to think eat less, move more isn't as simple as it sounds

[starshaker]

People say to lose weight you need to use more calories than you eat. This is obvious. However metabolism plays a big part too. How do you know how much calories you actually burn so you can work out how many to eat? Ive never been slim and yes, i probably need to exercise more but i have so much other stuff going on that getting the chance to isnt that simple.

So AIBU in thinking that its not as simple as what people say

Star have you tried logging all you eat and drink for a week? You need to weigh and record everything carefully, it could be a portion size issue.

PostBellumBugsy is making a lot of sense here - there is absolutely no need to always be a bit hungry, nor to dedicate your life to exercise, in order to lose weight. I'm down 56 lbs/4 stone (with 17 lbs to go) since August - and I've been indulging my inner foodie by eating loads of good foods like steak, cheese, eggs etc. - yep, I'm low carbing. I eat plenty of green leafy vegetables, some tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms, onions etc. - probably more veggies than I ever ate when not trying to lose weight. My energy levels are up, I'm sleeping well, and I'm really enjoying my food.

I have, in the past, lost weight by eating low cal and low fat, and taking a lot of exercise. It made me miserable, and I felt deprived. It wasn't something I could sustain for life (there is no way I want to be hungry every day!). 30 years on, I can still tell you the calorific value of loads of foods off the top of my head - argh! My current way of eating doesn't require me to count anything and I'm happy with that.

Right now, I've gone back to basics for a couple of weeks (doing the low carb bootcamp on here) - but generally I find I can manage a few alcoholic drinks a week, include alcohol in cooking (coq au vin, chicken chasseur, venison with a red wine and berry sauce), have some fruit (berries, a bit of orange juice and zest in a duck á l'orange for example) - and still, the weight comes off. It's the perfect way of eating for a committed foodie like me :) I have duck eggs and bacon most days for breakfast. This makes me happy.

I don't 'exercise' as such - but I'm active - I have dogs that need walking, I have a bike I enjoy going out on, I have a veggie garden that needs digging over! My way of eating and moving fits into my life - and that's how it should be - you have to find something you can sustain for the long term, because there's not a diet on earth that works when you're not actually on it - any changes have to be for life, not just until you reach your target, else if you return to your previous way of eating, the weight will creep back on.

Just wanted to tell people that you do NOT have to suffer to lose weight, it's possible to enjoy the process - I just wish I'd known that when I was in my 20s, not my 50s - life would have been so much easier!

Would you not even consider a proper fat burning work-out with a Wii Fit or a DVD at home?

EarnestDullard Really Pessary? On 550 cals a day (unless you've been advised by a medical professional) I'd think your metabolism would slow down to a stop, especially if you're exercising as well. Double that at least and give it a couple more weeks, then you should see results.

That was Net calories, my actual intake before subtracting the exercise is 1200. I am low carbing which normally works well for me. I think I have just put on a mass of muscle and I hope to see a better drop next week. If not I will up my food levels as suggested.

OK, so I'm going to be controversial here and say you might not be eating enough just to confuse the issue

Perhaps you've shocked your body into starvation mode? Talked about on the Eat More Weigh Less thread linked to above.
Either that or you're retaining water and are about to spend a day weeing and be 3 pounds lighter at the end of it (this has seriously happened to me!)

Worra - I have Wii Fit and don't find it's very good exercise really, none of the cardio is very challenging, and the 'muscle' exercises are a bit irritating because you can't put together a workout and have to pause between each one to select the next. Something like Wii Zumba, now, that's bloody lethal!

For anyone that has a PS3 I can't recommend Sports Active2 enough, that's the "game" I used to lose weight :-)

"you have to find something you can sustain for the long term, because there's not a diet on earth that works when you're not actually on it"

This is the best advice I've seen on weight loss threads.

I find eating low calorie for a few days then having a day where you eat what you want much better than low calorie all the time as your body doesnt go into conservation mode - do the Shred as well and it will come off.

My mum was saying the same about totm. Im 2 weeks late so that might be it. Feel like its trying to arrive cos im in a lot of pain

Star Having heard your figures, if they are correct and you are not misjudging portion size or disregarding cheats I'd definitely say get over to the low carb bootcamp thread. It will fall off. Then you can decide to what extent you want to reintroduce foods, what exercise you want to do etc. You sound so (understandably) demoralised at the moment that I'm not sure all this advice to become even more ascetic than you are being is going to work.

Another thing, have you tried taking your waste measurement? Only works if you knew what it was before you started, but I think for some people fat loss shows in cm before it shows in lbs IYSWIM.

I have been measuring and have lost a couple of inches off my chest, waist and hips.

Oh that sounds better! Maybe you'll drop a load of weight in week 4 then.

Yeah maybe when my period finally arrives

Er, of course if you were pregnant that would make it hard to lose weight! But 'a lot of pain' doesn't sound good, maybe a trip to the GP might be in order if still no period?

And I've just remembered that if your BMI is over 30, in most areas your GP can refer you to some sort of weight loss programme or subsidised gym or something - though some of these are falling victim to the cuts.
Might be worth checking out?

Deff not pregnant, that would require sex and that's not happened in over 2 years. That scheme is only available in England and im in scotland. Not that i can go to classes with the twins. Thats why i do tesco online. The twins start nursery in August so things will be much easier then but i dont want to be fat anymore (not that i ever did).

I was overweight after i had the twins but after i stopped smoking i put on 3 stone very quickly. Now im confident im not going to smoke anymore i need to concentrate on losing weight

• Wishing you well/strength, as it's such hard going for you at the moment!

• Any reason why you never drink hot tea/coffee? (Liquids all thru the day are helpful, so hope you drink quite a lot of water?)

• Have you tried drinking hot water? Maybe with lemon? (Some people really like it.) Or herbal tea? I so enjoy my hot drinks in this cold weather that I can't imagine how you can go all day without! (But I guess we are all different?)

• Once you start losing weight, it should get a bit easier to push on. Keep cutting back on what you eat each week, (esp on carbs), until you start to see some results.

• Get lots of sleep, (if you can with twins!), & try to keep your morale up, as feeling negative/tired often leads to seeking comfort from (unnecessary) food.

• Well done on giving up smoking ... as this shows you have the necessary will-power to get slim. (You just need to find the best method now, one which will work for you long-term.)

I used to be a complete coffee addict but when i quit smoking drinking coffee made me want a cig so i stopped drinking it so much. I do have a coffee if im out but mostly drink water and fruit juice
Im cutting my calories to 1000 to see if that helps

Watch out re fruit juice! (Contains fructose ie sugar! Not good for weight loss!)

An apple or an orange a day would be much better for you than even a small amount of fruit juice, if you are worried about getting enough vit C. (Cos the natural sugars are mixed with fibre when you consume them.)

So I would completely stop the fruit juice, if I were you, and stick to water. Or try hot tea? (Normal tea with milk or herbal without milk?)

Another vote for watching the fruit juice - its well over 100 Cals for a glass.