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?

Your food looks really nutritious and healthy.

Go to yr GP as hrt can make lipoedema worse, try keto or anti inflammatory diet.

You need to track your food properly. Your meals look healthy enough but I don't think you're getting enough protein (which is needed to keep you healthy as well as feeling full). I definitely wouldn't cut portion sizes either, because I'm not convinced you'll be getting enough vitamins if you do.

The odd biscuit can add up calories wise, much like milk in coffee. Tracking will let you know how you're doing on calories as well. I only drink black tea/coffee and water really so don't know how Diet Coke is likely to affect weight loss.

Personally, I find it very difficult to get sufficient protein and vitamins on less than 1200 calories per day without taking tablets (which I won't do). But on that many I'm losing around half a pound per week. So I'm upping my exercise instead. Though the weight loss is slow it is healthy and I feel slimmer and more toned which is great.

Full disclosure- I initially lost lots of weight on weight-loss injections so this advice is based on what has happened since I stopped.

In my experience
The faster I loose weight,the faster it goes back on .
The more I cut down to silly amounts
The more I'm likely to binge .
Personally I'm guilty of expecting weight to be lost far to quickly..I forget it took 50 years to go on ..so it's not going to drop off over night .
We need carbs for energy,to function and get through the day I probably eat a similar amount to you ,plus a jacket potato
I think your doing just great

4.5kg is steady and maintainable. You're doing well. P.s. love the Cornishware.

If you're not doing any exercise other than walking then you probably can reduce the cards.

Honestly, start doing more weight-based (even just body weight) and cardio exercise daily and you'll see a massive difference (and can keep the good quality carbs) 👍

The food pictures look really lovely - well done. I work in "old money" so 4.5kg is half a stone and your current weight about 14 stone. You are doing well. perhaps ditch all bread and all nuts and see if that helps. Obviously people have different views on bread/carbs so do what works for you.

for me they look like big portions and also too many carbs for me, i would up the protein and vegetables only, i would also lay off bread. break makes me bloat and pauses my weight loss a little. I eat only chicken or fish or eggs with vegetables. thats all i eat and i am currently losing around 4 lbs a week, have so far lost 10 stone

Follow rebelfit on facebook. He advises women on fat loss and really advocates strength training rather than cardio for boosting metabolism and health and longevity as we age. Your meals look great and your weightloss progress is spot on.

i am not on a diet but saw this thread in active.

OP - other than the biscuits etc and Diet Coke, your meals look perfect. Ignore the nonsense about “too much volume”. If you are having lettuce, cucumber, etc of course there needs to be lots of it!

It’s quite scary that people are giving diet advice when they have zero understanding of basic biology.

Well done on your weight loss journey. Have you considered getting one of those walking pads? Then you could get some extra steps in during the evening and watch tv at the same time? I know it’s hard to find the time to fit exercise in around work.

for me its portion size that's way too much for me. thoigh 4.5kg is amazing
I would however stop calling it a diet its not a diet its a lifestyle change and a permanent one. try to think that and your mindset will change. you have a bad day you get up next day and start all over again

The best diet (although I like the reframing of it as a lifestyle choice) is the one that you will stick to. If that includes carbs, great! If that includes meals like this that you enjoy - and you're steadily losing weight - great!

Try an app like nutracheck and weigh your food and count calories you would be surprised how many calories are in something. You will also need to look up a calorie calculator to see how many calories you need a day to lose weight if your short it's shockingly low

Losing slowly is good. I'm 5'2", nearly 57, and have lost 18kg since end of January. In old money I'm averaging a pound a week.

I still drink diet coke... Have squash with sweeteners in...

Firstly, 4.5kg is great. That's positive.

I would disagree with the ones saying cut down on the volume. That is very misleading. Volumeous low calorie dense foods work really well in keeping you full.
I mean one whole medium sized iceberg lettuce is only about 75 calories. One whole cucumber is about 50 calories. The volume of salad won't be the issue.

I'd agree with others on trying to add a little more protein into the meals and tracking the calories and macros to know exactly how much you're consuming when you have any biscuits or nuts etc.
That way you can alter calorie consumption week on week depending on the results.

Adding in a bit more exercise whether that be extra steps or little bits of weights/bodyweight exercises will also help burn a few extra calories and increase your metabolic rate.

Volumeous low calorie dense foods work really well in keeping you full.
I mean one whole medium sized iceberg lettuce is only about 75 calories. One whole cucumber is about 50 calories. The volume of salad won't be the issue.

Personally I don't calorie count most veg. I'm careful with potatoes, avocado and the like, but I don't think broccoli, courgettes, cucumber and lettuce are keeping me fat 😂

Whenever I see threads like this on mumsnet and people start talking about “reduce the nuts” “don’t eat bananas” “that’s too much avocado” my IMMEDIATE thought is, that a) it’s unlikely to make much difference but would make the OPs diet near enough joyless, and much harder to stick to and that b) those kinds of changes just aren’t sustainable long term.

OP, you’re eating super healthily, and doing great things for your body nutritionally. You are also losing weight steadily, which means that a) your diet IS working for you and b) it is more likely to be sustainable.

My advice would be to not fuck with your diet. Try adding a bit more exercise. And when you hit a long germ plataeu, assuming you are still eating this healthily and exercising AND feel like both are at a a level you can sustain, try to accept that whatever weight you are at, is the weight that is right for you.

I speak as someone whose weight has been 8 stone 12 and 13 stone 5, and all in between. At 8 stone 12, I had an eating disorder. At 13 stone 5 (where I am now), I know I’m not taking care of myself (lone parent, lots of work, no time and low level depression). My optimum weight is prob about 11 stone/ 11 and a half- which would make me a size 14. Some people would be aghast at that- but it’s where I know I have most energy, most strength- and am most able to sustain it.

Honestly I wouldn't change the diet apart from the sweet juice. It seems to be working for you with nice steady weight loss and you're full enough not to snack or crave junk.

Maybe walk a bit faster for a bit further - have a chat with the dog and get it onside 😃 - or move around more through the day, like using the stairs more and things like that

I have to say, I've never dieted.

I do think that dieting makes you larger.

It's a cycle.

Look at what it consists of though. Butter beans are 100 calories per 100g. So that plate of bean stew is probably no more than 500 calories unless it’s got huge amounts of oil in it. Lettuce, tomatoes and cucumber have negligible calories in OP’s salad plate. You could eat a whole tray of lettuces a day and it wouldn’t stop you from losing weight. If anything I thought she might not be eating enough until I read she was having nuts as well.

OP - Don’t reduce carbs any further. I just read the Period Repair Manual and she says ultra low carb diets are not suitable for women - you need carbs to maintain healthy hormones (even in peri/menopause). By all means quit sugar and sweeteners, but keep a moderate amount of starches like potatoes. It sounds like you are on the right track - sustainable weight loss should be slow and steady.

So:
More protein
Up the exercise in some way
Drink more

Someone asked if I drink. I do have 3 G and slimline tonic on a Friday and Sat and the occasional glass of wine. Cannot drink wine in any volume these days as it gives me palpitations.

They look like nice meals. Presume they vary a bit week by week as you buy different things.

You have changed your lifestyle and are losing about a lb a week.
Well done.

Exercise can be silly stuff like doing star jumps while the kettle boils.

I would cut bread and pasta out altogether. They are such dense carbs. Also juice and diet coke, they fill you up with no nutritional value whatsoever. If you really cannot drink water switch to fruit tea. Liquorice tea will give you a sweet treat. Make it weak and use the same teabag all day.

Things like a handful of nut are too vague and too many when you are dieting. 3 or 4 nuts are enough. Look as any thing with flour, biscuits, cakes, wraps and try to eliminate as many of them as possible. Eat stewed fruit, rhubarb, plums, apples, try not to add sugar or just keep it to the bare minimum.

I think the years of sweeteners and low fat foods have ruined your palate by filling you with chemicals and additives. You have done brilliantly well to get to where you so don’t beat yourself up about.

One thing to remember is that, to get to an obese weight, you had to gain weight consistently. You have not only managed to stop the weight gain but reverse it to. That is a real achievement.