To have done dry Jan and healthy eating and got no results.

[thatsjanuary]

Yep none at all. Gave up the wine, had nothing but healthy meals, no sugar or junk and walked to work for a whole month and the scale hasn't moved.
Feeling very discouraged at this point, especially as dh has lost several lbs and has so much more energy even though he's cheated by eating up the Christmas treats I was too strong willed to touch.

Any hidden calories though? Are you covering the salad in dressing? Mixing Mayo in with the tuna?
Also portion sizes - E.g are you eating the whole can of tuna?
It’s not just about eating healthy stuff. It’s about eating the right amount of it.

Err yes, yes and yes.

You need to calorie count. Or follow a specific plan. You can eat very healthily but without a deficit.

Did you measure?

Ive weighed the same my whole adult life but changed shape after running. Totally changed my hips and thighs.

Have you spoken to gp.

Because no matter how many people here say "calories" (big fan for weighloss but...) you don't calorie away bloating and intolerance...

Have you counted your calories? It’s surprising how many calories we consume when we think we’re being good.

I have read a bit about IBS but I don't know much about it, that's why I tried low fodmap for a while but didn't make a difference. It could even be hormonal, it's just never been this hard before.

Why not get rid of the scales?

Just don’t weigh yourself, ever again.

I don’t own scales, don’t know how much I weigh and never have my whole adult life.

No idea of my weight, no idea of my BMI, no idea on how calories I eat or should eat, just no idea basically.

The result you will get from binning the scales is FREEDOM and I guarantee you that will make you feel better regardless of what you eat.

Sounds like you're casting around in the dark a bit. Why don't you go to your GP and get the bloating looked at. Then set yourself a proper plan.

I wouldn't have a clue how to count calories, I cook meals from scratch in a big pot for the family and take a bit.
If they are having something unhealthy I'll make up a bit of salad instead.

None here either. Not a sausage. Every year the same.

All food is healthy in certain amount as well as unhealthy in certain amount. Doesn't matter whether we are talking broccoli or a brownie.

You don't need to count calories. Just see if your gp can help or maybe a pharmacy. Or keep a ridiculously good diary of your food which includes all ingredients.
You could well be intolerant to something really common and unexpected. It's always the thing you love the mosts (says she bitterly)

Its so disheartening isnt it. Espewhen your partner has lost weight! So unfair!

Have you checked your basal metabolic rate (bmr) which is the rate your body expends calories at rest so stuff like breathing, blinking (what your body burns if you were to stay in bed for 24 hours)? You have to ensure your calories 'in' is sufficient to at least cover your BMR. Mine for example is 1569 cals so I should ensure I have at least this amount of cals per day to make sure my body can do all its functions properly.

Then consider how much movement you do each day etc. You can find a BMR calculator on Google; just find one that includes your exercise level.

My experience is that you really need to be mindful of your calories.

Hellman's Mayonnaise (for example) has 100 calories per tablespoon. If you have a squeezy style bottle, you're probably easily adding 200+ calories to a baked potato in mayonnaise alone.

The same goes for things like salad dressing, butter, sugar in drinks - it adds up surprisingly fast.

How old are you?
How much do you exercise?

At 5'2" and a light build, it takes depressingly few calories to maintain/ lose weight. Exercising and improving muscle mass is a great way to balance your proportions, and boost your metabolism. A strong core helps posture and the definition of the waist.

It sounds like the issue is more about bloating, and that your weight doesn't need to change for change's sake. If there's not surplus fat to lose, your body won't give it up easily anyway. I have to be careful with dairy and soya (basically any baked, risen goods) and sugar or I bloat easily. Suddenly increasing fibre can lead to temporary bloating as your digestive system adapts to the change.

Eating nutritiously is good for your body. Sugar cravings going is a positive thing. Eating a range of healthy foods is a good long term habit.

Do you feel healthy with the structure of how you're eating?
I'd be focusing on a balanced diet, staying stable at a healthy weight and improving muscle strength, particularly the core.

A tape measure and photos can be far more informative than scales.

Have you measured yourself?

You could be loosing fat but not seeing it on the scales yet.

Make sure you’re not over eating on healthy foods and eating more calories than you normally would on salad dressing etc.

I also think people don’t realise how slow weight loss is.
When people are having 3+lbs of weight loss per week they are either very overweight or they’re losing some water weight too.

Carry on.
You have kept it up much longer than most people and you should be very proud of yourself.

It's a known fact (unfortunately) that weight loss is 80% diet and 20% exercise.

I'd book a GP appointment for your bloating, to exclude anything sinster

You're probably still taking in too many calories even if it's healthy food. And probably not doing enough exercise. Eat less, do more and the weight will come off. Don't give up!

I think you should see your gp about your stomach in case there is anything wrong

You are slap bang in the middle of a healthy bmi for your height OP - don’t you think you’re being a bit hard on yourself?

If you really don’t want to try calorie counting what about slimming world? It’s a very low fat diet so based around very leans meats, fruit, veg, eggs and pasta/rice/potatoes. There are literally thousands of meals online and most of them are really tasty (involves a lot of cooking from scratch though - but I use my slow cooker a lot to make stews/curries etc) but it’s good if you have a family as you can all eat the same meals and they don’t feel like they’re eating “diet” food. For instance tonight we’re having SW burgers with SW chips (literally just homemade chips using fry light instead of oil) and salad. You do have to pretty much cut out things like Mayo but can use things like low fat sour cream instead.

A lot of people slag off slimming world but I find as soon as I follow the plan I start losing weight and it’s great for fitting around family life and also feeling like you’re having proper meals. Having a piece of fruit for your lunch really isn’t healthy!

I have the same bloating issue, OP, I can get bloated just with a glass of water! I look pregnant by the end of the day!

I had all the tests, coeliac, colonoscopy, endoscopy, all came back clear.

A parent had pancreatic cancer so I do worry.

I'm 39, I'll just keep going and see what happens, I will be in that swim suit by summer some how.
I do feel healthier and the less I eat the less appetite I seem to have which is a positive.
I don't do a lot of exercise but then I've never done much exercise. I'll keep up my walking to work.
I also need to remember to drink more water too, I am terrible for going all day on a couple of cups of coffee.

The food you’ve described could be healthy or unhealthy (I hate those terms for food, but I’ll use them as you did), depending on how you’re going about it. If you’re putting calorific dressings on the salad (which, unless you make them yourself, are processed food, by the way), covering the meat in creamy sauces abs eating double portions of rice, you’re not going to lose any weight.

Download My Fitness Pal abc track your calories.

Also, how long and how brisk is your walk to work? Are you doing any other exercise? I started doing a daily half hour of HIIT or tabata during lockdown and it changed my life. My tummy has never been this toned.

I was eating healthily and in a calorie defecit too. I wasn't just exercising. All the macros and calorie targets were worked out by the PT and I was hitting those goals. The PT couldn't seem to understand why I wasn't losing any weight but all he could advise was to add more steps in (which 1. I just didn't have time to do and 2. I wasn't convinced by because I wasn't losing any weight even when doing 20 miles of hiking at the weekend).