Why the f*** can’t I lose weight? I’m doing everything right

[Sorryagain]

Postmeno, 55, want to lose half a stone. I don’t like my weight. I’ve always worked out, done lots of heavy-ish weights and eaten healthily but in the last month I’ve really upped weights a lot. I’ve also

• kept to a low calorie count (20% off my TEE - track food most days. Try to keep to 3 meals but some days I do graze but not over cal limit
• upped protein most days to around 100-120g a day
• upped walking to try to do 7.5-10k a day
• added at least one HITT class onto 3 days weight training
• drink more water (my weakness)

i don’t drink, I eat v little sugar and almost no white stuff

the scales have moved by 1lb! I’m so fucked off.

I know post meno it’s hard but this is ridiculous.

I feel stronger, though, and I sense more muscle definition. But I don’t believe muscle will weigh more and keep me at this weight

thoughts? It’s v un motivating

I didn’t see the request for what I ate, I didn’t disappear - there are a lot of posts on here

I have been eating

protein shake after gym - 15og Greek yoghurt, 100 ml plant milk, 28g scoop protein powder, sprinkling of nuts - c300 calories and tons of protein

lunch - maybe 2 eggs and loads of egg white scrambled with spinach, a seeded cracker and cottage cheese

dinner - protein and veg

snacks - square of dark chocolate, cracker, apple, yoghurt and raspberries

writinf it down, it shouldn’t be hard but I feel like I’m always hungry. Maybe it’s the weights and maybe it’s that I don’t drink enough water.

either way I don’t find it easy

And I suspect some days I snack too much even if they are healthy

Why are you desperate to lose this half a stone when you're already a healthy weight? Maybe its hard because this is just your natural normal. Especially if you are a regular gym goer and use weights because you will likely have more lean mass, and therefore weigh heavier than someone who is the same weight/height who has a higher body fat %. Are you actually making yourself miserable with a battle to lose weight that isn't actually there to be lost?

You’re hungry because you’re not eating before you exercise (this spikes cortisol) and there’s not enough carbs in there daily.

But people on here are still telling you to eat less. And you wonder why you’re hungry and not losing weight (though I don’t think you sound like you need to).

And I mean good quality whole grain carbs for energy.

Finding it really interesting that there seems to be advice not to exercise fasted.

I've always exercised first thing in the morning. Weights or swimming or when I could, running. Then I'd eat breakfast much later.

If i need to lose a few pounds, as well as the diet, I step up the pre breakfast exercise. So a workout AND a power walk. Or weight then swimming then breakfast.

If i try to exercise later in the day after food I have no energy to move. My body feels sluggish. On the odd occasion I've had to do a workout after work, it's so so so much harder to do..

What is the impact of this cortisol spike you are all referring to?

I do add in quality carbs - chickpeas or butternut squash as and when

and I get that I would probably benefit from eating something before training - but I work out about 6am and really really struggle to eat then - I’m actually pretty good at not eating till
midday, which id prefer, to be honest but I have a protein shake after I get back as I know this is important for muscle building

Just looking at your lunch and there’s a seeded cracker as your only source of carbs and this is after working out in the morning on an empty stomach. Then your only source of carbs is veg with your evening meal. So no carbs all day really until the evening . Apart from a cracker.

Just pointing out why you may be hungry.

If I can’t face much before exercise early in the morning I’ll just have a banana - it helps to have even a little bit of food to stop the cortisol spike.

Leads to laying down more fat round the belly. So not what we want. Very specific to peri-/post menopause women as unfortunately due to hormones our cortisol levels are higher anyway. So if you are male/ younger female then exercising fasted doesn’t matter so much.

It might be your portion sizes then? I eat healthy and 'clean' as they say, but I need about half a portion of what my children have just to maintain weight, and 1/3 if I want to lose. Even if it is mostly lean protein and veggies.

Thank you that's really interesting.

You're eating twice as much as me and I'm an inch taller (but older.)
But I'm not packing away all the protein.

my lunch would be 2 seeded crackers (or oat cakes for me) , the cottage cheese and an apple.

You don't need the snacks although 1 sq of choc is fine. Why not add the fruit to your evening meal?

It looks as if you're constantly grazing.

Are you sure your breakfast is just 300 cals?
Plant milk is rubbish. It's mainly water with some added Ultra processed stuff and a few vitamins that are all in real milk. why not have more full fat yoghurt- 5% fat- which keeps you fuller longer?

Have you also tried timed eating with at least a 12 hour gap between dinner and breakfast? And ideally a 14 hour gap.

So you’re living off 675 calories a day? I don’t believe that, sorry

i use plant milk that has no additives

I agree that I graze too much

lots of protein is really important for me

i do fast often but I need to do it consistently

The OP said she is (only) eating 1350 calories a day. If you are taller than her and eating half as much so less than 700 calories then it sounds like you have an eating disorder and may not be in the best place to advise. A couple of oat cakes and cottage cheese is a snack not a lunch and no it doesn’t sound like the OP is snacking and grazing all day. Especially if her snacks are simply fruit and a slice of dark chocolate.

Not sure where you've got the figure from?

Aren't you forgetting dinner?

I said I wouldn't have eggs etc at lunch as well as crackers and cheese. It would be one or the other.

My eating is different to yours. I eat more at breakfast (more like 250mgs 5% yoghurt) blueberries, half a banana, seeds and sometimes an oat cake + almond butter. Lunch is a small snack.

what is the point of plant milk? Seriously. Why not more yoghurt = more protein.

I eat my last meal by 7pm (start it at 6-6.30) and eat nothing till 8/ 8.30 am next day.

Maybe you just have to get used to eating a bit less and feeling hungry- we don't have to feel 'full' all of the time. Hunger pangs do go away if you ignore them.

because you said I eat twice as much as you!

Honestly op I don’t think anyone can give you proper advice on your diet because they’ve no clue about your exerercise and your portion sizes. Like I’ve just seen someone before you claim to eat half as much but I don’t know how they can say that when your dinner of “protein and veg” could be 300 calories or 1000.

And I know you can’t outrun a bad diet but your exercise could be burning 500 calories a week or 3000 which when you’re right on the line of losing weight will make a huge difference.

I would continue as you are. You’ve only been doing this higher level of exercise a month so it may just need time.

interesting about the cortisol spike. I’m going to do some reading about that. I really struggle to exercise first thing before food but I think it’s dehydration rather than l food. Also recommend banana if you are trying to eat something before your workout. Can always take it out your post workout smoothie if you want to keep calorie count the same.

my protein milk is completely additive free soya which is calcium rich for my bones. What’s the biggie?

For some meals- ie lunch, and the mid afternoon snacks.

I don't count calories . never have as it's impossible to be accurate.

Read the Tim Spector book on it (not that I have, but I agree with him in principle.)

my protein milk is completely additive free soya which is calcium rich for my bones. What’s the biggie?

The biggy is only that it is ultra processed compared to having a glass of milk or more yoghurt.

Most soya milk has added calcium anyway as do all plant milks.

You don’t graze too much. There is a lot of disordered eating on Mumsnet. Please don’t listen to the advice on here.

There are better sources of info out there for food and nutrition.

This thread is doing my head in with the competitive under eating. I work in the fitness industry and I work with nutritionists- none would advise eating as little as many on here are recommending, especially to active women. They would also not advise exercising fasted. Anyway I’m out. Good luck and I hope you can find some more useful advice elsewhere.

This is not ultra processed, as I said. I struggle with too much dairy

Thank you. Yes. I think it’s time to leave the thread. I’ve appreciated all the advice but I don’t want to end up self loathing (even more)

Why are you self loathing?