To ask for your advise on how to lose weight

[Cocacola12]

Throughout my teens/20’s I always weighed around 11 stone (I’m 5ft 8) and worked out around 4/5 days a week (mainly running/les Mills classes)
Since having children I’m almost ashamed at how much weight I’ve put on. My scales weren’t working but I had guessed around (gulp) 18stone as I was hovering around that about Christmas time. I always walk 10000 steps a day but didn’t do other exercise. My diet was terrible. My Fitbit estimated I burned around 3000 calories per day. Things came to a head a few weeks ago when I felt almost suicidal, I knew I had to change and my diet and exercise was one thing I could change.

For the past 3 weeks I’ve been doing a les Mills at home class every day (attack or combat) and I generally (according to Fitbit) burn around 600/700 per 45min session. I give it my all. I’ve been walking also, on average doing around 15k steps. According to Fitbit I’ve been burning around 4000 calories a day.
I have been eating around 2000 calories a day.
I would presume eating this much of a deficit would result in weight loss, given how heavy I am. My clothes feel In no way looser. I weighed myself this morning and I was 18st12lbs, much heavier than I had anticipated (obv I didn’t weight 3 weeks ago but really don’t feel like I have lost any weight)
I’m feeling so disheartened. Am I eating too much? Surely cutting my calories by so much compared to what I did eat and exercising intensely every day would after 3 weeks result in some changes.

For someone who weighs 18 stone 2000 calories will definitely be creating a deficit.

I’m currently losing lots of weight on More than that. Go check out Team RH on Facebook. They’ll sort you out (and show you how to lose weight whilst eating proper food).

Ignore anyone saying 1200 or worse - it’s absolutely unsustainable. 💐

@thinkful they themselves say 2 meals only and as part of balanced diet. I would so be worried to replace all meals I have to admit. There is a reason they say 2 only. Just be careful.

I get it. Quick loss, big boost, but it comes at price.

The smartest thing I read on MN was along the lines "You didn't put the weight on over few months, you can't expect it to go in few months"

I know it's disheartening. I just had a hissy fit week about what's the point. But then I remembered that heart attack exists and especially in my family🙄 And now I am over the hissy fit.

Try team RH. So sensible

Most PTs will tell you not to count exercise calories as they can be unreliable.

Cut your calories to 1400. Give it a week. Keep the exercise up and I think you will see results in a week.

@womanaf @BurnIt hello fellow Team RH! :)

I would try and boost your gut flora. There was an experiment involving identical twins on a tv programme a while ago. They analysed the gut flora of both of the twins and the twin with the more diverse gut flora was a good few kg lighter. I would eat some Keffir yoghurt and kombucha and try and alter your gut flora.

meggie 💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾🏆

OP, in order to lose weight you need to have a calorie deficit. Your calorie deficit would be based on your BMR (approx 2000 depending on height, weight and activity level. Mine is 1900 but I'm taller than you so yours could actually be less.) You need to shoot for consuming 500 less calories a day than your BMR. Exercising is great but if you're really serious about this you need to not 'eat back' your exercise calories. Have you tried the app MyFitnessPal? It's been a game changer for me, it works out your BMR for you and the deficit you need to be in, in order to loose weight. It sets you a realistic target, within a couple of weeks you will notice it working I promise. You'll want to stick at it once you start seeing results. Don't give up OP. The results are worth it.

At 5ft 8 and 18st 12:
To lose 1lb a week: 1650 calories
To lose 2lbs a week: 1155 calories

@macpumpkin1 it's important things are unpasteurised. Sauerkraut or kimchi are great for gut too. Unpasteurised which are hard to get

@ITonyah- I know, that's why I said its easy to adapt if you follow the principles. When I followed it before, the website forum was very active, and people had been doing 800 a day for months!

Since lockdown, I'd been a complete gannet for cakes, chocolate... probably 3,000/4,000 calories a day (or more ) and very, very carby.
For the last three days, 1500, 1200, then 1000 calories today; I'm not that fussed about attaining the 800, but know that as I cut out more carbs it really isn't that hard to achieve and not feel hungry.

@OmgThereAreNoPlanesAboveMeNow

I love your user name. I never really thought about that before!

Aww

No, exante has a total meal replacement plan. It used to be 3 packs (600 cal) but now is 3 packs and a meal or 4 packs. There is a thread here about it.

I truly believe it's safe. My husband had a heart attack and was diagnosed with diabetes a couple of years ago. He tried this as well back then and his diabetes nurse was behind him. There was a bbc series about the benefits of this diet for reversing diabetes... (DH didn't reverse his diabetes tho)

However, it is unsustainable in the long run. Anyone doing this will need to do the proper steps of gradually increasing cals by 100 or so every few days and I have never managed to do that part

I'm 5"7 and to lose weight I need to eat 1200 calories or less.

Diet is 70% and exercise is 30%

I'm 5,7 and would definitely gain weight eating 2000 cals even with exercise I need to eat around 1200 to actually lose weight .

Weightloss truths.

You didn't put the weight on over few months, you can't expect it to go in few months.

In 2 months you will feel it, in 4 months you will see it, in 6 months you will hear it.

Lose stones for life, not for an event.

Don't starve. Think.

Health first.

@thinkful thank you. They are coming back soon. Will need NC😂

Sorry to hear about your DH. We had heart attacks below 40 in a family so I know how hard it is for everyone involved. I hope you will manage to find the balance! I am ok, because I am actually (and always have been) sitting and chewing on raw carrot or even cabbage as a snack😂 It was the fried chocken wings which ruined it🙄

Have you tried intamitant fasting ? My sister in law lost loads of weight doing it after having my niece she had to stop as she lost too much ! I'm a naturally v slim person and I find people who are naturally thin move a LOT more than bigger people , I rarely sit down, I'm a fidgeter and I do a LOT of yoga and when I'm not locked in ok go for runs .. Make sure your moving if you go for a job do the 3 minute run 3 minute rest thing .. Also drink water ! I hate water so I have it with cucumber and mint in a double wall bottle and add ice so it doesn't get warm and I find that much more tolerable , I have crohns and ceoliac disease so my diet is a bit.odd im also vegan i do recommend eating lots of fruit and veg , when I'm not having a flare up I'l eat either fruit and coconut yogurt or a smoothie for breakfast , a salad with hummus and falafel or homemade soup for.lunch (or sometimes skip lunch altogether as I forget to eat )and in the evening I'l have a healthy v homemade main meal (I don't often cook with oil either)and if I do a lot of exercise that day ok have either a naked bar or something from Livias kitchen as a snack .. we sit and eat together as a family in the evening and make sure your not mindlessly eating as it's easily done , if your hungry snack on fruit and sit down and eat stay off your phone and computer etc be present when your eating and your brain will send full signals much quicker, you may want to think about cutting out dairy there is a lot of fat in it and although your body needs fat there are much healthier ways to get it , good luck on your weight loss journey 💕 x

I’m 5 ft 8 and lost 5 stone in 8 months on SlimmingWorld now maintaining at target. I’m now 10 stone 9 size 10/12. SlimmingWorld gets bad press on here but it’s healthy eating no need to eat muller lights etc. I post all my meals on my Instagram, message me if you want my name.

@meggie2008 you know Team RH makes sense

High five 🙌

In 2 months you will feel it, in 4 months you will see it, in 6 months you will hear it

This is a very good little mantra!

Thank you all so much for taking the time to reply. I’ve tried all the slimming clubs before but I prefer the thought of just making changes for life, I couldn’t live slimming world forever. Reducing my carb intake, eating more healthy fats and protein, seems more sustainable for me. I believe this is similar to what the Jo wicks plan is about. 16-8 also seems quite manageable, I haven’t been eating after 6 anyway and by the time I get the kids ready i don’t have breakfast until 10 so I guess I’m pretty much doing that already. I will start writing down everything as I know I’m guilty of not including a tsp of sugar in my tea etc. And it all adds up. I’m definitely keeping up the daily les Mills classes as it makes me feel good. I just can’t wait to see some results in my clothes!

You will soon! Don't give up. Absolutely agree with you about doing changes for life.

Log everything religiously for a week. You will see where the calories hide. Bit of warning though about apps like MFP. Check the calories on packaging if you scan something. Few things have wrong numbers and asda pak choi shows as some german smoked ribs or something😂 Bit of a shock when it showed me 400 cal for 2 pak chois😂

Good luck!

The key is finding something that works for you, my weak spot used to be portion sizes, and snacking in the evening mindlessly. For me eating less carbs has also helped, I have reasonable portions and mainly follow keto, but I never go hungry and I genuinely like the meals I have. Exercise wise I get bored easily, so usually I do group workouts, obviously not possible at the moment, but am walking considerably more.

Exercise is never a bad thing but if you want to see results you need to change your diet. Weight loss is about 80% what you eat and only 20% what you burn off - which makes sense when you consider just how much you'd have to workout in order to burn off a bag of crisps for example!

Slimming world diet worked for me as it meant I could still eat a lot of the things I enjoy just with slight adjustments. Also cutting down on snacks and booze. Good luck

It's highly unlikely you burn 4000 calories day. Fitbit work out how much you burn based on your heart rate. This is fine but only to an extend. I have a low heart rate so according to fitbit, I only burn about 300 calories when I do an intense cardio class.

I also do about 15k steps day but that and a class will only take me to 2200 calories burnt at most.

It's highly unlikely that two women doing the exact same level of exercise has one burning twice as much as the other.

You need to get your calories down to about 1800 day with that level of exercise, 1500 on quieter days.