How on earth do I lose weight? How did you?

[JustTheLemons]

Apologies for starting an AIBU but I have posted before in weight loss chat and not got much response.

I need to lose about 60 pounds, and I'm determined. I've recently got a binge eating habit under control, and for the last two weeks I've been sticking with 1500 calories a day as well as an hour long walk every lunch. I've gained 2 pounds!

I really don't understand how I can go from bingeing loads of calories a day to cutting them out and walking and gain weight! What am I doing wrong? I had been told that CICO was the easy way to do it but it's not seemingly working for me- I am now considering Atkins but I worry that's too restrictive for day to day.

Any help much appreciated!

your doing really well op.just to wanting to stop you bingeing.that must be terrifying and to be in that desperate cyylce of binging is awful awful awful.so the fact youve mamnaged to get to grip with that is blody fabulous.kee going ok.the rest can come.you need to find your happy place right now.the emotioan lside of not binging and having to cope with life withoutusing food is also something you need time to come to terms with so give yourself a little time.
find your triggers.find what happens in lfie when things go good and bad and how to keep eating and not binging when they come.
then think about the enxt step but only whe nyou feel safe neough to do so.you can do this
you really are brilliant and so very brave

@Tallgreenbottle How did you persuade your GP to refer you to Endocrinology if he/she thought your thyroid was normal with a TSH of 2.5??

My TSH is 8.2 and my GP won't treat or refer as apparently its normal

Meanwhile I struggle on with my weight, trying to stick under 1,000 calories a day.

I’m under active (hashimotos)
My TSH was 1.97 which I thought was perfect but I saw on here under 1 is better
I was on 75/100 alternate days so I spoke to gp and asked could I take 100 a day and see how it went and it’s been amazing (I can also go for the toilet as well I was so constipated before even at 1.97).
The weight has dropped off and I feel much better

I'm using nutria check app. I'm finding it really good. You can personalise it to suit your weight loss expectation, and set it to low fat or low carb etc. I'm on 1600 a day and have lost five pounds in a month. Not much but I have a huge appetite and dropping too low gives me migraines. I also have about 70 pounds to loose. I expect eventually I will have to drop my calorie intake.

I tried SlimmingWorld but I gained weight. When I tracked what I was actually eating on the SW plan it was close to 2500 calories a day. All this talk of free food didn't work for me.

Haven't RTWT yet.

I've struggled with my weight forever. I have an underactive thyroid too but my excellent consultant has told me it makes little difference to weight.

I decided to have weight loss surgery seven weeks ago. Two stone down already, plus another (nearly)stone I lost in the two weeks before on a pre op diet.

Drastic yes, but I cant fight this battle forever on my own. I needed a tool to help and that's what it is.

So far, I'd highly recommend.

Try to avoid using apps like My Fitness Pal, they put every person (regardless of size, height, etc) at 1,200 cals per day. There has been lots of controversy over the app and how it affects users' health and wellbeing.

I did a lot of research before I had the op. One of the studies I read was that if someone has been overweight they will need far fewer calories to get to/maintain the weight of someone who has always been slim.

I've had consultants in the past recommend an 800 calorie diet before.

Bottom line, you will lose weight if you eat less that you're burning. For you your sweet spot could be 1,200 or 800. The 'your body is starving so won't lose weight' thing is kinda nonsense. Stick to the diet and it WILL drop. Anorexics wouldn't be so thin if it didn't work!

Don't forget the first half stone or so will be your glycogen stores.

Yeah I wouldn't dream of having lasagne whilst dieting so maybe you're not quite giving it your all. Not trying to be mean, just realistic.

Luckily for you the nice weather helps eating healthier I think. So fill your plate with veg and salad and then a protein like fish of chicken. Eg tonight I'm having salmon fillets in jerk rub. Then absolutely loads of green so you're not still hungry. I've still got 7lb to lose but have lost two stone eating this way. Can afford to have the odd carb or treat earlier in the day sometimes if I go the the gym.

The only way I can lose weight is

No carbs
No sugar (apart from fruit)
No dairy
No wheat
No coffee
No sweetener
No bad fats

It's not doable for ever but for a few months it really does bring in results

After that it's about bringing food groups back in slowly and carefully, monitoring the effects and keeping calories at 1200.

I'll admit I've not RTFT. However I've lost almost 6.5 st in the last 10 months (1 stone left to target). I'm a semi reformed binge eater. What's worked for me:

Ostensibly I follow SW. I broadly stick to their guide on bread and dairy.

However I also low carb. I have 1-2 dinners a week where I will eat potatoes or rice or pasta. Rest of the time it's meat/ fish and veg or salad. When I do have pasta I try to eat no more than 75g.

I only eat breakfast or lunch - on a breakfast day my lunch is fruit (And vice versa).

I stick to 10 syns a day mostly.

I do exercise several times a week burning 500-700 cals each time including parkrun.

I’ve lost around 18 kg in 12 weeks doing 16:8, no carbs, no alcohol and running (C25K) 3/4 times a week. I do find that not eating until 2/3 pm is fine - I only start to feel hungry once I start to eat.

There's so many different approaches, suited to different personalities.

For me, intermittent fasting (only eat between 1pm and 7pm) and high protein works. Other would find it a nightmare.

What I absolutely do know is that judging any diet/eating plan using scales in short time periods (like two or three weeks) is a huge mistake.

It makes people think "I've been so good and didn't lose what I'd like" and they lose motivation. Most of the time your body catches up and you start losing in the third or fourth week.

Use the scales once a month and keep an eye on the way your clothes fit.

Petra I feel exactly the same. As soon as I eat, it opens the floodgates and I start feeling hungry.

I lost 6.5 stones — over a long period of time (planned). I did it via Weight Watchers.

Basically, I agree with other posters: you need to eat less than you expend. How people do that varies widely.

WW helped me in a couple of ways (1) by completely reeducating me when it came to portion size and (2) the group motivation.

I'm well within my WW target range now but am trying to lose the last few pounds to take me to (bodybuilding) competition weight. I've lost around six pounds over the last couple of weeks and have another half stone (or thereabouts) to go.

I still go to WW and weigh in regularly. I'm still a recovering over eater

You are probably eating more than 1500 calories. Track what you’re eating using MyFitnessPal.

Good luck!

Never skip meals, especially breakfast.

Are you eating balanced healthy meals?

Drink loads of water.

Cut out fizzy drinks if not already done so.

Also I wouldn't bother weighing food as it doesn't seem sustainable.

Complex carbohydrates are very important please don't cut them out or down too much.

I can lose weight eating 1200 calories, but also appear to have completely fucked up my metabolism by eating so little.

I can't understand how no one has picked up on the fact that OP has only been doing this for 2 weeks.

I mentioned it on page 2 ...

Yes eating opens the floodgates for me too
And with starchy carbs the more I eat the more I want.

Download myfitness pal and let it do the calculations of how many calories you should eat based on how much much you weigh, height and activity.

Try the James Smith Academy. If you don't mind too much swearing then give him a follow on Instagram. He'll change the way you think about a calorie deficit.

Diets don’t work.

95% of those who lose weight will regain it within five years and a significant number will gain more on top.

You need to be eating nutritious food and moving more.

Note how foods make you feel

Note hunger signals.

Get an activity tracker and increase your movement by 100 steps each day.

Drink plenty of water.

All food is fine in moderation but if you have a particular trigger food keep it out of the house.

Go for fresh food where possible and reduce processed foods.

You can be overweight and healthy and you can also be slim and healthy. Remember that the recent CancEr Research “Obesity” based research was done in conjunction with bloody Slimming World. Obesity NOT cause cancer, obesity is the symptom of other things. So if it’s a diet high in processed foods causing the obesity then it may be the processed foods causing the increase in cancers. Guess what SW produces along with their diet plan ....yeah that’s right processed food.

Move more, improve your fitness and focus on normal healthy unprocessed foods. The weight will slowly take care of itself.

I'm using My Fitness Pal which is really useful.
It's not just how much you eat but when you eat. Try and have at least 12 hours between dinner and breakfast, I try and have an 8 hour eating window which I find works for me.

Hot weather causes water retention, so that may be masking a good weight loss