Weight not shifting, lots to lose

[FenellaVelour]

I have around 9-10 stone to lose. So half my body weight, basically.

I’ve never eaten as much as people might presume, given my weight. I’ve not got a big appetite and couldn’t ever eat like you sometimes see on the tv when they do those “diet swap” type programmes.

I decided to use My Fitness Pal and have done so for a month now. Not a diet as such, but a record of food intake. At the same time, I also signed up for food delivery boxes from Mindful Chef, as I lack imagination in the kitchen.

So it’s been a month, I’ve eaten an average of 1300 calories a day, I’ve not lost any weight.

I’ve religiously counted and recorded everything I’ve eaten or drunk, so no cheating myself - no point.

Is this normal?

Sorry should add, MFP suggested I should be eating 1875 calories a day, which I mostly don’t except on the odd Saturday we get a takeaway curry (usually monthly)

Conversely you may be eating too few calories. I have recently lost quite a bit of weight and have more to go but found that if I ate around 1600 cals a day and did 700-1000 cals a day exercise I would lose 2lb a week but if I cut my cals to 1300 I would plateau and lose nothing or very little. Good luck!

You should get your thyroid checked, especially if you think your long term weight gain is out of line with how much you eat.

You're not eating enough calories, trust the calories MFP suggest for two weeks to see if you lose. If you don't I'd go to your GP.

Or you could try the 5:2 way of eating, I've lost 21lbs fasting two days a week, google for more info.

What’s the food you are eating made up of? Try increasing your lean protein - eggs, fish, chicken, pulses, Greek yogurt etc. You need some with every meal.
And reduce your bread, pasta etc intake.

You’ll lose more eating 1500 kcal of chicken and veg than you do eating 1500 kcal of pasta and bread.

If the calories are accurate then something is up. Are you weighing portions? Sounds like you are.

Hypothyroidism would be one possible cause.

Personally I dont buy the eat more to lose weight thing and in your situation I would be looking for a medical cause.

Same here, I've lost 9 stone with a gastric band but the remaining 3 isn't shifting at all so I'm walking one to two miles twice a day - it's a bore as I work full time but finally the weight is shifting now.

My daughter in law has been diagnosed with diabetes and she's lost 4 stone by going on the low carb diet and her blood sugar control is amazing now. But that's low carb not no carb.

What are the macros like when you look at a typical week food diary on MyFitnessPal.

I find that unless I curb carb intake even if I stay within calorie count I don't lose weight.

I still eat carbs but get them from green veg and fresh egg pasta rather than from bread, rice and potatoes and thats working really well for me.

I've lost 2 stone since start of August by just logging on MyFitnessPal and doing 3x30 min exercises a week. I use the free couch to fitness videos on Our Parks website or YouTube or I go for a brisk walk that gets my heart rate up.

Do you feel cold more than other people? Do you get low grade ill (colds, sore throats) a lot? If so you probably have a really slow metabolic rate due to not eating enough - even more likely if what you actually eat hasn't been very healthy in the past. Your body adapts (badly) to survive on less calories and your temperature regulation and immune system, and eventually your higher brain function, amoung other things, stop working as efficiently because they're not being fueled properly. It makes it hard to lise weight because your body is adapted to burn only 1000 calories a day (or similar) to keep basic functions going.

As others say try eating a bit more healthy unprocessed food, aiming for what mfp suggests, while taking moderate exercise 5 times per week. Give it a month at least to reset.

Getting your thyroid function checked is also a good idea, and liver function. Raised liver values can also indicate insulin resistence and pre diabetes. Hormones impact everything. If you can get a blood or urine test for type two diabetes/ pre diabetes/ metabolic syndrome so much the better. These things can be reversed.

@UntilYourNextHairBrainedScheme sorry to hijack but was just really interested in your reply on here.

I’ve been ill pretty much ever since I started my “diet” (although it’s not really a diet, it’s a healthy lifestyle change which most people already abide by!)
Took me 2 weeks to get over a nasty cold and I’ve just come down with a sore throat again. I’m never usually this ill. I don’t exactly starve myself but I have cut my calorie intake probably by about half compared to the last couple of years where I just ate whatever I wanted! I assumed I’d be healthier since I’m eating a lot more fresh veg, greens and also taking a daily vitamin C.

Should I be eating more, or do you think I’m just unlucky?!

mamaatthegym I don't know. It depends on your height, age, activity level and weight now and how much you eat (also your muscle to fat ratio and stuff but that's hard to know). There isn't a one size fits all number of calories to lose or maintain weight.

You can use an online calculator to calculate your basal metabolic rate based on age, height, weight, biological sex and activity level. That tells you how many calories your body uses just to keep functioning, without doing any exercise or anything much. You can go probably about 400 calories below that short term to lose weight, but if you go lower than that for weeks or months on end things like temperature regulation, the immune system, the hormone systems and eventually higher executive function will be compromised and your body will adjust to the new normal and burn fewer calories to survive. Its what people mean when they say diets damage your metabolism. Its not fasting for 16 or 18 hours then eating your basic calories in an 8 or 6 hour period which makes your body conserve fat and energy, but long term, continuing calorie deficit.

This calculator gives you a rough idea how many calories you need depending on your current weight and your sex etc.

www.calculator.net/calorie-calculator.html

@UntilYourNextHairBrainedScheme That’s interesting, thanks for the link. I tried it and looks like I’m pretty much on track. I’ve used the my fitness pal app too which did a similar thing.

I feel stronger and more energised doing the workouts that I was really struggling with 2 weeks ago, so perhaps it’s just that time of year and I’ve been unlucky! Looking forward to seeing some results soon.