Where is my diet going wrong and keeping me obese?

[BoobsGalore]

I am mid 50s. Weigh 94 kg.
Always been curvy, have lipedema (heavy diet -resistant legs) on HRT.
Spent years on low fat artificial sweetener type diets, now for the last 5 years eat less UPF, no low fat anything. Try to be reasonably low carb.

I am doing intermittent fasting (16/8) since early Aug and have lost 4.5 kg but it's painfully slow.
Tried mounjaro back in Spring but had to come off it after it triggered terrible panic attacks.

I am photographing my meals for my intermittent fasting app. Here is yesterday's food - spinach omelette for brunch and a bean and courgette stew for dinner. I had 2 slices of home made bread, a handful of mixed nuts, and an apple as well as what is pictured. Will add a couple of other days as well. Is it the carbs?

I have noticed I don't drink enough - about 1.5 litres a day of tea, coffee, diet coke (1 can a day, I think it's an addiction) and squash or water. Would that make a huge difference?

Low carb isn't essential, I do 40% carb, 30% protein and 30% healthy fat.

Macro balance matters more than low carb as the body needs to burn something as a form of energy .

If not enough energy then it compromises on non essential processes, digestion being one of them, this can stall weight loss as you cling to weight...although scales will shift eventually its just not fun waiting for them to shift when you know you are dieting.

I personally do about 6 weeks in a row of tracking then have a couple of days where I eat what I like then another 6 weeks.

Then you need a mental break from tracking. The game is mental as much as physical.

I'd recommend doing some pilates. I had to do mine today whilst fussing my 15 yr old dog with dementia so I know it's possible to do it and dog wrangle at the same time!😁

Fucking hell, she asked what people thought and I gave my opinion as probably the person who has lost the most weight and maintained, I am more than willing to bet, to TRY AND HELP! Why should I waste my time on this? What a bunch of viscious people you are.

I've been verbally abused several times on this thread for trying to help a total stranger lose weight, called a "teeny tiny" and now someone has got the nerve to post a fucking picture with an insult?
And note that it's the self same people throwing insults who scramble to reassure OP that everything's fine, even though the whole point of the thread was that it wasn't fine and her diet was keeping her obese! Google "hugboxing", people.

Over and out, literally couldn't care less if some random person stays fat or not. 💅

@amoreoamicizia I didn't think that picture was directed at you, but maybe just to reflect that there was a bit of portion controversy early in the thread. I mean tbh this thread has every kind of diet controversy! But it's keeping me accountable and that in itself is helpful to me.

I am genuinely touched that so many people like you have offered advice (only irritated at the one or two people who injected to me being snarky at the couple of posters who objectified me). It would help if all the advice was the same, lol! But them's the breaks.

I am sorry you feel pushed out, I am finding some of the consistent posters' gentle encouragement really very helpful and you have credibility having lost weight and kept it off yourself.

@BoobsGalore @amoreoamicizia the picture was not a targeted attack and was only meant to make OP laugh a bit, there has been lots of good advice, but also every so often there has been a snarky comment about portion sizes, which were definitely not friendly, I’m sure your advice has all been practical. But who doesn’t love Sindy, in the market against the glamorous Barbie she is the most British thing ever to exist, unassuming and polite 😂 and while Barbie was doing glamorous jobs, Sindy had her hostess trolly, little hoover and sensible beige decor, my sister had the Sindy house in the 80s, it was the most housewife oriented thing ever.

Well done to all of us who find ways to keep our weight under control in a long term way, like both of you. With weight loss we have to eat in a way sustainable for the long term, not the short.

I think this is great. Keep going like this and I think you’ll see results. Lower carb but not no carb.

Daily update

Lunch was last night's soup warmed up, with berries and a babybel.
I had good quality salted crisps for a snack (not ideal, I know) and one chocolate biscuit.
Dinner was one of DH's massive salads, which again I didn't eat all of (last picture).

I was back down this morning and at 5kg total loss :)

I think you are doing extremely well 😎

Great results.
That salad looks lovely. As does the soup. Really nutritious food.

Daily update. Been a thoroughly hard sad and shitty day here and I did fall off the wagon. I ate two mini muffins and a bar of chocolate and a load of nuts, a piece of toast and peanut butter as well. Also ran out of sourdough after my toast and had white bread soldiers with my boiled eggs.

Drawing a line under it and moving on. Please don't tell me off, I can't handle it today and it has taken a great deal to honestly face up to the eating shit show that has happened today.

Lunch was a lentil and veg soup with feta, strawberries and greek yoghurt. Dinner (after the shitty events piled up) was 2 boiled eggs and soldiers.

I think that’s allowed after a bad day. Plus it wasn’t too bad. Not like a whole large pizza or huge pack of biscuits.

Anything you want to talk about?

Hope tomorrow is a better day x

I do NOT understand the posters commenting that the food volume is too large.

These portions look really quite small to me.
I guess the overall calorie content of the day is increased by the snacks but the meals themselves seem very moderate.

OP that wasn’t a terrible day by any means. It was a maintenance day perhaps but certainly not a blowout so you did well to contain it.

I think yoy are doing really well. Consistent slow loss is key.

More 💐
And a few 🌺🌻🌺
Better day tomorrow🤞

Today was not a great deal better than yesterday. Had an emergency with sick dog so didn't get to eat properly til 3pm. Had 2 mini muffins beforehand (the Bonne maman ones, they are tiny and 64 cal a muffin, but obviously high carb. Then ready salted crisps and an apple with peanut butter as well as pictured foods.

Lunch was a 2egg scramble on a flatbread with green leaves. Dinner was veg soup with cheese and some sauerkraut plus berries. Going to have some rooibos tea now.

Looking very healthy and nutritious still. Keep us posted on your results. Sorry about your dog, hope he’s feeling a bit better.

I walk up and down my living room in the mornings before I leave for work (or start work if working from home). Same when I return unless i’ve done 15k steps minimum. I’m in a walking group twice a week. This is the only way I can lose weight, as i’m short and don’t burn an awful lot of calories. If i did 5k steps i’d be burning at least 3-400 less a day I reckon (at a guess, I know its a lot less). I am a yo-yo dieter though. I gain half a stone, and I can lose it in 4-6wks easily enough by being active. I just browse my phone as i’m walking. Walking outside is nice too

Your recent dishes look okay but perhaps not terribly appealing, but you clearly have a lot on your plate (😰) at the moment. May I suggest variations on the following, which have always served me well when I'm not in the mood/don't have time for preparing equisite/complicated meals.

• Pan fry a batch of salmon steaks or chicken breasts - enough for 2-3 meals
• Roast lots of vegetables (bell peppers, aubergines, tomatoes, butternut squash, fennel, onions, garlic etc) - again enough for 2-3 meals
• Serve with quinoa or wild rice or pasta
• Plus herbs or Greek yoghurt, tahini + lemon juice, curry sauce, pesto, salsa..... etc.

I hope your dog will be OK OP.

I wonder if it would help you to have some healthy snacks planned that fit it more with your planned way of eating? Eg if you are looking at something to grab quickly - what about the little Higgidy muffins? Probably similar calories to the sweet ones but less likely to set off yearning for additional sweet treats. Or maybe a couple of falafel or a simple snack of a fruit pack or apple with a couple of baby bel.

(I recognise that I'm giving advice here that I don't follow myself!)

Daily plates again. Caesar salad and family tea.
Also had an apple and a bag of crisps.

I appreciate the recent support and ideas btw and will be putting some into practice in my next shop.

I see on you tube Dr Mindy recommends a 36 hr fast weekly for those with lots to lose. Might be worth a whirl?

Daily plate update! I didn't post over the weekend as we had a bit of chaos with visitors etc.

Today's meals
Home made lentil and veg soup with sourdough toast

Dinner I forgot to take a picture of, it was home made beef stew with carrots, mushrooms and new potatoes served with broccoli.

Aside from that I had a plum, about 10 olives, a stick of shortbread, and two tangerines.

She's a total quack isnt she?

There's a lot of quacks out there.

Repeat yo yo dieting by the latest fashionable technique, does not work.

OPs slow and steady with good healthy food, gets there eventually. More importantly, it is sustainable for the rest of your life.