Dieting for 6 weeks and guess how much I’ve lost?

[CollagenQueen]

I’ve been dieting for 6 weeks. I’ve been eating like a bird during the day, with a normal evening meal.

I’ve cut out crisps and chocolate (which I used to eat daily).

I’ve dropped my wine consumption massively, now having several tee total days a week (I used to drink every day!)

I’ve also upped my exercise enormously, I now usually walk about 15-20k steps a day, rather than my usual 7k.

After six weeks of this, I’ve just weighed myself and guess what I’ve lost?

Absolutely nothing.

What the hell? Can anyone explain this? I really don’t want to give up, but this just seems insane!

Also, sorry if mentioned already, but what are your portions like?

I'm using Bare Naked Rice and losing weight quite fast.

I realised long ago that unless you're in a physically demanding job you need a lot fewer calories than we are led to believe. When I tried to get help from the GP/dietician I was recommended a food plan that was already twice what I was eating.

What most of us think of as a normal meal is just too much. You have to cut right down.

But being hungry day and night wears you down and you can't keep it up forever even when it works.

I''m now having Rice/Noodles made from Konjac flour which has hardly any calories at all and that is helping a lot. I'm losing weight all the time and I'm not hungry.

I thought it was another scam, but it seems your body can't absorb anything much from konjac. 30 calories for 380 gm of rice which is enough so they recommend that as two portions..

There is Bare Naked Rice and also YU&MI Dried Konyaku Rice which has more calories, but is still very low.

Bare naked rice smells funny when you open it so you have to rinse it, but then it only really needs 2 minutes in a microwave.

Once rinsed it's pretty nearly tasteless, but you add stock to it or mix it in with other food.

You have to eat some real food anyway for the nutrients, but the bulk of your meals can be the rice (it comes as noodles too)

The texture is not as nice as real rice, but buried in other food that is ok

Btw I learned about this on mumsnet. I'm not sure who now but thanks to whoever it was because I was getting desperate.

Great to see you haven't been scared off.

You must have amazing willpower to be fighting against the alcoholic background of your life. Well done for that - remember to celebrate yourself and acknowledge that your environment is setting you up to fail , but you're winning! Small changes and all that.

Could you try some therapy to challenge some of your unhelpful thoughts? The one that jumps out at me is the six large glasses of wine being "not much". This is a great example of how our environment dictates our views. To be, six glasses of wine is a huge amount and I honestly couldn't physically drink that without vomiting. So I think that's a great example about where some outside help would really make a difference to help you break free of this cycle

There is huge scope for you to change your life here. For your health and your family (and the weight loss will likely come as a side effect)

Well done for making the first changes - what's next?

OP, the bottom line is the only reason that people are not losing weight is the calories they consume.

work out how many cals you need to exist using this link… https://toybox.tools.bbc.co.uk/activities/id/glvtw4kct4/exitGameUrl/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbc.co.uk%2Ffood%2Farticles%2Fhow_many_calories_do_you_need/palette/colour-palette-22/language/en-GB/project/blocks-food

Then from that number, take away 3-500 cals. That’s your goal for the day.

Then track everything meticulously in my fitness pal, paying attention to “extras” like sauces, cooking oils and calories you drink, bits of kids leftovers etc. This is a pain but necessary.

It’s easier to be consistent over time if you actually eat the foods you like. So if you love chocolate, have some. If you love wine, allow yourself some. If you love a sandwich at lunch time, have it.

It’s also easier to be consistent over time if you’re eating for volume. So for example, bulking up foods with veg, salads, fruit etc will help you feel full in your stomach. If you increase your protein your brain will feel more satiated.

You can do it!

There are plenty, but honestly this is a sticking plaster over the real issues. Can you go to an AA meeting?
Does DH drink?

@LastTrainEast thank you for that. I love rice. Will give it a try.

One of the biggest things that I've had to get my head round is making veg/ salad a huge part of the meal, it's not a garnish.

** so you'll have a few veggies with your casserole this evening but not enough.

I've just had lunch which was , a mackerel fillet plus a big bowl of green salad, cucumber, tomatoes, grated carrot, grated courgette, a few grapes.

More veggies and salad ,keeps you fuller longer and stops you snaking as you stay full.

Congratulations on reducing your drinking so much, you've done yourself so much good already.

And on your daughters wedding- how exciting.

I agree with PPs- drinking lots of water and increasing your veggie intake will make you feel good and help fill you up.

When I'm trying to lose weight I pre cut carrot sticks and just keep them at the front of the fridge, then when I feel like a snack, they are right there and it keeps me from reaching for anything more sinister.

Hi OP. I was wondering if this might help - Chef AJ explaining calorie density ...
Chef AJ LIVE! | Calorie Density 101 - Bing video

Also if you are short on time Google Lucy Wyndham Read for exercises you can do at home. She's really good and gets results.

All the best :)

Yes indeed, well done on cutting back the alcohol, there will be huge health benefits associated with that 👏

OP there are subs to wine. There are a load of zero or 0.5% stuff out there now. Personally I'd focus on cutting the alcohol, massively upping the water and protein and keep up the exercise before really focusing on calories. Once you've cut out the alcohol and you're used to it you can really get stuck in. See the zero stuff as weaning yourself off the actual alcohol and then cut those out.

Depends on how much you want it though. No amount of exercise or calorie counting is going to make a difference if you're still on multiple bottles of wine a week, we need our liver to get rid of fat, if it's kept down by alcohol, you won't get the results you want as quickly as you could.

Good luck.

OP. This explains calorie density more clearly with visual at 3 m 30 Calorie Density Basics Explained / The Starch Solution - Bing video

It makes it all so much easier ...

Sounds like a good plan, OP! Also, get a much smaller wine glass!! I love my little green vintage style ones and you can indulge in say 2-3 before you’ve reached half a bottle ;)

oooh yes!

My scales are v inaccurate once the battery is fading.

Regarding starving after bran flakes/ cereal for me having a carby first meal of the day can tip me into a feeding frenzy for the rest of it. It can cause blood sugar highs and lows in some people.
A high protein, more healthy fats first meal of the day might work better and reduce hunger. So eggs, with mushrooms fried in olive oil, tomatoes. Or Skyrr, a high protein yoghurt, with defrosted berries. Great for calcium. Kippers/ mackerel. Or a small avocado on one slice of wholemeal bread on active days. The kcals in the last two are scary but there is a trade off in that you could be far less hungry. For brunch I've had tweaked full English breakfast. No fruit juice too much fast acting sugar, only whole fruit as fibre changes glycemic index.
My weight loss diet was far from keto, but did cut down on white carbs. Broke the baked potato/ sandwich habit. Personally the kcals in a tablespoon of olive oil to a roughly equivalent amount in a slice of bread is preferable to me. Without oil imo food is tasteless.
Disclaimer that a lower carb diet might not suit if diabetic. You really have to find something which works for you. Took me a long time and 6 weeks of utter misery looking purely at calories to find it. Eventually joined a Health Unlocked weight loss site and was very resistant to advice to begin with. Advice was to up kcals from 800 to 1400! I didn't do that it was closer to 1200. I watched carbs. Watched saturated fat, not advised by many members, as I have high cholesterol. So I took advice with a pinch of salt.
Increasing calories made no difference to the painfully slow weight loss when combined with carb watching. What did happen was that I banned bread, potatoes my quick fix meals and ate far more healthily.

Literally the only way this can happen is if you're not in a calorie deficit over the course of x amount of time. I.e. if you eat nothing one day but 4,000 calories the next day, you're not going to lose weight.

Start counting your calories and weighing everything u will be surprised how much u are consuming without realising x

@CollagenQueen you sound such a lovely lady- I am really rooting for you. I think you know yourself you won't lose weight drinking this much - but to change diet and not drink at all I can understand might be a bit overwhelming initially.

Here's what I would do- take all the eating advice on board. On days you drink try and stick to 2 large glasses or 175 ones spritzed up with soda (I do this) - then gradually do 1 large glass or spritzer and a glass of non alcoholic - personally I find the non alcoholic G&Ts are nicer than non alcoholic wine. Try and taper it down- otherwise all your great work on your diet is never going to yield the results- you sound fabulous - keep going!!

I’ve had to knock drinking on the head till I lose the weight as there’s just no room for the extra calories x

I’m 5ft 2 weight 13 stone but have lost a stone and a half now I eat 1900 calories a day and walk 10000 steps and have lost 18Ib in 3 months so not a quick loss but it’s manageable as eating low calories is just not sustainable long term. You got this x

wow, i'm so glad to hear you've kicked a big part of your wine drinking already, you must have some great willpower! youll be much healthier even if the scales arent showing it yet.
i think having only a chicken breast and the like for lunch with satsuma for snack might be setting yourself up a bit for failure. yes youre on a "diet" but eating like that will only make you binge in the end when your body gets desperate for food! you should eat at a consistent but small calorie deficit every day, for example 1500 calories which can include 2 substantial healthy meals. its OK if you occasionally go over.

Wrong. What you eat is also important

Just being in a calorie deficit doesnt work.

It worked when I was younger, it doesn't work for post post menopause ladies.