What am I doing wrong? Something obviously because it ain't happening!!

[Polgara2]

I desperately want to lose 2-2.5 stone but appear to be incapable of doing it

I have been trying to do it via calorie counting but am now wondering if I should maybe try weight watchers?

I definitely don't overeat but maybe I'm still not doing it right. Oh and I don't think it's helping very much that I am menopausal and have thyroid problems!

Has anyone successfully managed to lose weight whilst on thyroxine and hrt? If so how?

I feel so down about it all. I am putting off buying holiday clothes (because I can't fit into the ones I've got) in the vain hope that something will work but I've been trying for months to no avail. I hate looking at myself. I've always been slim so am really struggling with how not slim I am now.

[RallyRoundTheFlagBoys]

Some people might find this interesting.

physiqonomics.com/the-best-fat-loss-article-child-friendly-version/

[Sasmac2017]

@gorgosparta - thank you :) I hope he makes an appearance sooner than later. I feel like I'm gonna pop! Then time to get those abs (and arms, legs and butt) back to myself!! X

[Gorgosparta]

Dont worry about. I ate tons while i was pg

Pm me if you want to and good luck with the baby x

[Sasmac2017]

@gorgosparta - thanks :) I do enjoy doing weights, I'm still doing them at 39 weeks preg! But they aren't heavy at all. I have had to modify legs to mostly bodyweight as my pelvis just gets too sore now.
I did a bit of boxing up until 20 weeks this time. I loved it so much and back was very toned. Not so much now....😳
I really need to clean up my diet. I'll admit the past 2-3 weeks I have given up on myself and become a biscuit addict. Oops! Not like me at all. The old 'pregnancy is not an excuse......'. It definitely becomes an excuse at the bitter end haha 😂😂

[Gorgosparta]

My advice would be that you dont need loads of weights. Unless of course you enjoy it.

I do little weights now but my arms, legs and stomach are still muscular. Just not ripped.

I still fight. And train 3 times a week. We incorporate loads of body weight exercises in. Squats, mountain climbers, burpees, push ups (different hand positions) all that kind of stuff. Occasional kettle bells and medicine balls, all types of crunches. Loads of interval training. We work alotnon core strength as it helps balance.

We do this during training. Having 2 kids meant i could not keep both weights and fighting. I picked fighting. I love it.

[Sasmac2017]

@gorgosparta - wow that's awesome! Good on you. It really does go to show that it can take years of trialling to see what works and what doesn't. Maybe you could give me some advice in a few weeks after I've had DC2 :) I've gained 40lbs. I know I'll lose it as lost all the 85lbs I gained with my first child and I wasn't big to begin with (5.7" and 135lbs). I'm really interested in body building, but my lack of equipment has held me back. Gym time is a no no at the moment due to Childcare and expense. I've always been athletic and toned, but never 'Ripped'. Maybe you can offer advice yo me! :)

[Gorgosparta]

I used to ve a competative body builder and fighter in my younger days.

When cutting for comp or a fight. Breakfast goes. When wanting to gain, breakfast goes back in.

I have done it all. I know what works for me. No refined carbs, medium fat, incorporating 16:8. So meals are plenty of veg and protein. Snacks are fruit, yoghurt, occasional ceral bar etc.

It really is trial and error. Which is why weight loss can be depressing. Nothing work for everyone. Carb cycling isnt my thing either. Did nothing for me over a 5 month off season period.

[Sasmac2017]

@gorgosparta - yes I suppose you're right. Have you ever tried carb cycling? I do find that to be particularly effective. Every day starts with a decent breakfast including carbs. On weight training days all meals include carbs, and other days all meals exclude carbs except breakfast. It's all trial and error for the individual. I wish it were one size fits all! :)

[Gorgosparta]

I dont lose weight when i eat breakfast. Of any sort.

I loose more weight on IF. Buts that not proof either way. What happens to one individual isnt conclusive.

Its the same as the post work out window, where everyone was told they should eat shortly after exercise to maximise muscle building and fat loss. Thats a myth too.

The fact is that some things work for some and not for others. Breakfast is not a must. It may be better for some people to eat breakfast. Not for others. And it does not increase metabolisim.

The studies show that 16:8 may not be as effective for women. Especially those that exercise in the fasting window. Not thats its no good for women. Just not as effective.

As you would expect, it doesnt work for all.

[Sasmac2017]

@gorgosparta - yes I do think that IF can be very effective. But I have also read lots of studies that believe it is no good for women. IF may also be particularly more effective if you have a large amount of weight to lose. I personally have never had any success with it.
I have also read studies that say breakfast doesn't increase weight loss. Not disagreeing with you. However, if you eat breakfast you are less likely to pig out late morning/lunch, especially on crap food.
I lost a large amount of weight about 5 years ago and my weight loss definitely picked up when I started eating properly (breakfast, decent amounts and not over restricting).
What I'm trying to say is, I don't disagree with you, I suppose it is down to trial and error for the individual :)

[Gorgosparta]

But, I do have to say if you don't crank the furnace, it will be slow burning (slow metabolism).

Its not a furnace. Its one of the reasons IF works so well. Especially 16:8. The 5 2 diet works incredibly well for a lot of people too.

The comparison to a furnace is where you are going wrong. There are lots of studies that eating breakfast does not increase weight loss.

Thats not to say you should have breakfast. If you want it, go for it.

[RallyRoundTheFlagBoys]

Have you calculated your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure - this is your BMR (Basal Metababolic Rate) adjusted to include your activity levels) to see what your daily intake should be?

You need to know this to know how much you can eat to ensure a deficit.

You don't need to be low carb, or high fat, or skip breakfast or always eat breakfast or anything else (*none of those will hinder or aid weight loss in and of themselves). You just need to create a calorie deficit, either by eating less, or by eating less combined with upping your exercise levels.

Everyone hates that, I hate it myself. It's bloody inconvenient, however it remains true. More energy going out than energy coming in = weight loss.

(*Carbs do not hinder weight loss - what they do do is increase the bodys store of glycogen. Glycogen causes the body to retain water (so much for every gram of glycogen), which can sometimes mask weight loss, or appear to make your weight increase if you have a heavy carb meal, but they do not stop you losing REAL weight in any way).

(**If they help it's purely because they contribute to creating a calorie deficit, not because they kick in some mysterious hidden weight loss process).

This is a great calculator to help you calculate how much you can eat to maintain or lose weight, and you can work out what you would need to consume to lose x pounds over x time frame.

www.precisionnutrition.com/weight-loss-calculator

[Sasmac2017]

@gorgosparta - correct me if I am wrong please do.
But, I do have to say if you don't crank the furnace, it will be slow burning (slow metabolism).

[Gorgosparta]

You must eat breakfast! It gets the furnace (metabolism) all fired up to burn all day long

Thats not true

[SleepFreeZone]

You definitely need to eat more protein as that will keep you full.

[Sasmac2017]

You must eat breakfast! It gets the furnace (metabolism) all fired up to burn all day long. Do you exercise? I do believe diet is very important but exercise is a must. Particularly strength training :) and no you won't be bulky x

[Teddy7878]

Your diet looks low in protein and fats which might be why you feel hungry a lot. Don't go for low fat stuff as it never fills you up.
Also are you drinking a lot of water? I find when I'm dehydrated I feel starving too

[PlymouthMaid1]

Have a read of the low carb bootcamp thread. If you add more fat to your low carb meal you won t be hungry

[Polgara2]

Thank you all for your food options. It is very helpful and enlightening! Inspired by you I had an omelette for my lunch (but need to work on it because it wasn't very tasty). My food cupboard /fridge is still carb heavy I think so the rest of the day probably wasn't as good!

ilovecherries any chance you could elaborate on your 'meatzza' and aubergine moussaka?

I spend a lot of the day hungry teddy7878 which is part of the problem as it leads to my carb heavy snacking.

[buggerthebotox]

Not on thyroxine or HRT but here's my offering:

Breakfast: cup tea/coffee.
Lunch: couple small pieces toast plus egg.
Small yoghurt.
Tea: fish fingers plus veg (peas/sweetcorn).
Fruit.

Snacks: like Kallo Rice Crackers-there's a chocolate version which keeps cravings at bay. Small bits cheese. Carrots/hoummous.

I just count calories up to 1200 and attempt a calorie "spend" through exercise of 3-400. I log it into MFP, but I don't eat it back.

Works for me. You need to find something that works and you'll stick to.

I'm 57 btw.

[tobee]

The thing about trying to lower the carbs is you have to do it for a while to rebalance yourself and realise that there will be cravings at first as you go "cold turkey ". Then you're cravings should vanish; takes about a week.

Having said that you may be to hopeful too early. When it's established that your thyroxine is at the right level I've read people can take a year or so to get all their symptoms sorted after that. . Be kind to yourself- I think you're doing pretty well already.

[thenewaveragebear1983]

To low carb I cut out the big five- pasta, potatoes, rice, grains and sugar (fructose), although in varying degrees of success. I try to do a few days at about 800 calories (as per blood sugar diet) but find it more effective to do BSD as a full on programme rather than intermittent fasting.

With regards to 'what is a calorie' - well, what you've been told is true. It's a unit of energy, in fact it's the amount of energy needed to raise a ml of water by a degree (or with kcal, 1 kilo of water by 1 degree). As tested in a laboratory. But our bodies aren't labs and they have different factors. The calories you eat can have impact on the way we metabolise other things we eat. Different types of food are metabolised differently, and stored differently, and used differently, and cause the other things we eat to also be used, stored etc differently. It's complex science really, and the more I read about it the more I realise just how incredibly complex it is. To begin with I would try to reduce the amount of prepared and packaged food you buy, read labels and avoid added sugars, add good fats to your diet and get rid of low fat diet products, and obviously avoid all the things you know aren't doing you any good (chocolate, sweets, biscuits, crisps, fizzy drinks). It's by doing this and cleaning up my diet that then allows me to stick to the calorie allowance needed to lose weight because it calms my hunger, rebalances my insulin and improves my mood which are all the things that make me fail at 'diets' .

[Teddy7878]

Also don't fear feeling a little bit hungry now and again. I've learnt to just ignore it instead of automatically going in search of a snack. I can now tell when I'm genuinely hungry and when I'm just bored

[ilovecherries]

At the moment I'm doing 16:8 intermittent fasting in addition to low carb, but I had lost a stone of the 20lbs before I started that. When I was still eating breakfast, I'd typically have had some type of omlette or some full fat yoghurt.
Lunch today was leftover 'meatzza' (basically pizza with a base made of minced beef rather than dough) along with a green salad (spinach/lettuce/cucumber/green pepper with an olive oil dressing)
Dinner is around 8pm and is home made aubergine mousakka (made with cream/cheese/ lamb mince but no flour or potato) with a side of spinach and kale.

It is unlikely that I will be hungry between these meals, I'm not usually, so I'm not snacking. I might have a coffee with cream if I want something, or a mug of marigold bullion. If you are interested in trying low carb, I suggest you visit one of the bootcamp threads. On the first post there is always a link to a spreadsheet with lots of resources and info. It's not for everyone, but I'd be doing low fat, high carb for years without success. I feel better than I've done for years.

[INeedToEat]

Like the PP I pretty much always eat the same thing for breakfast and lunch - I like not having to think about it.

To low carb I don't eat bread, rice, pasta, potatoes or fruit. Obviously cut out sweets, crisps, chocolate etc..

B: 2 boiled eggs
L: plate of veg sticks with some hummus

D: what every one else is eating but minus the carbs and replaced with more veg or salad.

I rarely snack but when I do it's veg or slices of proper (white) meat.