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?!

Not 100% of the time Ride, but can you honestly say you have never heard of the stereotype of veggies living of chips, cheese, pasta etc?

Can you deny that quorn and other meat substitutes are highly processed?

If her diet was perfect op wouldn't be posting here so I gave her my thoughts. She is free to ignore them if they are not relevant to her.

Skip the exercise for a week. Walk instead. Do not snack at all between meals.
Try to see if it makes a difference.

I weighed about 7 stone all my life until reaching my 50's when I had a hysterectomy. After it my shape and weight changed dramatically. If stressed I used to be able to shift half a stone in a week when I was younger... after the menopause I gained weight and it became very difficult to loose it. Sadly, it's just part of getting older.

I got really upset about it for a while as it felt as if I had a completely different body.. I suddenly had enormous boobs and went up from a size 6/8 (old sizing) to a 12 (today's sizing which is probably a 14 in old sizing). It seemed like.every year I was going up a size 😐

Most of my friends of a similar age have changed shape too and I feel lucky that the weight went to my boobs and not my midriff!

Of course your weight gain may not be due to the menopause but I think as we age we become increasingly prone to weight gain generally. I found that grazing suited me if I needed to loose s bit. I wouldn't eat meals just snacks when I felt hungry. By snacks I mean nuts (I buy the large packs of mixed nuts from Waitrose) bananas, muesli, etc, etc.

Oh and I walk at least 2 miles a day across countryside with my dog, so including hills.

I am 50 and have put on a good stone in the last 18 months and am now a 14/16 when I've always been a 12.

Like you I tried everything. I had some success with 5.2 but I hated it and when I stopped doing it the weight piled on and then some.

I tried running but it was hard to fit in and I hated having to change my clothes the whole time!

For the last two weeks I've been eating fairly normally except I only take fruit to work - an apple a nectarine a banana and two mandarins. I am trying to eat 10 portions of fruit and veg a day. I am also walking instead of running. I can do it every day, all I have to do is stick my wellies on (we live rurally). I walk fast for about 40 mins.

I have lost 4lbs in two weeks and I am really enjoying walking in a way I didn't enjoy running!

I feel same tried 5:2 over a year lost about 3lb then one bad week I put on 5lb. I can't excerise at all so dosnt help. Tried SW didn't lose anything either

Have a look at HealthUnlocked.com which is linked to the NHS. All the benefits of a slimming club but on line and totally free. There are various communities , the one you could use is called weight loss. Imaginative, eh?

I have also thought HARD about what I used to eat when I was slim.

I NEVER ate bars of chocolate.

I didn't eat such massive portions

I didn't think about food so much at all

I could sit and read a book withouth having to have something to eat at the same time - my worst trait. If I can grab a rare 15 mins of peace it was so much more comforting eating a piece of toast ast the same time

Use MFP and log strictly for a week or two. Measure / weigh EVERYTHING and you might well be surprised by the result. It's a useful thing to do periodically to reset what you think of as a normal portion too. Some things are very calorie dense so a small amount of excess will make a big difference.

You need to get your blood test results for your thyroid.

The UK massively under diagnose thyroid disease. In Germany your TSH is over 2.5, you are diagnosed. Here is is over 5,

I have an autoimmune thyroid condition and my TSH has never been over 2.5. However my thyroid antibodies are x5 the upper limit of the blood test (which was only taken as I saw a private endocrinologist).

I was insistent that my gp test my thyroid

it was fine, I am just old and eat too much!

Vegetarians: They tend to be bigger because they fill up on carbs

Not according to most studies. Here's one. Also bear in mind that the idea that carbs (complex carbs like pasta, rice) are what puts on weight is scientifically controversial to say the least.

Anecdotally, I found weight crept on when I stopped being vege. What worked for me was to maintain the exercise and cut out (most) booze and all snacks whilst reducing portion sizes. But it sounds like that's wht you're doing, so not much help, OP!

The only thing has worked for me is weight watchers as it really isn't crash dieting rather it forces me to account for everything that goes in to my body. There's no cheating and I have to control my portions. But it does sound like you're doing a lot of the right things if you're being hones about your food. Is it that you've hit a plateau? When that happened to me I upped my water intake and took flaxseed oil supplements. That really worked I have to say.
Good luck! X

Try and get fewer calories from carbs and more from fat and protein.
Also try working out in a fasted state and eating a meal as soon after excersizing as possible.

I also second my fitness pal.

But also look into lifting - weightlifting and bodyweight lifting. Increased muscle mass will help your metabolism and balance hormone.

I wonder when you last did SW? It's always coming more up to date. Absolutely no food is excluded. I actually avoid the low fat stuff and concentrate on high fat, smaller amount and syn it. It isn't high carbs, it's about filling half of your plate with "speed" food, I.e. Vegetables. Then moderating the rest with protein and carbohydrates. SP days are purely speed foods and protein. I'd say you need to give it another try.

I started measuring and tracking my calories and was in for a shock when I used my fitness pal. I'm not a fan of slimming world soo many points for an Avacado but you can eat a mug shot? I thought its idea of nutrition really misleading and didn't care at all for their promotion of ready made meals.

Try cutting right down on the carbs, even the healthier ones.

SW doesn't work for me either.
WW is much better now though.
What do you eat?
Do you eat a lot of fruit?
If you do then cut that right back.
Lots of sugar in fruit.
You say you are a veggie. Would you eat fish?
High protein low carb is the way to go.
I've lost some weight recently but that's due to the heartbreak diet which I don't recommend!
Make sure you aren't having low fat stuff.
No marg - make sure it's butter.
No low fat yogurts etc....
If you drink a lot of diet fizzy drinks try to cut back (Do I say not as I do on that one - I love my diet coke)
Make sure you sleep well.

Slimming world has really changed since I did it in 2005. I lost 3.5st and looked at it as a lifestyle change not a crash diet.

I gained a lot of weight back because I became ill and ate crap as I was too poorly to cook properly.

I'm losing weight no problem on slimming world again following the extra easy plan.

Pinch of nom do vegetarian eating plans. It may be worth looking at those.

OP whenever I want to loose some weight the fail-safe way is- watching what you eat for dinner. This has the biggest impact, try to have a bowl of soup- nothing else. Or a small bowl cereal. No snacks, no booze. Hardly any carbs or dairy in that. I'm veggie too. Sparkling cold water feels like a treat after all that and again has zero calories but fills you up. Do this a few nights each week then get on the scales the next day and you'll see the impact it has.

SW is about changing your lifestyle and eating healthily, it's absolutely not a diet.

I don't think that would be able to join it though anyway as you need to have 7lbs or more to lose and you are already in your healthy weight range.

Muscle weighs more than fat so it may be that you are getting leaner but weighing the same, you seem to exercise a good amount, perhaps that's the reason and you will see a change in time?

I was the same as you weight wise and I am a vegetarian. For me what worked was upping the protein and water intake and watching the carbs (even the high quality ones). I also got my hormones checked out after years on the POP (Cerazette) and had pretty much no oestrogen kicking around. Once that was sorted out losing weight was easier physically but also psychologically. I think this is a silent issue for many of us in our 40s (sorry, straying a bit from the theme of your OP).

Just eating healthily and doing some exercise is enough for me to keep my current weight. If I want to lose, I really have to make an effort.
5:2 is not for everybody. Did nothing for me.

First I would recommend that you weigh and record every bite honestly. Eating lentils and rye bred and 'not massive portions' does not mean you're not eating too many calories.

Have you ever tried proper low carbing? First a few days of no carbs, then adding some salad greens, then other vegetables. No fruit, no bread/pasta/rice etc. No breaded stuff, just lean meat/fish. I was also active and eating healthily but the weight was just stuck on - with this I lost 2 dress sizes about a year ago, and interestingly they have stayed off even after I stopped lowcarbing. Something to try?

Have you tried a bit of weight training as well as the cardio?
I'm also a vegetarian and was struggling to lose anything (not in my 40's but do have PCOS with Insulin Resistance), so I got a personal trainer who set me up on mostly weight training; kettlebells, bench press etc as well as the usual cardio I enjoy (rowing and boxing) and a healthy balanced diet plan (I needed more protein) and I lost 3 stone in 4 months!
I can't remember the exact reason why but I know that he repeatedly scolds people for only concentrating on cardio and it seemed to make a huge difference to me when I tried it!