Not losing weight despite massively cutting back

[Morgun]

Can anyone analyse what I’m eating and tell me where I’m going wrong? I’ve cut back so much yet the scales are not shifting. I’m 5ft 8 and 16st

breakfast - porridge oats, 2 slices of wholemeal toast with low fat spread, a fat free yogurt and a banana

lunch - pasta salad with a wholemeal roll and a packet of low calorie crisps.

Aftetnoon snack - apple, nuts and sometimes a fat free yogurt but not always

dinner - homemade spaghetti bolognese (wholemeal spaghetti), 2 small slices of garlic baguette, a weight watchers mouse and a piece of fruit

evening snack - a couple of biscuits

this is far less than I used to eat yet the scales are not budging. I’m being told to cut down further but I can’t see what else I can do, I’m struggling as it is.

Sorry OP but you sound like me on a diet. Complaining I didn't lose weight after eating salad daily, yes but it was a pasta salad! I eat fruit daily too, well, grapes in the form of wine, I expect to see results any day now 😇

I would gain on that OP - you are probably talking 2000 cals a day -pretty healthy but way too much

Op you don’t loose weight simply as you eat less than before, you lose weight when in a deficit, eating less cals than you burn. So your body then burns fat for energy, thus reducing body weight, you’re not eating in a deficit, you’re eating as many cals as is required to maintain your current weight.

you need to aim for 500 cals a day under your energy expenditure for 1lb loss a week and 1000 under for 2lbs.

im actually surprised you’re not still gaining on all that food.

if you genuinely wish to lose weight, you need to cut snacking, and only have one meal for each meal, not two with alters, and count cals and manage portion size.

well done on switching to healthier options, but really that’s all you’ve done.

have you considered weight loss injections, as your blood sugar must be all over the place with that diet.

Depends on portion size but I’d say that’s closer to 3000 cals a day,

You haven’t actually cut anything down, you’ve just swapped your choices but continued to overeat. Smaller portions, less carbs, and more protein. Start by cutting back the massive breakfast and adding some protein in. Once that feels comfortable then cut back the lunch portion too. Don’t do it all at once. You’re used to overeating so if you try to be too drastic you’ll just feel miserable.

In addition to cutting the carbs, I’d say you need more protein and lots of veg. The protein will fill you up. Full fat natural yoghurt over low-fat and ditch the low fat spread or any other low fat products. They don’t fill you up and are full of rubbish. Have a boiled egg for a snack. Fruit for dessert, with natural yoghurt. Your best bet would be to sign up to an app and monitor closely what you are eating calorie wise but also keep an eye on protein, fat and veg. Losing weight without any guidance is very hard as it’s so easy to misjudge portion amounts.

On an average day I will eat something like this. My tdee is about 2,300. I aim for around 1,500 but I will eat more for an evening snack if I feel hungry or I’ve exercised a lot.
you really need to weigh your food and calorie count if you want to lose weight. You’ve already made changes, which is definitely the way forward.

Breakfast- 150g protein yogurt, 15g low sugar granola, 1/2 cup frozen fruit, coffee with milk (around 250 kcal)

Lunch- bread roll, ham, salad and crisps (around 450 kcal)
or
Tin of lentil soup, 2 slices of seeded bread (around 450 kcal)

Dinner- 2 chicken kebab sticks, 200g white rice, roasted vegetables (around 500kcal)
Or
Flatbread, 4oz pulled pork, large salad, 100g potatoes (around 550kcal)

Snacks- fruit, veggies, freddo around 250

Total 1,500

Pasta salad or a roll for lunch

only one treat - crisps or biscuits or mouse or yoghurt

and watch portion sizes

You must be consuming a huge number of calories if that’s a typical day’s food. I’ve been losing weight since March, and the amount you’re eating is what I would have had before I started my diet. I woukd find it very hard to lose weight if I didn’t track wjat I’m eating carefully, and I’ve been using Nutracheck since I’ve started. If you eat a balanced diet and keep to an allowance of around 1500 calories a day, you will lose weight slowly and steadily.

I hope this doesn’t come across rude but that is a huge amount of food in my opinion OP. It’s probably three times what I would eat in a typical day and I’m not trying to loss weight, plus I exercise daily. There is a high volume of carbs in your meals I think you’d be surprised if you weighed out the food and counted the calories up, at just how many calories that is. Maybe it would help to discuss it with a nutritionist? Good luck 🌻

Don’t be so nasty, if you think OP isn’t genuine report her otherwise think about what you’ve just said to someone who is putting a big effort into making improvements and it seeking advice

edit typo

You need to know how many calories you are consuming. Have a balanced diet of good quality food with plenty of protein, but remember that no item of food is 'bad'. Avoid fads, and don't try to lose too much too quickly.

Many overweight people seriously underestimate how much they eat, so this should help you avoid that.

Youre definitely eating better than you were but as per everyone else:

• more protein
• fewer carbs AND measure them
• more veg BUT learn which ones are carb-heavy so you can measure them
• pasta or bread, not both
• drink more.

I warn you - the sight of 150g of oven chips is enough to make you cry 😂

My breakfast - Yeo Valley natural yogurt 110g, Lizi's high protein granola 30g and 4-6 Sainsburys dehydrated prunes (trust me on the prunes...)

Typical lunch - two Warburtons wholemeal thins, ham, sliced cucumber, lambs lettuce, small splodge of Heinz seriously light mayo; packet of French fries because I love crisps; piece of fruit.

Typical evening meal - ready meal less than 500kcal plus green veg. Yeah it's not great. I hate cooking. Hate it hate it hate it.

Mid eve - babybel light, Cadbury Options drink.

I'm not saying my choices are perfect but you do have to bend somewhat to your own inclinations (in my case, a love of crisps and a deep loathing of food prep & cooking, and not being that bothered about UPFs).

I think it’s simply because you’re eating quite a lot of food in a day.

I’m 5’9 and about 91kg (have lost 17kg in the past 2 years by stopping drinking and eating smaller portions and healthier).

This is what my day would look like based on what say you eat.

breakfast - porridge oats with milk and some berries

lunch - pasta salad with cucumber slices on the side

Afternoon snack - apple or maybe small piece of cake or some biscuits

dinner - homemade spaghetti bolognese, broccoli or kale, maybe a green salad

evening snack - no snacks after dinner, might have a peppermint tea before bed

I am not trying to lose weight, but it’s just happened, slowly over time because I’m eating less.

You're eating too many calories.
Without further information it's hard to say though
Correct sized portion of Porridge oats with water is massively different from a bowl full made with full fat milk and a drizzle of honey.

So many carbs!!!

id eat carbs for breakfast ie porridge, a small amount with lunch such as rice/couscous and none after that.
thats where you are going wrong.

they say eat like a king for breakfast and a pauper by dinner.

meat and alot of veg.

buscuits...id remove personally.

One carb per meal so porridge or toast not both
pasta salad - made with mayo ? Measure it as it’s pure fat
no need to have garlic bread with spaghetti - actually no need to have pasta again that day consider having the bolognese sauce with some veggies.

Measure your portions and track calories - that could easily be a good intake of 3000 if not more calories a day

I've given the advice below: she needs to cut back much further.

I'm not going to report her in case she is genuine, but there have been a lot of comments lately from people who assume/ are trying to make the point that people are only overweight because they are eating huge amounts. I think we have all said the original diet was a lot of poor quality food.

If she was eating that diet, she is in luck because she has lots of room to work with and, yes, I agree, the updated diet is a great improvement. OP will know where she fits in this, and if she has made those improvements, she should feel pleased with herself.

From what you've listed, you're eating enough for 2 people each day! You had 3 breakfasts! I usually don't even have one, but that's because I'm short so I save the calories to be able to eat lunch and dinner.

The good news is that it's an easy fix. Literally halve what you're eating now and the weight will drop off.

For breakfast, just have a high protein yoghurt. You don't need more than that unless you're some kind of athlete. For your other meals, literally halve them. You don't need chocolate mousse AND fruit - you actually don't need to eat either so get rid of both of them.

If you're starving then look at making the "half your current portion" as high protein as possible.

You must spend a fortune on food, put the extra cash you save to one side to treat yourself to a new outfit once you've lost some weight.

Looking at this, even I thought there was way too much bread in that. Maybe take out the toast, roll, garlic bread?
I usually have scrambled egg and sausage for breakfast and I have beetroot and onion to bulk it out a bit, if you are looking for alternative ideas.

these Are great choices health wise, you’ve swapped out for healthier versions of things which are def more nutrient dense and have more fibre and vitamins.

but they are likely not fewer calories tbh- it’s the calories that is stopping you losing weight. It’s really hard to consistently cut calories, maybe you’re not quite ready after adapting so many changes already. Don’t worry too much, it might just need to come later 😀

Although you’ve changed what you’re eating, it still sounds like you’re consuming more calories than you need. Especially if you’d like to lose weight.

Porridge and toast is essentially two breakfasts so I’d personally have the oats and mix with protein powder and berries. Oats are more filling and interesting than toast IMO.

I use the MyNetDiary app to track calories as it’s usually quick and easy. Do you have kitchen scales so you can weigh your food? It’s very easy to underestimate portion sizes. Especially with bread and pasta etc. We need a lot less than we think.

Could you speak to your GP/nurse and see if there are any resources they can help you with? I’ve had a few “penny drop” moments after speaking about nutrition and weight-loss with professionals. A little bit of support and knowledge goes a long way.

You have cut down so no longer gaining but you have not cut down enough to actually lose

As others have said
Choose one breakfast option
Leave the crisps at lunch
Leave the nuts out of the snack
Just one pudding or leave the biscuits.

This should put you into deficit

Excellent advice already, so I'm just here to say good luck OP. You've made some changes, so you know you can make more. Just follow the advice which is quite consistent. An outside eye sees things so clearly sometimes - it was a great idea to post on here.

I don't often use AI tools like ChatGPT but it has come up with an estimated minimum of 2355 to 2425 cals for that day's worth of meals using typical portion sizes. I would take that as an absolute minimum, as it is very likely that portion sizes are larger than that. It also assumed things like a "light" dressing for the pasta salad and so on.

Your TDEE, assuming your age as 35 and your activity levels as Sedentary, comes out at 2111 calories a day. So you are most definitely still eating more calories than you need, even if it is less than before.