44 and can't lose weight!

[Exileinengland1999]

I'm 44, 5ft8 and 11stone12 and a 12/14. My happy weight is about 11 stone. I have literally tried everything and the weight isn't shifting. I don't want to do slimming world/WW particularly as have always believed in healthy eating etc not crash dieting.
I have virtually given up booze, exercise 5 times a week (a mix of running and HIIT). I am a veggie, have cut right back on stodg carbs like bread, pasta etc and am eating smarter carbs like rye bread, lentils etc. I don't eat much sugar. My portion sizes aren't massive. I do a bit of 5:2 but found that, while it did work, it also made me bunged up (!)

So WTF am I doing wrong. I feel heavy at the moment and my clothes are a bit tight.

AIBU to ask for advice about Middle Aged fat- ness?!

I work on the 80/20 basis. It's 80% what you eat & 20% exercise. You sound like you are doing a lot of the right things. Do you eat at sensible times?

I think so- I eat 3 times a day- I take breakfast to work in a tub and have it at 9, lunch at 1 and tea at 6ish unless I am exercising. Genuinely don't know what's going on- I've had thyroid tests as was getting heart palpitations but all fine.
Just getting fed up now- I dont want to obsess over food.

I feel your pain- in 46 I run 10/15k a week do two hours aerobics and a weight class - I follow ww and never go over my points - honestly

I take my thyroid meds every day as well

Can not shift a lb

If you want to lose weight you need to consume less than you expend. While it sounds like you are doing all the right things, and making good choices with your food and exercise, if it's not working you're either eating too much or not doing enough exercise.

Try my fitness pal which let's you add up the calories you eat and offset the calories you expend with exercise. I bet you'll be surprised. I was when I tried this as I was in the same position as you. And when I did it properly it worked. Most people eat more than they think, either because they don't count snacks, or because portion sizes are too big, or they forget how calorific 'healthy' things like salads can be when you add dressings and nuts etc.

If you do that for a few weeks and still can't lose the weight then it might be worth seeing your doctor to rule out medical conditions that predispose you to weight gain like an underactive thyroid. But most people who can't lose weight are simply eating too much.

Good luck.

Cross posted, I sees you've already checked your thyroid. Rest of my advice still stands though

What are you eating?

Record all your calories scrupulously honestly for a week and see what they add up to? My fitness Pal is a good free app for this

I know I often get a horrible wake up call when I do this.

Ultimately you will lose weight if you burn more calories than you consume so probably you are consuming a bit more than you think you are

You probably need to aim for 1200 a day

Have you tried MFP and strict calorie counting? Either on a set amount per day or 5:2.

I'm 44, 5'7", and when I decided to lose weight 2 years ago I was also around 11s12lb and my size 14's were getting tight (I was kidding myself about being a 12/14 upto that point).

I'd never seriously tried losing weight before and had been a 12 all my fault life, but over the previous few years the weight had crept on.

I did 5:2 using MFP. I did 600 cal on the 2 days, stuck to the suggested cals for maintaining (started at 1850 for me, now I've lost weight it's 1620) on 3 days and allowed myself to go 200-300 cals over that on the other 2 days.
I'd never really looked at calories before but once I started doing so it was a revelation.
I've switched to low-cal drinks and that's made a big difference to me, I could have easily been drinking 500 calories a day (soft drinks as I rarely drink tea or coffee) which I have now totally cut out.

I wanted to get back down to a comfortable size 12, but in the end 5:2 just worked so well for me and didn't feel hard at all and I kept going. I got down to around 9st10lb, size 10 and then due to a stressful home situation lost another half stone over a short period (not intentional).

I'm now around 9st7lb and mostly a size 8 with some 10's depending on the store. I've maintained at the for nearly a year, still using MFP to log everything and mostly just sticking to 1620 calorie a day but sometimes doing 6:1 or 5:2-lite (around 800 cals instead of 5/600) if I've had a calorie heavy week.

I agree with you about crash dieting but Sw is definitely not a crash diet!

I use nutracheck to calorie count- but maybe I am not being strict enough. I might try 5:2 again @chasingsquirrels as you have inspired me.
I follow the principles of Michael Mosely's blood sugar med diet so good carbs/ fats
@owlina SW didn't agree with me- low fat high carbs aren't great- all the new evidence points to the opposite

Echoing other pp: I've been trying to lose weight for years since having the dc. The only thing that is working is mfp. If I keep to 1200 calories I lose weight (don't count fruit and vegetables). I still eat 3 lovely meals which are quite large but I don't eat all day like I used to.

Are you peri menopausal do you know? That can affect weight and make it hard to shift weight, particularly around the middle annoyingly

I think the thing to remember with 5:2 is that you need to stick to the recommended maintaining calories on the non-fast days. If you continue to overeat on 5 days a week you will pretty much wipe out the fast days. So you still need to calorie count - and you need to be strict about it, log EVERYTHING - every day.

Also, I wouldn't offset exercise calories. See exercise as improving your body & fitness, not as weight loss.

Slimming World is the exact opposite of a crash diet! The whole point is to encourage healthy eating and you can eat as much of healthy food as you like.

And in fairness, if you don't want to crash diet, why the hell after you doing 5:2? In not saying that it's bad, but it's much closer to a crash diet than a healthy lifestyle promoting programme like SW is!

Weight watchers is the exact opposite of a crash diet too!! It helps you make sensible food choices as high protein foods are lower in points and high sugar/fat and higher. I've just lost a stone in about 3 months - another stone to go and then I will try to stick to the maintenance plan. WW is for life!

• 2 months!

I didn't see 5:2 as crash dieting at all. I aimed to lose 1/2 lb a week and lose the weight I wanted over a year. In fact I lost it quicker but steadily and have since maintained following a similar eating regime.

Sorry you are going to hate this suggestion but it might be being a vegetarian. They tend to be bigger because they fill up on carbs more than lean proteins and veg. This is based on anacodotes not science but it is something I have noticed x

I wonder if you are peri menopausal? I gained weight during that time and during menopause- something I have never done before and I'm like you, lots of exercise and vegan - since the menopause has past (yes I know ) the weight has dropped off.

I was 2 1/2 stone heavier after having my DD in my late 30s and couldn't shift a pound 6 months later despite excercising 3 times a week and trying SW and sticking to a 1200 cal diet. I've found I neee to consume far less calories than before to lose weight. I'm on a low carb-ish 800 calorie a day diet and the weight is finally falling off. Probably not recommended in the long term but it's the only thing that seems to bbe working.

My metabolism must have changed drastically the older I've become!

These are all methods of taking in fewer calories which is all that matters. I find that doing more works, not because it burns off loads of calories but because doing something means you aren't eating.

Pick whatever works . no need to pay for a diet book.

Vegetarians tend to be bigger? I don't think so.

Menopause? As above.

I'm, crossed fingers, nearly through, and I'm settling back to a more normal weight. I put on about two stone and nothing would shift it.

I've lost a stone since November.

I'm also consciously eating less - I think, for me, it's now food rather than exercise that I have to concentrate on. I'm not depriving myself - just not eating as much. But the menopause appears to have been a huge factor.

Oh, and anxiety is a symptom of menopause too.