Why haven't I lost any weight ? I've been so good.

[PeridotCricket]

Since Christmas I've hardly had a drink, no snacks, been to yoga and pilates, or walked every day (and walked to work every day 4 miles return).

I've eaten loads of veg and cut down on carbs.

No Christmas choc, no left over Baileys....

"Wails to the sky!"

I can't eat cereal at all Petalflowers without blowing up like a balloon, and porridge makes me gip, so I'm not much help on that one.

I have a low carb omelette most mornings.

Well, I just gave up after a week on MFP and I didn't lose an ounce. So this thread is motivating me. I do think that it's easy to underestimate how much you are eating. Carbs are the enemy once you get past 40 I think. Our bodies just can't cope with them in the same way and insulin resistance is a big factor in weight gain.
Sugar and carbs are an absolute no no. I lost 2 stones cutting right down on carbs several years ago. I found it really easy. I ate a lot of Greek salad instead of potatoes/rice/pasta and had protein and lots of veg or salad for dinner, only one piece of bread for lunch with protein or soup, and muesli/porridge for breakfast. I basically didn't eat carbs after lunch and cut down on those I ate before dinner. I lost weight easily and felt a lot better. Unfortunately I am struggling to get back into it this time.

5:2

Like hamstersare, I am also a PT and I second her advice. Protein for breakfast- eggs on granary toast if you have time, with some spinach and tomatoes, maybe a bit of good quality ham.

You need to really raise your heart rate when you exercise. Using a fitness tracker is really helpful. Once you have found your resting heart rate, there are online calculators which will tell you your max heart rate. You need to regularly raise your HR to 70-80% of your MHR, or even higher. You don’t have to do it for long. So for example, short bursts of sprinting interspersed with jogging or walking is more effective than just running at a steady pace for 45 minutes. At those % you should be out of breath, such that it is difficult to hold a conversation. Most people can’t achieve that through walking alone (unless you power walk or walk up steep hills!)

I also recommend strength training. I have lost 3% body fat in the last year and 2-3 inches from my waist (though my actual weight has only reduced a moderate amount) purely through 3 x weekly weights work.

Would recommended taking measurements and using those as well as (or even instead of) actual weight. Good luck!

Would definitely have to disagree, yoga most definitely does tone you up. Together with a good healthy diet and lifestyle. That's what I do and have done for several years now. Happy to show you the results at 50years old!

Most cereal has too much sugar in; even innocent looking ones such as bran flakes.

an omelette on its own without a piece of toast. Home Made lentil and veg soup at lunch without bread. And then a fairly sensible tea with a load of veg.

That’s 3 proper meals. I’d have to miss one of those meals in order to lose weight. (I do snack a bit mind you).

I used to have a high metabolism. It’s slowed waaaay down since I passed 30, and I’m nowhere mear menopausal. I just can’t eat that much any more.

Carbs are the enemy once you get past 40 I think
I'm 58 and I haven't that at all. I did find that the first couple of years after my last period were the worst for weight gain, but things did settle down again, and I 've found it quite easy over the last couple of years (over 4 stones, 1 more to go). I recommend as much exercise as possible, and as much variety of exercise as you can do.

Eat more protein. Eat more ‘good fats’. Olive oil, nuts, salmon, avocado. Also eat cheese, butter, cream. When you’re low carbing you are getting your body to run on fat, both in your diet and from your fat stores. If you want to know the science in it read Atkins and Blood sugar diet. I lost 4 stone in 6 months low carbing. It does work but you do need to eat fats. It’s a completely different way of thinking. Goes against everything you’ve previously been told.

Ah, it can take a while for weight loss to register on the scales for loads of reasons - hormones, the weather, age, losing fat around organs first etc etc.

One thing though is to be very careful about what advice you follow. On this thread there is incorrect info, muddled up in sensible-seeming posts. One poster warns of eating too much fruit and rightly suggests limiting fruit and choosing lower fructose types. Unfortunately, the poster then states citrus fruits are lower sugar (they are actually some of the highest, particularly oranges and grapefruit) and further advises to avoid apples (apples and berries are actually the lowest sugar fruits and excellent choices when limiting sugar/maximising nutrition).

I’m a type 1 diabetic, live and breathe carb counts day in, day out to match against injected insulin. I’ve had many an earnest idiot me I should switch from eating boiled new potatoes to mashed sweet potato, drink smoothies, eat bananas, cereal etc. Your body doesn’t detect a difference between low sugar Alpen and weetabix. It’s pretty much just carb and treated as sugar. Pairing a carb with fat, however, will help slow the sugar rush, but not as much as some folk claim.

Yoga doesn’t tone the body

You’ve clearly never done rocket yoga.

I'd try a plan. I used Jane Plan. It's expensive, BUT, I lost over 2st. in a little over 3 months. Since then I've kept it off by being sensible, but this really helped me get over the hump - I had to lose weight because I had hypertension and diabetes.

I am in the sam boat
Trying hard, but still feel very bosomy. I try not to eat at all after about six.

I completely agree that it is much much harder to lose weight at 50 than 40.

Veg has more in it than you think, especially sweetcorn. I happily piled on some from a M&S prepared layered veg thing and realised I'd just blown 150 calories - just like that - on fucking vegetables! I could have nearly had a cornetto for that! grin

Exactly. EVERYTHING has calories. A tin of healthy sardines is like 260 cals. Butter is ridiculous. Even porridge is calorific and a portion size is very small.

I'm really struggling. I'm counting everything but find it impossible to go under my tdee or I'm hungry. Somehow I need to just deal with hunger but I hate it!! I've cut out unhealthy foods but still over just not way over.

Well, I'm peri-meno at the moment.
I exercise nearly every day (mainly running, but a 1K swim once a week and a bike ride of varying distance and effort depending on whether I'm on my own or with my young son).

Underweight (a little) at the moment.

@MissLanesAmericanCousin Well done to you and your husband!.I was told at the hospital when I went for PCOS to have no fizzy drinks, even the sugar free ones. They can still make you gain weight by making you more hungry/crave sweet things etc.
@Petalflowers Get the Jumbo Oats from the supermarket these are more filling and creamy than normal porridge. I think they are around £2.00 for a big bag of them. Don't get Oat So Simple or the supermarket equivalent because they are full of sugar.

Well, I'm peri-meno at the moment. Okaayyy - but we were talking post menopause...

Well, I'm peri-meno at the moment. Okaayyy - but we were talking post menopause..

Yes, I realise that and I'm going to challenge it..when it happens.
I'll have to resurrect what will be a zombie thread I guess to report back on how it went!

@MarcieBluebell

For hunger I recommend lots of low cal and fibrous stuff so:
Mushrooms
Cucumber and carrot sticks
Tomatoes
Cabbage, kale, broccoli and sprouts (these are all nice steamed and or lightly fried)
Courgetti instead of pasta or noodles
Cauliflower (roasted, mashed, as rice or as a pizza base)

All of these will fill you up and the roughage gives you something for your digestion to work on.

Ah, I've interpreted your post wrongly. I thought you were saying it was nonsense that menopause affected the ability to lose weight and you had evidence to the contrary when what you meant was that you were personally going to make sure you didn't end up in that position.

I'm 5'9, many years post menopause and I've lost 3 stone over the last couple of years. I lost 2 and half, put a lot back on then gradually got most of it off again. Then last January I had another push and lost another stone and a half to get to a BMI of 24, I maintained that up until Christmas when I went a bit mad and put half a stone back on!

Now back on the routine and hoping to get that 7lb plus maybe another 10 off by the summer. It is possible to lose weight but you need to carefully weigh and read everything and log it properly and realise that you just don't burn calories as quickly as you used to .

I bet I could find some Closer etc. articles about women who lost a lot of weight age 55+, without bariatric surgery or having cancer, too.

I echo getting your thyroid checked!!

I maintain a healthy diet, am aware of the calories I eat (on most days!) and do lots of walking and yoga - and it does tone you!