Hello!
I have a bit of a head scratcher – hoping there is someone who could speculate some of the reasons why I am seeing such a snail’s pace movement on the scale or can help provide insight on their own journey.
History: I have been overweight my entire 20’s.. I’m 29F and 5’6” and currently weigh 171lbs. Hovering about 20 lbs overweight and about 30lbs from my initial goal weight. The highest I have been is 195, and my “sticky” weight is usually around 184. I have been a yo-yo keto-er and have really grown to hate the “cheat day” mentality for myself. I know keto works for some.. and it certainly has worked for me, but because I know it will never be a lifestyle for me, I jump back up to the weight I started at. This time around, I wanted to focus on HEALTHY habits.. CICO, fasting, eating when hungry, filling my plate with veggies, working out my body, etc. I saw 187 on the scale at the end of the summer and did a quick few weeks of keto to get down to 172 in November before deciding to transition to CICO and intermittent fasting.
What I’m doing: Currently, M-F I will fast for 20 hours, eat for 3-4. Often times, I eat OMAD and I stick to a 1200 calorie day (some days are closer to 1000, heavy workout days are sometimes up to 1400 but no more). Trying to be aggressive about this weight loss, as I have my best friend’s wedding this summer. During the weekends, I usually fast 16/8 and still maintain my 1200 calories, again, up to 1400 if I have a heavy workout day. During the holidays, I was lazy with my calories but strict on my fasting and maintained my 172 weight. January 1st I decided to be VERY strict on my 1200 and introduce exercise. I work out 5-6 days per week on the stationary bike for 30-60 minutes. A goal of mine has been to focus on overall health, and feeling stronger has been a major win. I measure every couple of weeks. So far with this method I have lost 3lbs in 6 weeks and about an inch around my waist…. Really?? .5lb a week for all this work? Is this realistic? I really am trying to get a healthy mindset about weight loss, but I am working hard every day for progress and am feeling very low about it all. To top it all off, I have random “gains” that occur.. this weekend I “gained” 3lbs, despite being at 1200 calories or less every day except one where I was at 1350.. which means I currently sit at 171.
FAQ:
Water consumption – I know from the keto days how much water plays a factor in weight loss, water has also helped me through my fasting times. I drink black tea and water all day.. averaging about 64oz per day and many days up to double that amount.
Hormones – I am on hormonal birth control (Mirena) and have been for 6 years. I have always been VERY regular otherwise. I have looked up hormonal issues in women and do not seem to have any symptoms. It also seems that a lot of the treatments for hormonal issues have to do with getting on birth control to regulate hormone levels.
Fasting habits – I naturally eat 16:8 and almost always have. Fasting to 20:4 is no problem for me. I do drink coffee and tea (unsweet of course) during my fasts but that is all I will have.
Exercise/muscle – Could I be gaining muscle? Sure, but that much not to see any kind of weight loss or measurement loss? I do notice a major difference in the strength of my legs, but I am still very fleshy / not a huge difference in overall body composition from what I see. I would think if I was gaining muscle, I would still see a loss since I have about 20lbs before I am in a healthy weight range for my height. Also – I burn an average of 500 calories when I work out, and I do not eat back my calories burned unless it is a special occasion.
Undercounting calories – I make a habit to overcount, especially if I did not cook. Absolutely could be the case still, but I cook most nights of the week, so I know there is no added oil/sneaky calories.
TLDR: Any insight/ help / thoughts would be amazing. I am trying to develop a healthy mindset when it comes to weight loss and trying to not be tempted to crash diet before my best friend’s wedding. Additionally, I want to have a better relationship with food and my body.. losing slowly is absolutely no problem for me.. but I figured I would be losing more than AT BEST .5 lbs per week (at worst I have lost 1lb in 6 weeks of working hard every day). I borderline want to cry at my wasted efforts and want to pat myself on the back for working hard at this. However, if anyone has any advice I would be so grateful!
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