So bloody annoyed that I can't lose more weight. Any tips?

[Sweetpeaa]

I've lost 2 stone 2lbs over the past 4 months. And now? I'm at a standstill which isn't good enough as I still have 21lbs to lose to achieve a normal BMI, it's currently 28 so I am still overweight and these are not vanity pounds!

However I've not lost a lb over the last 3 weeks or so. Just at a standstill. How on earth can I get this moving again?

I exercise daily. 45 mins of swimming and a 5K walk usually. I play badminton once a week. I cannot run due to a foot injury and I can't lift weights due to a shoulder pull but I feel I am active enough

I eat a plant based diet. A typical day would be

Breakfast - porridge with chia seeds and berries, soya yogurt. Maybe a green smoothie or a bircher

Lunch - quinoa salad or lentils or baked feta , veg etc

Dinner - tofu stir fry, burrito bowl, roasted veg with a protein source

Snacks are usually a few nuts or a piece of fruit or hummus

I don't drink alcohol and I don't 'take days off.' I eat low ish sugar and want to be a fad free as possible. I know the diet works as I've lost over 2 stone in 16 weeks

So WHY am I now stalling? I honestly can't up my exercise and I can't see what I can cut out of my diet. Portions are 'normal.' I'm not super sizing or anything

Is it just me being impatient?

I got so cross about it last week that I ate 3 magnums. That'll show me who's boss eh?

Anyway, I drew a line under that and just carried on as normal but I am at a loss as to what to do now to get the weight moving again

Any advice please?

Sort your shoulder out (I've had two shoulder ops, it can be done) and start lifting weights.

Get properly puffed three times a week. Couch to 5k?

Hi. Well done on a healthy diet. If that is your typical day though I would suggest calorie counting as the seeds, the tofu, the quinoa etc actually is pretty calorific. I would definitely suggest like others have and calorie count for a while. I think you may need to reduce your intake by a couple of hundred cals. Especially with the little exercise you do. Try the app Nutracheck or similar for it.

@TeapotTitties I read that works well but the thing is I've promised myself I will lose this weight by being normal this time. No fasting, no low carbing, no eating windows - nothing. I want it to be a proper lifestyle change that's super simple to stick to and feels like a normal way to eat

I suppose i want freedom from the diet treadmill

You also need to track your calories

OP has done so well NOT tracking calories, and I think if she can find ways to start the weight loss again w/o doing so it would be much better.
Maybe it would be helpful but I wouldn't say she needs to do so.

@felulageller I eat 2 tablespoons of mixed nuts a day - well, maybe 4 days of the week. I will eat a sensible amount of tofu and I eat half a pouch of grains

The nuts could be problematic I agree. As I'll also have a portion of cheese on that day too

The iltonwre for me is freedom from calorie counting, although of course all weight loss is very simply to be in a calorie deficit and you'll only know this for sure by counting.

Trouble is, I then want to stick to 1200 a day or whatever. I obsess over it and it ultimately is my undoing as I feel all restricted

I think the answer is to keep doing as I've done BUT do something that makes me a little out of breath and cut down on the nuts / peanut butter and cheese as I do eat these foods every single day - sometimes all in one day tbh .. I'll add a tablespoon of peanut butter to a smoothie or drizzle it on my porridge. I'll grab a nuts snack. And then I may have a mozzarella ball with avocado and beef tomato for tea.

So I'm seeing how it could be time to be a little more mindful

*ultimate

@felulageller I swim for 45 mins every day, I walk 5 kilometres a day. I average 10k of steps a day.

I'm no athlete but I'm not sedentary

I understand that completely.

I don't (can't) eat breakfast and haven't done since I was about 12 years old. I just don't wake up hungry and my (work enforced) lunchbreak is around 12.30, so it's completely normal for me.

But if you wake up hungry then breakfast is your normal.

I think what you’re eating sounds really good, ok it may not be super low calorie but I think it is much more sustainable and mentally healthier than trying to count and reduce calories still further. plus you need those nuts and dairy for nutrients. I would agree with getting out of breath (couch 2 5 k is really fab) and weights, better to increase your metabolism than reduce calories given your already healthy diet. Well done on the loss so far

Sorry I don’t know how I missed that!

That’s plenty. I’ve never walked more than 6k per day when trying to lose a bit and that has always been sufficient.

I have found that sometimes actual weight plateaus for a while even when you’re still losing cms.

Also - I’ve never tracked calories when trying to lose weight and I’ve always succeeded nonetheless.

I wonder whether you need to push yourself more with your swim and walk. Can you time your lengths and try to improve your speed, so that you start getting out of breath? Walk up hills and fast? As you lose weight the exercise is less work for your body so you might need to increase the challenge.

Walking 5km a day isn't sedentary!

It will make the difference - ideally weighted on machines in gym (no pressure on shoulder) but if not then bodyweight. Listen to music/podcasts while you do it so it's something to look forward to.

There's an awful lot of 'I can't / I don't want to' in your responses and while that's fair enough - nobody can make you do anything you don't want to do - if things aren't working out for you just now with what you're doing, you may have to shake up your mindset a bit.

The definition of madness being doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result and all that.

@Sweetpeaa you're diet looks excellent really and your activity level as well so i would have to say portion size.
i'd go back to basics at this point calorie count every gram (i'm loving cronometer) and eat much much simpler meals just for 2 weeks to see if there is a sneaky something that's balancing the calories in and out (pumpkin seeds...)
so a two ingredient breakfast simple (products that are easy to calculate).

A 5km walk is only around 5,000 steps so although not sedentary it's not massively active. A 5km run or fast power walk would equal the same steps but would get you out of breath so much better for you.

@MrsJBaptiste I am recovering from a broken foot, no running unfortunately

I swim every day and do my 5K walk and usually end my day on 10k steps a day.

I do need to get out of breath though so that's this weeks focus

It can be if you aren’t getting your heart rate up sufficiently. Same with swimming.

NHS recommend 150mins a week of exercise, of which 75mins should be
‘moderate’ and 75mins, ‘vigorous’. NHS guidelines.

OP, I love to eat and hate to restrict food. I eat similarly to you, lots of grains and veggies. I eat very little meat as DH is vegetarian so do count and track occasionally to check I’m getting sufficient protein. The biggest game changer for my weight though was realising how much exercise I actually need.

I was a big walker and on my feet all day for work, so thought I was fit enough. However, despite always moving around, I never really got my heart rate up. A few years ago I was struggling to shift some weight when, a friend convinced me to join her on a month long running challenge, at first I really hated it. I hated sweating, being out of breath, feeling like time was going backwards, that the end was miles away, etc. but the weight just started falling off….and once my body got used to the feeling of exertion (and I got fitter) something clicked and I became absolutely obsessed. My once soft and flabby body is now quite lean and strong. I have so much energy, I practically bounce off the walls now and I’m hugely into trail running, cycling and climbing. The amount of exercise I do now means that I eat pretty freely.

If running isn’t for you, is there something else you could get excited about? Fast swimming? Cycling? Dancing? HIIT?

Sorry, cross posted. Good luck on your journey OP!

It does sound like you are doing well - well done and stay strong!

The only way I have ever managed to lose weight is through calorie restriction - I never found it made any difference what foods I was having, provided the amount of calories I consumed was low enough. Obviously you can achieve this either by sticking with the same foods but reducing the amount, or by switching to lower calorie foods, or a combination.

I used to cut out breakfast and all snacks. It's not supposed to be a healthy way to go about it but it did work for me.

Oh an I never found exercise particularly helped with weight loss really. (Obviously it is good for your physical and mental health in other ways). I think because you have to do such a lot of exercise to burn a significant amount of calories.....

Good luck OP! You'll get there....

Cut the nuts

How old are you?.
Sounds like you're just at maintenance calories : to lose you need to be eating fewer than your TDEE

I know it's fucking shit op, I'm the same, I really need to eat like a bird to be a healthy bmi. Unfair

Instead of the nuts have cottage cheese and blueberries

Instead of peanut butter have Greek yoghurt

I know you said you don't like eggs... But they're a real life saver for me. Massive protein, very filling.

Do you eat soups? If I eat a big bowl of lentil and veg soup before every meal (not breakfast, ha) I eat a lot less

I find it really odd that there are so many people trying to alter or REDUCE the OP's diet.
Her diet sounds good.
It has been suggested that the OP alter her exercise, which she has taken on board.
The people out there doing lots of medium to high intensity exercise would lose weight eating what the OP eats.
Surely increasing your calorie burn while toning up etc is a better way to lose weight than increasingly reducing what you eat?