Why can't I lose weight? Please help

[whoisthatpersoninthemirror]

I am 36. I was always naturally very slim, until I had my last child. After pregnancy I gained weight, I hadn't been able to eat well during pregnancy so not a lot of weight was gained.

But now 2 years later I can't lose it. I'm 22 pounds overweight.

I am calorie counting, writing everything down in an app, not eating sweets or chocolate, walking 10,000 steps a day, doing HIIT or strength training twice a week.

My weight isn't budging. I've been to the doctor and had bloods tests done, everything is fine apparently.

I don't recognise myself anymore and I'm tired of having to having to buy bigger clothes and feel like I'm hiding myself.

Please tell me what I'm doing wrong.

The body does not need carbs in the form of pasta and bread. Carbs come from veg and fruit. How do you think people survived before bread was invented

This is completely wrong. I am in a deficit and struggling to lose. I have lost some but have gone 5 weeks and not lose a pound. There are lots of factors, it’s not as simple as being in a deficit and the weight will come off.

There's plenty of 'carbs' in fruit and vegetables, so that makes no sense.

I can't offer any weight loss advice as I have not had any success. I cannot get my calories down low enough to have any effect.

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GPs say it makes no difference, but Thyroid groups recommend having the blood test done early morning.

Likely means no bread, pasta, rice, potatoes. Yes there are carbs in fruit and veg but some don’t have much. Berries are low carb. Veg frown blow ground has more carbs than those above ground. Low fat foods are generally high carbs. Full fat low. Mayonnaise was an eye opener for me when looking at carbs/low carb.

Listen to Dr Chatterjee podcast 285. It’s really interesting and explains how we have changed the way we eat since the 70/80s. I’ve had to listen to it twice to take all the information in.
could help you.

Definitely too much. Go down to 1,200 and focus on what you are eating, not just calorie content. Up protein levels. cut right down on carbs. no processed foods, no sugar or alcohol. Don’t eat after 6 pm. Lots of water.

@Polkadotties The body does not need carbs in the form of pasta and bread. Carbs come from veg and fruit. How do you think people survived before bread was invented
I didn’t say we needed bread did I? So no need for your snarky comment. ‘carbs come from veg and fruit’ well duh 🙄

Go down to 1,200

Again, please don’t listen to this kind of dangerous ineffective advice. 1200 is not enough, especially if you exercise, and isn’t sustainable long term so there’s no point. It’s why 95% of dieters gain all the weight back and usually more. If you go too low you will only gain it when you return to normal. The reason that figure is thrown around so much by dieters is that it’s roughly what the average smaller woman needs to function, a BMR, basal metabolic rate. To function at complete rest. You’ll lose weight but also be very tired, get brain fog, poor skin, and lose muscle. It’s the worst way to lose weight.

I can only lose weight by just eating salads with some form of protein and walking a lot,I was that skinny person too until I had my last dc at 35.

I'm 5ft 7 and a size 12 but have put 10lbs on recently (comfort eating because both DDs now at university and I miss them). I know from experience that for me to lose weight I have to fast for 12 hours a day and only eat approx. 1300 calories. And those 1300 calories have to be mainly protein and veg. It's tough but it's the only thing that works.

I'm back dieting today, wish me luck.

But they said no carbs which is obviously wrong.

When you say low fat foods are generally high carbs, what do you mean? Chicken, tofu, lettuce, broccoli, other green veg, non oily fish for example aren't high carb. I think there are a lot of inaccurate generalisations about carbohydrates, when actually what people really should be avoiding is highly processed foods, rather than carbohydrates.

I've done all the diets on the market and recently read a book on intermittent fasting.... Amazing!!! I lose weight every week and it is easy to follow. I stop eating at 5ish and start again at 9am but if I'm not hungry then I will skip breakfast and just have lunch.

Calorie counting never works (coming from someone who did it for 10 years) because as you reduce your calories, your body reacts after a while by reducing your calories expenditure and ramping up your hunger. You are set up to fail.

Fasting allows your body to access stored fat. I eat what I want at meals times but do not snack in-between. Google Jason Fung on YouTube (I read his book first), you won't look back...

1200 calories is plenty at 5 foot 1. 1200 calories allow a 300 calorie breakfast, 400 calories lunch and 500 calorie dinner.

I have been doing 1200 per day for weeks and have not been hungry. When I exercise I have more calories to play with.

Calorie deficit is how weight is lost. Less carbohydrates and more protein. It's super basic.

Seconded @SavannaBadana

Calorie counting is so depressing and for most people it just doesn't work. Who wants to eat a 500 calorie dinner for the rest of their life? Fuck that. Intermittent fasting is the only sane way forward. The research I've read about the effect of insulin on our weight is fascinating. It's why type 1 diabetics (before they're diagnosed and medicated with insulin) lose weight while eating normally.

Calorie deficit is how weight is lost. Less carbohydrates and more protein. It's super basic.

and yet you’ve got it wrong… like most on this thread. Less carbs more protein is not it.

@70billionthnamechange no, not overweight at all. I weigh around 8 stone and wear size 8 clothes.

I'm 32, mum of 2 - still breastfeeding my 14 month old. I ate slightly more when she was EBF until 6 months but not vastly more.

If I ate more than I do now then I would be a piglet. I have PCOS and insulin resistance so I have to eat this way. It's absolutely grim, I hate it

I suggest you get some help for your eating issues. It is not normal for an adult to be living long term on 500-700cals a day. Please don’t recommend this sort of thing as a normal way to lose a few lbs, it absolutely isn’t. It is a dangerous and unhealthy (physically and psychologically) way to live.

@ronaldcat So you're eating around 500 calories a day? That is dangerously low. You may be thin but you'll be undernourished.

It's very concerning how many women prioritise thinness over health.

OP you’ve had great advice here from @Betahydroxybutyrate upthread!

Are you counting liquid calories too?

I'll have my healthy ready meal and then probably 5 cups of coffee - they probably add on 80 cal a cup?

I can accept this is unhealthy for my body, but my mind would suffer immensely from the tolls of being overweight.

If, for talk sake, it's a birthday or occasion that necessitates a meal out - I will have a starter and main course, but probably cut back even further the next day. I don't drink alcohol.

I agree. It is absolutely no way to live.

You will be nutritionally deficient at 500 calories, this will affect your organs & your bones in particular but it’ll screw your hormones too. It really is no way to live and it isn’t necessary at all. Please don’t share these kinds of stories online, it’s dangerous.

Gently, @ronaldcat, this is dangerous. Please see your doctor.

@LynneBenfield I didn't claim it was healthy.

But I haven't wasted away either.. I am able to breastfeed my daughter, work full time and I'm fairly energetic. My hair and skin are healthy. I sleep well.

I'm not saying my eating habits should be replicated but I'm ok.

Maybe some of us just need less food than others 🤷🏽‍♀️