What am I doing wrong?

Stats: F, PCOS, 5.5", SW - 180lb CW - 179.6, GW - 150lb, IF 18:6, 20:4 I've been doing IF for about a month now. I know it's not much time, but with the life changes I've made, I expected to see at least a little progress on the scale. I've started weightlifting consistently (3 days a week), I walk every other day for 30 minutes, I drink more water, and yes, I make sure I eat within my calorie deficit per my calculated TDEE. I feel like I'm doing everything right, and yet, every time I step on the scale, little to no progress has been made. I dropped down to 176lb temporarily, but now it's back up to 179.6lb. Maybe I'm just spoiled because before I started IF, I lost a ton of weight from just a change in my diet alone (low carb/keto), no exercise. I went from 207 to 175-180lb, and I've been stuck in that range for a year now. I'm still eating low carb, and I hoped IF would be the thing to push that number down, but it's just not budging. I have PCOS so the difficulty to lose weight is already up a notch. I'm trying not to get discouraged, but the lack of progress on the scale is really weighing me down. Pun intended. So, what am I doing wrong?

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I have PCOS too. I agree with the comment above about weight lifting causing water retention in the short term. I’ve experienced like a 5 lb gain anytime I start strength training. I think the body retains water as your muscles get accustomed. For me that usually resolves in a month or so. Keep doing what you’re doing! You have to play the long game. When I see people post pictures here, it’s usually over the course of a year that they actually show results. You’re doing great! Consistency is key as your body is adapting. It’s so hard to keep going when you don’t see immediate results, but with what you’re doing, you will! It might take a few months.

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two things. Lifting can absolutely keep you from losing weight and have “recomposition” instead, or it can cause more water retention in the short term due to inflamation.

Second thing is RMR calculators are just that, blind calculators. My tested RMR is a full 550 calories lower than calculated (I had pegged it at 500 from a year of noted experience, but it was nice to see that measured). This sucks but it is my reality. If you dont have weightloss for another month or so, getting an oxygen conversion test could be worthwhile to see what your real RMR is. Also be aware many calorie estimators will overestimate active calorie usage . I usually factor 75% of active calories towards my TDEE to be safe

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Sounds like you’re doing everything right. It took however many years to put all that weight on, it takes time for it to come off, too. Yeah you can do crazy crash methods to get it off fast, but you’ll just bounce back up after the crash diet is over. Slow and steady, just keep making good food decisions every day and you will see results

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I find dr. Berg on YouTube is very informative and helpful. He explains how stress alone can completely halt weight loss because it causes your body to produce sugar. I definitely recommend watching his videos.

Have you tried raw apple cider vinegar or room temperature lemon juice in water (daily) it really speeds up your metabolism and heals your liver and even better is blending a whole organic lemon with skin on and drinking that everyday. AMAZING benefits!

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If you have PCOS it means you have insulin resistance. For best results, I believe you would need an extremely low carbohydrate diet. Calories are a red herring and not all calories affect your body equally.