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Original poster

Single most effective change you made to lose weight?

187 replies

SunshineChatter · 11/08/2020 15:26

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.

OP posts:
PhoneLock · 13/08/2020 23:18

Your bmi is 19.7

21.4 according to the NHS calculator.

OP, why would you want to be underweight?

At 5'4" the OP could lose over a stone and still be within the healthy weight range for her height.

Healthy range for her height 7st 10 and 10st 6

annabell22 · 14/08/2020 11:44

I'm 52 and also a healthy weight by BMI but look heaps better towards the lower end. I've lost 6kg since December but the loss accelarated when I started doing 5:2. I'm vegetarian, often vegan, and apart from a couple of biscuits on non-fasting days I'm generally eating home cooked food with tons of veg, avoiding processed carbs/foods and not too much fruit. I run or walk daily but that has toned my legs, not impacted my weight loss.

Useful podcasts I listen to are Half Size Me and Fat and Furious.

Original poster
SunshineChatter · 14/08/2020 12:28

Thank you guys for all the input. This is day 3 tracking on My Fitness Pal and I'm barely eating any fruit (well, compared to what I was used to). I really REALLY miss it. I'm now on the hunt for low-calorie meals so I can up my fruit intake!

OP posts:
Cloudhopping · 14/08/2020 12:44

Someone said to me the other day that mumsnet has a culture of disordered eating dressed up as weight loss advice. It really opened my eyes to threads such as these. OP you are a size 10 with a fairly low BMI. I’m not sure the description of your eating habits and desire to lose weight is healthy.

PurpleDaisies · 14/08/2020 13:36

What are you actually eating now?

pancakeloverrr · 14/08/2020 13:59

@SunshineChatter

If you don't eat fruit- you are missing out on v. Important polyphenols that is essential to your health.

Fruits are not fattening, if you need to cut out anything it should be dairy or flour and rice.

I also agree that you're not fat, but to be leaner, limit high fat dairy like cheese or butter to once a week.

pancakeloverrr · 14/08/2020 14:01

I eat grapes, apples, berries, etc every week. It has not made me gain weight, it's essential for your immune health.

wowfudge · 14/08/2020 15:28

@pancakeloverrr did you not read the OP's post where she stated how much fruit she was eating a day? No one is saying don't eat any fruit, it was to cut back on the amount due to the calories in the fruit and the amount of sugar in what she was eating.

Of five portions of fruit and veg a day, a maximum of two should be fruit, the rest should be veg. Not two punnets of plums, six apples and two punnets of grapes or whatever it was she was eating.

Bwlch · 14/08/2020 17:12

Fruits are not fattening

Fruit is full of sugar. If you eat it to excess, it will make you fat.

LiBan · 14/08/2020 17:17

There is a bit more to it..

pancakeloverrr · 14/08/2020 19:58

I eat fruit in 'excess' and I'm tiny. When I eat cheese and crisps in excess, I gain weight.

Everyone's body is not the same.

I will continue eating loads of fruit for the health benefits.

Sugar from fruit and cane sugar are not equal.

I had a dietitian after birth and I did as she told me. I sometimes eat 2 apples, a bowl of grapes , one kiwi, and pomegranate juice for breakfast. I am tiny.

pancakeloverrr · 14/08/2020 20:02

What is 'unhealthy' is cutting out foods with polyphenols that help us abate cancer, and other diseases.

I will continue eating all the colorful fruits because the benefits outweigh the risk of 'being fat'.

I think there are too many controversial dieting going on, and all I really care about is being healthy.

pancakeloverrr · 14/08/2020 20:07

Lastly, I had a dear friend who would never let her DD eat bananas and other foods due to the high sugar content. Her DD now has eating disorders- counting calories and always thinking about calories and fat and sugar. Her DD has a scale that she uses to weigh her food due to her mother's obsession with being thin.

She is now too thin and it breaks my heart her mother caused her to fear even real Whole Foods like bananas.

This is toxic for girls, and I just do not subscribe to this type of thinking.

Good luck, OP!

pancakeloverrr · 14/08/2020 20:11

I'm not attacking anyone on this thread- I just worry about girls/women and their need to be "thin" as opposed to being healthy.

stayathomer · 14/08/2020 20:42

Fruit is full of sugar. If you eat it to excess, it will make you fat.
I'm actually and honestly just curious, has this happened to you? Because I was a fruit guzzle and I honestly mean that, but all weight gain was attributable to white bread, fizzy drinks, cereal and pasta. When I cut these down I bloating and weight went down even with me chomping on apples, having smoothies, eating bananas, having salads with avocados, all the things people who as we trying to help people lose weight suggest. I was fuming when a relative came home from one of the popular slimming clubs all talk about how apples and bananas were evil and cutting down how much she had in their house. Her problem was clear, white bread toast in the morning, sandwiches for lunch, then they'd have fry ups with bread 3 mornings a week. She didnt drink any water. The people there knew that from her food diary (which bless her she was embarrassed about), but then they tell her to cut down on apples and bananas? (Oh look I'm still angry!!)

stayathomer · 14/08/2020 20:43

(Ps they did help her lose weight and cut down on bread etc, I'm just fuming that even now she says 'oh I couldn't have a banana,' or 'I'd never have an avocado in the house!'

namechange5575 · 14/08/2020 20:55

I just did a loose estimate of the calories in your daily fruit - I came up with about 1000 calories. That plus your big salad will probably mean that you are hitting your TDEE.

If you reduce your fruit you will reduce your calorie intake, which it sounds like you want; and reduce your sugar intake, which will be good for your health.

Replace it with fats and protein, sounds like they are really missing in your diet (tuna and butter beans are good though Star)

If you don't like cooking, or heavy foods, how about nice shop bought fresh soups for lunch?

LockdownQ · 14/08/2020 21:00

[quote SunshineChatter]@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...[/quote]
Holy shit OP. I think there's your issue:
2 punnets of plums - 200
2 punnets of grapes - 400
4 apples - 200
Berries - 100 (for a bowl)
1 banana - 100

So that's 1000 calories of fruit a day!

BIWI · 14/08/2020 23:04

@stayathomer

Fruit is full of sugar. If you eat it to excess, it will make you fat. I'm actually and honestly just curious, has this happened to you? Because I was a fruit guzzle and I honestly mean that, but all weight gain was attributable to white bread, fizzy drinks, cereal and pasta. When I cut these down I bloating and weight went down even with me chomping on apples, having smoothies, eating bananas, having salads with avocados, all the things people who as we trying to help people lose weight suggest. I was fuming when a relative came home from one of the popular slimming clubs all talk about how apples and bananas were evil and cutting down how much she had in their house. Her problem was clear, white bread toast in the morning, sandwiches for lunch, then they'd have fry ups with bread 3 mornings a week. She didnt drink any water. The people there knew that from her food diary (which bless her she was embarrassed about), but then they tell her to cut down on apples and bananas? (Oh look I'm still angry!!)
Why are you angry? Or fuming?! That's a bit strong, surely?

However, if you'd done any reading, or even just Googling, you'd understand that the reason they were advising against bananas in particular (apples aren't too bad) is because of the amount of carbohydrate they contain.

Along with bread, pasta, cereal, rice, potatoes (etcetera), fruits like bananas are very high in carbs, and this is what causes weight gain.

Stop being angry on someone else's behalf and do a bit more reading about why they might be being told this.

Shmithecat2 · 14/08/2020 23:09

Tracking calories on MFP.

blue25 · 14/08/2020 23:17

Agree with ditching Diet Coke. The chemicals & sweeteners in it are foul & there are studies linking it to the development of type 2 diabetes.

MiddlesexGirl · 15/08/2020 12:19

But as said earlier, the jury is out as there are studies which say there is no link.
Many nutrition guidelines recommend diet drinks including NHS (not that I agree with it on its 1/3 cards, 1/3 protein, 1/3 fats plate).
Bottom line - if it works for you that's great. If you think it might be a problem then eliminate it for a few weeks.
For me, it's bread that's the real killer, sadly, as I love fresh bread.

stayathomer · 15/08/2020 14:38

BIWI I'm angry because 1 banana a day will not an overweight person make. It just won't. Or a few pieces of avocado with a salad. These are healthy snacks that at least a room full of people told to ignore. And I dont just get information from google, I read and listen to nutritionists on the radio. I dont have a degree in nutrition but I do know that her having an apple wasn't going to tip it over. What lost her the weight was the rubbish she cut out, but forevermore she will list what she cut out, and include apples bananas and avocados and I will forever hear when my child eats a piece of fruit in front of her, that my children should be careful. So yes, I am actually (sorry!!!)

LirBan · 15/08/2020 17:03

@stayathomer
Maybe they should have started with advice to cut out sugar and cut right down on carbs, but your anger is not completely justified because therevare a lot of csrbs in a banana. That is not something to get angry about. It's a truth.
Somebody who exists on little but fruit may not be fat, but they may be bigger than they feel they want to be given the hunger they feel.

I bet the WW people didnt say bananas make you fat. They probably said something more like "there are fruits that have less sugar". Or "if you want to stay under this limit, avoid bananas and have some berries instead". And your relative got disheartened and heard "omg, i cant even eat bananas!".

I have no idea what WW or slimming world say to dieters by the way.

ZaraW · 15/08/2020 18:00

Unripened bananas are high in resistant starch which may help prevent bowel cancer and can lower cholesterol.

I have them in my green smoothie several times a week.

www.healthline.com/nutrition/green-bananas-good-or-bad