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 😔

Here's my view for what its worth. I'm post menopausal (55), have an underachieve thyroid due to hashimotos, and had my gall bladder removed in 2022. Calorie deficit calculating does not work for me.
During lockdown I put on a lot of weight and realised I needed to lose about 4 to 5 stones. I had a big ish appetite but some of it was head hunger rather than tummy hunger and I was a picker. In 2023 I started weightloss injections and very slowly over the course of 2 years have lost 40lbs so am just over halfway. I am active, work part time, have a dog etc. I sometimes only eat 1 meal a day as I'm not hungry.
I have accepted that its going to take me a long time to get to 'goal' but I'm happy with the progress I have made a feel much better already.
I don't know how old you are OP but for some of us it isn't calories in, calories out like it is when you're younger. Good luck.

Mug Shot Ingredients
Dried Noodles [Durum Wheat Semolina, Egg White, Salt], Dried Glucose Syrup, Potato Starch, Natural Flavourings (contain Wheat, Barley), Palm Oil, Dried Sweetcorn, Dried Mushrooms, Salt, Milk Proteins, Dried Chives, Acid (Citric Acid), Dried Coriander, Ground Black Pepper, Stabiliser (Dipotassium Phosphate), Emulsifier (Mono- and Di-Glycerides of Fatty Acids)
For allergens, including Cereals containing Gluten, see ingredients in bold.

@Username06 I think you need to stop thinking of X bad food as okay because it’s slightly better for you than Y bad food.

Mugshots, ready meals and jam with porridge are not good food choices even if they are better than what you might have eaten previously, or what you might eat otherwise.

Also - your evening treat when DD is in bed doesn’t need to be food related. It could be time to watch your favourite TV show, or do to a hobby (there are tons you can do at home for free) or to catch up with friends online, or to even have them over for a catch up.

So, that's 175 calories burned that would otherwise not have been. Nobody is saying that going for a walk is going to make you lose stones in weight. You still have to acknowledge that it all contributes even just a little bit to the overall weight loss though.

Calories in v. Calories out is an indisputable scientific fact in weight gain/loss. People who claim to have experienced otherwise are likely to have underestimated calorie intake or overestimated calorie expenditure. Maybe both. Caveat with rare cases of certain medical conditions and medications.However, nutrition, satiation and glucose levels etc are very relevant to maintaining a deficit sustainably.

What you’re experiencing @Username06 is the fact that not all calories are the same!

Calories from carbs will have more impact on your weight than calories from protein or fat, because carbs instigate the release of insulin, and it’s insulin that results in the laying down of bodily fat.

breakfast is either fruit/yogurt or weetabix/porridge usually with a measured amount of jam or peanut butter.

The cereal is going to be high carb, especially if you’re having it with jam (peanut butters vary but some can be very high in carbs), so you’d be better off sticking with the yoghurt. Fruit can be high in carbs, depending what type of fruit you’re eating - berries are generally the best to choose. If you don’t want yoghurt every day, then how about eggs? High protein and also good fat.

Lunch can be anything from a tuna/egg salad sandwich (made at home)
a salad, cheese and crackers, sometimes a mugshot if I'm strapped for time etc with fruit or jelly.

Again, potentially a lot of carbs here - especially the mugshot. And also highly artificial. Could you just go for a salad - with a protein element and also an oily dressing? You can prep stuff in advance, e.g. hard-boiled eggs, and just have stuff to grab out of the fridge, so it really shouldn’t take long to put together.

Dinners for example this week I've had tuna pasta salad, pork stir fry, chicken, veg & rice, omelette & the odd ready meal on days my DD has clubs and I have a busy day etc.

More carbs - the ready meals may or may not be carby, but generally (especially as most include rice/pasta/potatoes), chances are they are also carby. Choose other vegetables with your meals wherever possible.

I do have a small sweet treat in the evenings

More carbs. Evening snacking is a habit (which you’ve referenced/acknowledged), and chances are you’re not really hungry. But if you are still hungry, can you replace with cheese, or olives, or something like celery and cream cheese or pâté?

Given that you’re counting all your calories, and it’s not working for you, I’d suggest that you look at ways of reducing the carbs within your calorie count. Focus on adding protein (natural protein, not protein bars!) and also fat - avoid low fat/lite foods - cook with butter and olive oil. You’ll feel fuller for longer.

Fair enough, I'm not trying to say they are good foods but surely all food can be eaten in moderation? I haven't said I want to eat clean and make every meal from scratch etc, I follow several slimming pages on Facebook and alot of people are losing tonnes of weight drinking slimfast and eating ready meals every night, why is that working for them and not me? Lol.
Reality is as much as I am making most of my meals and incorporating plenty of fruit & veg there is going to be the odd week I will have a mugshot for lunch and 1 ready meal a week for dinner. So if that's the reason I'm only losing weight very slowly I guess I'll have to accept it.

This does make alot of sense, I probably to stick to carbs alot because it's a staple on slimming world and I have always lost weight well doing it, I'd have a plateful of pasta/rice/potato's every day and it was never an issue but perhaps it is now.

Someone said to eat salad and not pasta salad, but pasta salad is salad with plain pasta thrown in and 11 calories of light mayo, is that terrible? I have a ready meal for dinner once a week instead of a takeaway which again is surely better calories wise.

It's that there are lots of little things. The 40 calories, or little bit of pasta or whatever in each meal. None of it is wrong, or a noticeable amount of calories, but they are empty calories - i.e. sugar, high-GI carbs etc.

I totally get that you need satiety, but you won't get it from a tiny bit of jam or pasta or low-fat mayo, or a microwave meal.

@Username06 but you’re not really eating them in moderation according to your posts?

Thank you all for your insights, I know I am being defensive over the one mugshot & one ready meal I have per week, but it really does make my life easier and just breaks up the monotony of having to make/eat fresh homemade food all day everyday.
I do struggle with healthy food, I don't like all salad options, I can't snack on carrot/celery etc as I don't like them raw and I don't like alot of eggs, can eat them a couple of times a week maybe but they give me the ick sometimes. Money is also an issue, I'm on a tight budget so my kids come first and they eat alot of the fresh meat & fruits like berries and I'm left with the cheaper bananas and apple lol.

But I am going to try things differently this week with some of your suggestions.

OP, your lack of understanding is so frustrating!

It’s not about the 40 calories in a spoonful of jam/nurella - it’s the fact the carb and sugar breakfast is spiking your blood sugar. This leads to more cravings later on.

Some posters have suggested good books to explain how weight loss actually works. I suggest you read them.

You seem adamant about wanting to calorie count and make your life miserable when you could be thin, full, and basically eating what you want within a few months if you only knew how it worked

As I said, frustrating.

Op, you need to be increasing your muscle mass. Jogging isn’t really going to do much for you.

Nonsense, it can make you feel great, and the fresh air and just moving is beneficial.

The fact you're losing weight is good.
You don't want to rush losing it all, reach your target weight, start eating badly again and you'll put it all back on.
Slower is better. Use it as a lifestyle change. It's fine to have naughty things but in moderation.
If you're hungry, you might be filling up on the wrong things. Protein is your friend here. It helps keep the muscle that you could lose by dieting. Fresh veg, salad, nuts, meat will all fill you up. Try eating more regularly but smaller amounts.
How much water are you drinking? This is huge in weight loss and it does help fill you up.
I'd invest in some home workout equipment. Maybe some weights or kettlebells. Maybe a skipping rope, step and find some workouts on YouTube.
Muscle burns more calories but you need to build it and keep building it - protein.
Also, do try to keep sugar and carbs to a minimum. When you go for a jog, you could just be burning the sugar as energy and not touching your fat cells.
Maybe try dropping another 100 cals a day.

Eat this instead:

Breakfast: 3 eggs, scrambled

Lunch: half tin chick peas, 2 hard boiled eggs, a tin of tuna, then a big chopped vegetable salad, one tablespoon of dressing (olive oil, mustard, maple, vinegar)

Dinner:

Grilled chicken/salmon, baked sweet/normal potato, steamed carrots/broccoli.

Greek yogurt and a chopped peach/blueberries for dessert if needed

It’s not about the 40 calories in a spoonful of jam/nurella - it’s the fact the carb and sugar breakfast is spiking your blood sugar. This leads to more cravings later on.

This is exactly it. Yes, the food you're eating may be technically low in calorie, but if you eat carbs and sugar every morning for breakfast, then you're set up for a full day of cravings and poor eating. Peanut butter, avocado or poached egg on toast would be a much better option.

**Just to add that I realise how bloody difficult losing weight is, op.

It's bloody tough. You think to yourself, god I'm eating like a bloody nun, and not losing!

It really is frustrating, but so worth it.

I know biwi gave some great advice upthread: she does an amazing low carb thread, if you wanted to take a look.

She won't try and get money out of you, or take your first born either 😂 just lots of sensible food advice, that makes weight loss sustainable.

What is TDEE?

It stands for Total Daily Energy Expenditure, and it’s the amount of calories that you need per day in order to maintain your current bodyweight once exercise and lifestyle have been factored in.

once you know your TDEE you can calculate how many calories to aim for once you cut 500 to lose weight or add 500 to gain weight

Hi OP! I also struggle with eating salad etc as I just don't like carrot sticks etc - so focusing on protein really helps with the hunger.
Here is what helped me:

• realising I had a sugar addiction and I am not someone who can 'have a bit every night' as that fed the cravings, I needed to go cold turkey for weeks to break the craving
• realising stuff like mugshots etc made me hungrier long term as again they were addictive and made me crave other shit food, I had to go cold turkey really

(Both of the above i can now, now I've also fixed my broken sense of hunger, have in moderation but I still have to be careful of having junk too many consecutive days in a row as it brings back the cravings rather than just 'oh i fancy a treat')

• realising it wasn't hunger, it was habit. I too felt like i had made my stomach need more to not feel hungry - you can reverse this, but you need to get used to being hungry and do other things - it all interconnects.
• drink more water. Drink it when you are hungry. Drink loads. This helped so much when I was trying to break my cravings, if I had a day where I didn't drink 2L I would find the cravings and hunger were terrible.

Muscle doesn’t weigh more than fat. It’s denser. That’s not the same thing.

I’ve been counting and tracking all my calories since January and not cutting out any food groups and I’ve lost 28lbs so far. Only activities I’m doing is walking, no gym.
And yes, I still eat crisps, jelly beans and biscuits,pizza, just make sure I fit them inside my daily calorie deficit.
I focus more on whole foods, protein, fruit, veg,but I will have some kinda of treat every day.