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!

For me to lose weight I need to get my steps in do 4 work outs and my daily calorie allowance based on that is 1200. You need to track your calories as your eating more than you think. I am the same age as you and have been losing 2 pound a week sticking to my plan

It sounds as though you've made some really good changes and are noticing that you feel better so that's a great start.

I would recommend using a forum like some of the MN diet ones or the Health Unlocked weight loss support form (Weight Loss Support | HealthUnlocked) where you can weigh in remotely every week in a supportive community - it will help you keep track, pick up ideas from other people, and it does help.

I don't think you have to cut out alcohol completely, I haven't and I'm still losing weight, but I'm younger than you and taller so can possibly take more calories.

I am 51 and have lost over a stone in the last few months. I wasn't that overweight to begin with, 5'7 and 11.4 stone. I am now about 10.3.

It takes time and sustained effort. If you ate chips and chocolate and drank daily, it will take time to build a different eating pattern. I don't eat like a bird though. I eat normally, but save treats for the weekend. Exercise is mostly walking.

Don't give up. Just keep going.

You're eating at maintenance calories. That's it.

I would suggest not going on a diet which you can't sustain for ever as as soon as you come off of it you will put the weight back on.

Also if you calories count the more you loose the lower you daily calories requirement becomes so it gets harder and harder to loose weight.

The trick is to shift what you eat. If you purely eat nutrient rich foods you will feel satiated and loose weight with the need to calorie count. Combine this with muscle building and your metabolism will increase and you will be able to eat more.

I have been doing this since February and have lost 2 stone and am now down to a bmi of 19 and actively trying to eat more to gain more muscle. I have never felt hungry doing this 'diet' and will eat thus way long term.

I bet you feel good though

Quit yoyo dieting forever

For me anytime I’m serious about weight loss all alcohol goes. Also the least amount of processed food as possible.
Chicken, fish, turkey, veg, salads, eggs.

No booze at all. It cuts out the calories and sugar in alcohol and I also want to stay in control. More liable to snack after a drink.

Nothing like chips or even coleslaw, and not even 1 mouthful of booze. Try it for a month and keep doing what you’re doing.

Ignore any advice telling you to cut things out.

You do not need to cut food groups out to lose weight and even if you do, you’ll end up putting it back on perhaps even more.

I would definitely calorie count but the idea is to eat as much food as you can within a calorie limit.
The easiest way to do this is to eat loads of veg.
So for lunch and dinner eat as much low calorie veg with it as possible like lettuce and cucumber etc.

Carbs are not bad for you and I know loads of people who’ve lost weight eating lots of carbs.
I believe slimming world encourages lots of pasta and potato eating as it’s low calorie and extremely filling but it’s what you put with those carbs and your portion sizes, that ends up going over your calorie limit.
Carbs also hold water. So you’ll hear lots of people saying they drop 5lbs a week doing low carb but 2/3lbs of that will be water weight.

The best diet that works is the one that you can stick to.
Cutting food groups out is very difficult to maintain.

The fact that you’re drinking less should mean your weight should be reducing but the scales are only part of the story.
You could be making muscle or your body is holding on to fat.

Make sure you’re sleeping enough and drinking water but apart from that I would just carry on but log everything.
I’d also measure yourself.
Then in 6 weeks check your weight and measurements again and then see how you go.
Lots of people will take ages to lose weight and then it randomly starts falling off.

That would be correct except the 500 calories less per day would equal a 2lb loss per week.

250 calories less per day equals 1lb loss per week.

Have you heard of the weight set point?

That's where you are. It'll take more than 6 weeks to break through

I agree weight loss is 90% diet. I don't agree that one must feel hungry most of the time to lose weight.

But I don;t eat a British diet. If I did, I would find it hard to lose weight.I also don;t eat any UPF except the occasional packet of crisps.

OP you’ve started walking a lot more than usual? Are your legs sore? Last time I started circuit training I didn’t lose a lb for literally 5 weeks I just had DOMS.

Well done on cutting the booze down, it’s not easy.

No the first one had it right

Sorry, I haven’t read the whole thread. Come and join the low carb bootcamp. It works and there is a lot of support on there. One has just started.

This is good advice

OP you barely eat any fruit n veg? Have you considered increasing the fresh food intake

You’re most likely not eating in a calorie deficit.

You need to go online, find a calorie calculator and input your current weight and your height and that will tell you how many calories you can have per day and lose weight.

It can be really dull but you need to track your calorie intake per day. I just get my calculator out on my phone put the calories in for each meal or snack and continue doing that throughout the day.

I also recommend using a food scale to weigh out your portions. It’s astonishing how small a 30g portion of cereal actually is but when tracking calories it’s important to be accurate.

Its 80% diet and 20% exercise. That’s what I’ve learned.

Yep, no fruit or veg in your diet.

I lose weight like that too, plod along and suddenly it falls off in one go!

Oops maybe they did.

A bottle of wine is like what? 800 calories a bottle off the top of my head. Your liver might not be very happy and we need our liver for fat loss.

If you were on 2 bottles a night, I'd suggest going to see the nurse and get some bloods done 5o check your liver is happy.

You need to stop the alcohol completely for a bit if you want to kickstart weight loss. Your body needs to recover.

On the nights you drink how much wine do you have? Is it still 2 bottles? Perhaps cut down to half a bottle to a bottle. 2 bottles a few times a week is still quite a lot. Each bottle is like 700 calories. Your best bet would be to only drink water and reduce further your wine consumption. Could you give yourself a little push for the weight loss effort by taking a couple weeks off wine completely? Your diet seems okay...but what about portion size of how much you are eating? People can easily consume 1,000-2,000 in one meal. What is your dinner meal normally like?

I think a large part of it will be your height - my Mum is 5ft and she doesn't eat much at all, walks miles as she has to go even get a bottle of milk and consequently is 7.5 stone. I am 5ft6 and am loosing weight eating more than her maintenance diet, sorry to state the obvious if it is this.

I'd say you have probably lost fat but not weight as you've gained muscle. I bet your overall measurements have changed.
I hate to break it to you but what you're describing foodwise doesn't sound particularly* *small especially for someone short.
Think about what's been happening to your body over the years. If you've just got a bit fatter each year you're clearly eating too much and have been gradually increasing your calorie intake (or reducing output). It's possible that what you've achieved is putting the brakes on weight gain. You're not loosing weight but you're not continuing to gain either.
You've said yourself you feel and look better. I'd take this as a win. If you want to speed up your progress you have 2 choices, eat less or move more.

Just by looking at this I have a few questions.
"A bowl of bran" - how much bran are we talking exactly? A whole bowl is likely to be 6-7 servings (one serving is about 30g which is just over a tablespoon and is over 100 calories). What went into the bowl with your bran? Milk? You didn't account for that.
How was the chicken breast cooked? Did it include oil, sauce?
Did you have any ketchup or mayo on your chips? How many chips?
How was the fish cooked? Was it deep fried in batter?
What did you put in your coffee? Sugar? Milk?

I think your problem is that you are not fully accounting for what you eat. You need to start logging your calories.