Why can't I lose weight?

[Heidi3333]

Hi ladies

Just looking for some advice.
I'm really
Unhappy with my weight right now. I'm usually curvy but a slim size 10- 12. But the last year or so I've slowly been putting on weight and am getting heavier and heavier. I'm only 5'1" and am now 11st 7lb with a BMI of 30. I look chubby 🙁 and it's making me feel really unhappy and self conscious. I'm now a size 14. Since my daughter was born 5 years ago I've put in 2 Stone!
About 2 years ago I did Slimming world and easily lost 7lb within a few weeks. I have tried the same diet and stuck to it well but I've been on it for 2 months and lost nothing 😫.
I don't really know where to go from here. I'm worried I'm just going to keep piling on the weight.
I had my thryroid checked a few years ago as part of fertility treatment and was told that my thyroid levels were on the low side of normal. I'm wondering if they are now low.
I try to take the dog long walks a few times a week and my job as a nurse involves a lot of walking.
I'm nearly 46 and have still have regular periods (with the help of wheatgrass).
Can anyone shed any light or had a similar experience?

Ditch the diets and slimming world. Avoid any processed food, cook from scratch and don’t buy anything labelled diet, sugar or fat free. Increase the exercise so your heart rate is raised.
I piled on the weight after a leg break and ballooned to a size 16.
I’m now back to an 8/10 after sticking to the above.

Have you maintained while on the diet or have you continued to gain?

Fin that's really interesting. What a lot of weight to lose. Well done.

I just maintained weight on slimming world, I never lost anything!

The problem with SW is that you are not measuring out your portions. A serving of carbs should be the size of your fist. It's very easy to overeat on SW.

My fitness Pal or WW is the way to go imo.

I have an underactive thryoid which is medicated. I lost 2.5 stone very easily following WW. Get your thryoid rechecked would be your next step too.

Good luck 🤞

Low carb + intermittent fasting.

Slimming World totally avoids either of those things (unlimited pasta?!) our bodies need time to digest and burn fat. And allow our insulin levels to go down. High insulin prevents fat loss.

Which is why the intermittent fasting is so important. Everyone snacks all day now. In the 70s hardly anyone was overweight even though in general food was a lot less healthy (no hummus, avocado, brown bread etc) the difference was people just ate their meals and no snacks.

Check out Jason Fung on YouTube. And Fat Fiction on Amazon Prime Video.

It is very possible that your calorie needs have changed since the last time you tried dieting. It's also very likely that your portions have become larger (an extra tbsp or two do add up over the days and weeks)

I would recommend starting with a good macro calculator. You don't have to start tracking your macros if you find it a bit too daunting to start, but at the very least track your calories. This is a decent calculator but there are plenty of others www.calculator.net/macro-calculator.html?ctype=metric&cage=42&csex=f&cheightfeet=5&cheightinch=10&cpound=165&cheightmeter=175&ckg=73&cactivity=1.375&cgoal=m&cmop=0&cformula=m&cfatpct=20&printit=0&x=83&y=20

Build your meals around lean protein, then add veg, a bit of wholegrain (good quality brown bread, rice etc) , fruit and some good quality fats (nuts, olive oil etc) up to your calorie goal.

Adding some weight bearing exercises would also help. As we trend towards menopause we naturally lose muscle mass, which contributes to looking "softer" iyswim. We also start losing bone density. Strength training fights both and helps with fat loss as well. No need to join a gym if you don't want to or can't afford it, there is plenty you can do at home with everyday household items (lots of ideas online if you search for lockdown strength training)

In the 70s hardly anyone was overweight even though in general food was a lot less healthy (no hummus, avocado, brown bread etc) the difference was people just ate their meals

@MiamiPants the 70's was the era of wholefoods. Brown rice, wholemeal bread, lentils and couscous featured heavily in healthy eating and I regularly made wholewheat pizza which doesn't seem to be around now.

I've never understood how anyone loses weight on slimming world as it doesn't really have portion control and that's exactly what I don't have! I would track your calorie consumption (and to do that accurately means you'll need to get the kitchen scales out and weigh your portions) on something like My Fitness Pal and see what you're actually eating. Also check you're not one of those secret eaters who thinks they only had a salad for lunch but forgets how many times they dipped their hand in the chocolate tin in the staff room!
You need a calorie deficit of around 3500 calories to burn a lb of fat so just walking the dog without making any changes to your diet isn't going to have much of an impact on your weight but will benefit your fitness.

Avoid all sugary drinks

Thanks ladies.
I'm going to give SW a miss from now on. It's just not working anymore for some reason.
I'll see if my GP will test my thyroid levels and try MyFitnessPal again although that didn't work for me in the past either.
Feel like a lost cause!

Try Kim Beach

I found doing the same thing, but just a few years older, took me longer to lose weight!

Like a few others have said, cook from scratch and keep your portion sizes down. Exercise more often, fast walking is good, but do it more.