Page 8 | Dieting for 6 weeks and guess how much I’ve lost?

CollagenQueen · 2023-09-13T05:07:28+00:00

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!

bellac11 · 13/09/2023 08:20

I can barely read this thread because the pages keep flipping backwards and forwards, I dont know what Ive read or not read

Ive missed the bit where OP says she srinks 2 bottles of wine a night but keeps seeing references to it

And yes calorie counting works, you know for sure that you're in deficit

PurpleWisteria1 · 13/09/2023 08:20

Yes and so will your sanity doing that.
Thats not sustainable longer term.
Nor is it anywhere near enough protien.

diddl · 13/09/2023 08:23

I can barely read this thread because the pages keep flipping backwards and forwards, I dont know what Ive read or not read

Awful isn't it!

MN must be "having a moment"🙄

mummabubs · 13/09/2023 08:23

IsleofSkies · 13/09/2023 07:47

The OP didn't say she drank 2 bottles of wine a night or whenever she drinks.

Where's this come from in some posts?

She does @IsleofSkies
My android phone doesn't like mumsnet very much, but here's the post. Definitely says 2 bottles a night.

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

PurpleWisteria1 · 13/09/2023 08:25

hopsalong · 13/09/2023 08:20

My advice as a thin person.
The food you are eating sounds quite grim, especially the lunch. Stop eating snacks, stop eating breakfast unless you're really hungry, add the evening glass of wine back in, and only eat delicious things. It's all about calories in and out and nothing more.
Eg a sandwich you really like for lunch, your favourite new season red pear, a few Maltesers, a flat white from the best place in town, whatever floats your boat. The same for dinner. Other than making sure you have lots of fruit and veg, just eat a small amount of what you want.

Then surf out the hunger pangs. You won't lose wait easily unless you feel seriously hungry quite a bit of the time. I think the trick is to change your mindset about that. Tell yourself that nothing is frightening or dangerous or painful about being hungry. It's a normal human state. Most animals are also hungry most of the time. It is not like having backache or a headache, it is just a normal state of being. And at any point (luckily enough for us) you can end it, if you don't like it, by eating something.

I've never had to do exactly this with food. But I had to learn to do it to give up smoking. Sit with the craving etc. It isn't automatic or simple (it took me three years!), but it will come. Then you wont have to worry so much about the details.

It is also possible that you will get less hungry as you get thinner, I'm not sure. When I gain wait I feel as if I get more hungry, and vice versa.

But you are saying this as a person who can control their portions.
Its not as easy as that if you don’t know what a healthy amount of calories looks like.
That is why calorie counting is so great for people starting out- it forces you to realise just how many calories are in processed foods.
Yes of course avacados are high calorie and healthy but people arnt getting overweight by stuffing themselves full of avacados and almonds.
Once you have been losing for a while then calorie counting can stop becuse you have changed your diet habits and hopefully are much less likely to reach for high calorie processed foods.

gogomoto · 13/09/2023 08:26

Ditch coleslaw in favour of a mixed salad (as massive as you want) with a tablespoon low calorie dressing. Toss in 100g protein. Switch to high protein yogurt and fruit for breakfast then a low calorie evening meal eg i recommend the hairy dieters cookbook.

The only other way I lost weight was my husband leaving me, shifted 2 stone not really eating, not to be recommended though

RosesAndHellebores · 13/09/2023 08:26

No snacks, no coleslaw, no ham, no chips, no wine, no saturated fat or sugar.

Up the fruit, veg and water, steamed or grilled fish, chicken breast, wholemeal.pasta, rice and bread, cut out all sugar/fructose. You can still eat quite a lot but make virgin olive frylight spray your friend and use chilli, ginger, spices for flavour. Example: finely chopped onion and mushrooms, gently dry fried; spinach bag, 2tbs quark, juice and grated lemon rind whizzed in processer, stir in the onion and mushroom, season with s&p and a cpl tops lazy garlic, stuff 4 chicken breasts and lay on finely sliced spud -45 mins in the oven. Serve with veg.

Is there a chance that the extra walking may have converted some fat to muscle? Muscle is heavier.

I am older than you op but have just lost a stone in 9 weeks following the above. The wine sabotages diets because your liver has to deal with it first and everything else converts to fat.

Well done for cutting down the wine. The amounts you were drinking were potentially catastrophic.

TeenDivided · 13/09/2023 08:27

As PP have mentioned, you could try Keto?
I have never been on a diet until 6 weeks ago, I'm 55.
I have been doing keto and finding it surprisingly easy as I feel full.
No idea how much I have lost, but my trousers are now too big and if summer were going on longer I'd have to replace them as they are falling down.

I have:
breakfast: 2 scrambled eggs in butter, plus 1.5 slices proscuito
lunch: mixed salad leaves, chicken breast and ~20g cheddar/port salut
evening: salmon/sausages/chicken/other meat and broccoli & cauliflower with a bit of hollandaise sauce or butter
loads of water.

So no hot chocolate, kit kats, dairy milk, desserts, chips, pasta, rice, potatoes, carrots, sweetcorn any more.

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 13/09/2023 08:27

Then surf out the hunger pangs. You won't lose wait easily unless you feel seriously hungry quite a bit of the time

This is when it all goes tits up, it's perfectly possible to lose weight without feeling constantly hungry.

bellac11 · 13/09/2023 08:27

mummabubs · 13/09/2023 08:23

She does @IsleofSkies
My android phone doesn't like mumsnet very much, but here's the post. Definitely says 2 bottles a night.

Show quote history

Thank you

So OP you say you still have some nights where you have alcohol but havent said how much

So people are right if one of those nights is one bottle lets say, thats a lot of intake, for no nutrition

ProseccoandPizza · 13/09/2023 08:27

Lost over 5 stone (from 17 plus stone) at 32 and have roughly maintained my weight (give or take half a stone gains through lockdowns).

I have unresolved food issues related to Autism and SPD but it’s all a numbers game.

Highly recommend James Smith macros calculator as a starting point and always taking upper arm, widest part of chest, waist, hip and thigh measurements.

Increase water intake
Reduce portion sizes (I often grab a Boots meal deal for example whilst out or McDonald’s hamburger and medium fries)
Zero alcohol at home
Find a protein bar/clear whey/protein shake you enjoy and make protein a priority always.
Start strength training for a better shape.

It’s really not always about the number on the scale alas. I’m a smaller dress size now at 12.5 stone than I was at 11 stone.

Wisenotboring · 13/09/2023 08:29

It sounds like although you have made some amazingly positive changes, you are possibly not in a calorie deficit yet. You have not put on weight though which is good. Your food sounds healthy, but depending on portion sizes you could still be getting a fair few calories. Now yiu have established some good habits in, add the next level and count calories for a while to see what happens...maybe 1500 per day to begin with?
You should also be massively proud of yourself for reducing your alcohol intake. 2 bottles a night is loads and your long term health will be significantly impacted. Out of interest, on the nights you donstill drink, now much do you have? If you can, perhaps reduce to once per week or a bottle over a week?

PurpleWisteria1 · 13/09/2023 08:30

Reachingreach · 13/09/2023 07:46

Cereal is bad for weight loss, as is snacking and wine.

2 eggs for breakfast
Veggie soup for lunch
Fish and veg for dinner

No snacks, no wine, 10k steps a day and 3x 30 min weight training sessions a week.

It'll fall off.

Show quote history

Yes and so will your sanity doing that.
Thats not sustainable longer term.
Nor is it anywhere near enough protien.

TeenDivided · 13/09/2023 08:30

@hopsalong You won't lose wait easily unless you feel seriously hungry quite a bit of the time.

I think that is pretty unsustainable. That is what I am liking about Keto. I believe I am losing weight as my clothes tell me so, but I am not hungry . That is what makes it do-able for me.

hopsalong · 13/09/2023 08:31

But what's the issue with feeling hungry? Some overweight people seem to be terrified of hunger. The thin people (I am 9 stone and 5'9'' and eat chocolate, wine etc every day without a moment's worry) I know are all fine with it.

I would also stop eating between meals. Adults who aren't ill, pregnant, athletes, or employed in hard physical labour don't need to eat more than three times a day, and two seems to be enough for many. Snacking is something the processed food industry wants us to do, but we don't need to.

lapsedbookworm · 13/09/2023 08:33

IsleofSkies · 13/09/2023 08:17

@lapsedbookworm That's great, well done.

But the reason it doesn't work most of the time for most people is that they focus on counting cals, often inaccurately, and still eat unhealthily (but within the calories limits.)

So they don't change their eating patterns, just the amount of the food they ate before.

Long term, they tend to revert to larger portions and gain weight.

Oh I agree. You have to count accurately and you need to eat healthily too and you need to do it in a sustainable way.

But just eating healthily didn't work for me. I needed to learn portion sizes (before I got ill, I exercised tonnes so didn't really think about what I ate)

I dislike people saying any one method does or doesn't work. " experts" trot those lines out to sell their latest book. People need to find a method that works for them and trust in it. And you won't lose weight without a calorie deficit, that's just basic science. How you achieve that calorie deficit is a matter of personal preference

TeenDivided · 13/09/2023 08:34

hopsalong · 13/09/2023 08:31

But what's the issue with feeling hungry? Some overweight people seem to be terrified of hunger. The thin people (I am 9 stone and 5'9'' and eat chocolate, wine etc every day without a moment's worry) I know are all fine with it.

I would also stop eating between meals. Adults who aren't ill, pregnant, athletes, or employed in hard physical labour don't need to eat more than three times a day, and two seems to be enough for many. Snacking is something the processed food industry wants us to do, but we don't need to.

The issue with feeling hungry is that overweight people are overweight for a reason, and that can often be in part to lack of willpower. When you are starting out if you feel hungry you will be far more tempted to eat, sabotaging the diet. It is just accepting how people are and working around it.

Hunkydory99 · 13/09/2023 08:34

Op I’d suggest taking some measurements. Muscle weighs more than fat, is it possible you’re toning up/gaining muscle mass especially in your legs from walking which has balanced out against th weight you may have lost from reducing your crisp/choc and wine intake?

MonoLisa · 13/09/2023 08:35

You don't need to fel "seriously" hungry all the time on calorie counting. It will force you to do switches to healthier lower cal alternatives to fill up.
I lost 8 stone in under a year and the only actual hunger was in first days because I was used to eat much more.
I still had beer and crisps and just normal about 80-20 diet. 80% healthy, 20% of not every day foods.

AInightingale · 13/09/2023 08:38

Eat your main meal earlier in the day? If you eat at night and sit down, your body can't burn them very well.

I am 50 and it is SO hard, but I did still lose weight by having a protein based breakfast and good lunch and very small dinner, and nothing after 6pm but tea and water. Very little fruit, no alcohol, no processed food or sugar. I was effectively fasting from early evening to about 9 the next morning.

Beezknees · 13/09/2023 08:38

IsleofSkies · 13/09/2023 07:59

I am sorry to disagree, but calories counting is rubbish!

There is excellent science on this by Prof Tim Spector on the Zoe website.

Also the idea of a 'diet' is also outdated.

You could eat your calorie 'allowance' in a day with crisps and Mars bar, but would that be healthy?

It's all about eating healthily.

If you make your diet mainly plants, and add in some protein (meat, fish, eggs, dairy, pulses) nuts, seeds, and cut out the refined carbs, apart from an occasional treat, the weight should fall off.

Cook from scratch-it takes no time at all to bake or poach a salmon fillet and make a bowl of salad with avocado, leaves, grated carrots, peppers, etc.
or the same with a chicken breast, or prawns, or even quality burger (ditch the white bun.)

Lunch can be homemade veg soup made in a big batch, frozen into portions.

You can still eat spag bol, curries, etc but swap the pasta for wholewheat, white rice for brown, watch the portions and make a salad to go with the pasta.

A portion of carbs should be fist-sized, not enough to fill the entire plate.

Calorie counting is working great for me and it's the only thing that has. I was eating what I thought was "healthy" but my portions were too large.

I don't think anyone is suggesting eating nothing but mars bars and crisps, but I do incorporate a small "treat" food into my daily calories as I have a bad relationship with food and something to look forward to helps me.

Goodornot · 13/09/2023 08:39

Muscle weighs more than fat

It doesn't. 1kg of fat and 1kg of muscle both weigh 1kg.

Muscle is denser than fat. Meaning 1kg of muscle will look smaller than 1kg of fat but both weigh the same.

SurprisedWithAHorse · 13/09/2023 08:41

hopsalong · 13/09/2023 08:20

My advice as a thin person.
The food you are eating sounds quite grim, especially the lunch. Stop eating snacks, stop eating breakfast unless you're really hungry, add the evening glass of wine back in, and only eat delicious things. It's all about calories in and out and nothing more.
Eg a sandwich you really like for lunch, your favourite new season red pear, a few Maltesers, a flat white from the best place in town, whatever floats your boat. The same for dinner. Other than making sure you have lots of fruit and veg, just eat a small amount of what you want.

Then surf out the hunger pangs. You won't lose wait easily unless you feel seriously hungry quite a bit of the time. I think the trick is to change your mindset about that. Tell yourself that nothing is frightening or dangerous or painful about being hungry. It's a normal human state. Most animals are also hungry most of the time. It is not like having backache or a headache, it is just a normal state of being. And at any point (luckily enough for us) you can end it, if you don't like it, by eating something.

I've never had to do exactly this with food. But I had to learn to do it to give up smoking. Sit with the craving etc. It isn't automatic or simple (it took me three years!), but it will come. Then you wont have to worry so much about the details.

It is also possible that you will get less hungry as you get thinner, I'm not sure. When I gain wait I feel as if I get more hungry, and vice versa.

A nicotine craving isn't like being hungry. Hunger isn't the same thing as withdrawal!

You don't need to be hungry all the time to lose weight. You might need to deal with being hungry for a short while before a meal, but being hungry at mealtimes isn't the same thing at all as being hungry most of the time. And if you're routinely not eating enough to feel satisfied overall, you're going to fall off the wagon.

It's boring and basic, OP, but you need to calorie track and measure and weigh everything. You also need to get enough protein so you can feel full. Exactly how you do this depends on your lifestyle and preferences...you need to eat things you like so you don't have the feeling of being permanently punished that leads right back to overeating. It may take some trial and error.

Add some weights to your routine and don't rely on exercise to lose weight. For fitness, strength, muscle tone and overall wellbeing yes, for actual fat loss, no. That comes way more from diet.

NotLoud1 · 13/09/2023 08:43

Cut out wine and alcohol completely. 2-3 times a week is a lot especially when you want to lose weight. It interrupts any weight-loss. Your body will burn the alcohol before it burns any fat off.

Wine also has a lot of sugar in it.
You also said you had a small bowl of chips yesterday. Cut out stuff like that down to zero. Cut back on carbs and any food/drink with sugar.

Exercise is great too but for me weight-loss is 90% diet, 10 exercise. Cut back on more sugary/carby processed food and drink.

ThnksfrthMmrs · 13/09/2023 08:43

Your new motto needs to be "drink to shrink". Focus on water and protein.

Try and cut back on the wine completely.

I didn't lose for 4 weeks then randomly dropped 8lbs.

Ultimately though, don't focus on the scales, focus on how you feel, your body shape and if you're losing inches not lbs.

Keep going!