Why is my weightloss plan not working? (calorie restricting)

[itsasecret1]

Hi everyone!

Hoped that someone might be able to offer some advice here. I'm desperate to lose some weight, not loads but enough that I feel confident in myself again. Currently I'm 11st3, 5"3ft and I had a baby in Jan 18. I work at a desk so pretty sedentary lifestyle although the baby runs me ragged and I walk my dog daily.

My aim was to lose 1lb a week by cutting my calories down to 1430 per day. I've been doing it for just over 2 weeks and hand on heart I know I have stuck to it completely, been super strict on myself! Somedays I even eat nearer 1200 calories.

The weight has not changed, and whats worse if I weigh myself in the evening the scales say 11st4! I don't understand it. I know its only been 2 weeks but for the intense hunger I feel I would have thought I'd lose a pound or something!

I'd be tempted to cut the calories more drastically but I have started feeling genuinely weak and dizzy at times, it really feels like a struggle!

Ant tips / pointers / ideas very much welcome?

Oh forgot to add, I am tracking using MFP and I tend to eat 300cal breakfast, 400 cal lunch and 600cal dinner approx. My snacks are always fruit.

I really think you just haven't restricted your calories enough that's all.

I wouldnt lose weight in 1400 calories unless I was doing a ton of exercise.

I lose weight on 1200-1300 calories per day. I'm much heavier than you and also have a sedentary office job.

This is all really helpful guys, thank you.

This is an example of what I eat on an ordinary day at the moment -

Breakfast:
Porridge oats with honey and chia seeds
Cup of tea with semi skimmed milk
Glass of water

Lunch:
Small bowl of edamame beans with soy sauce
Oat bar
Popcorn
Cacao bar with almonds

Then I usually have a tangerine about 3pm and a cup of green tea.

Dinner:
Smoked salmon with Charlotte potatoes (roasted in fry light) and about 1/2 plate of veg and salad.

Generally at dinner times I am just reducing my portion to half what I used to have and making sure most of the plate is veg.

That sounds soul destroying and remember, exercise creates an appetite. I second keto or high fat low carb. It really does crush hunger. Any diet where you feel hungry all the time will fail because you’re relying on will power which as we all know is subject to many external factors

Don't cut your calories further if you feel unwell now.
Try doing low carb plus calorie counting. You will feel fuller and have more energy on the same calories.
Don't weigh in the evening and do increase exercise.

Ok just seen your meals

Far too many carbs hardly any fat at all and personally I find animal protein superior in terms of satiety and you don’t have much of that either. You must be so hungry!!

I would recommend two books - WHY WE GET FAT (Taubes) and THE OBESITY CODE (Fung). They explain how excessive carbohydrate causes weight gain (the key is the hormone, insulin). And whether the carb is sugar, fruit, rice, wholemeal or not it is all the same..

Maybe try increasing your protein? That would help you feel less hungry. Your meals look quite carby. I’m a similar height and moderately active but I would have to go lower than 1400 for sustained weight loss.

Thank you guys.

Can anyone recommend any foods? I started having oats for breakfast as I read they were a good source of protein /filling for the start of the day.

@Siameasy thanks so much, I will certainly look into these books.

Omg just saw your meal plan. No wonder you're starving.
Eggs for breakfast, a big salad or huge soup or even a protein bar I like because sometimes it can be difficult to grab anything when I'm on the go, I rarely get a proper lunch break.
Loads of water throughout the day.
Snack on veggies instead of fruit - carrots are way less calories than apples for example.
Then an evening meal again filled with protein and loads of veggies.
You should then have calories left over to add snacks or extras to your meals.

Other things to eat - chicken breast, turkey meat balls, veggie burgers, more eggs! Crayfish and prawns

If I'm still hungry I'll add a slice of toast with peanut butter on. Protein shakes work too. If youre desperate for carbs maybe make your own wedges with a bit of fry light. I swap out pasta etc for more veg - like zucchini spaghetti.

Your lunch is the biggest disaster really, followed by a small evening meal, you must be miserable.
Good luck

You’re welcome. As mentioned eggs are the way forward. Carbs on the other hand just seem to make me even hungrier
Full fat plain yoghurt with blackberries or raspberries which are low sugar fruits. Crushed pecans on top?
I also substitute cauliflower for potatoes. Cauli much lower in carbs, mashed with butter or Boursin is soooo good. (Cook it and mash it through a sieve as it’s quite water logged). So adding fat (butter) to veg will make you meal more filling.

I agree about carbs, you're eating far to many. You need to eat smarter, not eat less. Read The Sirt Food diet for more research. I swear by it, and I have an office job which involves a lot of sitting down. Green juice with some boiled eggs (sounds scrummy i know!) manages hunger and gets your body burning fat. Weight loss really isn't all about eatinf the right amount of calories. Get yourself an exercise ball to sit in instead of a chair and get walking in your breaks. Some people have smoke breaks, have walk breaks.

Are you weighing and tracking absolutely everything? If not then you need to.

I'd try and get more steps in, fast paced sweaty steps. Not a slow leisurely walk. Maybe drop your calories slightly as well, I'm the same height and my maintenance is not far off what you're consuming.

Also watch what you're eating at weekend, with a defecit that small you risk raising your overall calories to maintenance. Good luck OP!

Ok, so its a carb issue! Secretly, kind of glad you all sympathise with my starving ways - I thought I was just being greedy.

@Siameasy the cauli mash sounds delicious, especially with boursin!

I am not a fan of hard boiled eggs, but perhaps I need to give them another try.

Anybody got a good swap for pasta? Its my downfall.

Thank you all once again, you've been massively helpful, I have a ton of reading to do.

Pasta..yes that used to be my addiction
Courgetti? Tbh I often make the bolognese meat and serve it with low carb veg plus cheese on top

I'm eating 1700cals a day, 130g of protein and 175g carbs. I weight train three times a week, no cardio, no cutting foods out and I go over on my carbs almost every day. I'm 5'1.

And I'm losing lots of weight. I haven't restricted anything as long as it fits into my calories- that's the most important thing. It's very restraining and hard to maintain a low cal diet and hard to get in as much fibre and nutrients as you need.

If you train your muscle, you burn off more calories at resting rate, protein fills you up and you don't go crazy wanting foods you 'cant' have.

If you start with cals too low and do cardio, you're going to have to keep decreasing as you are just training your body to run using less and less.

Measure in inches and stop weighing.

Are you weighing your food?

Chances are if you arent your consuming more calories than you think. And yes if i ate that i would be starving but i could be consuming too many calories at the same time too.

@MhysaMhysa thank you. tbh I would love to weight train as I have read a bit about the benefits but I am shit scared of walking into a gym. I always bunked PE at school for the same reason.

@VolcanionSteamArtillery Yes I've been weighing everything!

I weighed myself this morning and I have actually lost a measly 1lb. Yesterday I ate about 600cals in the end after feeling defeated, so maybe thats why.

Are you weighing your porridge, seeds, pasta, potatoes etc? I bet your consuming way more calories than you think with bigger portions and hidden calories.

I'm short and my maintenance cals are 1400. I have to eat 1,000 daily to lose 2 pounds a week and that's with tons of water and low-ish carb. Some weeks I only lose 1 pound.

tbh I would love to weight train as I have read a bit about the benefits but I am shit scared of walking into a gym.

I was in the same boat this time last year, far too self conscious to go to the gym with all the fit people! So I bought some weights and started at home, following books and YouTube videos initially and then body pump DVDs which are intense but get results!

It's much harder to motivate yourself working out at home though, you have to be really committed.

@itsasecret1 Halve your carbs, seriously. I hate the idea and avoided it for months, and I can't say I don't miss pasta, but I have carbs in moderation and the weight is coming off much easier. You're pretty much living off carbs and salad, which is not great for losing weight or hunger!

@AnchorDownDeepBreath Okay then! Thank you for putting it so simply for me.

Just to be clear, carbs = potatoes, bread, pasta?

What is popcorn, oats, beans?

If you eat lots of protein and stay on or under reasonable calories, there is no reason to cut carbs. Carbs will give you daily fluctuations, not permanent ones. You'd have to eat the exact same thing every day to avoid fluctuations.

I think people expect to see results too quickly sometimes. When you lose weight, your fat cells empty, fill with water and THEN shrink. This takes the body time, loss or gains seen overnight or even weekly are very rarely accurate.