To be quite upset and utterly demotivated?

[ApignamedJasper]

Ok, I know I'm probably getting upset a bit prematurely, maybe I'm just having a bad day.

Almost a month ago I decided to make a real effort to sort out my weight and overhaul my lifestyle. I joined a gym that does a lot of martial arts, which I've always been interested in, and have been going about 4 times a week. I've also started a new job where I'm doing full 9hr shifts on my feet with a lot of heavy lifting walking about.

I haven't adjusted what I eat that much because I really really hate counting calories and having to calculate everything I put in my mouth, I find it exhausting and it really ruins my enjoyment of food.

I don't eat a lot of unhealthy foods anyway but my portion sizes can be on the large side so I've made a conscious effort to reduce the amount I eat and I thought I'd been doing well.

All this, and I haven't lost a single ounce, in fact it appears I've put on about half a kilo. What am I doing wrong!

I'm not going to give up and I know that it's a short time period to see any major changes but nearly a month and not a single pound lost? Just very upsetting that all my sweat and hard work has not made a bit of difference :(

I was inspired by a clean eating thread on here to have a proper look at what I was eating. I decided to cut down drastically on processed foods, hidden sugars, increase fruit and veg and moderate my carb intake. I have lost weight without counting a single calorie. I now only eat one meal with carbs and one carby snack (e.g. oatcakes and nut butter) a day. Breakfast is usually a veg frittata (cooked in advance) and lunch is a big salad with protein & seeds. The evening might be veg soup or even a bowl of muesli with fruit and nuts.

I have a sedentary job and only do moderate exercise so you might need a bit more food than me because you are more active.

Can I recommend the IIFYM calculator. It gives you a calorie count but also works out your macros (protein/fat/carbs). I'd guess you're eating more carbs then you need and you're missing fats and protein.

If you don't like getting up for breakfast would you consider something like batch boiling eggs and taking a couple to eat on your journey to work with a veggie (carrot sticks maybe?). Fat and protein to keep you full for the day, veg for carbs and energy.

I'm no expert but it sounds to me like what you eat is fine for maintaining a steady weight, but not enough for losing weight. Sadly ime losing weight means eating much less than you feel is comfortable - not to the point of starvation obviously but to the point of it being less than you'd like. This sucks obviously. What about getting a diet book (a non-crazy one) and just eating the suggested meals, portions fully weighed. Might be easier than trying to puzzle out what to change on your own. Good luck and well done on the exercise - that's a fantastic step and achievement in itself.

There is a book called carbs and cals. It is calorie counting but it shows different portion sizes and how many carbs and calories it contains visually. I just flick through it to get an idea visually what is a portion.

Might I suggest the 5:2? I love it because I can eat what I want 5 days a week and only bother calorie counting 2 days a week. I also eat more consciously on the 5 days rather than absentmindedly grazing. And I got used to being hungry only 2 days a week instead of everyday. I wouldn't advise going to the gym on your 2 days.

Give yourself 3 months to notice the improvements.

Drink plenty of water.

Dont snack on crap.

Portion control. this is the key one.

My dad cut out sugar in iis tea. He has that many cups of tea a day it took a week to notice a difference in his waist!

When I was in my 20's, all I needed to do to make a visible difference to mt body was skip lunch for a week. In my 30's it took longer and I started to do diet and exercise, in my 40's it was harder still to initially shift some weight.
As others have said, actual weight may not change but fat to muscle will.

Find a book or website that gives you pictures of the portion sizes you should be eating then stick to that.

For the last 4 weeks or so, I've been eating only 'good for you' foods and some superfoods. Sometimes this is a case of eating it because it's good for you, not because it alsdo tastes wonderful. Initially I lost quite a few pounds quickly, then hit a plateau and am losing very slowly but steadily. The main difference is I feel so much healthier, so much better in myself because I'm not eating rubbish and I don't get hungry. Lethargy and tiredness have disappeared

I'm home-based, so don't feel the need for breakfast, I have 2 satisfying meals per day. One of say half a small tin of orange segments in its own juice with a spoonful of dried acai berries, spirulina or baobab or lucuma powder, gymnema powder, 2 small handfuls of flaked almonds, 1 handful pecans and half a tub of total Greek yogurt and maybe add a tablespoon of chia seeds. The other would be savoury, either homemade veg soup which is thick and filling with a tablespoon of Engervita fortified with vit B12, or a 2 or 3 egg omelette on a base of salad and/or the veg I've already cooked for the family's meals with added spinach, cheese and Engervita with B12.
Snacks are either chia pudding or the very more-ish as long as you don't have a sweet tooth baobab energy balls deliciouslyella.com/baobab-energy-balls/

You are on the right track, OP.

I used to do loads of martial arts when I was a teenager and it’s the best exercise for muscle tone and fitness. Also lots of fun and social too! You’ll lose weight and have a rockin’ body too!

As many people have said on this thread, you need to definitely watch your portion sizes. Up your protein and reduce rubbish carbs, replace with veg instead. Eat beans and lentils, not bread and pasta. Be brutally honest about what you are actually eating – any chance you could list a typical day’s food?

Fat doesn't make you fat, sugar does. Baked beans are sugary. Bread is far too carby. Cut out your carbs. Read about low carb diets. That will work but will be very different to what you are used to. Fizzy drinks are a killer too.

Keep going but I fear at the moment you are doing the wrong things.

On a high healthy fat, low carb diet you can feel full and not deprived.

I second everyone that's suggested using a tape measure rather than scales (my weight has been static for weeks but I've lost inches from all over and dropped two dress sizes). Also to help with portion control I'd recommend weighing all your carbs, breakfast cereal, cheese type things for a while so you reset what's a sensible amount to eat in your mind. Mine always creep up after a while so I have various bowls around the kitchen that I use for quickly measuring pasta, rice etc... Aiming for meals based around protein and veg rather than loads of carbs worked well for me. I didn't ban carbs but swapped them for wholemeal and brown versions which I actually realised I like more now!

It sounds like you're on the right track though. Try not to be discouraged. Results take a while and it definitely sounds like you're doing the right things. Could you concentrate on the fitness side of things for your goals to take your mind off the scales?

There's a lot of support on the weight loss chat board. There's a thread for eating three sensible meals a day that sounds similar to what you're doing with your diet. Really good luck.

Don't cut out carbs, you need them for exercise/ activity, reduce them maybe but not if you're replacing with fat healthy or otherwise. Fat cells aren't easy to break down as energy, carbs is the easiest form and if they aren't available then you're body doesn't break down your 'fat' for exercise, it will break down lean muscle instead, so you're fooled into thinking you've lost weight. Have a look at the scientific research available, rather than the pseudo science spouted by some in the media. Athletes consume a significant amount, and yet they're very well toned, compared to the many untoned no carbers. All you need to do is discover the right level of carbs for you, which if you exercise is unlikely to be none or extremely low. Basic sugar is fine too as in glucose or fructose, it's just the processed ones you need to avoid. A meal with few carbs and high healthy fat is unlikely to leave you with the energy to exercise so it's counterproductive.
Also have a look at the studies done, eating processed carbs and fat combined (eg chocolate) is less likely to trigger the off switch for hunger.
And most compelling evidence is ww2 and post years where people were cramming down the unprocessed carbs and yet usually slim. Unlike the majority of no/ low carbers I know.

I'm really reluctant to cut out one whole food group ie carbs, partly because I don't think its healthy, partly because I really don't want to be eliminating certain foods completely as I've done that before and it just makes me crave it more! When I'm really exhausted I crave them even more.

I don't drink tea or coffee at all anyway so I don't need to reduce that but I do have quite a bit of squash - on the back of this thread I checked the calories in the one I drink the most and I was shocked! I'll be cutting that right down.

DP only likes white bread, I normally get myself granary but if I just buy the white stuff I'm less likely to eat it as I don't like it :)

You need to eat breakfast especially with such a physical job. You will then eat less at other meals so overall all day your intake is less. I use a pair of jeans to gauge my weight loss through exercise. Though scales might not have moved much l can see difference in tights and tummy. But l recommend breakfast and then smaller portions.. See how that goes.

Thighs!

I'm doing Slimming World and finding it quite good at the moment.

Carbs are allowed in the form of potatoes, rice, pasta etc but bread is limited. Proteins - meat, fish, eggs are free. Fruit and veg free - I think avocado is not and maybe a few more. Pulses and beans are free. I'm not obsessing - like you if I can't have something I crave it more. It's real food. No food groups banned. I'm not keen on counting things as 'Syns' but that's all the counting you need to do. Might be worth a look.

Or the Three healthy meals a day thread mentioned sounds good too.

Drinking squash isn't great. Even the low sugar ones although they are a bit better. Water is best. Still or sparkling. I like to fill a big jug with water and slice an orange and add that. Keep it in the fridge and try and drink that through the day.