Officially quit..sob.

[erebus]

I have been on a calorie controlled diet for 3 weeks, limiting to 1800. I started at 12 stone 11. I have measured everything that passes my lips (I can be quite obsessional!) I have Wii Fit jogged 4 mornings a week.

I weigh myself at the same pre-breakfast time once a week.

I have officially lost nothing. At all. 3 weeks and not an ounce.

DH has carried on as usual, only substituting Slim Fast shakes for one workday meal (lunch) per day. He has lost 1/2 a stone. He started at the same BMI as me (and is the same height).

So sadly I have come to the realisation that I have to live with 12 stone 11 as I can't lose any of it. I recognise that I could maybe cut my calorie intake to 1500 but I also realise that I wouldn't be able to sustain that for the 6 months or so I'd need to, and my complete failure to lose even an ounce on 1800 tells me my 'maintenance' diet would have to be so strict I wouldn't be able to stick at it.

did you take measurements?
maybe you are loosing fat and building muscles which is the best way forward

try to reduce calories by further 200 and compare your measurements in 2-3 weeks time

it is usefull to get fat content measured too

Post a typical day's eating and maybe we can help.

Sometimes it is not just the amount of calories but what they are from that makes a difference.

If you dont want to eat less then exercise more. How tall are you btw? And how long were you jogging for?

I think 1800 calories is too high for weight loss (for a woman, unless you were much more overweight than you are, or where doing much much more exercise), maybe ok for maintenance. Also it depends what you ate as not all calories are equal. I would suggest trying something like tesco totals or weight watchers rather than choosing an amount of calories (how did you come up with 1800?)

FWIW I did tesco diets and started at a similarish weight (12 stone 5lbs), an it recommended 1300 initially (although focus on totals not calories, so that was 17 totals not all 100 calorie snacks would have same totals IYSWIM) - it then reduced further to 1200 (15 totals) when I hit 11 stone. I doubt I'd have lost on 1800 calories.. and I did much more exercise than you as well.

I have been doing that since 6th October, so now 3.5 months in. I doubt I'd have lost anything on 1800 calories a day.

Please post a days food.

Also see this: caloriecount.about.com/cc/calories-goal.php

Low carb is the way to go. And don't give up at the first hurdle, chances are you'll see a big loss next week. Weight loss isn't linear, but you need to find a healthy eating plan that works. Eating 1800 calories a day is still quite a lot, and will be of no help if it's the wrong food. ANd your dp will most likely put it all on after, as slimfast is just unsustainable shite.

Have you had a look at the Food Focus or My Fitness Pal websites? You put in your height and weight and your target weight and it works out how many calories you need to eat per day to reach your target.

I have about a stone to lose and am allowed 1325 calories per day, 1800 does sound like a lot unless you are very active.

I would say that 1800 is too much and you're not doing enough exercise

also sat fat is very important, not just calories

BTW another thing I like about tesco diets (rather than just doing calorie counting on your own) is that they offer support, so when you post your weight each week, they offer comments, so if you didn't loose in the early weeks of the diet they would help you understand why, and offer suggestions.

Also you input what you ate and the website calculates the totals, if you do exercise it works out how much more totals you can have.

Am sure weightwatchers is similar though.

Also I found that after several weeks on the diet I was full etc on the 1200 calories a day.

Thanks very much, everyone. It's actually hugely helpful having people actually interested!

I am being less emotional about it now (god, I was pee'd off at 7.30am!). I have spent a bit of time doing some more 'diet' research and I am erring towards lo-carb such as India Knight's Idiot Proof Diet. I am going to have to educate myself about protein- I could name the GI, fat and calorific values of the vast majority of foods, but the honest truth is, though I know meat, fish, cheese and eggs contain protein, that's about it! They also contain stuff that years of 'weight awareness' tell me are bad...eg (gasp) animal fats! I will have to spend a bit of time getting my head around the science of it all.

For the record I am 5'5" and 12stone 11lbs, BMI of about 31? 32?

And yes, 1800 is obviously too much for me!

Yes 1800 is too much I am 5'7" and 2 weeks ago I weighed 13 stone I have done pig to twig and have lost 9lbs in two weeks with no exercise lost nothing the week before on 1500 calories a day and exercised every day! I have recently done my bmr which is calories needed to maintain current or preferred weight and at 13 stone it is just above 2000 if yours is about the same by cutting to 1800 you are only reducing your calories by 1400 a week now considering it takes 3500 calories reduction to lose a pound it's hardly surprising you havent lost anything - sorry this is harsh but don't be so defeatist! Try a different approach

Erebus

I'm doing weight watchers - I too am 5'5" but a lot heavier than you, what I like is you can eat whatever you want as long as it's within the points. I ate out twice last week and still lost 4.5lbs this week. Their tag line is lose weight for the last time - as it is a workable plan which teaches you good food skills for life so its not like you're on a diet. It works on carbs, fibre, fat and protein so covers how things are digested etc. It could be you are eating the wrong type of foods in your 1800 cals.

The other thing is you may have lost cm rather than weight, or gained muscle and lost fat and counters each other out.

Make sure you're drinking enough water too!

Good luck.

Indeed, spam! Where can I find my bmr? Google it?! I can certainly find my b.u.m...

What's the address of the support website for Pig to twig, pls?

Don't weigh yourself for 6 weeks. Honestly, it can take that long for your body to get into the swing of things, especially if you a serial dieter.

Eat a bit less, exercise some more and put the scales away until the end of Feb.

I promise it will work.

I don't agree about not weighing for 6 weeks, because after a week at the start of a diet you should be able to see decent movements each week. If no movement after one week on a diet (esp with BMI over 30, unless you are premenstrual) something is not right.

Also not sure why you couldn't maintain 1500 for 6 months? I have been maintaining 1200 calories for 4 months now, and its enough, don't feel hungry. I think longterm I'd going to have to stick to around 1500 to avoid gaining.

If you want quick movements, try Dukan - more extreme version of low carb! Also look at increasing the exercise, eg I go to gym 3 times a week, I see the wii is "a little bonus" on my non gym days. Also I am training for a triathlon in June, maybe aim for a 10k run in the summer?

Erebus - yes google it and be honest about your frame i.e. take your middle finger and your thumb and wrap it around your wrist. If your thumb and finger don't meet you are big framed, if they touch you are medium framed and if they overlap you are small framed, also be honest about your exercise, don't put medium exercise when really you are just living life and doing average weekly chores etc. I find the whole calories added up for people ironing or cleaning the house a bit of a joke this should not be classed as additional exercise IMHO this is just life and should be treated as sedentary on any BMR calculation. The more honest you are the better BMR reading you will get.

Another thing, if you cut carbs then maintaining at 1200 a day will be a doddle, you are just not as hungry.

I have heard that salami is OK. How can that be? Isn't it coronary artery disease in a stick?!

As I have said, for me I'll have to work at getting my head around what I've spent years learning is 'good' and 'bad' (though I hate those terms!)

Erebus - go and buy this month's cosmo the Pig to Twig Book Or The Idiot Proof Diet Book is free with this month's. Read it for a couple of days and then decide how you feel about it. There is a section on portion control and even though you are eating high fat/no carb, it doesn't give carte blanche to stuff loads of "bad" things at gay abandon

Thanks!

Erebus agree about salami! have you thought about the paul Mckenna? No cal. counting or weird diet foods, you re-educate yr attitude to food Google him.