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!

The Human Being diet by Petronella Ravenscroft is awesome for mid-life women. You probably don't want another diet recommended but its more a way of eating with science behind it. Look up people with HBD in their user name on instagram. I struggled like you OP, did slimming world (1 pound on, 1 pound off) for years. I could have written your post. But calorie restriction and exercise is not the answer for us. Human Being Diet has worked like a dream for me and many others, and you can definitely look amazing for the wedding.

I would put weight on with this diet ! Why are you still having coleslaw ans chippy chips?!!

Today I’ve had an orange for breakfast, 2 boiled eggs and some raw spinach for lunch and 2 hot dogs (straight out of the jar for dinner) other than this I’ve had a handful of nuts and an orange juice as snacks + several coffees. How many calories you think that is? Exactly 956 cals. If your basal metabolic state is 1600 ( and it could be lower) you’d have to eat around 1000 cal per day to see any results, and if you don’t count calories you’re probably massively underestimating what you’re having.

If you’re 5,1 and 53 be realistic about how many calories you need. It sounds as if you’re unwittingly over eating. it’s difficult and I sympathise. Use an app like fitness pal to track calories and include your wine. I find much easier to eat at a deficit over the week, rather than day by day. Massive congratulations on reducing your booze!

Good nights sleep is key to weight loss for us women, it helps regulate our hormones. So if you have to take something herbal to help you get in a better sleep routine to start, do it!

starving yourself doesn’t work as your body will go into starvation mode. Concentrate on high protein intake which will keep you fuller for longer. Lean proteins like Quorn (Quorn sausages are actually quite nice), chicken, Turkey, Turkey mince, beans and legumes, fish. If you are consuming carbs try to limit them or choose complex carbs like brown rice and pasta. Plenty of Veggies.

If you consume fruit consume while fresh fruit, blitzing fruit will make it more impactful in terms of Glucose (highly recommend reading Glucose Goddess).

Strength training/weights is the best for higher calorific burn for longer. Cardo is great for the heart and lungs, but weights are where it’s at for real fat burn.

Wine, I hear you, it’s something I battle with… but going wine free totally is going to be your safest bet!!! Or switch it out to G and T with low cal tonic, fizzy soda water or zero sugar lemonade if you ‘have to’ drink!!!!

my typical diet day looks like;

Beeakfast: 2 heap tablespoon zero fat Greek yoghurt with strawberries, raspberries, blueberries (mix of these makes about a generous
handful) sprinkled with one falt tablespoon of Lizzies low sugar granola.

Lunch: whole skinless chicken breast, 2 one low fat babybel, salad and no fat dressing.

Dinner: salmon fillet, with a mint yoghurt dressing made with zero fat Greek yoghurt, chopped fresh mint leaves and a squeeze of lemon, cous cous made with chicken stock and fresh chives chopped and mixed through and carrotts and green beans.

If you want to flavour your drinks whey isolate is a better alternative to squash and if it’s time of the month so my body screams for more calories I will have a protein bar or shake as a snack.

Also if you get a craving for something sweet a great hack is a low cal orange ice lolly!

Too many calories for your activity level. I guess before you were putting on weight and bow you are manteining. You need 300 to 500 calories deficit to start noticing the loss

Quorn is great weightloss for many people considering it makes everything shoot out if you through both ends😂

It would never occur to me to think chip shop chips when someone mentions they had chips for tea. It wouldnt even occur to me that someone has made their own.

There is nothing wrong with a small portion of oven chips

Or in fact mackeral, someone felt the need to pull that apart because 'sugar'. Its not like eating a doughnut for goodness sake

I’ve said that you’re being unreasonable @CollagenQueen but you’re a victim of decades of misinformation and downright lies about health and nutrition. The eat less, move more advice is outdated and only works on a small percentage of people. You are currently not eating anything like enough. Please educate yourself about nutrition, hormones & exercise. I highly recommend that you read Dr Jason Fung’s ‘The Obesity Code’.

If you consume fruit consume while fresh fruit, blitzing fruit will make it more impactful in terms of Glucose (highly recommend reading Glucose Goddess)

I'm a bit confused by this, are you saying DON'T blitz it/ make it into smoothies? Fruit should be eaten whole.

Really sorry to mention SW here but their diets work. Low fat, low sugar, complex carbs. Those breakfast bran flakes are bad news, far better to eat some berries and ff yoghurt or make yourself some over night oats ( loads of recipes online). The coleslaw is not great and what do you mean by eating a normal dinner? You can easily do that but use an oil spray to start something like spaghetti bol. Also use less than 5% mince. Watch bread consumption and limit milk. It's a good idea to write down everything you eat for a few days. You might be very surprised. I know a lot about dieting because I am overweight!

I think it might be to do with age - also even though you have cut alcohol it has carbs especially wine. I don’t eat breakfast, have a supermarket roll for lunch and alternate between having a protein shake with nuts for dinner or a light meal. I also will have a packet of crisps and chocolate at points during the week.

I’ll have a Sunday roast but know I’m likely to put on pounds which will go by the Friday.

I know if I drank 2/3 a week I wouldn’t drop any weight - I only had to lose 6 pounds I put on over summer and it’s taken me three weeks to do that as I consumed a lot on holiday. And that has mainly because I haven’t drunk alcohol during the week and I’ll have one gin and slimline tonic at the weekend.

I’ve noticed I have to eat much less in my 40s then my 30s if I wanted to lose weight and exercise for me is only good for raising endorphins ( I get others may have a different view) I found when I exercised lots I ended up putting on weight due to eating more and body retaining more water to repair muscle tears- this happened on a 3 day intense hiking trip. It was totally worth it though.
This is just how my body works though - I think you have to experiment a bit more to find out what works for you.

I agree and your small portion of chips OP will be about 5 chips, honestly, a small portion is not worth having!

Are you actually calorie counting or just switching to healthier options? because they can often contain just as many if not more calories! I recommend using an online BMR calculator working out your maintenance and they just be in a slight deficit. Also try and up your protein https://www.calculator.net/bmr-calculator.html

Really sorry to mention SW here but their diets work.

All diets work if you stick to them. The problem is that they're mostly completely unsustainable for the rest of your life. It helps psychologically to think of it as a "lifestyle change" and so it is, but damn it's hard making a permanent change forever.

The carbohydrate load in bran flakes is huge. Better to have a slice of wholemeal toast with peanut or any other nut butter. Good for the heart and you get whole grain. Alternate with an egg and you have a good, sustaining breakfast. Don't drink juices, the whole fruit is better for you.

The op hasn’t clarified and to be honest it could easily have been fish chips and mushy peas. She simply says she had fish, chips and peas. Seldom a good idea on a diet if the fish was battered etc. and a small portion to one person can be a large portion to someone else.

the op hasn’t been very clear to be honest.but she’s not loosing weight for a reason , and as much as the wine is a clear culprit, she’s also over eating at times.

I'm fifty and have lost over half a stone in two and a half weeks. I'm eating 1500 calories a day, high protein, moderate carbs and some fat. I'm not cutting anything out. I met at friend for much at the weekend and ate two restaurant starters (instead of a main because I didn't fancy anything else and wanted high protein) and had a glass of wine.

I am doing three weights sessions a week in a structured class. I try to eat two meals a day because I was struggling with what to eat for breakfast and not very hungry in the mornings. I also find having a more substantial dinner means I don't pick at things mindlessly later.

I measure, weigh and log everything. You get used to it. I love Skyr and eat a lot of chicken.

My start weight was just over 12 stone.

I haven’t calorie counted at all. For the past four months I’ve done keto, ie no (or very low) carbs and no sugar. So far I’ve lost 12 kilos, I could have lost more but I’m not exercising other than normal walking. I’m not saying no need to calorie count but I just eyeball what I’ve got, I use a small dish as well rather than a big dinner plate. Admittedly I’m fed up with keto now but only have four more kilos to lose.

you should try magnesium to help you sleep better.

It doesn't matter how much chocolate etc you cut out, it won't make a difference if you aren't in a calorie deficit. I could cut crisps and chocolate out but I'd still be overeating on the whole. Do you actually need to lose weight, or is it just that you want to. So many things come in to play, calories consumed v calorie burned etc, it's hard to say on the information you have given. I had a friend who said she ate like a sparrow, after totting up her food for a week she was eating on average 2,500 calories. You can be eating really calorie dense foods which can seem like you aren't eating much but calorie wise you are. I once picked a meal deal up in a hurry. Just over 900 calories, that was more than half my allowance for the day. Try tracking the numbers.

Hey OP, it sounds like you are doing all the right things so I can see how this is incredibly frustrating! Definitely keep trying to increase your protein intake, you burn more calories just digesting protein, but don't neglect carbs or fats as they all serve a purpose in a healthy diet. The step count is amazing so keep that up if you can and try to get 2L of water in a day if possible. Most people will consider calorie counting blasphemy but all diets essentially center around the basics of calories in vs calories out. Sometimes it can take several weeks to see a difference and as you've been changing your diet and exercise already, you may be building more muscle which weighs more than fat, hence not seeing a differnece on the scales. Try taking before and after pictures, as although you may not see the results on the scales immediately, you will notice a difference physically.
Keep up the great work and it Will pay off! Try some free videos on YouTube such as the body coach, he does a great variety from intro hit workouts to bodyweight/muscle building sessions.
Feel your pain, but don't let some of these posters bully you into giving up wine! You CAN lose weight and enjoy yourself with some wine, it's all about moderation, and if you have the calories spare each day then go for it! Besides what's the point in dieting if you can't treat yourself!

If you eat too little your metabolism will slow right down. Alternatively are your scales working properly?

How old are you? The menopause thing and hormones is a real issue also are you taking any medication that means you retain water? And / or SSRI like sertraline which I find keeps the appetite up and the weight on. It might be that you have a go a strict keto for 10 days to give you a boost but need to be calorie restricted keto not just loads of bacon and mayo. But what you are doing sounds really good and I am sure will give you the most sustainable results in the long run. I really admire you for sticking it out. So don’t give up - you definitely will get results eventually.. but worth considering some of those reasons that might be slowing it down. Good luck