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

Research done on men. I'm not going to enter a typical mumsnet style row. If you don't agree that's fine.

I just drink a glass of milk before cycling 7.5 miles to work in the morning. I literally can't stomach food first thing. Is that enough, milk is food, right?

Seriously? Research done on men. Yes men do better with fasting and can exercise fasted. Women need to be more careful especially exercising fasting. This is the problem! All the research is done on men.

No need for an argument just wondering who had debunked it since none of the nutritionists and sports dieticians I work with had got that memo…

Yes that’s absolutely fine - a milky coffee is also good. Just something in the stomach helps.

I haven’t read the thread thoroughly but if anyone needs to undereat long term to maintain their weight then it’s not their natural weight.

Ime if I put on a few pounds and then drop them it’s not necessary to undereat to maintain that, I just go back to my normal routine.

Yes, I have been surprised post menopause how much easier it is to gain weight and more difficult to lose it. But I’ve never counted calories even on a diet - I don’t think it’s healthy. And trying to subsist on 1100 calories a day long term is not a life worth living.

So I think your take home from the thread is correct.

This is anorexia

@FlappingMadly. Untrue. It's not been debunked for women. Read Stacey Sims.

Hard to do any this if a teen is struggling with eating issues. I have to model eating with abandon! Cue my extra stone. The things we mothers end up sacrificing!

I agree its very depressing. But honestly, I've never been 14 stone in my life before and I put it all on ( 4 stone gain) exercising 4 times a week at the gym plus walking 10,000 steps a day and eating exactly the same as I did before.

I hate eating so little, but if I don't I'll end up 14 stone again.

I can't lift heavy weights. I've had a frozen shoulder for 18 months and I'm terrified of getting another one in the other arm. I literally don't know what to to to maintain my weight.

Frozen shoulder can be really common in perimenopausal women. It’s such a tricky one but is thought to be linked to a drop in oestrogen. So HRT can help if appropriate.

I know Stacy Sims.

Then you'll know that she hasn't debunked eating before exercise.

I'm on the maximum dose of HRT and was when it started. Yes, its perimenopause as the shoulder percieves loss of oestrogen as an injury and siezes up in order to protect itself.

HRT only provides a fraction of the oestrogen our bodies had naturally, so even taking it can't prevent frozen shoukder if that's what your body does

Ah so frustrating. They do tend to linger too. Sorry you are going through this.

I agree…..

someone can’t survive off two crackers till dinner…

I am the same age as you and all also post menopausal. Monday to Friday I don’t eat any complex carbohydrates or sugar, so no rice no potatoes no bread and certainly no cake cakes or biscuits. I eat fish and vegetables and kefir with fruit and nuts and seeds And don’t sit still all day. I think it’s surprising how few calories you burn if you don’t keep moving and how easy it is to over-eat. I use my fitness pal to log everything that passes my lips and link it to the activity app and that helps me to keep abreast of what’s going on and I have kept my weight very low as a consequence of this. Good luck as I know it’s really challenging. Have you had your thyroid levels checked?

Also, I was listening to a podcast the other day about how we burn fat and the most effective way is to walk briskly for extended periods of time which is fine if you have the time as when you do more strenuous exercise or high impact cardio like running or HIIT work outs the body takes the energy from either the liver or the circulating glucose in the bloodstream as it is more readily available. Brisk walking for extended periods of time doesn’t need the immediate availability and so your body takes it from the fat cells instead which is beneficial if you’re looking to lose weight.

I'm pleased you wrote this because when I wrote pretty much the same, I was accused of having an eating disorder (partly as I said I'd eat half what the OP listed as her lunch). FWIW I know lots of people my age who don't eat (much) lunch and are very fit. My late dad used to eat only fruit and veg for lunch, lived to 94, and very active almost to the end.

Given my BMI is normal, I'm late 60s, I've had almost 70 years to know what works for me as a healthy diet, I found the idea of a ED rather odd.

But unlike you I do eat complex carbs in small portions- oat cakes, brown rice and pasta, but small amounts (rest of plate is protein and veg) and no more than once a day.

Agree. I think as we age we need to consume much less. I am slightly over my bmi now eating “normally”. I think what is “normal” for 30 doesn’t work at 50. Am going to emulate the last few posters - lots of fasting and minimal eating in the week. Those accusing us of disordered eating I guess are much younger.

What people don’t realise is logging every morcel that passes your lips is disordered eating. As is cutting out entire food groups such as complex carbs. If you are exercising as you should be you need (good whole grain) carbs for energy.

Anyway this thread is such a shit show.

As we get older keeping weight ‘very low’ isn’t actually that healthy.

No I’m 49. I accept I can’t get away with eating whatever I like as I used to. But I don’t count calories, I eat a healthy balanced diet without cutting out any food groups. Plenty of protein, carbs, fibre, veggies, fruit.

But I never exercise fasted and I make sure I am eating enough.

It’s true we may need less calories as we get older and can’t get away with as much. But the suggestions of 1000 calories or less are not healthy.

What we need is to be strong and to be maintaining or building muscle at this age. You actually need a calorie surplus to build muscle but that clearly would blow some peoples minds on this thread…!

Please don’t emulate ‘minimal eating’. I knew this thread would influence people in the wrong way - what a shame.

But @theabrandt1as we age, we have to think about bone density, muscle mass and nourishment. It is disordered to limit calories to an extreme level in order to maintain a desired BMI if that means your body breaks down its lean muscle mass for fuel and leeches your bones of strength - which it will if you eat a very level of low calories every day. Particularly as in women, a BMI of over 25 is correlated with greater longevity than a BMI under 25.

Green apples and lots of water helps. Lots of live cultures. Kefir etc

Well I did the eat lots and healthily stacks
of exercise and weights over the last 3 months and am now half a stone over weight for my trouble! So not doing that!