Tell me where I'm going wrong

[Eesha]

Can someone give me a view on where I'm going wrong as I want to kick start my diet. I have a stone to lose.

Breakfast : 1 slice brown toast
Lunch: around 2pm, : main meal small portion of rice, lentils and curry (no cream etc) with Greek yoghurt, or omlette or roasted veg and chicken and hummus
Dinner : Nothing

1L water, sometimes 2

Little or no exercise

I'm debating going low carb or soup only which would be hard as all I seem to think about is food!!!

[Junkmail]

It’s super slow when you have only a small amount of weight to lose. You’re probably not doing anything wrong—you just need to be patient. I eat v low carb and have only around 5lbs left to lose before I reach target weight. I’ve already lost 4.5 stone but this last stone is taking forever to come off!! How long have you been eating this way?

[jackio2205]

Honestly, you're not eating enough based on that day, if u want to do it through diet alone.
Its so hard to say because weight loss is more mental attitude rather than anything and everyone responds differently to different techniques etc., but bottom line is, for long term success, eat healthily and exercise. Skipping meals is not healthy and actually slows down your metabolism so ur body stores the next food more.
If u want a quick fix there are hundreds of ways, but short term success im afraid, weight will more than likely come back to an extent x

[coffeeforone]

How long have you been eating like this for? Are you losing weight slowly or not at all?

[Eesha]

Thanks for the feedback! So I started in June last year and lost about a stone over 3 months, but now it's just stuck. I have small kids so tried eating my main meal at lunchtime and very little at night if anything. Friends seem to be on soup diets and losing weight quickly, or very low carb and that is working too, but I just seem to vary by a few pounds here or there but essentially around 88kg at 5ft 6

[coffeeforone]

Are you able to calculate exactly how many calories you are consuming? It's difficult to gauge from the example you gave.

At 88kg I'd expect to be able to lose weight eating the amount you describe on a regular basis, unless there are any hidden calories, like what is on the toast, how much oil in the cooking, any other snacks/drinks etc?

[EssentialHummus]

I think something may be going wrong with calories or portions. I do 5:2/intermittent fasting, and tend to lose more weight when I buy ready meals (or things with clearly stated calories) - because otherwise even if I'm careful I end up overeating.

[Eesha]

So I would eat two chicken thighs, small rice but lots of veg to bulk up. I do love a generous helping of Greek yoghurt, saying 2 or 3 heaped spoons. Sometimes in the night id snack on popcorn (salt and sweet) so maybe it's this. I haven't been out too much recently because of the weather so I think that might also be it.

[OwlinaTree]

Id be starving on those rations!

Start eating a decent breakfast, one slice of toast is hardly anything. What about beans or egg on the toast or porridge?

Lots say calories in, calories out but I think this gets you into a spiral of eating less and less and less. Id have a total re think.

[OwlinaTree]

I'm about 59kg at 5'5 and I eat way more than that, and I'm losing weight. 4lb off since beginning of Jan.

[Eesha]

So maybe boiled egg and toast, then same lunch as before, then would I still need dinner? I tend to be on the go and almost conditioned myself to have my one meal at lunchtime then feel it's too late later to have dinner so I don't bother.

[MIdgebabe]

Write down everything that you eat or drink, any carrot stick from the kids plate as you clear up or jelly tot or grape. If possible weigh everything before you eat or cook it.

DO you really have one slice dry toast for breakfast?

Omlette..I guess some butter? Cheese? How many eggs? Veggies? No carbs with it at all?

At the levels you say you are eating I would be struggling to think. So it would be very easy to cheat and not realise . 1 slice dry toast and a plain two egg omlete is barely 300 calories

My aunt complains about how hard she finds it to lose weight. The difference between what she said she ate all day and what she put away in just one meal was phenomenal!

[Arscal]

I'd agree that there are probably more calories in what you are eating than you realise. Most people would struggle not to lose weight on around 300 calories a day.

Is there any way that you could fit a little exercise into you day so that you could eat an evening meal and still be in a calorie deficit (which is ultimately the only way you'll lose weight)?

[CallMeSirShotsFired]

I usually only eat one perfectly normal/average meal a day (dinner) and few times a week do a high intensity exercise session beforehand as well.

I am massively overweight so you'd think it'd be falling off me with that regime, but here I still am, all of me!

(I'm also not hungry much although I often see posters saying they're gnawing table legs off if breakfast so much as runs late!)

[SingaporeSlinky]

It doesn’t sound a lot of food to me, but maybe your body metabolism has got used to this amount of food now, so the fat loss has slowed right down. I would say try some exercise and see if that helps.
Also, as others have said, try writing down every single thing, including any tea, coffee, especially with sugar, honey. How much butter are you putting on the toast? Jam? And weigh the food. One person’s omelette might have 2 eggs, another might have 4. Are you having ketchup? Little things might be adding up.
But I wouldn’t be skipping dinner. If you’re having your main meal at lunchtime, still do have something small in the evening, even if it’s a banana.

[Eesha]

@SingaporeSlinky I also think my lack of exercise isn't helping. Omelettes for me would be three eggs, with cheese and ketchup. Very little spread on toast, and that's just me eating a leftover single toast that the kids leave. Curry would be two chicken thighs but I do like yoghurt. I'm thinking to drop rice completely and see.

[legolimb]

It sounds like very little food to me.

I've been on a 6 week fitness challenge recently and had to increase my food significantly. Also my exercise was ramped up.

Despite the amount i was packing away I felt constantly hungry the more I ate the hungrier I became .

However I lost about 11lbs (I am not overweight so it is never easy for me to lose) and a lot of inches. Totally 're shaped my body.

Sometimes you need to feed your body and do some exercise to kick it into action.

[Butternutsqoosh]

There's no way that's enough food, when you have too little calories your body will start to store fat as it thinks it's going into starvation mode. I think you need a lot more fruit and veg as well as what you're currently eating.

[JennyOnAPlate]

Download MyFitnessPal and count your calories. Weight loss is calories in vs calories out...if you're not losing weight you're consuming too many calories.

[Eesha]

So for example now, I've had main curry about 2pm, a small bowl at 5.30pm that my kids left and feel full. I've been drinking water since then. Do I now eat another meal if not hungry?

[SingaporeSlinky]

You might need to eat more in the mornings, try porridge with banana, and have some green teas during the day to increase metabolism. But also exercise, which will allow you more calories.

[blanktelevision]

If you constantly only eat those small amount of calories, your body will go into starvation mode and store it all for reserves. It's why intermittent fasting works, but every day restriction doesn't, because your body isn't getting enough fuel the other times and panics.

You ideally need to start using something to work out your calorie consumption (my fitness Pal is good) and track that. 1200 a day should still see you losing 2lb a week even if you add in some 500 calorie days too.

[Felicia3]

I have really crap metabolism and find any kind of limiting diet not sustainable long term and the weight comes back on quicker than it went off. I find the 16:8 intermittent fasting and exercise very sustainable and the weight comes off and stays off. And I don't limit myself to the degree you are doing, I just eat healthily with a few treats here and there.
I like having a slim toned body but I also like being happy and enjoying my life, so this is a good balance for me which works. I hope you find something that works for you:)