Single most effective change you made to lose weight?

[SunshineChatter]

Hi there,

Just in search of real-life ideas on how to shed a few pounds. I'm a size ten, hourglass, but I'd like to lose some weight. I've done the working out (I went five times a week and did a combo of aerobic classes and weight lifting with a PT) and didn't see much difference. I have tried dieting, same result.

I lost a ton of weight a couple of years ago (I'm 48 now) but I think that was stress as I had started thinking about leaving my husband.

I have fasted for a week long, twice, but again due to stress, and still the needle didn't move. I don't eat junk food and, as I don't cook, I tend to have a HUGE salad (leaves, one tin of tuna, balsamic vinegar, horseradish sauce) at lunch or dinner and then I graze on fruit. Lots of it.

So I'm not really sure what to try next. Any ideas? TIA.

PS. OP, I should have said, I dropped 8 kilos in the first three months just from lifting heavy weights, swimming and eating ‘right’, and another 8 kilos once I was on the correct HRT and continuing with the lifting, swimming and eating. I’ve maybe put on 3 kilos over lockdown but that’s because snacking on chocolate has become a habit again and have been unable to go swimming or lift weights.

Anyway, it’s about finding out what’s right for you. Everyone is different so difference folks need different regimes. But yours seems not to be working, so time for something new. Ditch the fruit and the dairy!

I started drinking my coffee black a year ago. I don’t enjoy it as much but I like it well enough to continue. I used to consume about 1000 calories a week in milk. I weighed it and experimented with whole/semi/skimmed and it came out a roughly 1000 calories either way so I decided to try going without.
The bonus is that I no longer get tempted so much by cake and I just don’t enjoy dunking biscuits in black coffee in the same way so I consume fewer empty calories that way too.
It took a few months but my unwanted half stone came off without having to do anything else at all.

Yes my BMI is healthy. As for an eating disorder, my diet is due to laziness (can't be bothered to cook - and can't in any case) more than wish not to eat other stuff. I'm quite happy to go out to eat and have a steak and veggies. Or have a Chai Tea Latte from Starbucks. I'm not 'dieting' - I'm just lucky I've always enjoyed fruit and veggies. But could it be that my body has gotten used to this amount and type of foods and now won't react to them as it should? I.e. it's become used to working on this amount of calories and won't ditch weight?

I'll also go and see a menopause specialist and see what they say (no sign of menopause atm).

Dairy to me is skimmed milk if I have some cereal for breakfast. Not much more besides that as I don't like cheese (or any 'salty' food).

I'm really at a loss as to next step.

I did Diet Chef ten or so years ago and it worked to an extent. It could have been the initial shock to my body or the fact that I was in my late thirties but who knows. It may be worth trying again (and it would suit me well because you don't need to cook).

Thanks again everyone! :-)

Your diet sounds fucked up. Not eating at all for a week? Twice? You're a healthy size and weight. It doesn't sound like you love your body very much.

Starvation mode is a load of bollocks. If it existed you wouldn’t have skeletal and dying people during famine

Exactly!

OP you're not being honest with the calories you're consuming.

You need to ditch the Diet Coke. My friend drank about 6 cans a day she stopped and lost 3 stone.

Starvation mode is a load of bollocks. If it existed you wouldn’t have skeletal and dying people during famine

Of course you would. Starvation mode just slows the metabolism, it doesn't stop it altogether. You still need need food, just not so much, and if you don't get it, you end up as a skeletal and dying person during famine.

@QweenMama I don't count calories. I just graze on fruit all day though. So this could be the issue. I never said I don't eat (apart from those two one-week episodes). But I find it odd that fruit could have such an impact. On a daily basis for example I can have a punnet or two of plums, four apples, two punnets of grapes, some berries and maybe a banana. That's on top of my massive salad. I do have the oil in the tinned tuna. And the balsamic vinegar has sugar, right? But could the above actually be the culprit? At weekends I may have some roast chicken with veggies (my OH is quite a conscious healthy eater), or fish with rice. I wonder if my hormones do need checking...

@3rdNamechange how come your friend lost weight when they ditched Diet Coke? If that's the case I'm on it! But why would a caffeine-free diet drink affect weight loss (I know nothing about this so it's an honest question)?

Intermittent fasting works for me. (16:8). Got my body used to not eating for longer periods and reduced snacking.
Also reduced carbs somewhat so I don't crave sugary snacks the way I used to.
But I do still drink diet Coke ..... every day.
I've lost 2 5 stone.

Your eating sounds extremely disordered, and I think you’d be better off discussing it with a HCP than a bunch of randomers on the internet l

It's the sweeteners. They mess with your body.

The diet coke thing is because the artificial sweeteners make your body think it’s getting glucose, so it prepares for it, but it never arrives. It’s not good to have regularly. Which is a shame, because nothing hits the spot like a can of diet coke from the fridge.

That’s a lot of fruit in one day. I only have one banana a day.

Some studies suggest artificial sweeteners affect metabolism but the jury’s out. The biggest concern is your bone density diminishing as your body takes calcium out of your bones to counteract the phosphorous acid.

Heavy weight training sounds ideal because it helps bone density.

mAYBE switch to a fruit with fewer carbs, like berries. every time you have grapes or a pink lady, that is going to provoke an insulin response, which your body interprets as ''store this food we're eating right now as FAT''.

I'm trying to give up diet coke right now because of MY BONES. Well, I mean, they're ok as far as I know but idet coke is supposed to be terrible for leaching the phosphorous from your bones.
Not 100% successful because as has been said, nothing hits the spot like a cold diet coke.

@pastapestoparmesan

Your eating sounds extremely disordered, and I think you’d be better off discussing it with a HCP than a bunch of randomers on the internet l

do you do much ordinary exercise, eg walking. why don't you walk to the shops every day to do your shopping. your size and bmi sound ok. but your food regime sounds disordered. which is often reflective of other psychological or emotional issues. that is rather too much fruit in one day, must be a lot of sugar. and cut out any fizzy drinks, bad fro the bones esp mid aged women's.

He is looking mainly at which provoke an insulin response but he also mentions that thing @GirlCalledJames mentioned. Your brain gets excited in preparation for when the mouth tastes sweetness and for some reason I don't fully understand this isn't good if it's sweeteners.

It sounds like you need to start eating some actual meals.

It’s a lot of fruit so try replacing with protein instead

And ditch the coke

Wow. I had no idea sweeteners are so bad for you. I will try and switch to sparkling water (I need the bubbles when I'm thirsty) for a month and see what happens. Is that long enough to see a change? I will also switch the grapes to berries (any types I should avoid?) and some veggies.

I need 'structure' in order to commit to something. If I have a clear list of dos and don'ts I can do it. It's the 'a bit of this, a bit of that' that doesn't work for me. I'm either all in or I'm out :-/

@MarshaBradyo how do you snack on protein? What should I choose instead? Any tips gratefully received...

I do low carb atm I don’t really snack but will usually have eggs for breakfast, salad for lunch and aubergine / tuna type meal

That’s typical day

I don’t get hungry in between meals on low carb but if I had to I’d say cheese, nuts or berries.

Also I’m suddenly aware that if you have a disordered approach to eating I don’t want to make it worse!

I’m not sure if you do btw. The not eating for a week is pretty extreme though

Took up a plant based diet... it naturally cuts crap out. I lost half a stone in 2 weeks and now maintain that loss. It’s not much loss but I weighed 9st when started so not really fussed about losing more. But it is possible to as like I say it cuts out the crap

''disordered eating'' that seems a bit of a heavy label. We were all brought up thinking that you couldn't eat enough fruit! OP is not vehemently opposed to eating less/different fruit.