To ask how to lose weight when not actually overweight?

[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!)

I read that weight is 8% diet and only 20% exercise, which I am clinging to, as I would much rather restrict my diet than waste my life in the gym or jogging.

@Megantheestallion

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!

My BMI is about 20.7 now and losing 3kg I’d be at 18.9 so still healthy!

I have posted before that I went from 10 stone 3 (blobby feeling for me) back to 9 stone (my 'normal') during lockdown.

I did it by eating only two good size meals a day and no snacks on most days. Fruit for pudding or very occasionally as snack if required. Essentially the ' no S' approach with 16:8.

Working from home, not physically shopping and not meeting anyone, or eating other than food at or from home made it easy to be disciplined in a way I just hadn't been at work.

Since lockdown began to ease I have basically maintained despite reintroducing chocolate and cake when meeting up with people again. I now weigh myself every morning while brushing my teeth. If my weight hits 9 stone 2, I just don't have snacks that day. No hardship - I lnow I'll have them again soon.

It’s really tough losing the last bit. You have to be really strict. Record your food, careful with portions. Doing 16:8 type diet is good as it controls your blood sugar and prevents you feeling hungry as much. It’s just hard going at the start.

The other thing is to not weigh yourself too much. Even perfectly dieting and exercising won’t always translate to the scale immediately.

I’m back to losing a stone, yet again, always the same one!

@GhostCurry

I read that weight is 8% diet and only 20% exercise, which I am clinging to, as I would much rather restrict my diet than waste my life in the gym or jogging.

Haha same!! I hope it is true!!!

@Scarby9

I have posted before that I went from 10 stone 3 (blobby feeling for me) back to 9 stone (my 'normal') during lockdown.

I did it by eating only two good size meals a day and no snacks on most days. Fruit for pudding or very occasionally as snack if required. Essentially the ' no S' approach with 16:8.

Working from home, not physically shopping and not meeting anyone, or eating other than food at or from home made it easy to be disciplined in a way I just hadn't been at work.

Since lockdown began to ease I have basically maintained despite reintroducing chocolate and cake when meeting up with people again. I now weigh myself every morning while brushing my teeth. If my weight hits 9 stone 2, I just don't have snacks that day. No hardship - I lnow I'll have them again soon.

Interesting - thanks - even if you don’t calorie count do you know how many you eat roughly?

[quote HappyAzure]@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![/quote]
Well no because it depends what your bsmr is (minimum calories needed to stay alive) + whatever your daily activity is.

So 1500 is certainly above your bsmr or at least very close to it but if you do anything other than lie in a bed all day you womt ever actually live a day at your bsmr.

Myfitnes pal etc all rely on you being very very honest with your daily activity to give you your figure.

But that figure changes have a lazy couch day with the heating on ou may only burn 1300 kcal but you'll eat maybe 1800 because snacking.

Have a good day out in the hill walking you may burn over 1900 but only eat 1200 because of the situation.

You will either have to become more accurate in your measuring and numbers or you ditch the numbers now.

Lay out your typical plate and remove 10/20% and that's now soemthing you know is a deficit.

“ WFH has made a huge difference - I used to do so much walking just incidentally as part of my commute”

I’m sure that’s true, and no doubt I am benefiting from the walking part of my commute - but what really made the difference to me was the proximity of the fridge, the “whenever I fancy it” mealtimes, the boredom, and the lack of social pressure. Like it or not, I am affected by the office environment, and would think twice before making my 5th trip to the fridge in an hour.

I genuinely believe that it’s mostly food and not exercise that makes the most difference.

I wish I was one of these people who ‘forgets’ to eat or just ‘isnt hungry’ sometimes - I’m always hungry and thinking about my next meal!!!

I’m the same, OP, and am going to cut down on carbs and restart exercising. Interested in the eating window idea too.

@GhostCurry

“ WFH has made a huge difference - I used to do so much walking just incidentally as part of my commute”

I’m sure that’s true, and no doubt I am benefiting from the walking part of my commute - but what really made the difference to me was the proximity of the fridge, the “whenever I fancy it” mealtimes, the boredom, and the lack of social pressure. Like it or not, I am affected by the office environment, and would think twice before making my 5th trip to the fridge in an hour.

I genuinely believe that it’s mostly food and not exercise that makes the most difference.

You’re right and I need to make an effort to not reach for the snack cupboard when having a bad day!!!

Also remember you're a human, you live in a starange world you're like a dog with the kibble cupboard open.

Spend one day just walk outside your house and try and find food without the shops.

You wouldn't be eating much most days and what you do eat would come with a high physical cost so dont get too obsessed with being consistent every day because that's not really how you work it's more chaotic

I’m a healthy BMI but have lost around 10lb recently by doing the 16:8 diet. I stop eating at around 6pm and don’t eat again until 10am. Within those eating hours, I ate healthy foods and generally less calories. A a couple of days a week, I would significantly reduce calories (similar to 5:2) and eat around 700. I did a small 3-4K run also and the weight just dropped off. I need to lose another few pounds but need to get the motivation again. I’m just maintaining atm.

@Elsewyre I have MFP linked to my Fitbit so in theory it should be quite accurate with my activity levels but you are right and the ideal of removing a bit off my plate is a good idea!

OP I know what you mean, but if you cut down on food as a rule, and adjust your mindset of how much you should be consuming in a day, you will be surprised how “unhungry” you can become. You do need to be busy though. Are you working? Any chance of going in to the office?

I tried to do the math.
5 kg = 8.5%, so OP's total weight is 58.8 kg.
BMI = 20 (max) so OP's height is 5'6".
If OP loses 5kg she'll be 5'6" tall & 53.8kg, so BMI would become 18.4.
Just below the dangerously underweight threshold.
Was this supposed to be a math exercise to figure out OP has stated unhealthy body ambitions?

@GhostCurry

OP I know what you mean, but if you cut down on food as a rule, and adjust your mindset of how much you should be consuming in a day, you will be surprised how “unhungry” you can become. You do need to be busy though. Are you working? Any chance of going in to the office?

I’m working from home and ridiculously busy - often don’t even get chance to make a proper lunch so end up snacking which isn’t good. Just on calls all day Office is closed still!!!

I went from 58kg to 51kg, which sounds like about your intended loss, by not eating breakfast, cutting out milk and sugar from tea and coffee, not really snacking, and doing some kind of exercise daily, either yoga on a not so active day or running ~5k when more active. I also ate fewer carbs but not in an intentional low carb way, just not necessarily having rice with a curry for instance.

In other words, the “three square meals a day” thing has kind of wrecked us. We don’t need three meals with a snack between each one every day. We just don’t.

@lljkk

I tried to do the math. 5 kg = 8.5%, so OP's total weight is 58.8 kg. BMI = 20 (max) so OP's height is 5'6". If OP loses 5kg she'll be 5'6" tall & 53.8kg, so BMI would become 18.4. Just below the dangerously underweight threshold. Was this supposed to be a math exercise to figure out OP has stated unhealthy body ambitions?

The maths are about right but when I used the NHS BMI calculator it told me 53.5kg would be a BMI of 18.9 which is healthy?

@baumwolle thank you and well done, sounds great!!

Only bloody just, @HappyAzure
18.5 is the bottom end of healthy. Tiny inaccuracies in weighing and height measurement could tip you below. I generally don’t think it’s healthy to aim for the absolute bottom of a range like that.

Oh yeah I don’t really drink anything other than water. I think tea and coffee must add a fair whack of calories that people don’t think count. If I have a drink other than water, I count it as a snack. Because it is.

@GhostCurry

Oh yeah I don’t really drink anything other than water. I think tea and coffee must add a fair whack of calories that people don’t think count. If I have a drink other than water, I count it as a snack. Because it is.

Black coffee??

@cardibach

Only bloody just, *@HappyAzure* 18.5 is the bottom end of healthy. Tiny inaccuracies in weighing and height measurement could tip you below. I generally don’t think it’s healthy to aim for the absolute bottom of a range like that.

I’m very small framed though so when I’ve been at that weight before a few years ago I just looked nice and slim!