I've said this before and I'll say it again, however before I do say it, I realise SW doesn't work on calories, but out bodies do no matter what you call them
as everyone knows I love SW and promote it heavily, however sometimes you have to break it down to basics.
Our bodies work like this:
- If you consume more calories than you burn you will gain weight;
- If you consume less calories than you burn you will lose weight;
- If you consume the same number of calories as you burn you will maintain your weight.
There are some exceptions to this rule (certain illnesses, medications and over exercising and under eating amongst others), however for most people the exceptions don't apply. So I'd usually say if your losses are slow or you are maintaining then you are consuming more (or the same) amount of calories than you are burning. However bare in mind people lose weight at different rates for 101 reasons and you might be one of the unlucky ones.
You are exercising several times a week and having 8 - 10 syns a day is 160 - 200 calories, plus whatever is in your meals, which depending what your meals are might not add up to a lot. Below is a great article on why Eating Too Few Calories Can Prevent Weight Loss. I'm not saying this is why your losses are slow, but it's a good read nonetheless.
Weight Loss
Age, gender, physical activity and your body composition affect weight loss. Because muscle loss and reduced physical activity cause a slower metabolic rate, older people often have more difficulty losing weight than younger ones. Women tend to have more difficulty losing weight than men, and sedentary people have a harder time losing weight than active people. Eating too few calories to support good health undermines your efforts. On an extreme diet of less than 1,100 calories, up to 30 percent of the weight loss may be from muscle loss, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. In addition, eating too few calories in an attempt to lose weight can lead to weight gain when you return to normal eating.
Body Composition
Body composition refers to the ratio of muscle to fat. When you lose muscle due to age or inactivity, your metabolism slows down, meaning you burn fewer calories. Losing weight requires a 3,500-calorie deficit to lose 1 lb. If you eat too few calories, your body breaks down lean tissue for energy and holds onto fat. Because of this, you might lose weight eating too few calories, but much of that weight is from water and healthy tissue.
Metabolism
Low calorie diets without exercise resulted in slower metabolic rates and reduced physical activity in study participants, according to researchers from the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Louisiana who reported their findings in the 2001 PLoS One, the Public Library of Science's Hub for Clinical Trials. Participants consuming either a diet with 25 percent calorie reduction or an 890-calorie diet performed less habitual and voluntary physical activity during the trial than a control group and a group undergoing 12.5 percent calorie reduction and 12.5 percent calorie expenditure in exercise. The researchers concluded diet and physical activity combined offer a potentially successful method for maintaining weight loss.
Calorie Intake
Sedentary women need an estimated 1,600 calories a day; active women and sedentary men need 2,000, and active men need 2,400, the Merck Manual advises. In addition to slowing your metabolism, eating too few calories puts you at risk for inadequate nutrition. Severe calorie restriction can cause fatigue, intolerance to cold, gallstones and menstrual irregularities. Consuming fewer than 800 calories a day can result in heart rhythm abnormalities and could even be fatal. Work with your physician or a nutritionist to devise an eating plan that is best for you.
Read more: Can Eating Too Few Calories Prevent Weight Loss? | LIVESTRONG.COM
If it was me I'd try eating more to start with, not going mad with the chocolate but more healthy ways of increasing calories. Try increasing your syns to 15. If your appetite isn't that big you could add higher syned dressings or sauces to meals for example. If that doesn't work at least you can rule that off the list and you might have to accept you are a slow loser - but never forget you ARE losing and that is always fantastic.
I really hope it works out for you.
Good Luck
Natt x
