

Cake Man

Teyla Emmagan wrote: »

My metabolism also ground to a halt when I hit 30. I went from being able to lose a few pounds a week easily to eating like a saint and shifting nothing. You may find what worked before just doesn't work anymore. Time for a radical overhaul I'm afraid.

Metabolic loss does happen with age - i.e. lean muscle breaks down. This can be overcome by lifting weights a few times a week which kind of tells your body "Hey, I want to keep this lean muscle". However, it doesn't help that most older Irish people probably don't do much, if any, exercise apart from a bit of walking, let alone go to a gym to lift.


If one has less muscle mass, it would obviously stand to reason that one needs less calorie intake to maintain the same weight.
So you have a situation where peoples intake of calories remains the same or even more but their calories being expended are slightly less due to a more sedentary lifestyle (CI>CO) so naturally weight gain will happen.


People tend to lean a bit too much on the whole "I've a slow metabolism" thing though which is one in a long line of excuses. If weight is not shifting, it's nothing to do metabolism but simply a case of not being in a calorie deficit (CI<CO).