So frustrated, can anyone look at my food diary and tell me why I'm not losing weight?

[SylviasSlippers]

I'm 5ft 10in and this morning weighed 10st 12lbs.

Just a few months ago I weighed 10st 2lbs and I just can't get it back :-( I've tried low carb ( plays ah ok with my ibs and I just can't stick to it for more than a week), I've tried just eating natural foods - started putting weight ON and now I'm following my own version of weight watchers and in 3 weeks I've lost ... Nothing.

My usual day -

Breakfast - bowl of all bran with semi skimmed milk and a banana.

Lunch - home-made bolognese, chilli, pasta etc-left overs from night before (all made with low fat stuff and less than 500 calories a portion) with a 0% yoghurt and a bag of snack a jacks.

Dinner - home-made meal, usually a weight watchers recipe, less than 500 cals. Couple of biscuits later in the evening.

Why am I still 10st 12??? I feel horrible and frumpy, my clothes are all too tight and I go on holiday in June. I'm so fed up. Probably doesn't help that I haven't been for a shit in over a week either though :-( so fed up.

Watch the sugar, I have plateaued and am desperately avoiding any sugar (refined or natural). But I've also ditched the scales and am now going on what I look like and not what I weigh

I also try and leave 14 hours between my evening meal and brreakfast (longer if I'm not working)

Have you worked out the calories for absolutely everything you eat in the day? Using something like My Fitness Pal might help. Do that for a couple of days and see if it throws anything up. Do you drink lots of water? I notice a massive difference if I don't drink my 2 litres a day. If I stick to my 1,400 calories (incl 200 calories exercise) and drink 2l a day I lose 2lbs a week, but I have more to lose than you.

Are you sure you are eating enough calories for your current height and weight....if you go too low then weight loss can be slow and frustrating?

The constipation makes me wonder if this is the case.

Are you checking the fat and sugar content as well as the calories? Low far can sometimes contain extra ingredients to add to the taste.

What works for me is portion control with normal foods and sensible eating. If I want to loose weight I ignore calories and look at the fat content of my meals.

If change lunch if I was you.
You are having two main meals a day, have a lighter lunch and add more fruit and veg to your diet.

Are you doing any exercise? I find it very hard to lose weight through diet alone

The only other thing I'd suggest is a salad at lunch,pasta etc is quite heavy to have

Have you suffered from fluid retention at all? I don't really know how you can tell - I do know that I'll put on weight pre-period, then pee like an elephant for a couple of days and it will all go.

Do you take any exercise?

Maybe have soup at lunch if you don't fancy salad

I would have a much lighter lunch. I usually have half a tub of fresh soup (around 120 cals) followed by an apple or banana. Sometimes a slice of bread with the soup. You are having two main meals really. Also are you checking portion size of branflakes? I have a bowl of oat so simple so no temptation to have a few more as it is a controlled portion.

For me portion control is the key. I would, for instance have only the cereal for breakfast. When I feel pecking a few hours later I would have the banana. This would mean I would not be overly hungry at lunchtime and therefore would only eat a very small portion of food, snacking on the rest throughout the afternoon or keeping it for dinner. The snack a jacks would be eaten throughout the afternoon as an alternative.

I eat a golf ball sized portion for each meal after hypnotherapy, nothing else worked for me.

Not having had a poo for over week will definitely be a factor! Make sure you are drinking plenty.
You don't have a much weight to lose, I think therefore that it will come off quite slowly. I'd watch portion size and cut the couple of biscuits in the evening, they could be easily 100 cals or more each. Make sure you are eating plenty of veggies.

Ok thanks guys, it's just so difficult when you're at work - I get two breaks and what doesn't get eaten in those breaks doesn't get eaten at all. I'll stop with the lunch time meals and make salads or take soup. Any tips for not eating on an evening because I feel like a junkie who just can't resist the fix once it hits 8pm.

Depends how tired you are but exercise? I find that I can't usually fit exercise in until after evening meal etc. I either do a DVD or half an hr on my exercise bike? I find it stops me feeling hungry and helps me sleep better as I am physically as well as mentally tired.

The evening eating thing for me is pure habit. I calorie count using MFP and try and save 100 for the evening and have a hot choc or cup of tea and a biscuit. But I don't always and then feel pleased when I have eaten less cals overall.

A good minty teeth clean after the kids go to bed also helps if I don't want to eat later on.

Have you tried cosmic ordering? If it works as well as you say, could be worth a try?

TBH, your BMI can't be any more than about 20? 21 at a push...

Perhaps this is why the weight isn't coming off - i.e. there isn't any to lose?

How much water do you drink? You should try and drink at least 8 cups a day. I find drinking water whilst trying to lose weight always helps.

Exercise - are you doing any exercise?

Lunch - change your lunch to anything between 250
and 300 calories and keep fruit nearby to satisfy any hunger pangs between lunch and dinner. Satsumas, grapes, blueberries, anything you can pick at.

My 8pm junkie fix. I make a weightwatchers hot chocolate. That satisfies my chocolate / junk craving.

Myfitnesspal is a really good app.

Oh, and maybe change you milk from semi skimmed to skimmed?

Too many carbs and wheat and not enough protein?

Exercise?

Exercise

Lose the cooked lunch

Have only one course. 500 cals and a packet of snackajacks is a massive lunch! Try and reduce it to nearer 300 in total. Eat your left overs for dinner.

Also lose the banana at breakfast.

Weigh those allbrans and milk. You are probably eating much more that what the packet calls one portion. I eat double that for breakfast, but I don't add banana as it's really high in calories.

I think if you count the calories you'll find you are eating much more than you think. Use myfitnesspal to check.

Also, those couple of biscuits are probably more than you think!

Maybe you have been actually eating bits here and there which all add up but you are not really aware of if you know what I mean.
Also, how old are you?

close the kitchen straight after supper
drink more water
only have one substantial meal a day

loads of salt in all bran and in ready meals - could this be causing you to retain water??