Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Weight loss chat

A space to talk openly about weight loss journeys and challenges. Mumsnet hasn't checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. You may wish to speak to a medical professional before starting any diet.

This can't be right! I've not even lost a pound in 5 weeks!

42 replies

NigellasGuest · 03/05/2012 12:00

Ok - I did attack phase of Dukan, lost nothing, then moved on to simply cutting out fat and sugar from my diet. I gave up alchohol at Easter. I've been doing the Shred for 2 weeks.

I have not lost a single pound.

could the scales be wrong? [hopeful]

I am 47 years old and have not a had a period for 2 months. could this have anything to do with it? I have recently had a blood test and am not actually menopausal yet though.

However I do feel healthier and less tired so there are some benefits. BUT I want to lose weight! I am 11 stone and at 5 ft 5" that is TOO HEAVY. I want to see some weight loss - I DESERVE it!! - especially round my middle.

Please does ANYONE have any ideas? Thank you!!

OP posts:
BIWIWhoMustBeObeyed · 03/05/2012 12:02

I have no idea - but why don't you come and join us on Bootcamp? A low carbing plan that has seen around 80 of us lose over 26 stones (altogether, not each Grin) in the first two weeks?

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/big_slim_whatever_weight_loss_club/1461440-BIWIs-Bootcamp-Week-3-Weigh-In-New-Starters-Welcome

foreverondiet · 03/05/2012 18:54

Could you still be eating too many calories? If you cut fat but compensate with more carbs (even the healthy sort) or protein you won't lose weight. Cutting out fat from diet isn't IMO the best way to lose weight as fat doesn't affect blood sugar and makes you feel full. Carbs, even healthy ones don't make you feel as full for as long and result in insulin release and fat storage.

What are you eating in typical day? - How big are portions?

Any ideas why no period if not menopausal? Thyroid issues?

Will try and help but need more info?

NigellasGuest · 03/05/2012 19:38

Hi Forever... I am trying not to eat carbs and actually find it fairly easy not to, as I can really take or leave potatoes, pasta and bread. I do however LOVE yoghurt and eat a lot of it ... but it's natural low fat yogurt so shouldn't do too much harm?

Typical day - boiled egg for breakfast, coffee
midmorning - more coffee, probably a couple of "Options" choc drinks
yogurt as a snack
lunch - something tinned fish based (e.g. tuna or mackeral) with salad, yogurt
dinner - whatever everyone else is having but minus the carbs
throughout day - I might have the odd biscuit or one of those mini Green&Blacks chocolate bars. I also am drinking water and herbal teas.

I must say, I think my upper arms look a bit less podgy!

No idea why no period - def not pg though. I think at this stage, it can go a bit funny without actually being menopausal. I think it's called perimenopausal.

No thyroid probs - they checked for that at same time as hormones.

Hope this info sheds more light? Thank you!

OP posts:
foreverondiet · 03/05/2012 20:59

Try cutting the options, biscuits, chocolate bars. Empty calories, lots of sugar.

Eat more protein if hungry, eg 2 eggs for breakfast? I have 2 eggs and yoghurt with seeds. And same lunch - tinned fish salad and yoghurt. But what you eat sounds good. I have natural low fat yoghurt every day too - Greek is best as lower carbs - I add ground flax seeds and chia seeds. How much yoghurt a day - as it is quite high in milk sugar (I usually have either 100g yoghurt and 300g cottage cheese, or 100g fat free natural yoghurt and 200g greek style fat free). Or today had 100g yoghurt and half ball mozzarella.

Eat protein and mountains of veg for dinner.

Are you using the coffee to suppress your appetite? Wondering water retention due to caffeine?

re: thyroid - could it have been subclinical - ie borderline - I felt dreadful when my TSH was 4.5 normal up to 5. Ideal around 1-2.

So my thoughts:
a) cut out remaining sugar for 2 weeks
b) cut out caffeine for 2 weeks
c) eat when hungry - but add healthy fats and protein not carbs
d) check exact thyroid level with GP

BIWIWhoMustBeObeyed · 03/05/2012 21:07

Agree with forever - ditch the chocolate drinks, the biscuits and the chocolate - you will be eating a lot of carbs with those.

Although yoghurt can be a good choice, you should be going for full fat rather than low fat - lower carbs, and you need the fat.

And your diet overall looks too low in fat. If you are low carbing, you should be eating a lot more fat. It isn't a low fat way of eating.

foreverondiet · 03/05/2012 22:24

I do eat fat free dairy as I am used to it now, and I find that as I moderate carb not low carb don't need the fat calories in the way you do on a ketosis diet.

I aim for 75g-100g carbs a day and 100g-120g protein, and the rest of the calories as fat, maybe 40g.

I choose healthy fats - olives, avocado, seeds (esp flax and chia), nuts.

NigellasGuest · 04/05/2012 09:54

Thanks for all the advice! BIWI I will have a look at the Bootcamp ....

feels odd to go for full fat yogurt etc. Am I right to understand that full fat is fine as long as no carbs? And low fat is ok but with some carbs?

OK - I agree with you all I should cut out the options drinks, any biscuits, choc etc. Will attempt to do that.

Not sure I can actually forgo the coffee however .... but forever that's a good point regarding the water retention. I will up the water intake even if I don't manage to decrease the caffeine.

My skin is looking not too bad though, and I am pleased with myself that I have not had any alchohol since I stopped before Easter, and intend to keep it that way because I'm not missing it now.

OP posts:
BIWItheBold · 04/05/2012 12:11

No - it's not about low fat at all - low carbing is about high fat. Certainly means avoiding things marketed as low fat or light - because usually they contain more carbs, most often in the form of sugar.

foreverondiet · 08/05/2012 19:37

I think 2 possible approaches, either v low carb high fat like atkins OR
moderate carbs and low fat like dukan.

NigellasGuest · 09/05/2012 09:00

I think it's safe to say that absolutely nothing is working. Even DH can't believe it. I think it's menopause related, although I'm not menopausal I think I am headed that way.

I did a google on losing weight in menopause and it's very very VERY depressing. Apparently it's virtually impossible. I am so down about this - I WANT to get back into my old clothes; I don't want to buy a whole new wardrobe to accommodate my increased girth!

I've started a thread in the Menopause topic, I hope I can get some tips....

I'm now trying FoodFocus which I'm finding quite handy. In general I am having moderate carbs (but not sugary ones - just unrefined) and low fat - but I'm not having low fat sweet yogurts and that kind of thing. Things like 0% total, and skimmed milk...
Sad Confused

OP posts:
BIWItheBold · 09/05/2012 09:53

No - that's not true about not losing weight if you're menopausal. I'm almost 53, definitely menopausal, and have successfully lost almost a stone and half since February.

With respect, it's also not true to say that nothing is working, as you haven't tried everything! Give up the carbs and eat more fat. Come and join the bootcamp. Seriously - around 80 of us doing it and total loss in the first 2 weeks was a magnificent 26 stones.

BIWItheBold · 09/05/2012 09:55

You've also been swapping from one thing to another, and not really giving anything a chance to work. Losing weight isn't easy and you have to stick with it.

Read Dr John Briffa's book Escape the Diet Trap - he explains why fat is good and debunks the myths around low fat/low calorie eating.

Hopefully · 09/05/2012 10:04

Nigella have you tried good old fashioned calorie counting? Low carbing definitely, undeniably works (the amazing Bootcamp thread is testament to that), but it's not something you can dip in and out of in any way. If you add carbs at all above the very low level allowed, you will stop losing. It is a way of eating that is about science rather than calories, if you know what I mean.

I use My Fitness Pal and count calories, and lost 10lbs in 3 months without too much bother.

I see you Shred, do you walk at all as well? Plenty of exercise is so vital once you're beyond about 35, as your metabolism slows down significantly by the time you're 40 - if I put in your details into, for example, this calculator, you are allowed almost 100 calories less at age 47 than at age 35, and 150 less than at age 25. A bit of walking and the Shred to build a bit of lean muscle mass will help no end with that.

NigellasGuest · 09/05/2012 15:11

Hopefully yes I am now trying calorie counting, using Food Focus. I will get some more walking in as well as the Shred aswell...

definitely will try low carbing - BIWI I have looked at the Boot Camp threads and am wondering how the fatty foods you are allowed in this method can not be bad for the heart? e.g. fatty cuts of meat etc? Just wondering. You are absolutely right, I've been flitting from one thing to another in my impatience... I need to calm down and focus. Glad to hear that you are a similar age/stage as me and have still managed to lose weight. I definitely like low carbing - it's just the fatty stuff that I'm too scared to eat - I don't even really like butter, pork belly, mayo etc. and the thought of going out of my way to eat this kind of thing really goes against the grain!

OP posts:
OneHandFlapping · 09/05/2012 15:15

It's not impossible to lose weight post menopause. I've lost nearly 3 stone, and have kept it off for nearly 2 years. I can't say it was harder than when I was younger, because I was never successful as a younger woman.

So don't feel you're doomed, NigellasGuest. You're not.

teaandthorazine · 09/05/2012 15:33

Nigella - getting your head around eating fat is one of the strangest things about this WOE, but it really does work and it's so important.

The first thing is, there's absolutely NO good evidence linking the consumption of saturated fat with heart disease. It just doesn't exist. Plus, fat is essential in the diet, as is protein. There's no such thing as an essential carbohydrate, though! If you have the time, I'd advise having a google of someone like John Briffa, who explains it all very simply. Gary Taubes is another worth reading if you want the sciencey basis of low carb explained.

Lots of us on the Bootcamp have become quite geeky about low carb because it's really fascinating to find out that what you thought you knew about nutrition may not be true at all. Fat is not the enemy - in fact it's your best friend!

BIWItheBold · 09/05/2012 17:46

It's very difficult to allow yourself to accept the fact that fat is not the evil horror it has been made out to be. And it's not surprising that we think like that - scientists, politicians and the media have all been telling us this for the last 50 or so years - but especially fervently in the last 30 years. In the UK since the publication of the COMA report in the 1980s.

But as teaandthorazine says, the original piece of work that 'proved' the link between saturated fat and heart disease is a hugely flawed piece of work. Ancel Keys, the scientists in question, explored the 'connection' between saturated fat consumption and heart disease in (I think, if I remember rightly) around 20 different countries. However, in only 7 of these could he find any kind of connection. So when he published his findings, he ignored the ones where there was no connection and focused only on the ones where there was an apparent connection.

And the rest has been a house of cards, all built on/around this original flimsy foundation. Even when scientists pointed out that there was a much better link between heart disease and carbohydrate, this was rubbished and/or ignored.

We developed as a species eating saturated fat - not sugar, bread or flour - so it makes absolute sense that products with saturated fat, like red meat, would be better for us!

NigellasGuest · 09/05/2012 17:56

OK I am convinced. I have been reading Dr Briffa's website and have decided to give it a go.

BIWI I will attend Bootcamp.... but before I join it can you or someone please tell me is there a link anywhere to a list of foods you can have with this -diet- way of eating? I have looked at your Bootcamp rules (with very useful list of vegetables) but is there anything with an actual list of fatty foods that are allowed? And i'm a bit confused about grams of carbs and the whole proportions of carbs to proteins to fats side of things - is there anything with actual meals set out that I can just copy like an idiot rather than working out percentages from food labels etc?

thanks for your help. I'm not sure I should ask these questions on the Bootcamp thread because it seems to be a place to just say how you are doing?

OP posts:
teaandthorazine · 09/05/2012 19:51

NigellasGuest - I've never worried about proportions and ratios - waaaaayy too complicated! You're embarking on a high fat, moderate protein, low carb way of eating. Just eat the allowed foods and don't worry about it - you can always tweak once you're started (i.e. some people can't eat a lot of dairy, nuts etc but you won't know until you start)

BIWI is better at this stuff than me but here are my rules of thumb for low-carbing, if it helps...

  • No potatoes, pasta, rice, noodles, cereals, pulses, bread. No sugar. No milk. No booze (well, not on bootcamp!)
  • No 'low-fat' foods. None at all. Low-fat foods are full of sugar and fillers and crap, plus they usually taste shit. This includes diet Cokes etc (work of the devil if you ask me)
  • I stick to approx 20-30g carbs a day but I don't actually 'count' them iykwim? It's a vague estimate because I know this is the sort of level that keeps me in ketosis (fat-burning) but honestly, I don't get out the calculator.
  • I will eat, pretty freely, anything that has fewer than 4g carbs per 100g - you do need to do a bit of label-reading when you first start but you do not need to worry about proportions.
  • My diet revolves around: veg (especially the green and leafy kind), non-processed meat, fish, eggs, double cream, butter, full-fat yoghurt, mayo, cheese of all kinds, avocados, olives, mushrooms, nuts, berries. I do also eat processed meat and fish (bacon, salami, smoked fish etc) but in moderation.
  • Fat is your friend. Proper fat, though, no hydrogenated crap or vegetable oils. Butter, olive oil, nut oils. Cream. Mayonnaise. Leave the skin on your chicken. Eat pork crackling. This stuff is GOOD for you!
  • Buy real food. Eat foodstuffs, not products, iyswim? If it's advertised on tv, it's probably not low-carb Wink

Worth buying India & Neris's Idiot Proof Diet, imo. HTH!

teaandthorazine · 09/05/2012 19:54

Oh, and LOADS of water. LOADS. Like 2-3 litres per day. Buy bottles with sports tops and sip sip sip all day. After about a week you'll feel amazing when you do, and terrible when you don't. It's weird, but good.

(Can't believe I forgot the WATER Grin)

BIWItheBold · 09/05/2012 21:30

Neither can I, tea! Grin

Nigella - there are always three different Bootcamp threads on the go. One is the weigh-in thread, www.mumsnet.com/Talk/big_slim_whatever_weight_loss_club/1467223-Bootcamp-Week-4-Come-and-weigh-in-here-Newbies-very-welcome-too?msgid=31658948 one is a general chat thread www.mumsnet.com/Talk/big_slim_whatever_weight_loss_club/1467233-Bootcamp-Week-4-Come-Whine-With-Me and the last one is a recipe thread www.mumsnet.com/Talk/big_slim_whatever_weight_loss_club/1447493-BIWIs-Bootcamp-Recipe-Thread?msgid=31605679.

The idea of Bootcamp is to make low carbing as simple as possible, hence the rules. Print them out and follow them to the letter.

In terms of your meals and relative proportions - again, don't worry about weighing or counting anything. The idea is to make the whole thing as easy and painless as possible. IMVHO, the minute you have to start weighing things, it leads to obsessing over food, which is not healthy at all. That said, if it's new to you then it can be helpful in the first few days weighing your veg, just so that you know how many carbs are in your portions.

There are no guidelines about how many carbs you should have a day. If you focus on eating veg/salad with 3g carbs or less per 100g, then you should be eating a sufficiently low number of carbs. (But for your information, the first two weeks on Atkins, called Induction, you are restricted to 20g carbs per day)

I have a spreadsheet which is designed to work out your carbs for you - all you need to do is put the weights in and it will tell you the totals. If you would like a copy, just PM me your e-mail address.

The absolutely key thingis that your carbs should mainly come from vegetables and salad. For this reason it is a good idea to cut out/down drinking tea/coffee with milk. Milk is very carby, and a few cups of tea/coffee per day can mean you are actually consuming a high number of carbs. If you can bear it, drink them with cream instead. If you can't, then try and restrict yourself to a couple of cups per day.

The best way to decide what you're going to eat is to start with your protein component - meat, poultry, fish or eggs - and then add veg/salad to it. Try and choose fattier meats - belly pork rather than pork fillet. If you choose lean meats, like chicken breast, try and cook them with the skin on, or fry them in butter, or serve them with a dollop of mayonnaise.

The Idiot Proof Diet is a really good low carbing book, and the recipe book that goes with it has some fabulous recipes in it. But if you're going to buy the recipe book, please buy the diet book to go with it - it will give you a better idea of the thinking behind the diet. I would also recommend that you try and buy/borrow a copy of Dr Atkins "The New Diet Revolution" as this is much better in terms of explaining the science behind low carbing.

But above all - you will enjoy your food. When I very first started low carbing, my DH looked at me horrified, as I tucked into plates of bacon and eggs for breakfast - he couldn't believe I was going to lose weight eating that way! Truth be told, neither did I, and it felt like a real leap of faith doing it. But you do lose weight. You aren't hungry and it is so liberating, after years of calorie counting and obsessing about what I could/couldn't eat every day.

Just pile into Bootcamp - read up on it, and get yourself ready to start next week. It is vital to plan things on this WOE (way of eating), so give yourself a bit of time to decide what you're going to do/what shopping you need.

And good luck! I look forward to seeing you in Bootcamp. Grin

lesstalkmoreaction · 09/05/2012 21:42

I'm 5 ft 5 also and was 11 st 5lbs and i've lost a stone but its taken me 8 weeks, I did well at the beginning but am a little up and down.
I lost it in the first few weeks by strict calorie counting 1200 cals but this time I didn't do much exercise in the first few weeks as I find I get tired and then make bad food choices. so I have slowly upped the exercise.
A typical days diet would be 2 eggs and 2 slices of bacon for breakfast, salad, spinach and small steak for lunch, yogurt and muesli at some point during the day and then fish and salad for dinner with a bit of fruit.

lesstalkmoreaction · 09/05/2012 21:43

Oh and I always start the day with a coffee but then go for water and green tea as much as I can.

lucysnowe · 10/05/2012 14:04

OP, since you've been doing the Shred for two weeks, is it possible some fat has turned to muscle? Could you measure your waist for a little bit and see if it has got smaller?

cerealqueen · 11/05/2012 23:27

I agre with Lucy.. measurements are better than weighing yourself and can be more motivational?
have not read whole thread but good luck

Swipe left for the next trending thread