Oh wise MNers, tell me what I'm doing wrong?

[alabasterangel]

I'm not daft, I hope, and I understand that to loose weight need to move more, eat less, eat the right stuff. So I'm in the 6th week of doing that in a controlled manner, and nothing is happening.

I'm 13st8lb at the start, and now I'm stuck fast at 13st3lb and that hasn't changed for the last 4 weeks (the 5lb came off in the first fortnight).

I've given up booze, did a completely dry January, and given that I drank most nights that's instantly cut a lot of empty calories. Pre-Jan I would have had two slices of toast, buttered, for breakfast. Sandwich crisps and and apple for lunch, and a carb based evening meal like pasta or veg chilli with rice. Downfalls were defiantely the amount of carbs, cheese, alcohol and portion sizes.

I now use MFP and I don't cheat. I have a veg nutribullet around midday, followed by a salad based lunch at about 2pm (yesterday it was rocket, tomato, reduced fat feta and grapes, the day before it was a quorn chicken chunks, rocket and cucumber in a sandwich thin. Fat free yogurt or a banana. Supper, at 6ish, last night it was basmati rice, chick pea and cauliflower home made curry, steamed green beans. If I have calories left over I have a little mini bar of green and blacks 80% dark choc.

Due to work patterns I'm inadvertently doing 18:6, which suits me fine as I absolutely detest breakfast eating. I don't snack, and I've cut out crisps, biscuits, full fat cheese and reduced my butter intake by about 90%.

At the weekend, I slacken things a bit and instead of the bullet I'll have something like scrambled egg or grilled mushrooms on wholemeal toast mid morning. That's my concession to bread and butter!

Everything is weighed, I'm told on MFP to aim for 1300 cals and I have about 1250 a day. I log absolutely everything, and portion sizes are checked and weighed where needed. I'm a vegetarian. I don't drink anything other than sugar free squash, water, soda water, tea with a splash of milk maybe 3 mugs a day.

I don't do an exercise regime, but I walk the school run there and back twice a day, and it's almost half an hour each way including up a huge steep hill which makes me breathless and has my heart pounding. At the weekends we get out and about. I'm also on my feet with work and I certainly don't feel sedentary.

Why aren't I loosing weight? I feel like I've made massive changes, my diet is completely different. Feeling very frustrated.

[twobambinos]

It's so frustrating isn't it.
Are you drinking water? Sorry if you mentioned it but I didn't see it. I hope your hard work pays off Soon.

[twobambinos]

To he honest id cut out the sugar free squash and the low fat cheese and yoghurt. They are full of additives

[hooliodancer]

Lots of people would say you aren't eating enough. Maybe try going up to 1500 a day.

I feel your pain, this happens to me too, but it comes off all at once. This seems against medical science, but happened to me just before Christmas.
I have bought a fitbit which has been a total revelation to me. I burn far fewer calories than I thought I did! I really think it's going to help with the 2 stone I need to lose. For example, I did a 3 hour walk the other day and my day calorie burn was still only 1800!

[alabasterangel]

Thank you. My SIL says I don't eat enough but I feel like I do and I don't feel hungry, ever!

When I do loosen the rules on a Saturday, ironically the scales seem to then show a loss on the Monday. It's just so disheartening!

[hooliodancer]

I think the theory is that the body thinks it's in famine mode so hangs on to fat.

Try going up to 1500 for 2 weeks to see if it makes a difference.

[toffeeboffin]

What do you mean by 'loosening the rules' though, OP?

If you are having a massive takeaway you might be consuming a weeks worth of extra calories in one sitting...

You might want to try lower carbing, see how you get on with that instead?

[ooosaidooo]

What are you putting in your nutribullet? I'm wondering if your weekend scrambled eggs on wholemeal toast may be better for your weight loss than the smoothie.

I do eat fruit but find if I go overboard it isn't great for weight loss, I tend to use veg to get my 5 a day and just have an apple and/or a banana as a snack.

Unfortunately now that I am a bit older I cannot slacken at all if I want to lose weight. If there is nothing going on that involves food then I often use the weekend to tighten up things a bit.