The concept is exactly the same as many others, even here on MFP by specific groups.

Eat at a reasonable deficit for your amount to lose, based not on starting at bare minimum, but off what it would take to maintain.

Because to lose fat and weight, you must merely eat less than what you burn.

End of story.

Problem is vast majority have no clue what they could maintain at, so they are starting at minimum safety level for a sedentary woman with 45 hr desk job/commute whether true or not - and then not even using MFP correctly as a tool.

The more unreasonable the deficit - the more your weight loss will NOT just be fat.

Since you mention 2 things, losing fat (which is diet), and shaping body up (which is exercise) - your cardio is merely increasing what you burn each day, meaning you can eat more.

That isn't going to shape your body much, it helps the diet side by perhaps making it easier to comply because you get to eat more.

Unless you are allowing it to just create an even more unreasonable deficit - in which case it's really helping to lose muscle mass - opposite of shaping your body up.
That's exactly how you end up skinny fat, a smaller version of what you got now, fat where you don't want it, not much muscle.

Hi! And welcome! Yes ! This will work for you now! We have been conditioned to think that the scale is the only way to track progress as far as weight loss. Its not! The scale weight includes everything from fat, to water, waste, bones, and even muscle and other stuff,lol! There are plenty of ladies who started heavy and have lost fat and inches, which is true weight loss! Have you read any of the success stories on EM2WL.com.

A couple things I would suggest is that you start a serious weight lifting program. This will help change your body composition (shape), and Keep your deficit low to moderate. Have you figured out your TDEE. Use the Scooby calorie calculator and you can do a 10% no more than 15%. Work your way up to that number slooowly. Take measurements and pictures and be patient and consistent with your eating!

Just to give you an idea of my end results, after about 2 years of em2wl I'm 6 pounds heavier, wearing a smaller size. Eating 2070-2200 calories. I focus on heavy lifting 3 days a week and now walk 30 minutes 2 days a week for my cardio. (I used to live on my stationary bike!) and I don't pay attention to the scale.

If truly eating at a deficit - you won't be gaining any muscle, as in extra.
All you've got will just be used more, and while it may get inflated with some more stored carbs with water, if your cardio already used it, that's done, won't get more.
You'd be hard pressed to gain 1 lb of muscle every 6 weeks eating in surplus with a progressive overload lifting routine.

Nothing to fear, you don't have the right hormones to cause what you fear.

But if truly doing it for over a year, and little to no weight lost - you did the math wrong then. Not sure what you meant by "following" in first post now that I reread it.

If you have a deficit - you will lose weight.

If you are eating at maintenance and lifting, you will lose inches but no weight.

if you are eating at maintenance and doing just cardio, probably not many changes except heart health and maybe some strength.

Did you figure your TDEE using Katch BMR, or Harris or Mifflin BMR?
Katch needs bodyfat %, and your catch could be 200-400 lower than others. TDEE is then 300-500 inflated.
And end result is your deficit eating level has no real actual deficit compared to better figures.

Yes Anitra, I added you yesterday b/c I saw your comment on KiKi's post from a few days back where you invited those who needed help to add you. I have my #'s from Scobby's calculator. I have been eating 1600 until the last week I dropped down to 1400 because I have been working out so hard but the results are just not showing up.
I'm going to slowly increase to 15% cut from TDEE since it is such a significant increase.
I have gone on the EM2WL site and saw the success stories. I really didnt see anyone that started out as big as I am, whtich is why I it was questionable to me, but I'm going to give it a serious go bc what I have been doing just isnt working anymore.

I thought I recognized your user name! Thanks :-)

You are so right that the low calorie diets just don't work for most people long-term........ Yes, they will give you that great loss when you first start, but then in the end, you are left in a completely unmaintainable situation where you just can't eat less or exercise more (and, if you are like me, you become so ravenous that the binges become inevitable...)

If you have done the math and have your TDEE, I imagine you can probably clearly see that you have been under-eating at 1,400 calories a day (especially when you add on your exercise!). If you burned 400 calories (hypothetically speaking) through exercise, then you were only giving your body 1,000 calories to survive on. Obviously not maintainable long-term.....

I second Joan on her advice to continue to strength train. For me, that is truly when the magic began. Not only did I feel stronger in my daily activities, but it was so empowering! It took a couple of months, but I really began to see changes in my body (in a good way, not bulky way), and started fitting into smaller clothes.

What helped me is to take your measurements and go by how your clothes are fitting vs worrying about the number on the scale. In the last couple months the scale hasn't moved much but I have lost a ton of inches and I am wearing a smaller size. Its easy to get discouraged when the scale isn't moving so I only weigh myself once a month now but take measurements each week. What you will find sometimes happens is a whoosh effect. No weight loss for awhile but then all of a sudden 4lbs gone.

Hang in there. This group is very helpful and supportive . Everyone here will help when you need to hear some encouraging words and advise.

Hi I am new to EM2WL. Feel free to send me a FR on here. I am doing a true TDEE reset