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.

At a 700 cal deficit, OP is starving herself. Her maintenance calories are about 1,700.

Apparently to loose 1lb, you need a deficit of 1350cals, you seem to have a deficit of 2800cals a week so around 2lbs loss per week is about right

1350 x 2 = 2700

You’re eating almost entirely processed foods, you’re not fuelling your body properly, and if you’re not even hitting 10k steps then you’re not active. Also, if overweight, it can take time. 4lb in 2 weeks is really good still and definitely nothing to be disappointed by x

That's not healthy nor sustainable :/

It's approx 500 cals deficit per day so 3500 per week to lose 1 pound.

I also thought starvation mode had been shown to be a myth.

If you consistently eat in a deficit your body is not going to stay the same weight for long, it can't do.

You are doing well - 2lbs a week for the first two weeks of the year is good, sustainable weight loss. At your height and weight you must be top end of normal weight/very slightly overweight. So the loss won't be fast. Just keep doing what you're doing.

Have to disagree with this, I'm dieting since July and I always have a cheat day on a Saturday, I'm losing steadily every week, its never affected my loss at all and I find it's the only way I can stick to it knowing I can eat whatever I want on that day

How much water are you drinking?

I'd say you need way more fruit and veg, also protein

I’m 45 and lost 4 stone last tear in 6 months. I was on 1700 calories. If you eat like you are you’ll lose muscle mass which means you will burn less calories. Have a look at Sean Casey or Jane’s S oath. To get a proper TDEE calculator and your deficit amount.

she has been loosing approx 2lbs per week , so it’s about right for her calorie deficit

3500 divided by 1350 = 2.59

It’s the ish at the end of your calories 450 ISH
it either 450 or whatever it is
coffee is not a breakfast it’s a drink
if u have done slimming world u will know that all that food except the berries and salad is all mostly full of syns ! That’s where u are going wrong it may be low calories but it’s all rubbish

I thought this was a reverse at first. That's not a healthy diet op. High in fat, probably high in salt, definitely high in upf's. Calories are not the only thing that comes into it. Try upping your protein, fruit and veg to make more balanced meals. Try My fitness pal. It breaks down the nutritional content of what you have eaten as well as counting calories.

It always shocks me how dieting means health goes out the window. Other than lunch you’re eating crap. Focus on real, nutrient dense foods and let the weight come off on its own rather than starving yourself and living on diet soda, Starbucks thickeners and god knows what and UPF ready meals.

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

What milk do you use?

Reduce the carbs to one meal a day.

Eggs are your answer.

Those who believe in "starvation mode", can you explain why long-term anorexics are not obese and why concentration camp victims were so thin?

(I made a comment but think I’ve misunderstood the poster I was responding to so deleted)

So you’ve been dieting just over 2 weeks?
2lbs is fine.

Crash dieting is a waste of time, you just put it back on.

If your deficit is less than 400 cals a day that’s less than 0.5lbs you should be losing, so you’re doing well with a small deficit

Your diet will make you lose weight, but if you've been on it for 2 weeks and your already frustrated it's likely you won't commit so a lifestyle change that will maintain the weight loss. Also, if you put weight on during pregnancy I bet it took a lot longer than 2 weeks to go on, therefore it'll take a lot longer to come off.

Tough luck that you don't like exercising, but our bodies are designed to move, and you'll physically look better for doing so; even if it just changes the way you hold yourself. Walking, yoga, bloody gardening if that works! Find what you enjoy and you will enjoy something. I hate going to the gym or fitness classes, but I LOVE training at a boxing gym and I swear an hour at the allotment is better for me than a spin class!

Eat well, as little processed as you can (I still drink diet drinks FWIW, but my diet is probs 80% unprocessed/homecooked otherwise). Bet you could get a cheaper and better breakfast than a coffee. I have greek yoghurt (I buy a 1kg tub from lidl for £1.65), I add some frozen berries that I take out the night before and add a small amount of granola (which I am aware is processed, I could make my own but y'know what life is short).

Personally if I had a stone to lose I'd reduce portion sizes and focus on nutrition for a month, then weigh yourself and see how you're doing.

Is this a joke?

Your diet is shit and you do no exercise or activity.

If I were you I’d stop looking at numbers on a scale and focus on health. No point being slim if you’ve got diabetes and heart disease.

It's not fun! I'd bloody love to be having my soughdough toast and jam again in the morning! It's only until I can get back to averaging more than 1000 steps a day!

Thankfully I love veg 😆

@Frequency because there is a thing called nuance, which is sadly often missing on Mumsnet.

Someone who is anorexic and long term calorie restricts severely will of course become very thin. At the same time their body will also do it's best to adjust to the severely low calories and do what it can to conserve energy. It allows muscle to go (muscle uses a lot of energy) grows extra body hair (to help maintain temperature) and leaves people wanting to sleep. People who are anorexic can survive on a remarkably low level of calories because of the adaptation. That also means that when they start eating more they put on weight more quickly than the next person, which is very scary and part of the reason why it's so hard to recover from.

Of course the average person doesn't calorie restrict enough for their body to change so drastically, but it is possible for some people to adapt to unduly low calories for a long period of time.

I gave up on SW as not suitable for shift workers living on their own.

WW - no classes here since the pandemic and leaders were made redundant and treated like shit.