What am I doing wrong?

[TurtleStar]

Long time lurker, first time poster so please be kind and apologies for the long post!

I’m trying to loose weight for my wedding (October this year). I use the Fitbit app to track my calories in and out.

Diet
Breakfast - Overnight oats with almond & coconut milk, almonds, various fruit and a few dark chocolate drops. At weekends I have porridge or toast.

Lunch - This varies from soups, low-cal ready meals and leftovers from dinner and the occasional sandwich at the weekend.

Dinner - Normally max 500-600 calories, usually Joe Wicks recipes. Saturday is a take away which my DP loves and isn’t willing to stop. I know it’s something I should cut out but I look forward to it all week.
Sundays I do a long-cooking dinner such as a Joe Wicks pie or casserole which also gives me lunch for a few days.

I snack on fruit in the afternoon and the occasional piece of dark chocolate in the evening if I have it in my allowance.

Exercise
I commute by bike to work 4 times a week. It’s just under 4 miles each way with a big hill in the middle and takes about 30 mins. I walk for 30 mins during my lunch break. I do Body Pump twice a week and am doing the Couch to 5k plan 2-3 times a week.

Most days my Fitbit says I am under on my calorie allowance and I can see some changes as my muscles are becoming quite defined. I was 170lb and lost 10lbs quite quickly but have been stuck around the 160lb mark ever since. My goal is 140lb (if not less) and ideally need to be as close to that as possible by the end of March/April so I can go dress shopping.

Sorry for the long read but please help me figure out where I’m going wrong and what I can do to improve.

Thank you!

How long have you been dieting like this? It takes time to lose weight. It didn't go on quickly so it'll take as long to lose it.

Exercise doesn't contribute much to weight loss. It changes your shape which is why you can see your body changing. Walking/running is only about 100cals per km. Cycling is even less. If you eat back your exercise calories you will maintain not lose.

The usual advice us that a loss of 2lb a week is sustainable but tough. Weight loss isn't linear, it goes up as well as down. As long as the overall trend is downward you're doing well.

Are you weighing/counting your food accurately? The overnight oats sounds great but it could be 400+ calories of food in one meal.

Quite simple, calorie deficit. Weight loss ebbs and flows - eat less calories & see what happens.

Don't count your exercise calories & 'eat them back' either. Aim for your true TDEE daily, regardless of what exercise you do.

The true premise of every diet is eating less than you use. If you are, you will lose weight over time.

I see alot of cardio but weights only like twice a week (with BodyPump)...

I personally would do weights more and Cardio less.

Studies have shown that after weights your body continues to burn calories, even when you sleep. I can find the link to this study should you require it.

You've done magnificently to lose that 10lbs. It's also normal to plateau for a bit. Keep working through it. Try not to focus on it too much. If necessary, change up the workouts a bit to keep your body guessing. Your body gets used to the same stuff after a while.

Also, try not to focus on the scale too much. Can you take measurements of your arms, chest, waist, hips and thighs? Sometimes we don't budge on the scales but we lose inches because muscle replaces fat, and is more dense.

Portion size? Food choices sound fine, but you could easily be overdoing amount. Weigh and measure everything & keep track of calories. Limit & control snacking.
Looking at what you say you are eating, you could easily be in 2500 cal range, at which point you will not lose weight. Agree with others: do not eat your excercise calories.

You are eating too many calories. I eat 1200 a day and its a lot less than your daily total.

E.g. my day yesterday
1 piece wholemeal toast, peanut butter, half a banana

1 chicken breast, lots of green veg, few drips olive oil, squirt of light mayo

Veggie lentil shepherds pie with sweet potato mash and broccoli
Low fat yogurt

That's around 1200 cals. I'm losing a good 2lb a week. I ignore my exercise calories.

Also ditch the takeaway!

Too much bread if you're having toast and sandwiches at the weekend. That's over 450 calories in just bread likely.

If you're having leftovers then that's 2 x 500-600 calorie meals a day, that's your 1200 calories gone straight away.

Your almonds and dark chocolate are probably 100 calories + straight away.

How much fruit are you eating and are you counting all the calories from this?

Depends how strict you want to be ......

🙄🙄 also worth noting that what works for one person will not work for the another...

FazAckerley there finds 1200 calories enough to get her through the day. That does NOT mean you should follow suit!
1200 calories is a massive deficit compared to the 2000-2500 recommended calories.
I ended up bingeing on that amount of calories. And yes I tried it. So again, it really is whatever works for you. Try it and see.

I now get in the region of 1500-1600 calories a day. I workout 4 days a week for a max of 40 mins. All of those are weights with a little bit of HIIT. I also have a cheat day every week which consists of protein pancakes in the morning with butterscotch syrup and grated chocolate, sqeeuzed lemon juice and coconut sugar. I'll then do something like baked beans and cheese on toast for lunch. Snack on chocolate or biscuits if I like. Maybe an alcoholic drink. Tea might be a takeaway. I like to live my life. I don't know if I've lost weight but I know my arms are so much more toned and I have an ab or two showing (something I never had before).

I personally find that much more manageable and sustainable.

Good for you. I'm eating three meals a day, I don't need to snack, I'm 52 and need to lose 10kg. If I ate 2500 cals a day I'd be the size of Belgium. I eat good unprocessed food. I walk 4 or 5 miles a day. I don't eat takeaways or drink. When I've lost the weight I'll probably eat a bit more. The blood sugar diet is apparently very healthy and that's only 800 cals

Have you tried tracking absolutely everything you eat and drink in a whole week? I find that when I don't track I mindlessly eat "healthy" snacks which can easily add 300 calories per day.

I've also found that the "calorie tracker" on things like FitBit need to be taken with a pinch of salt. They really aren't very accurate.

Finally, I think (though not 100% sure) that to lose 1lb per week you need a calorie deficit of approx 3500 calories per week. I have to stick to 1200 calories per day and accept losing weight slowly because I can't cut my food any more than that without being unable to get vital nutrients.

The blood sugar diet is apparently very healthy and that's only 800 cals

And "fasting" diets involve getting through the day with just 500 cals. 1200 per day is absolutely fine - and I find it pretty easy when I cook for myself from scratch. If I'm hungry, I eat. But because most of my diet is veg, unprocessed carbs and protein I am actually rarely hungry except for mealtimes.

Yes snap angela

Ah... I wasn't attacking you or deriding you there Faz

Just saying that what works for some, may not work for others. It's always important to mention it on diet and exercise threads.

Its fab you've found something that works for you.

Saturday is a take away which my DP loves and isn’t willing to stop. I know it’s something I should cut out but I look forward to it all week.
Sundays I do a long-cooking dinner such as a Joe Wicks pie or casserole which also gives me lunch for a few days.

^

There could be 3000 cals ina takeaway I. E. One meal.

pie or casserole which also gives me lunch for a few days.
^

So you end up eating pie 3/4 days per week??

That's what your problem is.

Yes of course you are right plink I've tried a few things. This seems sensible to me as it's everything I like in moderation. I'm not a big cake or takeaway person. I love toast and wine a bit too much

Firstly, you are doing brilliantly! All that leaps out at me is you're eating too much overall and I'd reduce the carbs if it was me, so not oats, sandwich, toast but instead egg based breakfast etc. I know I bang on about this whenever I get the chance, but read the 8 Week Blood Sugar Diet. Quick easy read, makes so much sense, easy to do as it's not so much a diet as a different way of eating. I had no idea I was going so wrong before. Now breakfast = some combo of egg, avo, tomato, mushroom not muesli/porridge etc, lunch = protein + veg/salad not sandwich etc. Really, really works. (IMO forget the Fast 800 - it's just 8 Week BSD followed by 5:2 diet with 800 cals on the fasting days ie nothing new.) I think eating a bit less and swapping out the carbs will have the weight dropping off you. (Let dp have his takeaway and you have something else at same time.)

Toast drool

God I'd have 3 slices in one go if my body would let me 🙈😂😂

It does sound like you might be eating quite a lot of calories. It could easily be as much as 2000+ there depending on portion size.

Maybe try swapping out the oats for some yoghurt with fruit or a couple of boiled eggs. Get plenty of protein and you'll feel fuller. Grilled lean meat or fish with a salad is a good dinner option. Treat bread, pasta and potatoes the same way you treat cakes and sweets - good as a one off treat but not an everyday food. Also take care that you're not drinking calories and forgetting about them (milky teas and coffees, lattes, fruit juice, fizzy drinks, alcohol etc) and that you're not underestimating your snacks. Don't rely on exercise to create your calorie deficit, treat exercise as a bonus.

I'm just slightly heavier than you and I'm on 1200 - 1400 cals per day with three weight training sessions per week plus one longish run (5-10k). I'm steadily losing about a pound or two a week doing this and I don't generally feel hungry so I'd say maybe aim for around that ballpark?

You're eating too much.

Ditch the chocolate and the takeaway. As a PP said, eating pie several times a week won't help you lose weight.

The 'recommended' 2000-2500 kcal a day is a big fat lie. Most women don't need anywhere near that amount. Anything between 1200-1600 should be fine.

Get rid of the chocolate ( on breakfast oats ? Really ? )
No take always
1 piece of bread ( Max ) a day
Loads of water , no soft fizzy drinks , no snacks
So
B Greek yoghurt and berries
L veg soup , opensandwich , salad bowl ?
D stir fry with loads of veg , chicken breast , salmon . Steak
I think you’ll have to be really strict , and cut out carbs