Why have a lost nothing? 5 weeks and counting.

[boxoftoads]

So I've been hitting the gym for 5 weeks now and tracking food on my fitness pal. Mainly reducing white processed carbs and sugar. I'm nearly 40 and anaemic.

Each week I've done at least HIIT spin twice, an hour with a PT, a further 30 minutes with another PT and a session or two of weights and light cardio by myself.

I wear a heart rate monitor and try to hit 10,000 steps every day. Water coming out my ears.

I took 3 days off at Christmas but I was in the gym doing spin Christmas Eve and Boxing Day.

Not a single pound has come off and stayed off.

Any ideas? Fat ratio remains almost exactly the same. BMI is 28

What am I doing wrong????

[Graphista]

Do you only drink water? I'm wondering if you're drinking calories?

[boxoftoads]

I drink water, green tea, black coffee as the anaemia is still here and occasionally I end up flagging.

Fizzy water if I'm craving a can of something fizzy.

[boxoftoads]

The link says 2100 maintenance calories a day, done with my most recent body fat.

[Fionne]

Op, are you logging your calorie intake and expenditure on something like MFP?

[PostNotInHaste]

I get that this must be incredibly demoralising I think though that there is a small chance this is related to Christmas and your menstrual cycle combined with new exercise regime. Some people gain before their period and again at ovulation and sometimes only have one week a month when they see the weight go down. If this coincided with a few days off over Christmas the extra food then could have masked some loss.

Being 5 foot and having 21lb to lose my personal view is that a 2lb a week loss is going to be pushing things as that is 7000 cals a week deficit and I think it could well be hard to sustain that with the exercise you’re doing and given your anaemia. I

A few days at maintainence to give yourself a psychological break and stave off any feelings of deprivation is an idea. I’d be a bit careful at this point about the calories from your tracker, i’ve read of some people who found theirs significantly overestimated. My Fitbit to start with but got more accurate over a few weeks and is pretty accurate with my loss being what is expected using the data from that and Nutracheck (similar to My Fitness Pal), it’s not linear though.

Sorry if you have already said, have you been measuring yourself? Sometimes inches come off before the scales move. Also some people seem to find that a new exercise routine creates a stall in weight loss. You did go down a couple of pounds, hopefully these will come back off followed by a bit more shortly after. Did the move back to 10 stone 10 coincide with your period or ovulation at all?

[boxoftoads]

Yes I'm tracking with MFP.

Weight has fluctuated in line with my cycle.

I'm currently sitting on the couch debating a McFlurry run to Maccys.

[PostNotInHaste]

I firmly believe in not overly depriving yourself but try to keep things like that at mealtime where possible and worry if you eat that now it won’t help with a good night’s sleep.

What about deciding you won’t have it tonight but will have it tomorrow if you still want it?

Where are you currently in your cycle?

[9GreenBottles]

One of the things that I always read on the MFP boards when people weren't losing weight was that eating 1200 calories wasn't enough. If your maintenance calories are 2100 and you are averaging 600 calories through exercise, you should probably be eating more.

Good luck. It's hard enough work without your body not showing you any results.

[boxoftoads]

just finished my period, start a new pack of pill on Monday.

McDonald's is one unit along from the gym. Temptation is always there!

[PostNotInHaste]

Hopefully you will see a difference on the scales next week then. Crap place for a MacDonalds to be!

Hang in there, really horrible when the scales don’t move. Mine stuck at just over a pound total loss for 3 weeks when I started C25K and I remember feeling pissed off as still had loads to lose but it was easier to take on the chin as I’d lost a bit by then - very hard at the start.

It’s very little consolation at this point but you’re the same weight as you were at the beginning of December despite Christmas and you hopefully have lost a couple of pounds which will hopefully show again very soon.See where you are the middle of next week maybe and then decide how you’re going to move forward?

[boxoftoads]

I think so, perhaps it's time for Low Carb boot camp or 16:8.

Low carb breakfast doesn't take my fancy though. The thought of eggs and bacon first thing just doesnt sit with me, never has.

I can't think of a low carb breakfast I'd like.

[PostNotInHaste]

I’m not very good at low carb but i’m sure others will be along with some suggestions tomorrow. I don’t do 16.8 but have sort of fallen into 14.10 I think which works well for me.

[BIWI]

You don’t have to eat bacon and eggs! In fact there’s no special breakfast food. That concept was invented by Mr Kellogg's eat al.

Eat anything. A continental breakfast of cooked meats and cheese, or some full fat Greek yoghurt with vanilla, or low carb sausages with mushrooms ...

... or just leftovers from the night before.

[boxoftoads]

Well here's a thing and let's call it the power of mumsnet.

I'm 3 pounds lighter this morning. New weight 10 stone 7.

[PostNotInHaste]

Result

[LyraPotter]

Are you tracking your calories? That makes more of a difference than exercise (the exercise is very good though!)

You may also be developing muscle from the exercise which weighs more than fat x

[boxoftoads]

It's been a few days and the 3 pounds is staying off.

I've been looking online and can't see any link for my kidney issues and weight loss. GP next I think.

Tracking everything through MFP, calories, carbs, fat etc

Been hitting the gym every time I can.

I'm still starving, even on a pseudo low carb diet. Perhaps I just love food too much

[Graphista]

Firstly tannins prevent iron absorption so the tea/coffee will not be helping the anaemia. If you're tired/lethargic you're also more likely to crave carbs for the energy boost.

Personally (and I am overweight myself gradually losing - even despite steroids), I don't believe in cutting out or even largely reducing food groups.

I've tried all sorts over the years decades but what is finally working? Listening to my body. Eating what I want, how much I want

BUT that includes STOPPING when I'm just before "full" because it takes a wee while before your body registers its full. Less healthy choices I wait half an hour and see if the craving passes. If not I have the crisps/choc but I have honestly found more often than not the feeling passes and either I'm happy having something healthier or I'm no longer hungry.

I have also been taking vit d and b complex.

I'm pleased you're now getting results hope it continues for you.

[curlyLJ]

I also don't think you are eating enough (1200 cals is very low) and I think you have probably lost fat and gained muscle - the evidence is in the bigger arms - and therefore the scales aren't shifting because muscle weighs more. I see you have dropped 3lbs now - well done! - and I think if you continue then it will continue to come off.

There is quite a lot of incorrect advice being given on this thread, in particular about the avocados! They are high in fat (good fat) and are very good for you. A common myth is that eating fat makes you fat, but it is sugar, in particular added sugar, along with refined carbs and processed foods (including most breakfast cereals) that are your enemies.

Fat can help you to feel fuller for longer so therefore less likely to crave sweet things. Whoever mentioned the spike in insulin up-thread is right, you want to keep your blood sugar as level as possible and you can do this by eating complex carbs (brown rice, beans, chickpeas, lentils, nuts, root veg), wholegrains, good fats and lots of veg (especially dark green, leafy veg). Also drink lots of water, and try drinking a glass of water before each meal, eat slowly and stop eating when you feel full.

If you try and think of this as a new way of eating for life, rather than another 'diet' and stop weighing and counting absolutely everything, you will still, over time, lose excess weight. If you want to speed up the process, then make sure your plate is at least 50% veg and that you stop eating when you are full (that is a common mistake!)

It is frustrating when the scales don't move, i've been there too, but I started to take measurements and go by how my clothes were fitting and realised things were changing. I found it helped a bit when I did a bit of food combining and eating either protein and veg in a meal, or carbs and veg, eg no mixing pasta, rice, potatoes with meat or cheese. Good luck OP!