Calorie deficit not working

[Username06]

I am a lifelong yo-yo dieter, if truth be told I definitely have some issues with food, I've been on/off a diet since my teens, basically I'm either on a diet losing weight or eating like food is going to become non-existant hence the constant yo-yoing.
I've always gone to slimming groups, always lose the weight and think I've changed my life around and then end up back at square one.

So i have decided now to try a calorie deficit in order to eat the things I still love in moderation and try to learn to eat healthy with occasional treats and lose weight. I have also started jogging a couple times a week as I'd like to be able to exercise and then have a treat without putting on the weight again when i reach my goal. At present I have a stone to lose to get back to a healthy BMI.

Here's the issue, in a month I've lost a couple of pounds despite feeling starving everyday and bloody exercising! I lose weight much faster following slimming world, what is going on, do calorie deficits just not work on some people, feeling so disheartened 😔

Which bit isn’t correct? The amount of deficit needed by someone is entirely individual, you are losing on 1614 (I assume you don’t mean that you are 1614 cals in deficit but your calorie intake after deficit is 1614 cals), but it will be totally different from someone else with a different height, starting weight, activity level. Some people’s maintenance calories aren’t far off 1600 if they are short and sedentary. That’s why it’s important to work out your personal requirements, not just take the ubiquitous 2000 cals that everyone supposedly needs and subtract.

The rest of your post agrees with what I’m saying about eating the right foods. So which bit is wrong?

I'm 37

Unfortunately it might be age-related. I used to simply be able to stop snacking and the weight would drop off. Now only sticking strictly to 1200 calories a day and no alcohol whatsoever will work - and even that’s slooooow.

While I totally agree with that, my eating has been so crazy in the past that i have been easily eating past feeling full for years and I honestly think I've damaged myself in terms of feeling hunger, cause I can eat a massive meal and be starving like I haven't even eaten immediately after

What are you actually eating?

You say 'pasta salad' but whwta exactly is this??

Your calorie deficit isn’t deficit enough. Regardless of all our western spin on it, hormones, type of food, exercise, macros. etc etc etc… if you eat less calories than your burn you will lose body fat. That’s how hunger strikes and famines work, It’s really is that simple. Eat less calories than you burn. Folk die without enough calories. Sorry

And while I understand protein is important in keeping you full and helping lose weight I don't want to go crazy with all this high protein craze. I naturally hope i eat a normal amount of protein but I cannot stand protein bars or yogurts, they have a very odd texture.

My pasta salad is pasta, lettuce, cucumber, peppers, red onion & light mayo with tuna

I honestly think I've damaged myself in terms of feeling hunger, cause I can eat a massive meal and be starving like I haven't even eaten immediately after
Jogging will probably help with that, as will cutting out empty carbs.
Eat carbs that aren't high-GI instead.

you don’t have to consume these things

you just make sure meat, fish, eggs are a cornerstone of your diet. Greek yogurt too.

not stuff like mug shots

2 scrambled eggs takes the time it takes for a kettle to boil

I find it so weird to be counting calories tbh. If you eat healthy food there is no need for it.

So my app tells me my maintenence cals are 2,300 and I'm in a 900 calorie deficit so I don't understand how that can be so different to the one I did on Google 🤣Gonna have to look into it see if I've entered something wrong.

There is if you have an unhealthy relationship with food. You have to fix that relationship, and it takes an awfully long time and a lot of work. Ageing also rapidly decreases the amount of calories you can eat without gaining weight which can come as very new to some people.

Exactly. I eat loads of protein, and a protein bar or shake has never passed my lips.

It’s not a ‘craze’ OP - you need protein to maintain/build muscle and keep you full. More so if you are edging towards 40.

I think it’s worth double checking your BMR. My feeling is that the “standard” calorie allowance recommended for women is very high.

My BMR is 1400 calories and I’m 5’ 10” so I’m assuming (no actual knowledge of this) it would become less the shorter someone is. I have 1200 a day when losing weight and try to exercise half an hour a day. It usually works if that’s any help but I have to be really strict - measure butter and oil and absolutely everything. The small things that often don’t get counted really add up.

Claiming something is ‘100% correct’ can be misleading, especially online. We don’t have the full context of someone’s health, lifestyle, or needs. It’s safer to consult qualified professionals rather than rely on advice from strangers on the internet, especially when it comes to health and nutrition.

So i have decided now to try a calorie deficit in order to eat the things I still love in moderation
I eat what I like, and as much of it as I like. I don't put on weight.
Fortunately, I love veg and salads (no dressing), not keen on carbs, hate fried foods, don't have a sweet tooth etc.

Mug Shots isn't food. That sort of stuff makes you hungry. Same goes for crisps and biscuits.

OP - there’s a clue in a lot of the posts on here by people who ‘always lose when I do xyz’ or ‘this usually works for me’ etc.

They are gaining and losing weight over and over again - aka yo-yo dieting.

I thought this is what you want to stop doing?

You need a way of eating that’s easy, enjoyable and sustainable. And you shouldn’t be taking advice from people who are also yo-yo dieting!

Are you 'eating back' calories the app says you burnt in exercise?

I was referring to this bit, which is 100% correct:

Calorie deficit is only the start of the story. I’d really recommend doing some reading around why what those calories are really matters. Sure, you can lose weight eating 1200 cals of chocolate a day, but it will be almost impossible to stick to (as well as being very unhealthy) as it’s not what a body requires. Whereas 1200 cals of the right food can be very filling and level out your energy and blood sugar spikes during the day, and if something fills you up, you’re less likely to then binge and snack on stuff.
I have totally changed my diet, and it’s much more of a Mediterranean style diet. I’d have a look at some of Michael Mosley’s stuff, the Zoe podcast, Andrew Jenkinson’s books are good too. They’ve really changed my understanding of what my diet (permanent diet, as in a way of life) needs to be for my health and I’ve never felt better or had more energy. It needs to be a lifestyle shift, and the shift will make it easier to stick to reduced calories because they will be the right kind of calories.

I get that but if a mug shot is going to satisfy me and stop me eating a family bag size of crisps & a packet of biscuits instead then the sensible option for me is the mug shot.

No I'm not even adding the calories I've burnt to the app, I don't even know what I've burnt, I wear a fitbit but never sync it

Can anyone tell me why I've just tried 4 different websites to calculate this TDEE and BMR thing and they are all varying by 100's. Which one is telling me the correct numbers!?

OP, you are barking up totally the wrong tree.