I can't lose weight and it's getting me down

[Whataplanker]

I will start this by saying that I know I am not huge or anything like that. I weigh 12 stone 3 and I am 5'8" so I can carry it ok ish.

However, I just seem to have lost control of my body. I am on the pill (have been for years) and I am on citalopram for anxiety. It is since I started the citalopram, the weight has crept up and up. It feels like every time i look at the scales it's gone higher.

I try to make changes to my diet but I am rubbish at sticking to them. I have a DH and a DD and we tend to all eat the same and we like a lot of pasta etc. I really don't want to go down the route of making myself a different meal but my DH is quite fussy about different types of veg and doesn't like fish, mushrooms etc whereas I will pretty much eat anything. I need to exercise more. I am paying for a gym membership and hardly using it which is awful. I just seem to have lost my way and I don't know where to go.

I joined Slimming World and lasted 4 days. I'd used up all my syns and was still starving. Similarly with WW, my points hardly seem to go anywhere and yet I was having things that I do even think are that unhealthy (breakfast for example bran flakes with Greek yogurt and a small handful of raisins and a glass of orange juice).

I used to stay at the same weight no matter what but I was anxious. Now I'm happy but have no control over what I weigh. I have cut out snacks for the past week and just stuck to three meals, absolutely no effect so I wonder why I bother.

Sorry for the long ramble. I'm just really frustrated and also 40 so i don't think age is on my side. I want to be back in control of my body.

Intermittent fasting (16:8) is the best way for me to control my eating I find. Have you tried it?

You can eat the same as everyone just eat less. You know how to lose weight- calorie deficit, move more etc. You just need to work on why you're stopping yourself

I would eat same but reduce portion size and instead of a huge bowl of pasta, have a small amount with a spinach salad on the side.

What do you eat in an average day?

Forget the gym but go for a walk every day.

Perhaps cut your carbs and hidden sugars back a bit? Orange juice is very sugary and so causes a spike and then a drop in your blood sugars. And up your protein. The protein keeps you fuller for far longer.
Up your daily steps and you will soon lose the few pounds you need to to be a healthier weight and feel better about yourself.

I think I probably have too many carbs. My lunch usually consists of a sandwich or something like scrambled eggs on toast (2 slices of warburtons white toastie). Then dinner (tea because I'm northern!) is usually something based around pasta or rice. We use Hello Fresh quite often which I think I need to stop or limit as the meals we tend to order can be quite carb based. Portion size probably is an issue so I will take that on board.

I have read about 16:8 but I need to eat as soon as I wake up. I am starving and the first the first thing I do when I wake up is make breakfast.

Snacking was a big problem, especially when I was at work. I'm a teacher so I would have a snack at playtime in the morning and then I am always really hungry just after the children go home at 3:30 and I end up rummaging in the cupboard and eating chocolate or sweets from my stash while I work after school or when i get home I have a cup of tea with several biscuits. Someone always seems to bring in some cakes or biscuits for a birthday or whatever so I'd pick at them too. I seem to have broken the snacking habit over the summer holidays so I am hoping to continue that when I get back to school.

I had exactly the same problem on citalopram OP, it was awful because it helped me so much mentally but it definitely affected my weight. Which is ironic because part of the reason I went on it was for body dysmorphia and being extremely anxious about my appearance 🤦🏼‍♀️ I am extremely active, and even when marathon training (and not overeating to compensate - I’ve run a few and know what I’m doing!) AND walking dogs for an hour a day, I put on a stone in a year. It just kept creeping up. I switched to sertraline after discussing it with my GP and it was marginally better - scale stopped going up, but it’s not exactly coming off like it used to either. It’s so hard.

Exercise won’t help much. It’s for fitness not weight loss. What you put in your mouth is 90% of the battle. I lost a couple of stone by reducing portion sizes, no exercise. It was literally one slice of toast with Philly cheese for breakfast, a ham salad sandwich for lunch, and a small evening meal of the same food as the rest of the family. No sweets, biscuits, crisps, alcohol or other treats. Yes you will be hungry, it’s unavoidable when you’re eating less then you need.

I’d use something like nutri-check to start with, it will give you an allowance of calories and that way you can figure out how much you can eat while loosing weight. Once you get the hang of it you can freestyle probably.

Protein and fibre are filling so have them with every meal. 5 fruit and veg a day. 3 meals and a snack in the afternoon (fewer if you genuinely don’t want them.) Try and keep chocolate and crisps out of the house, but if other people have them at least make them keep them out of the way.

the chances are you are eating too many calories, so get on top of that before you start thinking it’s age or medication.

SW is v carb heavy so it doesn’t suit everyone. It’s not unusual for people to say they overeat on it. Things like fasting and paleo suit some people but they are too extreme for most.

It sounds like you are having too much sugar and refined carbs. Lay off the sugar and switch to whole meal.

You’re starving when you wake up due to having a very carb heavy meal at dinner (tea)
maybe start off doing fasting for 12/14 hours for a week and see how you feel.
have protein in every meal.
drink water instead of orange juice.
add masses of veggies to your meals. It really fills you up.

Both those meds have side effect of weight gain

The problem with slimming world and low carb kept type diets is that even if you lose the weight you're hungry, your metabolism slows some to adjust and it's not sustainable long term so tend to plateau and put weight back on in rebound end sometimes more

Fasting irregular days can help but really best longest term way is to long term healthy eating to eat 3 big healthy meals a day and no snacking in between, drink plenty of water or use small pot of huts (measure them out), advocado banana or one or two fruits a day as your snack if you must (apple orange nectarine..) gradually your Jody will reset

*body (lol at Jody! )

Also cut out alcohol
Think about coffees and teas- if you're drinking 4 or more a day with milk and or sugar that's a lot of "snacking" equaveldnt- can you go black tea pr camomile or green/ lemon tea and black coffee? It's save you 100s calories without much change

Hi Op, you might be hungry when you wake up because the pasta dinner is causing spikes in your blood sugars. Have you read The Glucose Revolution? Well worth a read. You don't have to have different meals from everyone, but if you have a small salad starter before each meal (although I mostly just eat a raw carrot 1st and have a drink of very diluted apple cider vinegar as I can't be bothered to make the salad) then you should find yourself feeling less hungry in the morning, and should make you slowly start to lose weight even if you change nothing else about your diet. Good luck!

OK, I was like this. Citalopram makes me feel hungry all the time. I lost 4kg within a week of coming off it (not recommending that but just saying I really understand how it affects how much you eat)

I've tried all sorts to cut back but wasn't losing even on pretty limited calories. However I've been going to a PT and am now losing weight even though I'm eating more. The main difference is that I've massively upped my protein intake. A few weeks in, I'm having over 100g per day on about 1400 calories. I have a lot more energy, which in turn means I'm finding it far easier to get exercising.

@Whataplanker - can stop snacking and control your portions more, and focus on eating natural, unprocessed food - primarily:

Lots of protein: eggs, lean meat such as chicken and turkey, fish and seafood.
Lots of vegetables, especially broccoli, beans, sprouts, carrots,, beetroot, asparagus.
For carbs: legumes, especially lentils, as well as sweet potatoes.
For sweet cravings: apples, pears, berries, perhaps mixed with a tablespoon (full fat) Greek yoghurt.

Finally exercise. So important, and very motivating. I'd suggest you try the following (all free on YouTube):
Lucy Wyndham Read (especially if you are unfit or a beginner)
Growingannanas (Lots of varied workouts of all kinds and duration, mostly HIIT based - low and high impact - and with/without weights)

Also, wearing ankle and wrist weights enhances the payoff from walking and is good for your bones.

If you don't have time to exercise do high intensity bursts of 10 mins twice a day
-Up and down the stairs or the garden to get breathless
-Put salsa music on or Loveshack by B52s and dance around the kitchen whilst your cooking so that your heart gets pumping

That's as good as hour long cardio in gym as it resets your metabolism
Any gentler exercise you can fit in your day is also good so use the stairs rather than a lift
Walk to shops rather than drive
March in the spot whilst you're cleaning or cooking (dancing is more fun!)

If you're still keen on the hello fresh or similar, a hack I found useful is not using as many of the carbs, and bulking out with veg (so in a zucchini pasta for example, I'd skew the ratio more to the zucchini)

Eat as many fruit / veg a day before you have your toast (I aim for 400g of fresh fruit / veg before I eat anything else... not hard and fast rule, but it helps! And keeps you full.)

Cut out booze, if you drink

I agree with the replacing processed foods with protein that'll keep you feeling full

So for eg I boil 4 eggs and eat one or two for breakfast and save the other in fridge once cook for next day or egg salad lunch. I have porridge with banana for my brunch (as don't have time before work so eat at 10am) rather than Frosties that kind of thing

I would bet money that is is the Citalopram. I was on Fluoxetine for three years and had constant , steady weight gain. When I stopped them I weighed more than I had at 9 months pregnant. No dietary changes helped. Since stopping them in April and all the withdrawal symptoms stopping (which took about 8 weeks) I have lost more than half a stone with no effort. I'm sure I could lose it faster than I am but happy for it to go slowly.

They worked for me and I was ready to stop them anyway but the push for it was being fed up of being hungry and still bloody putting on weight. I put on four stone in three years.

OMG thank you so much for all the replies.

I am just going out school uniform shopping but will have a good read through later. Thanks again for taking the time.

I agree about intermittent fasting. Don't knock it till you try it!

I fast from 7pm until 11am. I know it sounds impossible, but it becomes a habit in a way. I eat as much "good" stuff as I want within reason during the day without snacking. Low carb but not No Carb. Plenty of protein and as I don't like veg (slap on the wrist) I make a protein smoothie in batches and include spinach , kale and carrotts along with berries, avocado, protein powder. Made on water. Have it every day to break my fast.

The weight seems to drop off within a week. You do not need to fast every day either, so I get to go out to dinner etc. occasionally. Life does not stop!

I don't drink alcohol so I suppose that helps overall too. I just drink water, tea and coffee, with a mocktail if going out.

Give it a try anyway. If it's not for you there are other ways. Best of luck to you.

Joe Wicks food plans help me when I'm feeling I just can't shift it. The exercise helps my mind and the sensible eating helps my waist line, slowly but surely. Alcohol doesn't help me so I try to cut that out to make a conscious weight loss effort.

I weigh in on a Friday morning & have a WhatsApp group with a friend when working to lose a little weight.

Definitely agree, does seem to be harder after 40!!

Wishing you so much luck and healthy wishes x x x

I find drinking a pint of water before every meal makes me eat less- a majority of what I think is hunger is thirst.

Another vote for 16:8. I weigh less now than I did when I got married! Before I was like you and needed breakfast as soon as I woke up, but I've got in the habit of drinking black coffee instead.

I fast 5.30pm (ish) - 9.30am most days but not everyday and it really works.