Help, practically no weight loss!

[hillyhilly]

I have been making a concerted effort for almost 4 weeks now and in that time I have lost.......1lb.
I am using myfitnesspal, eating 1200-1400 cals most days, limiting my alcohol and doing a lot of exercise- 1 zumba class, 1 50 length swim and 1 bike ride per week minimum. I have days when I eat fewer calories and days (weekends usually) when I eat more.
I am 42, mum of 2 Sahm, generally active all day, I never sit down so why am I not losing any weight???
If anyone wants to take a look at my diary on MFP, I am Hillyhilly, just ask & I will friend you because I really could do with some help!

Are you eating healthy? It does matter where the calories come from. You won't lose weight usually too many of your calories are from bread, alcohol or cakes etc.

When you eat more on the weekends, how much more? I find I often eat enough on the weekends to undo all my hard work during the week!

Write down what you eat on a daily basis and maybe someone can help.

I had a quick look over the last few days on MFP. When I lost 1 or 2lbs a week I was sticking to 1200 every day including weekends and all carbs were wholegrain. At one point I cut out fruit to get over a plateau.

1. If you cheat at the weekend you can expect to maintain but not to loose. I lost with a cheat meal (ie an extra 500 cals at one meal) but not if I had more than that.

1. Maybe it was just the days I looked at but too much refined carbs. Choose carbs to be jumbo oats, brown rice and not white rice, flatbreads, bagel, french bread.

1. Cut the sugary snacks like eclairs and the wine.

I've just looked at your diary for today. It seems that you haven't eaten any vegetables, and your lunch, while relatively high in calories, had little fibre and no protein - it's all very carb-heavy, and refined rather than complex carbs at that.

My suggestions would be:

Protein for breakfast. Scrambled eggs and maybe bacon - but no carbs. If you don't have time for cooked breakfast, how about a small piece of cheese and some oatcakes plus fruit. It may keep you going for longer because of the fruit.

Lunch: lean fish or chicken plus complex carbs like wholemeal pasta or brown rice and plenty of salad or veg. Have some more fruit if you feel you still need more. Definitely ditch the bagels as they're going to give you a quick sugar high but not leave you feeling satisfied over several hours.

Evening - no carbs at all but lean meat/fish and fill up on vegetables. You'll be able to eat quite a bit and stay within your calorie limit.

A diet I've had every good results with (but it's very restrictive so hard to follow if you have a busy life and socialise a lot), is the Harcombe diet.

You'll find a version of it here... www.allaboutyou.com/health/the-harcombe-diet-eating-plan-49590

I don't follow it now because it's just too difficult unless you can control your food wherever you are, but I do still follow some of the principles - especially by not eating carbs in the evening.

I think I'm making a bit of a breakthrough - I have cut back on carbs and had no alcohol this week and I think I've lost a bit more weight - I definitely feel less bloated.

I meant to say - breakfast - may keep you going longer because of the protein (not fruit). Hope that helps!

Thanks all - Wednesday was a totally atypical day as a treat.
Generally I eat loads of fruit and veg, salad for lunch 5 days a week and not lots of carbs, most or all of which are wholemeal.
However, I am not willing to do no carb, I need this to be a life change and to me coooking and eating eggs and bacon in the morning, or eating fewer veg because they contain carbs is not for me at all. It doesn not fit what I like to eat and feels faddy which is not sustainable.
I need to perservere at this slowly, another pound has come off this week, I just need to keep the faith and recognise that because I only need to lose a few lb, they will be slow! (shame they're not so slow to go back on!).
Thanks again for your help, I do appreciate it even if the above sounds like I'm going to completely ignore it! MFP is keeping me straight although I do get a bit swamped in the whole am I eating enough calories when I exercise but don't eat empty ones debate. It has definitely encouraged me to take a lot more exercise so I am getting very fit even if my weight is slow to come off.

hilly - I know what you mean about being sustainable. Doing 'hard core' lo carb (I.e the attack phase of Dukan) is not sustainable BUT it really shifts a few pounds in 3.4 days and then you can introduce complex carbs back in, being v careful with portion sizes.

If you are happy with slower weight loss, then I would recommend the Low GO Diet. Sustainable and understandable. A few thoughts:

Porridge rather than cereal for breakfast. Filling and lower GI than most cereals.

Try cutting down on fruit slightly? It is sugar after all.

Be very careful with portion control of any carbs you are eating. Tiny portions of wholemeal pasta/rice. They should not be the main part of any meal you are eating. I Have readjusted my diet so I rarely eat bread/pasta/potatoes/rice and maintained my weight much easier. Soup WITHOUT the obligatory piece of bread. Chicken/ham/egg/fish salad rather than sandwich. Meat or fish with vegetables and at most one new potato.

I have lost 7lbs since start of April - this works out to less than 1lb a week - but if you look at it in the long run its still half a stone!

I found that running has helped speed up the weight loss I can now run for 30 mins at a time) & trust me I thought I'd be the last person ever to do that. But start slowly & build up if you don't normally run.

& good luck - remember - the weight took a whit=le to go on it takes a while to come off.