Why am I not losing weight?

[fedupofnamechanging]

Would really appreciate some help and suggestions.

I started my diet a couple of weeks ago and have been eating no more than 1200 calories per day. I am 5 ft 2 inches and weigh nearly 12 stone.

I have stopped eating rice and pasta, have cut right down on the bread (3 slices of homemade bread in 2 weeks) and only eat potatoes as part of a homemade soup or as part of a WW meal (am not doing WW, just eat some of the meals cos the calories are counted out for you).

I can't say that I have given up chocolate completely as I am a total chocoholic, but have cut right down and if I do eat some I account for it in my calorie count. I have stopped drinking alcohol (but do drink diet pepsi). and only have one sugar in coffee (again, accounted for).

But, fuck all is happening to my weight. I am scared that it will never come off.

Have made appt with doctor for thyroid test.

Help!

Hey it sounds like you have it all under control at least calorie wise. Sometimes it takes a while to start taking effect. I must say though that it sounds like you are mainly focussed on dieting. I never really lose weight from eating less but only from doing more. If you have time perhaps try and work in something that speeds up your heart and makes you go into a bit of a sweat. Its a way for your body to flush out impurities and improve circulation which really aids toning up!

you are still having lots of sugar or sugar substitutes. Chocolate is full of sugar - unless you are eating very dark chocolate, and is full of empty calories as is the sugar in your hot drinks.

Maybe you are not eating enough for you to lose weight. If you dont your body will store everything you eat.

Are you exercising?

I am doing the Idiot Proof diet and have lost a stone and a half on it. Dont feel deprived at all.

Thanks for the replies everyone.

I have bought a cross trainer, which is glaring at me from the corner of the room and giving me the guilts every time I walk past it. I am only doing about 10 minutes per day at the moment, so will try to build that up.

Giving up the sugar is the thing I am really struggling with at the moment. Used to have 2 in my coffee and eat about 4 choc bars plus biscuits (would snack all day, then have small or no dinner), so have cut down a lot. Will try to gradually cut it out altogether.

Last time I went cold turkey and gave up sugar all at once, I felt so faint I had to get my dad round to collect the kids from school .

Have been careful with portion sizes and eating loads of veg, so on the whole I think I am eating much more healthily than before. Just really fed up of being this size and none of my clothes fit me

Jax what is the Idiot Proof Diet please?

stop diet pepsi
stop chocolate

Dont eat between meals. Drink more.

That will be drink more water, obviously.

Not convinced in a cross trainer for weight loss think walking just as good. But 30 day shred would be a good idea. Apparently also some people don't loose whilst having diet drinks or caffiene.

Also is it TOTM... if so you'd expect to gain so if you haven't thats a good sign.

Got the cross trainer in the Jan sales, so not very expensive. I thought it would be better for me than an exercise class because DH works away a lot and I can't commit to attending regularly (don't always have someone to watch the DC). I used to use one at the gym years ago, and got on very well with it.

Obviously, it will only work if I use it more often, so I will commit to doing so!

Cross trainer was a bugger to build, so will not be selling it

AF due any day, so don't know if that's significant.

Didn't know that some people don't lose whilst having diet drinks/caffeine. Why is that?

Chocolate is down to one bar, every couple of days or so and the calories accounted for. Was trying to wean myself off gradually.

If AF due any day yes very significant, normal to gain several pounds in week before AF so expect a drop next week.

In terms of exercise in home I think much better with 30 day shred DVD than with cross trainer, although doing both would be good . I use cross trainer in the gym but think 30 shred is much better exercise.

10 mins cross trainer is around 100 calories if you actually go for it (not if you go around slowly!) so need quite a lot to make any sort of difference.

For chocolate change to 85% stuff and have 10g a day.

Not sure about the diet drinks but have read that in several diet books. Some people just don't loose weight when having them.

thank you foreveronadiet.

I have bought the shred DVD,but I am so unfit that I thought I'd need to build up some stamina on the cross trainer before tackling it. I will follow your advice though and start it tomorrow (when the kids have gone to school and won't laugh at me when I collapse on the sofa).

Weighed myself this morning and am 11 st, 11 pounds and 8 oz. So a little has come off.

LeonieDelt - has your doctor given you anything to help your thyroid?

Are you sure your calorie count is accurate?

People typically underestimate their calorie intake by something stupid like 40%!

Recently, I saw a programme where this woman kept a video diary for a couple of days, then a written diary, listing everything she'd eaten and the calories.

She also had to give a urine sample every day.

Somehow, this sample could tell them her calorie intake (I have no idea how)

But it showed that she was 'forgetting' about something like a thousand calories a DAY

So do you weigh and measure and write down EVERYTHING, food and drink, that passes your lips? Do you write it down straight away or do you try to think back to what you've had? do you forget about anything, or maybe estimate either portion or calories?

Yesterday I ate

Go Ahead bar (150)
Yoghurt (100)
Sugar for tea/coffee (100)
Slice homemade bread and scraping peanut butter (300)
4 Swedish meatballs (100) and stirfry veg (200)

So total of 950 calories. Plus diet coke.

Does this sound about right?

I've been using that spray oil for stirfrys, so not forgetting about oil in the pan, have swopped butter for bertolli (cos I eat less of it), but have cut right down on the bread anyway.

I eat things like hard boiled eggs on ryvita, home made chicken soup, bowl of quorn chilli (no rice) and would estimate about 300-400 calories for each of those things. Am I guessing about right?

no. it sounds very unhealhy indeed. It also sounds estimated. how many cups of tea/coffee? how many sugars in each? did you weigh the stirfry? did you use oil? did you count that in? were the meatballs home made? did you count the calories properly? did you write everything down?

Did you really only eat that? did anything else pass your lips that you then forgot about? a taste of something while cooking? a mouthful off the kdis plate? etc

you need proper food. You need fruit and veg.

You need more food than you have listed there! but healthy food!

x-post. that spray oil is about a calorie a spray, isn't it?

no. you cannot estimate. that is where you are going wrong.

You must write everything down when you have it and you must have the ACTUAL calories for the weight of each item.

Or a calorie counting diet is pointless.

I had one sugar in each cup of coffee and had 5 during the day. The spray oil was about I calorie per spray. The meatballs had the calories on the packet, so those were accurate. Must admit, I didn't weigh the veg but it consisted of cabbage, onion, red pepper, carrots. No sauce, but cooked with garlic and szechuan pepper.

I didn't eat anything else yesterday, honestly.

What's wrong with the chicken soup/chilli? I add lots of vegetables to both.

Well if I ate that little I would lose weight so if you are still not losing after a couple of weeks and are walking and doing the cross trainer I would go to GP and get a thyroid test just to be sure.

If that is really all and what you ate you will be messing with your metabolism big time. It's too few calories and from too sugary/carby sources. Your body will go into starvation mode.

Drink more water
Eat more protein and lots of veg
Lose the sugar and the diet drinks and biscuits (those go ahead bars are junk, what sort of yoghurt was it? low cal ones can be full of muck too)
Try to build in more walking so you are doing half an hour a day, plus something more strenuous three times a week.

(Makes mental note to self to do all these things)