To think “healthy eating” isn’t the best way for lose weight?!

[dontchasewaterfalls]

I did Slimming World for a number of years and I managed to lose 3 stone and keep it off.

Since having my baby at the start of the year, I’ve gained 2 stone.
Since Slimming World classes were shut, and I wanted to try something different, I decided to just try and eat healthily rather than actually following the Slimming World plan.

I’ve been doing this a few months now and I’ve only lost 5lb, which I could easily lose in a week following Slimming World!!

So what exactly am I doing wrong??

Here’s what I’ve eaten today -

Breakfast
Two weetabix, topped with a handful of raspberries and a small banana. (Semi skimmed milk)
Cup of tea.

Lunch
Tuna (1tin made with light mayo) 80g Wholemeal pasta(dried weight) lettuce, tomato, pickled beetroot. Light Mayo.

Dinner
Fajitas.
Chicken breast, peppers, onions, mushrooms (dry fried) 2 x small wholemeal wraps.
Handful grated cheese.

Snacks
Pomegranate seeds
Large orange
Chocolate fudge Alpen light cereal bar

That’s a typical day for me. I do occasionally have some chocolate or a pack of crisps.

Once a week, usually on a Saturday night, we will have a takeaway. Hubby and I will share a pizza and chips, or I will get chicken tikka pieces in a pitta with salad.

I don’t drink any alcohol. I have at most 3 cups of tea a day and the rest of the time I drink water.

I don’t do any organised exercise, but I do go for a walk every day which is usually 45-60 minutes.

I’m not counting any calories, just trying to eat sensibly. But it’s not working well.

What do you think I’m doing wrong?
Should I just go back to Slimming World?

There are ways to have a lower calorie takeaway but even having every 2nd week would be better.

My takeaway tips are:

Indian - non creamy curry, ditch the rice and naan, use shredded iceberg lettuce or use a mini naan or wrap from the supermarket then you know how many calories
Pizza, order smaller size than usual, ditch the cheese and add extra veg
Nandos, get the chicken and 2 veggie sides or order the children's meal
Fish and chips, just order smaller size
Burger, ditch the cheese and the top bun and the fries (or just pop a couple on the burger), you can make your own spicy wedges/sweet potato wedges to go with it if you want :)
Chinese, pretty much feck all you can do other than ditch the rice or noodles but I'd rather just treat that as a rare blow out and have what I want

You'll never lose weight with carbs at every meal unless you are doing extreme calorie counting!

Not true. I was forced to eat a very low fat diet while waiting to have my gallbladder removed. No calorie counting involved. I ate loads of carbs, including sugary stuff, as it was the only treat I could have. The weight absolutely fell off me. Went back on as soon as I was able to eat fat again though of course. Low fat high carb might not be the healthiest way to lose weight, but it certainly works as long as you manage to stick to it.

Looking at your meal plan I would say it's calories that's stopping you from losing a notable amount of weight. You are eating sensibly and not excessively which is why you've lost a small but steady amount of weight, but a few things jump out as adding high amount of calories to your meals (the banana for example, healthy of course but another 100+ calories on top of your breakfast) and not knowing how much exactly is going into your meals (eg the weight of the chicken breast).

To be honest your way is obviously sustainable as you've been doing it for months, still enjoying take aways and you haven't slipped. Why not continue?

Those foods such as cheese aren't unhealthy - better to avoid processed foods like the cereal bar as then you know exactly what you are getting, but the number of posters saying Weetabix is empty calories or a bad food on this thread is worrying. It's a wholegrain cereal which is low in fat. That's not unhealthy or bad for you. The porridge someone suggested upthread instead of it is not markedly "better".

As for low carb being better than calorie counting...well: over time both produce almost identical weight loss results. Low carb with restricted calories, such as the Fast 800 approach advocated by Michael Mosley, can give beneficial fast weight and visceral fat loss and help those with type 2 diabetes or who are pre-diabetic. They are not advocated for anyone who is not obese or overweight.

The thing with takeaways especially from local shops rather than national chains is that it's very difficult to know how many calories you are eating as there is not the same consistency and labelling. Chains are better for this as there is at least a ballpark but might not be exact either.

The weetabix and fruit really does keep me full until lunch.

Why do you need to feel "full"?

*This is utter rubbish - the 'carbs are the enemy' stuff is a blanket statement more akin to a religious belief than a statement of nutritional facts. Cutting carbs works brilliantly for some people but it isn't the one true way

Where did I say carbs were the enemy? OP is eating a lot of carbs - if they had one carb free meal per day that would make a huge difference.

OP a really good book to read for getting your head around successful weights loss is The Obesity Code by Jason Fung. He explains it a lot better that I ever could but basically the key to successful weight loss is to do with controlling insulin which you won't do with an almost constant supply off carbs.

If the OP cut the three snacks she is having daily she would probably lose more weight. Calories in just need to be lower than calories out.

Why do you need to feel "full"?

For concentration, to avoid snacking, overeating at the next meal, emotional reasons.

The weetabix and fruit really does keep me full until lunch.

Why do you need to feel "full"?

Presumably the poster meant full in the sense of 'not hungry' until lunch, rather than actually feeling like she had a full stomach all the way until lunch. Getting hungry a long time before the next meal makes it very tempting to have snacks.

aren't fudge alpen bars NOT healthy? better eat an apple. Also what about your exercise regime? Has it changed?

@CeibaTree

You'll never lose weight with carbs at every meal unless you are doing extreme calorie counting!

I did. I lost 4.5 stone eating carbs with pretty much every meal and I didn't count calories, I just cut way back on junk food. Every so often I would tot up the calories out of interest and I was eating around 1700kcal a day - including delicious, filling carbs. I lost an average of 1.7lbs a week.

The only way I’ve found to consistently loose weight (13kgs in 4 months) is to calorie count. I log everything in my fitness pal and wear a fitbit to track my steps. It was hard at first but now it’s second nature and it really teaches you where your calories are coming from.

I also eat carbs at just about every meal.

@CeibaTree - you did say the OP wouldn't lose weight eating carbs with every meal without extreme calorie counting. I think you meant "without extreme calorie reduction", but that is also untrue. Calorie deficit is what is needed for weight loss. Low carb is just one way of achieving this, not the only way.

You've had a lot of good advice. The big main one is you're going to need to cut calories if you want to lose weight. You can cut carbs or do intermittent fasting or whatever you want, different things work for different people. But ultimately your portions need to be smaller/you need to be eating fewer full meals.

But smaller things:

1. You will be hungry if you eat less than you're used to. It's normal to feel hungry and it's fine. There's almost no way you're going to lose weight and feel full all the time. Feeling hungry is not a problem.

1. You really can't afford to have a takeaway once a week on the amount of calories you're on. Maybe switch to once a fortnight then once a month. But especially if you're having small 'treats' like a hob nob every day. You could easily blow more than a whole day's calorie allowance on a takeaway. Unless you've had an entire day fasting in the week, that's equivalent to having 8 days' worth of calories in 7 days.

1. Loads of stuff is really tasty with a bit of seasoning. Homemade soup can be lovely with a pinch of salt (not too much!), some lemon juice, some herbs ... but it can be very dull without. As long as you count the seasoning in the calories! IMO they are some of the most precious calories you've got.

Feeling hungry for those who eat carbs is the body's way of saying 'I'm running out of sugar. Please eat carbs, or I'm going to have to start burning fat.'

That's why overweight people, who, by definition, carry excess fuel around, still feel hungry. Hunger is not to do with needing to eat. It's about your body demanding the quickest, easiest fuel source, at the expense of burning fat.

I did. I lost 4.5 stone eating carbs with pretty much every meal and I didn't count calories, I just cut way back on junk food. Every so often I would tot up the calories out of interest and I was eating around 1700kcal a day - including delicious, filling carbs. I lost an average of 1.7lbs a week.

That's great for you, but obviously not working for the OP :) I know everyone is different when it comes to weight loss, but the fact is we do eat too many refined carbs in the western world which is why obesity rates are so high. I'm not a low carb evangelist as @Hardbackwriter accused me of being though - just suggesting to the OP a possible reason for her weight-loss stall despite what they termed 'healthy eating'

Too many calories.

‘Light’ mayo, is generally not even remotely low in calories, and one of the last things I’d recommend anyone trying to lose weight to eat. There are a few ‘lighter than light’ brands about. Have a close look at the calories per 100g on what you’re using.

Also consider intermittent fasting? You could just skip breakfast for 16/8. If you really can’t handle going till lunch without food, consider porridge but made with water rather than milk. You can have a big bowl for very few calories that way, although you may need to add something for flavour.

Switch out that pasta for something like couscous, quinoa or spiralised courgette.

[quote wowfudge]@CeibaTree - you did say the OP wouldn't lose weight eating carbs with every meal without extreme calorie counting. I think you meant "without extreme calorie reduction", but that is also untrue. Calorie deficit is what is needed for weight loss. Low carb is just one way of achieving this, not the only way.[/quote]
Fair enough - but not every calorie is equal, so the calories in calories out theory is a bit simplistic. As I mentioned in a previous post weight loss is easier if you can control your insulin and 100 calories from a bag of crisps vs 100 calories from say some brazil nuts is going to have a very different affect on your blood sugar. But you are right, low carb doesn't work for everyone, and I didn't advocate that the OP went low cab - just suggested that carbs at every meal might not be the best idea for weight loss!

That's great for you, but obviously not working for the OP

The OP is losing at a healthy sustainable rate.

Terrible advice whoever is telling you to skip breakfast! That's just a surefire way to slow your metabolism down which means you will be burning less calories throughout the rest of the day. And feel hungry all morning. According to Google, 2 weetabix and semi skimmed milk has 205 calories, which is more than a boiled egg on toast (the egg on toast has more protein and would keep you feeling fuller).

And 2000 cals is not 'just' 2000 cals whether it is made up of nutritious foods or less nutritious foods - nutrient dense foods will give your body more energy as it is able to extract more nutrients from them, meaning you feel the need to snack less and have more energy. Think leafy veg, pulses like lentils, beans, quinoia, and proteins.

I think what you are eating sounds okay - you don't want to deprive yourself of any joy in your food by removing all dressings and flavour! I think if you just did a bit of cardio each week, perhaps going for a run twice a week, you would start to see a difference. Walking is okay but it's not the same as getting your heart rate up for fat burning (and keeping it up for a time after the exercise).

Calories in vs calories out.
It really is that simple.

I struggled after my sons birth, used slimming world for a bit but then lockdown hit! My mother in law has been on lighter life, basically sachets and soup etc since November (your'e not meant to be on it this long!) and has lost over 6 stone. I'm fairly confident she will put most of it back on.

I'm in the process of trying something new because I want to be a more active (physically) parent. 'Weight Loss Hypnotherapy" I won a free course through their website, so far so good. Obviosuly at the moment it's virtual. It's changed my mindset to food and is making me second guess if im hungry or not. jamesjbrittain.com/