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!

Exactly the same here. I have cut down to 700 Cals a day…… and I have gained 2lbs! It is ridiculous. I have even stopped taking hayfever meds in the hope that this is the cause but I really do not know what to do from here! I have gained a stone and a half in a year. So I need to do something!

Out of interest are you weighing your bran flakes?

a “portion” of 40g is tiny. About 3 tblsp.

I fell down here as I was having a “bowlful”. Which when measured was about 4 portions. Plus milk. My breakfast was costing me about 700 calories 😳.

which meant I was about 500 cals over my budget. So while I thought I was eating very little, I was not in a calorie deficit.

I switched to toast and that made a big difference.

also- when increasing exercise I find it drives my appetite for about the first 3 months, and I end up eating more than I think. Once that settles and I get back on top of things the weight starts coming off.

You need to start weighing your food and calorie counting (weight in lbs x 10 for low activity daily or weight in lbs x 12 for high activity so for me it’s 148lbs x 10 = 1408 cals a day). I’ve not long had a baby and been using this calculation to lose the weight, calories adjusted as it comes off

My other half couldn’t understand why he was gaining, weighed his ‘healthy’ granola and yoghurt one day and figured out he was actually eating around 800cals just for breakfast 🤣🤣🤣

I don’t know about bran flakes specifically but lots of cereals have added sugar. It also matters how much of them you are eating, are you weighing out what they describe on the side of the box as a portion, or are you just pouring them into a bowl? If the latter you might be eating too much. Can you switch to something with no added sugar e.g. plain Oat So Simple? They do portion-size sachets in a box so you don’t have to measure it out. Also are you having full fat milk, are you pouring loads in, are you adding fruit or anything else. It all adds up

For lunch, do you need the 2 slices of ham as well as the lean chicken? Processed meat isn’t good for you anyway and I would have thought it might be fatty? Coleslaw if it has mayonnaise will be high in fat and might be more calories than you think. For weight loss I try to steer away from processed food as much as possible. Could you swap in some boiled new potatoes or a sweetcorn cob, and broccoli or salad, or something like that? I know it’s boring but if you’re eating lean protein and veg without dressing or sauce, in controlled portion sizes, you really should lose weight

yes, it is hard, read a vogel info online esp on perimenopause. dont take the tabs they recommend tho. speak to yr doc about this if you need to. Dont count calories, go for low carb diet instead, itll work wonders for you. replace potatoes and chips with cauliflower, you can even get low carb cauliflower fritters which are quite nice! get lots of sleep in, magnesium will help with that. more green veg, down with orange juice to absorb for energy. / vitamins.
good luck.

Weigh again tomorrow. I sometimes have random fluctuations of 4lbs!

This has possibly been suggested, but you could swap wine for gin and slimline tonic- think that’s 50 calories.

Log everything on myfitnesspal and weigh your food on scales. That always works for me.

I stuck to 1,200 calories a day when losing weight.

Alcohol is very calorific so a few days of drinking each week add up.

So much misinformation in so many answers here that I wouldn’t even both trying to unpick it. I would suggest you read this and /or give his guy a follow of Instagram Everything Fat Loss: The Definitive No Bullsh*t Guide

Ah. Being 53 might have something to do with it. I have always had to watch my weight. Until I turned 50, it was fairly easy; I'd gain a bit over Christmas or a holiday, then cut back and I'd lose weight. Not any more it seems. I've gained 2 dress sizes and nothing I do seems to make any difference. Bloody menopause

You’ll be amazed at how the calories build up on some ‘healthy’ foods. The best thing to do is track your calories.

This happens to me all the time. I dont put on weight easily & neither can I lose weight easily. I went on 2 weeks all inclusive, eating like a pig & drinking probably 15+ units every day. When I got home & I found out I did not put on any weight. Then for the next 3 weeks I did intermediate dieting with 0 treats & not a single drop of alcohol. I also did HIIT training 3/4 times a week. I did not lose any weight.. I think sometimes our body just adjusts to our diet/life style changes. I think we should eat healthy & exercise for our health or weight.

Hi, a few pointers to lose weight. Ditch the cereal, for ppl who are overweight you will start getting insulin resistance and cereals tend to spike your blood sugar and make you more hungry. Instead have one egg white omlette or eat a boiled egg without the yolk with a small slice of brown seeded bread. If making an omlette you can add mushrooms, spinach etc to bulk the omelette up and fill yourself up. That will keep you full till lunch time and your blood sugars stable. Drink atleast 2-3 litres of water a day, cut out wine completely for atleast a month. Too many liquid calories! Also don’t eat coleslaw, it is calorie dense, have a mixed leaf salad and have with grilled chicken for lunch. Don’t add dressing as it adds calories. Avoid ketchup, mayo etc. Try to do one HIIT workout at some point during the day. 17 K steps is fab but you need to rev your metabolism. Try Betty Rocker she has a free 15 min workout for 30 days. You will lose weight, don’t give up!

Good grief. There's about 70 calories in an egg. Eat the fucking yolk.

Lots of goodness in the yolk

That’s disappointing for you, but what amazing healthy changes you’ve made and you will be so much healthier and fitter.
your body will take a while to adjust to your reduced alcohol, and most likely your sleep Will gradually improve. Stick with it 🥰

• try to eat more complex carbs, substituting brown rice for white or try Pearl barley.
• Increase the number and variety of fibrous veg you eat. Fibre is the friend of weight loss.
• add pulses, lentils, chickpeas, butter beans, to your casseroles.
• you might consider looking at the Zoe Nutrition study which you can sign up to and guides you through a personalised plan based own your own body’s biology. Not just about weight loss but overall health. It’s not cheap but can be life changing!

This.

@CollagenQueen
Firstly I want to say well done for starting your weight loss journey.
It isn’t easy to admit you need to lose weight & as you are finding it isn’t as easy as it should be.

1. Start with small changes so for now just up your water intake from 2 to 8 glasses a day because having enough water on board is very important for effective weight loss.
2. After that you need to make sure you are taking onboard enough food for your body to feed itself rather than go into starvation mode which will have your body holding all nutrition it is given.
3. Another thing to remember is that 1lb of fat weighs the same as 1lb of muscle & with the big up in exercise you have managed to maintain you may be losing fat & building muscle. For that change in your body to be seen measuring areas of your body - upper arms, thighs, waist - is a much better way to keep a check on your progress.

Noom are doing a 2 week trial at the moment & you can choose to pay £1, £5 or £14 so I have just signed up with them.
I’ve used my fitness pal for a while & it just isn’t helping me in the way I need help.

Good luck, don’t give up because you are just at the start of your journey.

Annoying isn’t it.

maybe cut booze out completely and swap the bran flakes for the egg in the morning. 3 meals a day.

@CollagenQueen if your exercising you could be building muscle which weighs more than fat so if you’ve lost weight but gained muscle you may not see any change in the scales, sometimes you might even see a gain. It’s always better to use measurements rather than scales especially if exercising too. You’ll probably see clothes get looser as you’ve lost inches rather than pounds. Well done, you’re doing amazingly well. Changing your lifestyle isn’t easy. Xx

☝️

You need to take measurements. You could be building muscle with the increased exercise which would explain no change in kilos. Keep going, try changing out milk or go no milk and go alcohol free. Soooo many calories in alcohol.

You could look at Dukan diet. I've heard it's effective.

You'll get there! Well done !

You’ve lost 0 pounds?

You understand that can’t logically be true? She’d have to be going very hard to build that much muscle in six weeks, and a pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat, that is both weigh a pound. Other than walking she’s not doing any exercise ie weight lifting.

the op is drinking up tp about six bottles of wine a week, eating things like fish and chips for dinner, potatoes with butter etc.

the op has simply made enough changes to stop gaining. She has not made enough changes to loose. That’s why she’s not lost weight. She eats and drinks too much.