Why is it so hard to lose just half a stone?

Try listening to some podcasts on intermittent fasting, it can jump start your metabolism into loosing weight.
There are quite a few experts in the field backing it now.

K I’m in the same boat - started a diet - well, sensible eating and keeping a food diary and lost a few pounds the first week, a couple off the next but on the scales this morning I’ve gained a pound. How?? Just how?? It’s not as if I don’t have it to lose and I’m doing the eat less, move more, so I really don’t know what else I can do. It’s very disheartening, but I’ll stick with it and hope it’s just a blip.

What exercise do you do Kandinsky? I was listening to the Xand doctor brothers recently, and apparently your heart rate needs to be elevated for exercise to be effective. I walk my dog regularly at a leisurely pace, and have now included quite a tough hill into my walk.

I am the same. I can eat and exercise the same as DH. He will lose pounds and I stay the same. It is because I have an underactive thyroid and although it is controlled by medication the GP says I have to concentrate on not gaining weight as I have little hope of losing it.

If you are post menopausal, 2lb a week is a lot.
I can lose weight if very careful with what I eat but lost 1lb a week following Weight Watcher strictly and not allowing myself the daily treats.
I lose around 2 lb a month or less if I am just being careful. I have lost 3 lb this year and am nearly 2 stone down on my pre lockdown weight. Take it slowly and you will lose.

Last week I started to reduce my food intake as I had regained all the weight I had lost, today one day before official weigh in tomorrow I am up 2lbs. I remembered this happened before I lost the stone, it was three weeks in before I saw my first loss, then it was just a lb a week. Very slow. I put the one stone lost on very quickly. I’m going to stick with it a# I bought @ lot of new clothes that 8 spill out of.

Don’t forget that you may well have swollen feet/hands etc due to the heat, that adds weight!

I wondered whether the heat makes the body retain more water?

Losing 2lb every week is unrealistic. And yes I do know what I am talking about I started my weight loss journey in 2017. My goal was to lose 8st and a bit. But didn't put a time limit on myself . I have done that in the past and failed everytime. And put more on than I lost. To date I have lost just over 7st was a 32 now a 16 but really a 14 top and 16 bottom. But feel more confident in 16.

If you want help and support read the pears thread and see if it's for you.

If you do want to lose weight remember it's a marathon not a sprint. Once you reduce your intake of calories it can take I have found from my own experience about a month for your body to adjust to less food . As your body is used to a certain amount of food and thinks you are starving and holds on to the fat. Well that's my theory. If you eat less than 1,000 cals a day your body holds on to the fat and takes nourish ment from your muscles. This is my theory and not a fact.

Note all this is my own experience.

Exercise helps to lose weight but you don't have to go mad. My instructor says it takes more effort to lift your arm or leg slowly than it does going fast. Sit on a chair and lift you arm or leg fast then do it slowly you will feel your muscles working harder. Don't forget to warm up your head and neck before exercise apparently more people hurt themselves because they forget how much we use are heads and neck.

All you need to do is sit straight on a chair don't lean back and slowly turn your head one way then the other stopping in the middle don't whip your head from side to side. Next slowly look up and down again pausing in the middle don't whip your head up and down do each movement 10 times. You can do this standing up as well. But it does work I couldn't turn my head to the left side to look over my shoulder ok it's taken a year of exercise but I can do it now.

Like I said this is my experience. I count calories and weight and measure everything I eat and drink. It's not right for everyone on the Pears posters have lost weight doing it different ways. The main thing is if you have a bad day food wise. Don't give up tomorrow is a new start.

Only you can decide to lose weight don't do it for anyone else but yourself. I am 64 now and have more confidence than I have ever had.

Wish you well on your journey.

Thank you Whiff for your post. Really good advice.

Thanks everyone!

I’m in the same boat. Lost a few pounds over the past 4 weeks but weight loss seems to have stopped. At the start of the pandemic I lost weight without even trying and it was due to not snacking between meals. Then I piled the weight on and thought I could lose it but it isn’t going. And the pounds I did lose didn’t equate to inch loss. Pre pandemic I went to the gym a lot. I read yesterday that muscles use up mor energy so if you’re quite toned you’ll burn up more calories just existing. So if I’ve lost that muscle I have to eat far fewer calories to lose weight (does that make sense?). I’m determined to lose this weight but it does seem like an uphill struggle.

Also forgot to say one you exercise on regularly basis even gentle exercise. You build up muscle and muscle weights more than fat. I will always have flabby bits and my thighs will never get smaller but noticed once I had exercised for 6 months my weight went up even though I was sticking to my calories no cheating. My daughter told me about it that's why it's important to measure yourself at the start. Some weeks I put on but lost inches. Mad but true.

I've been trying to lose 2.5 stones since March. My target date is Dec 31st, so 43 weeks, 35 lbs should have been a doddle. I was never a big eater, smallish portions, lots of veg, few take-aways in a year, so amending my diet was difficult. I started off at 1200 cals a day (cut out the wine!!) but little happened, so soon down to 1,000 cals, a daily brisk walk, lots of gardening but after 13 weeks I'd lost only half a stone. I bought a treadmill. An hour a day on a slight incline, going as fast as I dare. I was burning 400 cals a day on it for 2 months. Still on 1,00 cals, doing the brisk walks and gardening. Did I lose weight? Yep, 3 lbs. In 2 months. I am now on 800 cals and 90 mins a day on the treadmill and should be losing 3 lbs a week. Not a chance. Some weeks I put two pounds on. I've tried shocking the system by eating a "proper diet" for a couple of days but it does nothing. I've upped my intake of water too.

I'm now worried about lack of nutrients in my diet, being on 800 cals for so long. I'm having virtually no fat for example, other than oily fish.

What am I doing wrong and how long can I keep this up - physically and emotionally?

My 'old' doctor used to tell me to eat smaller portions and exercise more. I do both and I'm steadier now thankfully. I do have the odd biscuit as I need some pleasure in life!!! and fortunately it doesn't seem to make any difference. I have to be careful what I eat because of intestinal problems but I don't 'diet'. I tried but felt miserable. I enjoy my exercise groups which keep me motivated

I think it really it is much harder just to lose a small amount of weight. Really obese people often shed masses of weight when they first go on a diet, but as they get lower in weight so it becomes harder.Perhaps the body wants to hang onto a certain level of weight?

Well when I cut out sugar being diagnosed prediabetic. I mean really seriously all sugar, no fruit, anything that had a label had to real Carbohydrates of which are sugar less than 10g per 100g. I lost two stones very quickly.
I do have sweet treats now and again and plenty of fruit again. I never considered myself particularly overweight either. Although had it to lose.
So it can be done by knowing what your body needs.