Difficulty loosing weight age 54 female

lisawww
lisawww Posts: 3 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am 5ft 4 and weigh 10st 3lb I lift weights and strength train 3 x a week and run 3 x a week my calories are1281 carbs 127 g Fat 29g protein 128g. I take HRT.
I am a vegetarian. I am trying to lose around 8-10lbs BUT the scales have not moved in 2 months please help any advice much appreciated.

Replies

  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,416 Member
    First, why are you eating so little?




    With so little to lose, it's important to log carefully. Are you doing that?

    If you were actually eating that little and doing that much exercise, you'd be losing...but your body can get super stressed and that's not a good thing, it will result in cortisol spikes and water retention.

    I'd say you need to log accurately and eat more like 1500-1800 (the higher on exercise days) and don't expect rapid weight loss.

    I lost almost all my 80 pounds at age 54, Female, retired, 5'7" 1600-2000 calories per day.
  • lisawww
    lisawww Posts: 3 Member
    I log my daily amount using my fitness pal and if I go over it’s at a max of 100 cal x
    I use a fitness watch too to log.
    I am vegetarian so use protein shakes would this make a difference
  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,833 Member
    With "logging carefully" we mean: are you weighing your food (not eyeballing, using volume measurement etc.), are you checking that you are using correct database entries and are you avoiding generic entries (e.g. "1 bowl of chili") and using the recipe builder/Meal functionality for logging home-cooked meals?
  • freda666
    freda666 Posts: 338 Member
    edited June 2021
    lisawww wrote: »
    I log my daily amount using my fitness pal and if I go over it’s at a max of 100 cal x
    I use a fitness watch too to log.
    I am vegetarian so use protein shakes would this make a difference

    If you are doing all that exercise and really only eating 1200 calories the weight should be falling off you.

    So assuming you do not have a medical condition, it would indicate there is something wrong with your calorie measuring. Not trying to be harsh or critical or insulting, that's just what it indicates.

    I weigh absolutely everything and it is amazing the difference in calories if you do not do it diligently and accurately.

    Do not use cups!

    And as said above, you need to make sure you are using good calorie data so make sure you are picking the accurate items off the database.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,416 Member
    lisawww wrote: »
    I log my daily amount using my fitness pal and if I go over it’s at a max of 100 cal x
    I use a fitness watch too to log.
    I am vegetarian so use protein shakes would this make a difference

    The vegetarian protein powder is not the problem.

    If you want more targeted suggestions, please open your FOOD diary page for us to see if we can spot common errors.

    FOOD > Settings

    https://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    If you haven't lost weight eating to that calorie goal in two months, the issue is likely that you're eating more than you think you are. If you open your diary, we may be able to help.
  • JoDavo66
    JoDavo66 Posts: 526 Member
    Female hormones can also muck things up- I actually put on doing what I'd previously done- I was about a stone from my goal.
    Looked into all sorts of things- a dietitian tells me she has the same problem herself.
    Obviously all the above is really important to ensure accuracy. I feel your pain, though- I have to be so strict to lose.
  • freda666
    freda666 Posts: 338 Member
    edited June 2021
    JoDavo66 wrote: »
    Female hormones can also muck things up- I actually put on doing what I'd previously done- I was about a stone from my goal.

    But not for 2 months at 1200 calories and exercise.
  • naomi9271
    naomi9271 Posts: 127 Member
    I’m an inch taller than you, similar age, and a few pounds heavier. Losing on 1550 with much less exercise than you report, which is impressive! Agree that something is very wrong, and the easiest answer is the calorie logging. From there, it’s Dr’s office worthy.

    Do you include the fat/oil you cook with? And do you use a scale? Hoping it’s something as simple as that and not a more serious problem.
  • VegjoyP
    VegjoyP Posts: 2,772 Member
    I agree with logging and weighing. I weigh my protein powder. The scoop can be more- sometimes much more- than what container states. Same with jut butter. Forget using tablespoon measuring. Weight is accurate and amazing what the differences are.
  • glassyo
    glassyo Posts: 7,740 Member
    Oh god, yeah. Weigh the nut butters and cereal. My eyes do not understand 28 g of sunflower seed or cookie butter (ok, not a nut but still!).
  • Beautyofdreams
    Beautyofdreams Posts: 1,009 Member
    How long have you been in a calorie deficit? How long have you been exercising ? Have you increased volume or frequency or duration of exercise?
    The body can adapt to low calories by slowing metabolic processes and activity. Taking periodic diet breaks of maintenance calories for 2 weeks followed by 6-8 weeks of moderate calorie restriction can lessen the metabolic adaptation.
    Also, the body becomes more efficient and less challenged if you do the same exercises, distances, reps, weights without increasing some level of difficulty.
    I won’t comment on calories as I am 57 and lost 78.5 pounds eating the calories that MFP suggested which is the same as OP’s.
    Definitely get a digital food scale and weigh ALL food and drink in grams. Just be consistent and patient. All my weight loss has been post menopausal with no HRT.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    There are mistakes that people commonly make that cause them to not lose weight that we might be able to spot if you change your Diary Sharing settings to Public: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings
  • sweetdaisy13
    sweetdaisy13 Posts: 357 Member
    edited June 2021
    I'm the same height, slightly younger in my early 40s and started my MFP journey in March.

    Started with the standard 1,200 calories a day but soon realised that this was not enough. I run around 30 miles a week (mostly trail/mountain) and do Plank/Isometrics workouts 4 days a week, plus Rebounding sessions.

    My daily calorie goal is now 1,666 which is much more manageable. The extra calories help me to recover better from exercise, I don't have injuries and eating 1,200 calories a day was making me feel fatigued.

    I have lost 10 lbs and am now in maintenance. I ocassionaly go over my calorie intake, but mostly stay just under 1,600 but create a deficit through exercise. I rarely eat back my exercise calories (I know you should), but I can't bring myself to do this, but on a really heavy exercise day I will eat a bit more.

    The biggest eye-opener for me was buying a digital scale. It was quite a shock as I previously had no idea how much I was consuming. I also realised when I first started logging my food, that my snacking calories easily exceeded my main meal/lunch, even though I didn't really consider myself a snacker.

    My food choices are now a lot better and portion size is under control. I don't restrict any food groups and eat in moderation. It's a win win as for me, increasing from the initial 1,200 calories has helped me lose more weight and it really benefits my exercise routine.

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