Cannot lose weight. AIBU to not know where I’m going wrong?

[Firehouse1]

For the last two weeks I’ve eaten less than 1200 calories (tracked in my fitness pal). Food is weighed or in defined portions.

typical day:
-breakfast: low fat yogurt or cereal bar
-lunch: ryvita and extra light Philly x4 and a piece of fruit/yogurt
-dinner: ham salad or a weight watchers ready meal or pasta/veg/chopped tomatoes or steamed cod/broccoli and rice or salmon/mixed green salad/rice

no snacks/a banana if I feel really hungry/one square of chocolate a few times which I added to my food tracker

zero alcohol and no fizzy drinks. I’ve just been a couple of teas and water. I’m pretty bad at drinking water though and it’s one area I’m working on.

exercise; I’ve just hired a personal trainer so just getting started with that. Only find a few sessions. I also cycle. At the weekend I walked over 10k steps each day.

I’ve lost a grand total of 1.5lb. Honestly I’ve had more weight loss after a poo 🤣

what the hell? What am I doing wrong? Too much carbs? Not enough protein?

Im 39 and hate that I just cannot get out of the obese category. I’m very short and weigh 78kg.

I am no expert (ah the irony) but when I have tried to lose weight in the past I found I lost nothing for the first few weeks. Then there was a drop. Almost like the fat was clinging on for dear life.

I would say you need a little less carb and a bit more fat and protein though. Full fat yoghurt is great and still healthy.

Id eat some more protein in your shoes. I also think you may need to up your calorie intake somewhat, less than 1200 calories is too few in my opinion. I think that should be more minimum. Good luck.

You’ve lost 1.5lbs so it’s not that you cannot lose weight. Isn’t any progress an improvement? Perhaps try some reframing of your thoughts because if only rapid weight loss is acceptable then you might keep being disappointed when actually you’re making progress! Great!

You will get 100 people telling you 50 different things. All I can say is that at your age the only thing that worked for me was Keto. Calorie counting seems to work when you are young, but for me over 35 it no longer worked. Clearly it will work eventually as all anorexics are testament to. With Keto very strict, I lost a stone a month. You need to keep it up though, it's a lifestyle change not a weightloss diet. I am currently trying to lose the 5 stone I gained from lockdown and WFH and have turned back to keto, 10 pounds down since Monday.

That’s quite a bit of processed food- scrap the low fat yoghurt at breakfast replace with full fat yoghurt. Honestly, it will fill you up more effectively. Ham salad for lunch. You need the protein. I actually think you’re eating so little that your energy levels are low which in turn will reduce your incidental activity. Conversely I think eating a bit more- not things like cereal bars and weight watchers ready meals, but proper food, protein, nuts, fruit, veg will give you more energy to get moving. I’m the same age as you and I know how hard it is, everything seems to be slowing down and it’s getting harder and harder to keep the lbs off!

More protein and water and keep going.
Switch the chocolate to 85% cacao

I am losing on average 0.5kg per week on 1550 cals i am same age but weigh more (85kg) so higher calorie requirement.
I do 10k steps min per day and weight train with a PT 3 x per week. Its depressingly slow.

no advice beyond this apart from it sucks to be old(er) and short.

Thanks all.

will carry on and up the protein and up the water. Less processed crap too.

I think k I need to up my daily activity. It’s tough as I’m desk based and is a struggle to get even 10k steps.

Consistency and patience will be your biggest tools here.

The quickest way to lose weight is usually the slowest. Too low a starting point usually means you fall off the wagon and go back to the weight you were or add on more. Slow and steady. Eat as many calories as you can whilst being in a deficit. Enjoy the small wins and keep going.

Unless you are absolutely tiny then 1200 isn’t enough for a grown adult.

Up it to 1400, fill up on WAY more protein. Every single meal needs a protein source.

also you HAVE lost weight, might not be the amount you assumed but it will go down if you are consistent.

Most people can’t stick to a highly restrictive diet so you’d be better to eat a bit more and make it more sustainable

You need protein. Otherwise any weight loss is water and then muscle.

ditch the crappy diet foods. Start lifting weights and doing long walks.

Start with 5,000 steps a day. Even 20mins walking everyday will make a difference.

It'll take longer than two weeks to notice a difference. The body is a fat reservoir.

I don’t think you’re eating enough OP. I tracked calories through MFP before and I was able to eat a lot more and still lost weight.

This is exactly the problem.
1200 kcal is not sustainable, and you don't eat veg. You start with a yoghurt for breakfast which is not enough, and have a heavy bottom day because of the dinner.

I've given up counting calories, just trying to eat mindfully and with a healthy balance until I'm pleasantly full, not stuffed, and am taking plenty of exercise. This seems the only way forward long term and I don't want to spend the rest of my life counting calories, cutting out food groups or unduly worrying about food.

What would an ideal day look like for those that have had long term success? What do you eat for each meal. FYI Eggs don’t agree with me and upset my tummy like I’m intolerant

So I am 34, 5ft 2. I was 11st 2 at the end of December. Started calorie counting and trying to eat more protein (I find this hard as I'm veg) and I am down nearly two stone. It's not been 'fast' but definitely not slow and I'm happy.

My calories are around the same as yours too. I was going to gym but I have a toddler who doesn't sleep so I'm too tired at the moment.

I have porridge for breakfast, with protein powder in the mix. Maybe with a chopped banana. That tends to keep me going.

Eggs for lunch; omelette usually.

Dinners I make for the whole family so I just make sure I weight it out. X

Your diet isn't the greatest OP. It's very carb heavy and you're not getting enough protein. What weight are you currently? 1200 cals likely isn't enough unless you're quite short.

As a PP mentioned, keto / very low carb will get you results. I have lost (in less than a year) and kept off (for 2+ years) 3.5st with ZERO exercise thanks to Keto. Do keep in mind that as with any 'diet', once you stop doing it and revert back to old eating habits the weight will come back. After all, it's the old eating habits that got you there in the first place.

If you really want to lose weight and choose Keto, you'll need to go all in and embrace it as a lifestyle change and not a diet.

I based my macros and calorie intake on the James Smith macro calculator here: www.jamessmithacademy.com/macro-calculator/

Then tracked everything in my fitness pal making sure my carbs did not exceed 20g per day and my protein intake made up roughly 40% of my calories (I think?). I don't track anymore and just eat what I want because I know what to consume in order to stick within a keto diet now. But I'm eating things like chicken, fish, pork, eggs and beef, and other sources high protein with every meal, along with full fat dairy (cheese, full fat cream, butter, etc), green veg, cauliflower and fresh berries.

It's all delicious and keeps me very satisfied. I'm never hungry (carbs cause hunger!).

But in short, your diet is the issue here, not your activity levels.

I’d focus on diet rather than activity, you can’t out run a bad diet! I do think your diet is quite poor, you’re nowhere near 5 a day, and a lot of processed foods. Those low fat items are often very high in sugar. Look up Tim Spector, his focus is that ultra processed foods are what is really bad, and you need to focus on a large range of fruit, veg, nuts, seeds etc.

@Karcher im 78kg and 5ft 3inches

im obese in other words! With huge boobs and a large belly (not helped by carrying 3 children over the years) 🤣

You HAVE lost weight, you just need to keep going.

I've lost over two stone since November and eat loads but really it's basically protein and veg/ salad and walking/ excercise bike.

I’m doing an online pt challenge 6 weeks.
It’s realistic cals I’m on over 1600 (do some tdee calculators)
Only tracking cals and protein - my protein minimum is 120g
10,000 steps minimum - bear in mind wrist tracker over estimates by approximately 30% do do need to do more than 10,000 on apple watch
3 weights workouts a week
Losing 1-2 lb a week

You will lose the weight: you have to be patient with yourself. Weight loss takes longer to kick in as you get older. I'm 51 and I found it took almost a month for my body to acknowledge I was on a diet this winter. The weight is coming off twice as slowly as it used to in my 30s, but it's coming off. Don't lose hope :)

I eat lots of protein and veg, some carbs but not loads.
3 meals
No alcohol
I do have small choc if I fancy it eg a freddo or kitkat

I struggle with steps as I’m desk based. I try for walk every lunch and evening. Walk more at weekends - aim for 70,000 a week.