Why has my weight loss slowed down?

sarah5893
sarah5893 Posts: 106 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So i've been exercising and eating healthily since new years in order to lose weight.
I'm 5ft 6 and used to weigh 14st 3lbs, I now weigh 12st 4lbs.
So i've lost nearly 2 stone in 2 and a half months which i'm over the moon about.

I was consistently losing around about 2lbs a week (apart from at the beginning when I lost a lot more due to water weight i'm guessing)

However, the past 3 weeks or so i've only been losing 1lb a week
My diet/exercising haven't changed drastically (although I have increased the intensity of my workouts.)

I'm eating about 850-1050 calories a day. A typical day will be

Breakfast - slice of toast or banana
Lunch - 2 slices wholemeal toast with baked beans/2 wholemeal rolls and a piece of fruit
Snack - piece of fruit
Dinner - Chicken fillet, potatoes, 3 portions of veg/ wholemeal pasta with veg/ fish and brown rice with veg

(twice a week i'll have a weight watchers ice cream at 80cals a pot)

exercise wise i'm going to the gym 4x a week. One session consists of:

between 45mins - 1 hour of cardio (treadmill, rower, cross trainer)
resistance training - 4 x 15 reps on 4 different machines working legs, abs or arms etc.

i also walk 45mins 3 times a week.

Obviously being a student i do go out clubbing, but that's only once a week and i drink vodka with diet lemonade... a night of drinking is probably around 650 calories. however, i've been doing this since the beginning of my diet.

Where am I going wrong and why has my weight loss slowed down??
Read online that sometimes you might not be eating enough to lose weight, could this be the case or am I okay?

Replies

  • Greenrun99
    Greenrun99 Posts: 2,065 Member
    The more you weigh, the more you can lose a week.. as you get smaller that number gets smaller.. Plus your not even eating enough food.. so you will hit a plateau pretty soon I am guessing.
  • quirkytizzy
    quirkytizzy Posts: 4,052 Member
    1) You need to eat more. Those calorie counts are unhealthy and will only impede you later.

    2) Weight loss is not linear. It takes time. You will not always lose 2 pounds a week. It's about how it averages out monthly.

    Add more calories into your diet (higher protein counts, nuts, peanut butter, avacados, etc) and relax. Treat your body well and results will follow.
  • DKrisAn
    DKrisAn Posts: 43 Member
    You may want to up the calories more. You are doing great. Losing nearly 28lbs in two months is great. At a certain point, weight loss does slow down slight. Losing 1lb a week is still wonderful. This is healthy weight loss that you will be able to keep up.
  • jaemydoll
    jaemydoll Posts: 3
    Weight loss is almost always faster at the beginning. After a while, your body kind of adjusts and now the good food and exercise aren't that drastic of a change. Switch up your workout, and the types of food you're eating. That will make it new again, and might also keep you from boredom. 1lb per week is a healthy weight loss pace. Don't be TOO anxious to meet your goal. Your body is a living thing, and not a machine. You are living a healthy lifestyle that you can continue for the long haul, and that is what is important. Also, many congratulations on your progress! Wow! :)
  • farway
    farway Posts: 1,264 Member
    I am in same position as OP, I reckon just not lugging the equivalent of half hundredweight around [large sack of spuds] every day in my case, and similar for OP means we use less calories daily just walking around
  • da_bears10089
    da_bears10089 Posts: 1,791 Member
    You aren't eating enough. If you are spending that much time working out, you are probably netting only like 400 calories a day at most! You should be netting at least 1200.
  • sarah5893
    sarah5893 Posts: 106 Member
    where does this 1200 calories figure come from? because conflicting sources say that either 1200 is the minimum or the 1200 calorie figure comes from nowhere trustworthy. it's difficult to know. especially because i don't feel famished/hungry on 850 - 1050 cals
  • sarah5893
    sarah5893 Posts: 106 Member
    anyone?
  • EasterKingston
    EasterKingston Posts: 27 Member
    I started out at 1200 calories too. Lost weight very fast the first month or so, and then stalled. Spending more time on the forums made me realize I wasn't eating enough, especially since I wasn't eating my exercise calories back. I hadn't been hungry, either, but I did realize I had been feeling less energetic and also kind of grouchy. Upping my intake helped me get my sunny disposition and my energy back, and it also got the scale moving again.

    I don't know where the 1200 number comes from. But there are calculations linked on this forum that carry a lot more weight, so to speak.
  • ShreddedTweet
    ShreddedTweet Posts: 1,326 Member
    Eat more food.

    Lift heavy weights.
  • Willowana
    Willowana Posts: 493 Member
    I ate 1200 calories in the beginning. I lost a little water weight and then stopped losing entirely. I bumped to 1400 and started losing .2 one week, .4 the next. I bumped to 1600 and I'm losing about 3 lbs. a week. Bump up, don't bump down. You're eating enough for a child, and your body doesn't like it.
  • DawnieB1977
    DawnieB1977 Posts: 4,248 Member
    You're not eating enough, and you have too many carbs and not enough protein.

    I'd also suggest varying your exercise a bit, maybe do some classes as well as doing strength training and cardio in the gym.
  • Fatbirdtalking
    Fatbirdtalking Posts: 44
    You shouldn't be despondent you have lost a good amount in two months and weight loss always slows. 1lb a week is actually a good amount to lose, its what most diet clubs recommend. It took a year for me to lose 42lbs with WW, which I managed to maintain for the last two years so I know that the 15lb I want to lose now is gonna be slow I'm hoping for 1lb a week. I would say though that I think your calories seem too low, you should really have 1200 a day minimum to maintain a healthy body.
  • megsmom2
    megsmom2 Posts: 2,362 Member
    You aren't eating enough for good nutrition. No, there's nothing magic about 1200 calories, but it is a convenient place to start looking at what you're eating. Please do yourself a favor and nourish your body...its worth it in the long run. Don't worry about losing your weight fast. Slow and steady and safe is better for you.
  • himilayaneyes
    himilayaneyes Posts: 204 Member
    Eat more food and lift heavy stuff.

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