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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask how to lose weight when not actually overweight?

92 replies

HappyAzure · 31/08/2020 20:11

Not a goady thread. I’m in the normal BMI range but not happy with the few Kgs I’ve put on over lockdown, just generally feeling a bit wider and soft so want to lose some weight (ideally 5kg) - will be upping my exercise as well.

The issue is that I think it’s harder to lose weight when there isn’t as much to lose - I think weight comes off quicker when you’re actually overweight. I’ve tried to lose a few kgs over the last month or so eating about 1500calories a day and it hasn’t really worked. I also tried 5:2 for a couple of weeks but ended up fainting and read it’s not suitable for people with a BMI of 20 or under (not sure if that’s true or not)

In short - have you managed to lose weight as an already ‘normal’ weight person and if so, how did you do this? Don’t want to go on a crash diet or starve myself! Will eating 1500 calories eventually work?? (According to my fitness pal that’s what I should be eating in order to lose weight!)

OP posts:
Elsewyre · 31/08/2020 20:14

@HappyAzure

Not a goady thread. I’m in the normal BMI range but not happy with the few Kgs I’ve put on over lockdown, just generally feeling a bit wider and soft so want to lose some weight (ideally 5kg) - will be upping my exercise as well.

The issue is that I think it’s harder to lose weight when there isn’t as much to lose - I think weight comes off quicker when you’re actually overweight. I’ve tried to lose a few kgs over the last month or so eating about 1500calories a day and it hasn’t really worked. I also tried 5:2 for a couple of weeks but ended up fainting and read it’s not suitable for people with a BMI of 20 or under (not sure if that’s true or not)

In short - have you managed to lose weight as an already ‘normal’ weight person and if so, how did you do this? Don’t want to go on a crash diet or starve myself! Will eating 1500 calories eventually work?? (According to my fitness pal that’s what I should be eating in order to lose weight!)

Yeah weight loss is proportional to your deficit and when you're smaller you need less to begin with.

So you go from being able to eat 2000kcal a day and still losing weight to potentially eating 1800 a day about some days you only need 1750 others maybe 1910, as it's so close it can be hard to maintain a negative.

This is where exercise can help it won't beat a bad diet but if your diet is good you can add a little exercise you enjoy rather than having to reduce further

Original poster
HappyAzure · 31/08/2020 20:16

@Elsewyre so do you mean eating 1500 calories should work? I read adults shouldn’t really eat less than that anyway - don’t want to mess up my metabolism!

OP posts:
Chanjer · 31/08/2020 20:16

Never found 5:2 to be a problem and I'm under 20bmi

What percentage of your bodyweight is 5kg?

Original poster
HappyAzure · 31/08/2020 20:18

@Chanjer

Never found 5:2 to be a problem and I'm under 20bmi

What percentage of your bodyweight is 5kg?

About 8.5%!
OP posts:
Chanjer · 31/08/2020 20:18

Also what kind of exercise do you do?

Original poster
HappyAzure · 31/08/2020 20:20

@Chanjer

Also what kind of exercise do you do?
While lockdown was on mostly just walking/jogging but I’m going regularly to spin classes now and want to start swimming again now it’s open. Try to do something like spinning or running (about 5k) at least 3 times a week. Used to do at least 10,000 steps a day but more difficult now working from home but I do try to.
OP posts:
MrsVeryTired · 31/08/2020 20:21

Surely just cutting down a bit on what you were eating before? And upping exercise.

Although I'm a bit concerned that in OP you say "normal weight" but subsequent post mention being below 20 BMI, surely you don't need to lose weight if thats the case?

LouiseNW · 31/08/2020 20:21

Cut the carbs right back and up the exercise, you’ll be back to your usual weight in a month. I gained 10kg, 6% of my usual body weight of 60 (I think, my maths is diabolical) but anyway it was gone in a serious month.

IDontMindMarmite · 31/08/2020 20:22

I lost almost 2 stone when I wasn't overweight, just getting heavier than I wanted. Go to tdeecalculator.net/, figure out your TDEE which is the number of cals you burn a day, minus 500 from that and if you eat to that calorie deficit every day, you should lose around 1lb a week.

Original poster
HappyAzure · 31/08/2020 20:22

@LouiseNW

Cut the carbs right back and up the exercise, you’ll be back to your usual weight in a month. I gained 10kg, 6% of my usual body weight of 60 (I think, my maths is diabolical) but anyway it was gone in a serious month.
Yes I think carbs are my issue!! I just feel so hungry if I don’t have any carbs but I know that’s just withdrawal. Really going to try and focus on protein.
OP posts:
Ethelfleda · 31/08/2020 20:23

I’ve been in this sort of situation OP. Have never been overweight but found fat going on around my middle - I wanted to get on top of it before it got too much if that makes sense.

For me, I found intermittent fasting but not a 5:2 thing. I listed to a Dr Chatterjee podcast about WHEN you eat being just as important as WHAT you eat for I condensed all my food down into an eating window of 10 hours 5 days a week, and 8 hours two days a week. So on 2 days, I would wait I until 11am before eating anything and then not eating after 7pm. The other days I did 9am - 7pm and just dropped the snacking.
Took a very small amount of time before the fat came off. I do have a high metabolism though.

Original poster
HappyAzure · 31/08/2020 20:23

@IDontMindMarmite

I lost almost 2 stone when I wasn't overweight, just getting heavier than I wanted. Go to tdeecalculator.net/, figure out your TDEE which is the number of cals you burn a day, minus 500 from that and if you eat to that calorie deficit every day, you should lose around 1lb a week.
Ooh thank you! Will check that out!
OP posts:
Ethelfleda · 31/08/2020 20:23

And to add - this pretty much cured my IBS as well!

Original poster
HappyAzure · 31/08/2020 20:23

@Ethelfleda

I’ve been in this sort of situation OP. Have never been overweight but found fat going on around my middle - I wanted to get on top of it before it got too much if that makes sense.

For me, I found intermittent fasting but not a 5:2 thing. I listed to a Dr Chatterjee podcast about WHEN you eat being just as important as WHAT you eat for I condensed all my food down into an eating window of 10 hours 5 days a week, and 8 hours two days a week. So on 2 days, I would wait I until 11am before eating anything and then not eating after 7pm. The other days I did 9am - 7pm and just dropped the snacking.
Took a very small amount of time before the fat came off. I do have a high metabolism though.

Sounds very similar - thank you, will look at this!!
OP posts:
Megantheestallion · 31/08/2020 20:24

But if your BMI is under 20, would losing 5kgs not take you into the underweight category ?

Also interested in any tips, my BMI is around 23. I don’t crash diet as I weight train and I want to minimise muscle loss, but just get leaner. So my deficit has to be small and it takes me soooo long see a difference on the scales. I would like a BMI if 19- 20 and that translates into about a stone I think. Not a huge fan of cardio either!

OublietteBravo · 31/08/2020 20:24

Do you drink? I cut out alcohol and lost the lockdown weight without changing anything else.

justanotherneighinparadise · 31/08/2020 20:25

If your BMI is lower than 20 I really don’t think you need to lose any weight OP.

LouiseNW · 31/08/2020 20:28

HappyAzure

I ate a lot, large size protein rich yoghurt for breakfast With a kiwi or berries, like Skyr, big bag salad leaves with chicken for lunch and 2 salmon fillets and as many veggies as I could manage, or cheese omelette, 3 eggs, 2 tins tuna, etc, that sort of thing. Ate tub of low fat cottage cheese if I got hungry.
Boring as hell but it works.
Since then, stuck to it mon-fri morning then relax a lot at weekends. Wine, bread, pudding etc. Tbh, after a few weeks I’m feeling sluggish and ready to be “clean“ again by Monday. Weight maintained.

Chesneyhawkes1 · 31/08/2020 20:29

I eat 1200 calories a day. Run 30 miles a week plus walking and it's coming off veeeeeery slowly. I'm about 3kg from where I like to be now.

Getting the last little bit off is tough. And I need to up my exercise a bit more to achieve it I think.

Original poster
HappyAzure · 31/08/2020 20:29

BMI currently 20.7 - if I lost 5kg I’d be at 18.9 so still within the healthy range!

OP posts:
GhostCurry · 31/08/2020 20:30

I’m trying to lose my little paunch. I am eating 2 meals a day. I’ve never liked breakfast so I skip it, eat lunch at 12, small afternoon snack then dinner. If I feel hungry I eat more, but the general pattern is that. It’s working, slowly, and I don’t feel hungry.

I’m not wfh though. That makes a huge difference and is the reason I put on weight in the first place.

2020iscancelled · 31/08/2020 20:30

Two things -

Calorie deficit
Consistency

You can aid some resistance training if you enjoy it and have the time. I’d recommend Courtney black (app and instagram) for excellent minimal equipment, HIIT and weight training routines.

The most important thing is a calorie deficit but as you aren’t overweight as such then your deficit will be small and it will take some time but the key is to stick at it even when you think it’s not working quick enough. Don’t be tempted into crash dieting

Original poster
HappyAzure · 31/08/2020 20:30

@Chesneyhawkes1

I eat 1200 calories a day. Run 30 miles a week plus walking and it's coming off veeeeeery slowly. I'm about 3kg from where I like to be now.

Getting the last little bit off is tough. And I need to up my exercise a bit more to achieve it I think.

I’m sure I read any less than about 1500 is bad for adults as it’s not enough so you have the whole ‘starvation mode’ thing - is that rubbish?
OP posts:
Original poster
HappyAzure · 31/08/2020 20:31

@GhostCurry

I’m trying to lose my little paunch. I am eating 2 meals a day. I’ve never liked breakfast so I skip it, eat lunch at 12, small afternoon snack then dinner. If I feel hungry I eat more, but the general pattern is that. It’s working, slowly, and I don’t feel hungry.

I’m not wfh though. That makes a huge difference and is the reason I put on weight in the first place.

WFH has made a huge difference - I used to do so much walking just incidentally as part of my commute Sad
OP posts: