Reverse dieting?

[Caravanoflove]

Posting here for traffic really as nobody on the weight loss boards today!
I just can't seem to lose weight despite religiously sticking to 1200 calories daily and e er using like a demon. I've lost and gained the same 2 stone many times over the years but I'm not even shifting a pound and I've been at it for 4 months now. I have a BMI of 28.
I'd like to explore reverse dieting but can seem to find out much about it.
Has anyone done it or know much about it?

E er using = exercising bloomin auto correct!

You're me! I tried years of very low cal/low fat etc. You need to cut your carbs to around 20g a day. Track it religiously on My Fitness Pal or similar. Try it for 2 weeks - I lost 11lbs doing this. Since then I've lost around 49lbs give or take and never put it back on. The low carb boot camp on here is good.

I was actually wondering if I need to do the opposite and eat more carbs as I suspect my metabolism has slowed right down, my very limited understanding of reverse dieting is that this reboots the metabolism

I second low carbing. I lost loads of weight a few years back and kept it off for years. It was only the stress of the last couple of years that saw a return to comfort eating for me. Back on track now and it is falling off. After the first couple of days you just don't need to eat because your blood sugar stabilises. Its brilliant.

Slimming world allows lots of carbs

I was on 1200 calories a day doing a crap tonne of cardio and was stuck at the same weight for eons. I was so fed up I upped to 1600 calories and took up weight lifting 3x a week and 2x spin classes (I had been spinning/circuits 6x a week) and within 3 weeks I'd lost 6lbs and really leaned out. I didn't change how I was eating - I just introduced a 4pm extra meal of protein & carbs. It worked a treat.

Sweary that's exactly the story I wanted to hear! Did you research what you did or just decide to eat more?

I did a bit of research but got a bit bogged down in the conflicting information. Layne Norton has written quite extensively on the subject so he's probably worth a google. In the end I just ate more because I was hungry when I started lifting weights but really saw the difference in size and shape quickly.

A word of warning though, it did start me off on a spiral that ended up in anorexia, so please be careful. Try to enjoy your food and not reduce it to calories and macronutrients. It's a hard slog to get out of the mess I ended up in, and I'm so unfit now (stopped from working out) it'll be an even harder slog to get fit again.

Try eating a bit more and upping your activity levels.

I walk around 25000 steps (15+km) a day plus go to the gym 2+times a week focusing on strength training, eat 2000+Calories a day and have lost 84lb since November.

My mum has gone on the 8 week blood sugar diet. She has lost loads is not hungry at all and is off insulin and metformin.
thebloodsugardiet.com/
You can buy the book cheaply on Amazon

I highly recommend slimming world

I've lost 20lb in three weeks on Exante.

You're not eating enough for a start. 1200 cals will slow your metabolism right down. Try 1500 a day and it will provably kick start you again

I would give eating more a try as I was you 4 years ago.
I could do all 3 of the 30 day shred back to back and was watching what I was eating and did not lose a single lb.
The Dr wanted me to see a dietician but I didn't fall into their remit so was referred to the nurse to follow the Counterweight programme (nurse led).
I remember saying to my mum I would give it a 2 weeks try only as there was no way I could ever lose weight eating what I was supposed to (I could have 9 slices of bread a day if I wanted to!!!).
1st weigh in and I had lost 2 1/2 kg , I am now 4 stone down and it's stayed off. I still loosely follow the plan by weighing my carbs and I do 7 classes as well as run between 4 and 10 miles 4 or 5 times a week to help me stay in control.

Thankyou for the replies, I'm going to try eating more. Today I did a ten mile run and ate muesli with strawberries, a turkey bagel with a small bag of crisps and a shortbread finger, sea bass with salad/half an avocado and a slice of whole meal bread, a piece of Greek cheese (about 45gm), a glass of milk and half a glass of Prosecco.
I didn't calorie count today.
Would anyone like to critique this? Where can I make changes (crisps, shortbread and prosecco being the most obvious!)
I feel like I've gone from understanding everything about dieting to not understanding nutrition at all.

MCPie were you goven a number of calories to eat a day or a meal plan? I feel very lost and frustrated!

The issue with Slimmimg World is that their end point goal is sometimes the 'fat' starting point for others.

Breakfast, lunch, no snacks, no dinner (and no booze). It works.

OP, I'd swap your muesli with something lighter such as special k.

For your lunch, lose the shortbread finger and add lots of salad to the turkey bagel, plus a piece of fruit.

For your dinner, lose the feta and the prosecco and add a yoghurt and some fruit.

I find the latest weightswatchers plan excellent. Lower carbs (if you want to maximise your 'points', plenty of protein, fruit and veg, and if you want wine//beer/choc/crisps you can as long as you are factoring it into your points allowance. For example, if I fancy chocolate, I'll make sure that I factor my other meals around that.

Caravan, I'd up the veg

Seriously OP, try low carb.

You sound an ideal candidate!

Muesli infinitely more nutritious, and filling (and tasty) than special K.

Agree about losing the shortbread finger, though.

I need to diet but its not easy because I homeschool. What is weight watchers like are they good? I will give that a go I feel like an elephant.

I have also tried special K I felt empty and depressed I stupidly eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Op have you thought about biking it works at you're core muscles. Before my last pregnancy I did a few spin classes and I noticed and immediate difference to the shape of my body.