Is anyone else finding weightless a slow & tedious process

[Murtette]

I am feeling so disheartened this morning. I weighed myself this morning and am 11st4. This seems to be the weight I plateau at whatever I do. I was this weight for the year or so before I got pregnant with DC1 (now 3.10), briefly got back down to it before getting pregnant with DC2 (now 15mths) and have been between this and 11st 7 for most of the year. On about 8 different days, I have been 11st 3 (yes, I do weigh myself daily) but have never got down to 11st 2. It seems impossible. At only 5'4", I need to get down to 10st 6 just to be a healthy BMI.
At the moment, I am eating 1300 cals a day & doing the Shred. Given I'd done no exercise for ages (hip issues), I was hoping merely doing the Shred (20 mins a day for the uninitiated) was going to work miracles but it hasn't. What can I do? It's enough of a struggle fitting in the Shred and the two weekly Zumba classes I do so I can't increase exercise. Nor do I feel I can eat less. I haven't drunk for months.
Is anyone else struggling like this? So many posters on here seem to be able to lose a stone a month. I'm not! I do have PCOS but does that really make a difference? I feel as though I'm becoming a complete diet bore. I also want to get the weight gone & work out what I can eat & maintain sooner rather than later as DC1 is currently oblivious to the fact that I've spent most of her lifetime on a diet but she's getting ever more aware and I don't want her to know.
Sorry, this is a complete whinge but its such a dull topic and I don't want to bore any of my RL friends or DP any more.

[HotelTangoFoxtrotUniform]

I used to have a plateau weight that I just couldn't get past. I tried for year using MFP and keeping my calories to 1200 a day and couldn't break through it even though I was spending hours in the gym doing cardio to burn extra calories.

I was bored, frustrated and a diet bore. Constantly working out calories and stressing about burning them off.

I'm now 10lbs lighter than that plateau weight. I managed it by eating MORE, lowering carbs and shifting to resistance training. Six of those pounds fell off me in a fortnight. Seriously try reducing your carb intake - all calories are not created equal - and focus on having protein at every meal and at your morning and afternoon snacks. Don't worry about calorie logging, though I still do this to make sure I'm eating enough - aiming for around 1,800 a day.

There are lots of threads on low carb dieting in the weightloss boards, with loads of tips and recipes. Do give it a try. I was entirely sceptical of such things, incidentally, before I had such results.

[Murtette]

That's interesting. I was wondering if my body had got a bit bored of the same old stuff all the time. I do keep toying with doing low carb but am worried about how it would fit into my life. I will do some reading about it.

[clarinetV2]

My plateau weight on previous diets has been almost the same as yours - 11 st 2 in my case. I thought I'd never get down below 11 stone. This time I've done a kind of cycling. I have around 4 days a week at 1000-1100 calories, one/two days at about 1500 and one day a week/fortnight at more than that (basically eating whatever I like!). The days aren't set in stone but are flexible depending on what's going on in my life, and I try to earn my high-cal treat days in advance. I know that I'm aiming at an average of 1200-1300 a day, so four days at 1000 will 'earn' me a day at around 2200. It sounds complicated, but I'm used to it and have a pretty good sense of how to balance light days with indulgent ones. I can't do low carb myself - I've tried but I like carbs too much and I don't want to live my life feeling deprived. I'm around 9 st 5 now and losing about a pound a week - I was losing more when I was heavier. I don't do any serious working out, but I do a lot of walking including hill walking.

[BumgrapesofWrath]

I used to plateau at a similar weight to yourself (and I'm 5'5.) I think maybe a change of exercise, or maybe more intensive exercise might help.

[CaptainSweatPants]

Have you tried 5:2?

Many on here have had success on that diet

[Murtette]

All interesting ideas and its reassuring to know I'm not the only one its happened to. I think it's time for a change... I just have to decide what change.

[timidviper]

I was also going to suggest cutting the carbs. Look at the bootcamp threads for easy info.

[purrpurr]

Does anyone on Mumsnet go in for some kind of weight loss buddy system? I've been precisely 11 stone 1 for three months and I could really do with some encouragement to give it another go.

[postmanpatscat]

I would also suggest 5:2. I've lost 2st in six months and I could not have coped with 6 months of restricted eating 7 days a week.