Where am I going wrong in my diet?

[PrettyHungry]

I’ve been dieting since Jan 1st and have only lost 4lbs. I know to some that would seem loads but I would have expected a little more by now.

Ive been really strict. This is my average daily food:

Breakfast - sugar free latte from Starbucks (medium) - 150cals.

Lunch - slice of Jason’s sourdough, topped with smoked salmon and 2 eggs - 400 ish cals. No butter!

Dinner - M&S count on us range ready meal or home cooked dinner with salad. I always make sure half the plate is salad with no dressing - 500 ish cals.

I only have sugar free, zero calorie drinks like Pepsi Max. I only ever snack on berries and not every day, maybe 3-4 days a week if I’m a little peckish in between meetings or in the evening.

That’s just over 1,000 calories a day. Even with a little wiggle room to account for errors in weighing or underestimating, I’m still way under. Any ideas for how I can speed up my weight loss? I don’t like exercising so would rather diet related suggestions.

I’m 5’6 and 11st 4lbs.

The people I know who drink Diet Pepsi et al are all overweight. Make of it what you will but I suspect artificial sweeteners affect metabolism.

2lbs a week is normal. You can up your protein and reduce carbs but I’d also say that I’ve found each diet slower than the previous.

Salad with no dressing...what is the point?

I'd ditch the coke zero - nothing to do with diet but it's just crap

And I'd think about eating well and more protein.

As to the weight loss that sounds sustainable and good.

Well, 1000 calories is too little, and you aren't exactly obese so you aren't going to drop big amounts on the scales.

I don't believe in super low calorie diets where you lose weight fast. I feel like they are the reason something like 90% of diets don't work. If I were you I would look into the concept of low calorie density, and the starch solution. Both are far more sensible than crash dieting IMO. Living slim is a lifestyle.

Agree with the general
principles here but not the comment about Coke. It’s full of sugar and will only leave you wanting more. Real fat is satiating but ‘full fat Coke’ contains zero fat. Diet Coke will also mess with your instincts due to the chemicals / sweeteners.

OP, you’re doing well. Eat slightly more calories via healthy foods and have a little patience!

Far too few calories. Do a proper calculation using either James Smith or <a class="break-all" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=www.inchcalculator.com/mifflin-st-jeor-calculator/&sa=U&sqi=2&ved=2ahUKEwj-jP-vu_qKAxXdT0EAHf3PHNYQFnoECAkQAQ&usg=AOvVaw1qFEerZFmByBavatmSYRvP" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mifflin St. Jeor
and use the calories you've been given

Losing weight slowly is the best and most sustainable way, you have more chance of keeping it off when you go into maintenance mode. Crash diets like slim fast etc = fast weight loss then fast gain as they are completely unsustainable.

also 2lbs pw is quite a lot

and honestly, MN is the absolute last place on earth I would go to for weight loss advice.

Stop all UPF, read about them

There comes a point in life where you have to exercise and diet if you want to lose weight, or... just don't worry about it.

🙄🙄🙄🙄

Do you never hear people refer to the usual coke as full fat? It's a joke, I'm not literally suggesting it has fat in it. Good lord.

If OP wants to drink something sweet, she's far better off imo having a can of the real stuff.

Yes we all know that SuGAr Is BaaaaaD for you but honestly you have to live a little as well. Don't give up all the treats. A cold can of coke is fine now and then.

1-2 pounds a week is a sustainable weight loss, anything more and it's likely you'll put it back on. Also as others have said you are not really overweight so it will take longer. 1000 calories is nowhere near enough and will just mean you likely binge. You need to focus on feeling full after every meal and that will involve around 30g of protein at each meal. eg greek yogurt and fruit for breakfast, eggs & salmon for lunch, chicken for dinner. Ditch the upf ready meals. Up your water intake. I'd be looking at approx 1500 cals a day.

Your expectations of weight loss are way off. That's loads of weight loss in 2 weeks. Also - it can be water weight too.

Agree to completely rid your diet of UPF, and look into eating for insulin control - that's cutting down on carbs and sugar which skyrockets your blood glucose.

Also, stop drinking Diet Coke - it makes your body think that glucose is coming because it's sweet and like PP say, horrible for your gut microbiome. So much research on this.

Start the day with proteins and fats and eat tonnes of protein throughout the day. Restrictive calorie counting never actually works, it's not feasible for the rest of your life. Whole foods with a massive focus on protein and weight training if you can.

Why are you looking to lose loads of weight? You are a healthy weight. I am 5'7 and 11stone 7 with tonnes of muscle and workout 4 x a week with heavy weights - don't feel like I need to lose fat necessarily (I have 25% body fat) and feel healthy and strong. So much better than the calorie counting days.

Fasting has helped me improve insulin sensitivity loads too.

I'd read Fast like a girl and Ultra processed people.

By the way I am very interested in nutrition/weight loss etc so have learnt a lot about it. I lost 2.5 stone 2 years ago and have kept it off. I average around 2000 cals a day but do a LOT of exercise. I eat mostly whole foods and focus heavily on protein. I also don't always eat breakfast until around 11am, and stop eating in the evening around 7pm; fasting has helped me maintain my current weight which interestingly is only a few pounds less than what you currently weigh and I am a similar height - I would question how much weight you feel you actually need to lose?

That dramatic loss you had with SW may be the very reason you are concerning yourself with weight loss now. If dramatic loss had worked for you then you wouldn't be here.
Some people have a dramatic loss and keep it off. Most dont though.
Time to accept that you are one of the 'most', and look forward to half a stone a month which is not inconsiderable.

Your body will go into starvation mode on that amount of food and slow your metabolism down.

Your weight loss will slow down and once you've reached your target weight you will put the pounds back on very quickly if you return to a 2000 calorie a day diet. You need to eat more.

Starvation mode isn't a real thing

@rightoguvnor When I did slimming world previously, I kept it off for 2 years. Personally, I think it’s less about ‘how’ you lose it, and more about ensuring you keep to your maintenance calories once you are your target weight. Current weight loss is after pregnancy and gestational diabetes.

My BMR is 1,500, so I should be losing a lot as my deficit is approximately 400 calories a day.

I don’t like exercising, I used to bunk off PE such is my dislike of it! I hate getting sweaty, showering, actually doing the work out, the time, the effort… so I need to be in quite an extreme deficit to account for zero exercise. I do not even do 10k steps a day.

I will be cutting out UPF and zero calorie drinks in the future, but for now, I rely on them because they help to satiate my sweet craving.

At this weight, I look fat. My clothes don’t fit nicely and I carry all of my weight around my stomach so always look 6 months pregnant. I definitely need to lose at least a stone.

That is way too little food. You won't end up sustaining that long term.

I am 5ft 3 and two years ago weighed 10 stone 13 so just a bit lighter than you but shorter.

It took me a year to lose one stone (I dropped from a dress size 14 to a 12). That was good progress for me. I lost a lot of water wight in the first moth then progress slowed considerably. Sometimes I would lose 1-2 lbs per week, other weeks nothing or I would put on 1lb.

You seriously need to increase your food intake volume. Maybe have the eggs and sourdough for breakfast instead of lunch, a salad with lean protein for lunch and try and avoid the ready meals as they are not filling. Chicken breast with loads of veg and some carbs is a great evening meal. Just avoid the oils etc. Add some Greek yoghurt to your berries as a snack.

I aim for approx 1,600 calories per day.

You are only on the cusp of over weight. You don't need to go on an unhealthy starvation diet.

If you spend all day sat on your bum, you need about 1,700 calories. Trying to only eat 1,000 is unhealthy.

You could try eating at least five portions of vegetables and fruit a day. Enough protein (70g a day should do it) and lots of fibre (30+g a day). Eat mainly whole foods cooked from scratch ( cut most of the crap out) and remember to sit down and have a couple of fully appreciated treats a week. Explore pulses and spices - try and eat 30 different plants a week.

Make sure you move your body; walk, do housework, take the stairs, chase the DC. You only have one body, treat it nicely.

Everyone needs to exercise to be healthy. It's not just about weight loss.

How to lose weight well is a great book. You could try intermittent fasting, which it goes into detail about. I agree with a pp about your diet not being optimal for your health becomes of the amount of processed items in it. They could be contributing to not losing weight, e.g. diet drinks with artificial sweeteners can disturb your gut health. I would personally remove/reduce upfs. I wouldn't be too worried about high quality fats in small quantities, e.g., butter. I'd also increase healthy protein and fibre e.g., nuts (high in calories, but your body doesn't actually absorb all the calories in nuts due to high fibre content).

I think the fact you've done multiple diets shows how bad they are. SW is a cancer on society and gets you quick results to hook you then drains you of your money to keep losing.

1000 calories is too low, increase it. Maybe speak to a PT or dietician who can give you some guidance on how calorie deficits actually work and work out a plan for you.

Unsustainable at 1000 calories per day. Which means eventually you’ll lose motivation and then end up back at square one. I’d aim for say a 200 cal deficit, and a kg loss per month not per week. That would be a stone lighter by mid year and would dominate your life far less than the current misconceived effort.

as others have said, cut the cans of coke and ready meals. Personally I’d switch the latte for an americano or similar at breakfast, and add some solid food (banana / bit of carbs and protein).