 [ Symptoms ] my wife weighs 242lbs she only eats about 1500 calories a day and excercises why can not she lose weight   my wife is 5ft 4inches tall weighs 242lbs and is a size 14 16 in pants sizes she only eats about 1500 calories a day and exercises about 90+ minutes a day burning 800 1200 calories she has been doing this for about 2 months and has not lost any weight she has been diagnosed with ibs she also has be test for hypothyroids and was negative   [ Disease ] it is difficult to say exactly why your wife is not losing weight without more information but here are some things to consider how is she tracking her calories it is possible that she is getting more than she thinks she is seeing a registered dietitian can help her examine her food intake for hidden calories high levels of activity mixed with low calorie intake may increase cortisol levels stress hormone and cause weight to stay where it is this is a theory but i have seen it many times your wife can experiment with cutting back the exercise or increasing her calorie intake unless she is enjoying the exercise it likely is not sustainable so i suggest she focused on doing something she enjoys if your wife did not exercise at all before it is possible she is gaining some muscle mass and losing fat even the scale is not moving other factors can cause weight to plateau such as stress and lack of sleep see this webmd article for more ideas weight loss    and especially weight loss maintenance    can be a challenging task i suggest your wife get help and support with the process the key is to address the reasons for the weight gain in addition to tackling food and exercise i had the same issue 1 2hours a day in the gym cardio and weights 4 5 days a wk eating 1200 calories only lost 2 lbs in 4 months turns out there is so much msg in food that it was hindering my progress i switched to eating only organic food with light exercise and lost 5 lbs in one week i also stopped getting head aches and back aches i even gained energy and improved disposition msg is an excitotoxin used to get mice fat and stay that way in order to research diabetes  there are over 40 types of msg under different names and it is in 95 percent of foods you find in stores  <link>