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!"

Agree - weights not necessary to be toned. I swim, run and cycle and am very toned.

I get fairly different estimates of TDEE on different websites, too. >70 kcal differences

Firstly congratulations on making healthy choices OP! I’m in the same boat, I almost could’ve written your post. I just think that as we get older losing weight is like turning round a super-tanker (analogy pinched from “The Sober Diaries”). Be patient and it will happen. Google the “woosh” effect. Good luck and keep on keeping on, it will happen for us.

I regularly leave Yoga with the same muscle aches I get from a gym session, I think it definitely tones you!

I may be pointing out the obvious here but could it be water weight from your period? I few days before I'm due and until a few days after I can weigh up to half a stone more it just seems to vanish, keep going x

I'm sorry I've just seen post menopause so periods won't be the cause 😟 the struggle is real maybe ditch the scales and measure instead?

Def use my fitness pal. It’s tedious but it works. I find I lose if I eat around 1300 calls per day which is not much at all (a 200/300 deficit for me). I would t even take off for exercise.

Thank you all for the helpful supportive comments....even if I’ve been a bit at some of the advice the support and the encouragement from those who have stuck with it has been great.

Stepped on the scales this morning (after yoga last night) and finally some movement in th3 expected direction! And my trousers feel s little looser....

I'm puzzled, though, as to why you won't share what you're eating! Weight loss is supposedly 80% diet and 20% exercise (or 95% and 5% according to Dr Jason Fung). So it's a key piece of the 'puzzle'!

Glad things seem to be going in the right direction, though.

Hi biwi it’s on the second page... I'm sticking to actual portion sizes, stopped toast at breakfast - so 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.

The omelette is veg with a side of sauerkraut. Tea is a grilled bit of protein, weighed carbs and lots of veg. I drink a lot of tea so about half a pint of milk a day.

I’m the same except I’m not even 30 yet, so even more depressing really thinking that it gets harder to lose as you get older.
I don’t drink alcohol, don’t eat meat, have never smoked, and don’t eat added sugar or bread or pasta. Or rice really, is just automatically do quinones instead. I do pilates every day as I have plantar fasciitis, before then (June last year) I exercised properly 5 days a week.
I’m 5ft5 and 15 stone something. Have never ever been less than 13 stone, from age 13.
Typical day:
Breakfast: vegan porridge with a blob of almond butter. Use 1/3rd cup oats and an inch or 2 of banana for sweetness, blueberries and water. That is split between me and the kids though (3 and 1)

Lunch: salad, or homemade salad from blood sugar diet book, or sweet potato toast with something on top eg an egg, or hummus and veg

Dinner: use a side plate. No carb portion. So if it’s Bolognese i’ll Have the bol (veggie) and either nothing or courgetti.

That’s it really. If I need a snack it’s usually veg and hummus or an apple.

Don’t know what more I can do really! I like my body, certainly don’t hate it, have had 2 perfect pregnancies. But I don’t believe it’s healthy to be this heavy 🤷🏻‍♀️

• homemade SOUP, not salad

Portion size is usually the issue (with me!).
Lots of healthy food can still make you put on a lot of weight.

Yay, great news Peridot!!!!

I ploughed my way through 20 mins of cardio at the gym this morning and then did some weights. I keep thinking to myself even if I don't lose the weight, it has to be worth it in other ways.

For anyone who is interested, yesterday I ate:

Low carb pancake for breakfast (2 eggs, knob of butter, ounce of grated cheese, marmite, tablespoon of almond flour, dessert spoon of coconut flour, tablespoon milk)

Protein shake for lunch with 30ml of cream

Dinner - 3 venison and pork sausages, 2 oz of broad beans, mountain of spring greens tossed in butter

Snacks during the day - 6 macadamia nuts, 10 raspberries

Yes, I read what you'd written, but was a bit vague!

If the scales are starting to move, it seems it's starting to work for you, which is great! I'd look to cut your carbs a bit more (lentils can add a lot of carbs), and up your protein and fats a bit more.

But they're tweaks - hopefully things will continue to move in the right direction for you

@ Petalflowers Your diet isn't excessive at all but perhaps you're not eating the right things? I've been following the 8 Week Blood Sugar Diet, which is basically mediterranean eating, low carb etc, so protein + veg at each meal. It is very effective as your body burns alcohol and carbs before fat, so without those your body does burn your stored fat. On that basis I'd say your diet looks too carb based for effective weight loss as you're having cereal for breakfast, bread based lunch, potatoes some evenings, snacks are sweet fruit, alcohol at weekend. Good swaps might be egg based breakfast (e.g. egg, avo, mushrooms, not on toast), salad with meat/fish for lunch (not sandwich), meat & veg (not with bread, pasta, rice) in evening and maybe stop the alcohol for now. Sorry, probably not what you want to hear but could be worth a try. Also seems to be fewer cravings if not eating so many carbs.

Ooops, this thread has moved on a lot since petal posted - sorry if this has been said

My MIL became a yoga teacher after her divorce at around 40, she only retired at 74 and is very slim and toned.

Her food consists mainly of vegetables, protein, dairy and a little fruit and small amounts of carbs. Sort of in that order.

My old boss told me when I was still a wee slip of a girl that I would not be able to eat so much post 40. She was almost 60 and very trim, I think her advice was spot on . She ate approx 30% less portion wise but gave up nothing.

I’d love some advice on what I’m eating (above), sorry to jump on this thread but I’ve stared my own many a time. Just done a HIIT session with my personal trainer so it’s not like I’m sedentary!

Bendydick, your diet sounds nutritious.

Does it matter how much you weigh? Excess body fat is what makes a person less healthy; not being heavy in itself.

According to the BMI calculators, the mid range of my healthy weight is about 8.5 stone but it is very difficult for me to get to and maintain that weight. When I have been that weight, I start to look a bit scrawny and friends and family start expressing concern!

I look and feel best when I am towards the upper end of my BMI range. I am heavy for my height but I have a body fat % which puts me in the ‘lean’ category, healthy blood pressure and low resting heart rate. I’m just short and sturdy, with a medium frame. Evidently have got heavy bones/organs/muscle 😆

I think, unless you are doing shed loads of exercise of a very active job or lead a very active life, it does get harder to shift the weight. And I'm actually going to have to pay attention to what I eat.

I ate anything I wanted in my 20s and early 30s without even a thought and was 9 1/2 stone.

Now I have a sedentary job, I have to make time to exercise, and, I am going to have to think - 'no I won't have a bread roll with my soup....cake is a treat...etc'.

But equally I love food and enjoy it, it's one of the great pleasures in life for me, so I still want to eat tasty good food, with lots of veg....just less of it.

Bugger.

waterlego very good points. My blood pressure is fine - good for my age - I can and do walk up mountains - more out of breath on the steep bits than I used to be!

I really don't want to get obsessed with food - or writing out what I eat each day - or cutting out certain food groups (fine if that's what works for anyone else). But my portion sizes have probably increased - so I weigh stuff and I'm getting my eye in as to what is normal.

I'm taking heart from the stories on here of women who have gradually and slowly lost weight while upping their fitness levels and eating a balanced diet.

I’m in a similar situation. However I’ve now lost about 4 lbs after three weeks. I’m post menopause and I need to eat less to lose the same amount of weight I did a few years ago, that’s all. I get little exercise apart from daily walking. I think weight loss is really only about what you’re putting in your mouth

Thanks waterlego. Good perspective. However for years I’ve been trying to accept that I am just a heavier person, but constantly am told there’s no such thing as ‘naturally big’. And I don’t think it’s good to be so heavy - knee problems for example.

I have a few friends who are ‘naturally slim’ - it’s clear to see that they would be physically incapable of ever being bigger than say a size 10 or even 8. It’s just unthinkable, even if they were overweight it seems physically impossible for them ever to be large. So then why is it so unbelievable that the opposite can be true, and that there are people who physically could never be a size 8, for example? I mean, there’s nothing I can do about the width of my hips...?

Went to the docs last week (about plantar fasciitis) and his only advice really was to lose weight. Which I agree, makes a lot of sense. But no further advice was offered really, no help at all.

Sorry that was somewhat stream of consciousness 😄