Why am I not losing any weight?

[frumpygrumpy]

I used to be a 10/12 and I've gone up to a very lumpy 12. I'm not that big a person so its very much felt!

I'd like to lose a few pounds maybe half a stone at most. My diet is good, I've been exercising 3 times a week since the week between Christmas and New Year. I have gained 3 pounds and, worse than that, my tight jeans that I could squeeze into at a push now won't close. I know muscle is heavier than fat but surely I'm doing something wrong........

afternoon bump

Could it be portion sizes? Not drinking enough water, not actaully eating enough, eating too many carbs etc .
Hard to say without knowing what you're eating...

Could be an underactive thyroid if it's not your diet.

you maybe arent excericising enough

you could try reading your hr while exercising, it needs to be quite high to be fat burning

and you could try smaller portions, as comp says

up the duff!

frumpygrumpy - are you eating healthy foods/following a diet?

Thanks girls, I disappeared and couldn't make it back!!

I'm either swimming 30-40 lengths of a 25m pool (takes me 20 mins) or walking fast each way to/from school (a 20-25 minute walk) - it might not sound a lot but previously I did no exercise at all so I would expect a little change.

Foodwise, I ate healthily anyway but I have homemade soup, porage, oat cakes, ryvitas, mackerel, eggs, natural yoghurt, backed potatoes, hot salads, smoothies, 2 litres of water a day (not every day but most). I tend to eat well at breakfast and lunch. I often nibble bits at the kids teatime and then have a baked potato or soup for dinner. I don't deny myself a biscuit with a cuppa but then I don't sit down with a massive pile of takeaway either.

I don't have a huge appetite, one good meal a day and some light things throughout. Maybe I'm snacking more than I realise..........and I've never really paid attention to how many carbs I eat good point compo.

WWB, I had my thyroid tested recently and its fine.

ggirl I damn well hope NOT!!!!

How do I read my heart rate?

Thanks girls, its good to have pointers.

Read this - quite depressing news about swimming and weight loss

\linl{http://www.thefactsaboutfitness.com/research/swimming.htm\swim} ... so sadly it would appear that is not helping

As for rest of your diet, yes it is healthy but I bet you are eating enought calories to maintain your weight I am trying to lose weight now and you really have to cut back noticably before you start to lose weight.. try keeping a food and calorie diary for 3 days and list everything -- it is amazing how quickly you go over..

I find cutting out carbs helps me...

thank you, I've never paid any attention to how many calories I eat! I just assumed because I was being more physical than I used to be that it would make a difference. I have paper and I have a pen..........thanks for the link, I'll have a peek.

I'd join Weightwatcher - even just for a couple of weeks - there's usually free coupons to join and it's £5 a week but you'll get loads of really good info and could maybe track what you eat for a couple of weeks? I'd cut down on portion sizes and try to do without the biscuit with a cuppa for a week or so - see if it makes a difference? What kind of milk do you have in your drinks - maybe try skimmed? Sounds like you'll need to make a few more small changes to get the weight moving (isn't it bloody frustrating?!)

try calory counting for a few days.

this site
will help you work out your BMI and how many calories you should be consuming to maintain/lose weight. You'll be surprised just how many calories you eat during the day without even realizing you're doing it.

I've lost a stone now

also, if you're limiting your calories you'll be surprised just how differently you think of food. e.g. 100 grams of cadburys chocolate contains 500 calories. and 100 g of chocolate isn't all that much, whereas before I would just eat it anyway, now I think of that little bit of chocolate in terms of a meal, and try to save any snacks till the end of the day when I've had all my meals so know how much I can realistically eat.

I do tent to have a treat once a week though as an all or nothing approach can be very disheartening.

Post your daily food intake - it really helps you to focus on what you're eating. It's one of WeightWatchers' main things for losing weight.

To give you a comparison I'm losing about 2lb each week doing their Points plan.

Today I ate:

2 weetabix with skimmed milk
3 small oatcakes with a sliver of WW cheese
Veg plate with dips (low fat)
Jacket potato with low salt beans and salad
Low fat chocolate mousse

2 litres of water.

The big thing I notice with WW is cutting back on fat. I use low fat cheese (a tiny amount), no butter, no high fat dips or salad cream. It all adds up - you can throw away 100 cals with a dip or sauce or soft drinks really easily.

Come back and post your daily food diary. We'll sort you out.

mackeral is fattening!

maybe with the exercise you are doing you arew gaining muscle and losing fat - muscle weighs more but is much dense and less flobby.

Do your clothes fit better?

Could you invest in some fat percentage scales as it might be more heartening - of failing that a tape measure.

I suspect your scales are misrepresenting the progress you are making.

As you don't have much weight to lose you probably need to cut back a bit in terms of how much you eat. Your food sounds healthy but it is probably about portion size more than anything.

Try eating your food really slowly and seeing if after a few days you are eating less.

Message withdrawn

Sounds like too many calories! Always worth writing down (honestly!) what you're eating and drinking and just working out how many calories you consume per day. The average woman should have no more than 2000 calories a day. And you have to do furious exercise to burn off many calories.

Wow, you lot are bloody marvellous!!! Thank you for all those posts

I will start the food diary and let you know. Just for the record......I ate very well all day, fruit, water, tuna, smoothie etc. Somehow this evening a bloody great jelly baby pushed me against a wall, grabbed me by the neck and said if I didn't eat it at once it would lie on top of me all night until I gave in. I ate it. It was the equivalent of half a bag . It was a birthday present though so there was pressure there.

i am exactly the same
always been 10-12 now heavy 12
10 stone and 5 foot 7.5

i ate today

one chocolate brownie
1 smoothie
one salad with bread and cheese- mozerella and tomoto and leaves and dressing
one chocolate brownie

gaining weight insted of losing it

notanotter - 5ft 7.5 - 10 stone - is this the weight you want to go down too, or are you this weight now? I don't think it sounds too bad to be frank. Size 10 - 12 for someone of your height is good too.

Anyway, I am 5ft 6-7 and weigh 70 kilos which I think is around 11 stone? I don't think I look particulary big, but I know I need to lose weight, another stone would be great. But I too cannot lose weight, I have been going to the gym for months now, I keep a food diary, and can lose a kilo in a day, then it goes back on the next day. I have lost inches around my body, I look totally different, but the scales are not budging. frumpymummy I know exactly what you are going through. Just try and think of the exercise as a way to stay fit and healthy. Try not to focus on the weight loss itself, look at your exercise and healthy eating habits as an investment to your body and future health. Good luck though

i have always been 9 1/2 stone and need to try to get back to that
I just look and feel heavt at this weight
i wish i could ditch carbs but as avegetarian find this too hard!