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Weight loss chat

A space to talk openly about weight loss journeys and challenges. Mumsnet hasn't checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. You may wish to speak to a medical professional before starting any diet.

Original poster

My TDEE must be so low I can’t lose a thing

31 replies

Brainfry · 03/02/2021 08:13

WFH and only walking a few steps a day from desk to loo / kitchen has seen me put on 10lbs since March.

The last 3 weeks I’ve eaten an average of 1300 cals a day, mainly low carb. I’ve been out for a few 30 minute walks.

I’ve lost nothing at all, I’m 14st! How can I have lost nothing. So demoralising.

How many cals should I be reducing to? Or will it be the sedentary lifestyle that’s stopping it? I’m almost ready to give up!

OP posts:
Buntysbosom · 03/02/2021 08:17

I can only assume that your calorie tracking isn’t accurate. I can’t exercise due to health issues, so I’m very sedentary, but lost at a steady rate from 12 stone.

Are you weighing and logging everything accurately rather than guesstimating? Counting all drinks? Picking as you are making dinner or, if you are logging on MFP are you logging your walks and so eating back the extra calories? That’s the only time I didn’t lose. It hugely overestimates calories burned from activity so better not to log exercise at all.

drspouse · 03/02/2021 08:24

Is there a reason you can't go out for more walks or do some YouTube videos? Do you have a fitbit or similar?
Put your stats into MFP and see what it says for consumption for sedentary lifestyle to lose just a tiny bit (more realistic). That sounds quite low for your weight TBH.

LetMeStraightenMyCrownFirst · 03/02/2021 08:25

What's your TDEE?

ThePricklySheep · 03/02/2021 08:26

How tall are you Smile

BeakyWinder · 03/02/2021 08:28

Don't give up. I'm sedentary, my TDEE is around 1400 so I have to stay between 1200-1250 to shift anything. Weigh your portions!! Books like pinch of nom are great but the portions will be an eye opener - 100g of chicken for example is less than half a standard chicken breast.

Passthewinebottle · 03/02/2021 08:39

What height are you? I've just put your details in the James Smith macro calculator (it uses the Harris Benedict formula as IIFYM does)

Won't let me post pic!

Original poster
Brainfry · 03/02/2021 08:39

I’m 5ft 2.
I think it probably is the guesstimating that’s the issue, I’ve ‘dieted’ many times in the past and was always successful without weighing every morsel.
I did strict low carb a few years ago and lost 3 stone very quickly, for some reason it doesn’t work any longer, seems I’ve broken something within myself, it dropped off last time!

Maybe the fact I’m also 50 isn’t helping, I’m in full blown perimenopause.

Exercise will be the thing I need to do I think, the weather and darkness for walking after work doesn’t inspire me but hopefully as nights get lighter I can force myself out.

OP posts:
Original poster
Brainfry · 03/02/2021 08:43

I also don’t eat breakfast so am combining fasting into this too! I don’t eat between 7pm and 1pm the following day. I will have one or two cups of tea with a splash of milk tho - does this still count as fasting?

OP posts:
Passthewinebottle · 03/02/2021 08:44

Here you are - I've assumed 5'6 but I can adjust if you're shorter or taller

My TDEE must be so low I can’t lose a thing
MistleTOEboughski · 03/02/2021 08:45

If you are doing lowish carb anyway would you consider dropping your carbs rather than calories and do real low carb? Go down to keto diet carbs and see if that helps.

CodenameVillanelle · 03/02/2021 08:45

It's your age, your lack of activity and guessing portions.
If you get a fitness tracker and do 10000 steps a day plus ensure you weigh everything you'll start losing weight as you can be sure of a calorie deficit and your calorie expenditure will be greater.

Passthewinebottle · 03/02/2021 08:47

Recalc'd for age & height, & used 'lightly active'

My TDEE must be so low I can’t lose a thing
Original poster
Brainfry · 03/02/2021 08:55

Thanks all, will start moving more and weighing things rather than guessing. Age brings more challenges than I ever thought it would 😬

OP posts:
KihoBebiluPute · 03/02/2021 09:21

Could you make your 30 minute breaks more energy-burning? You can wear ankle-weights to make your legs work harder as you walk, make sure your route takes you up as many hills as possible, and go as briskly as you can. After a few months of doing this my legs felt so strong I decided to take up running and that burns even more! Also HIIT workouts are a good way to burn more calories when time is limited.

Lexilooo · 03/02/2021 09:23

My work colleague has accelerated their weight loss by increasing movement. Same problem, working from home in a sedentary job means very little movement and it is worse with dark nights and bad weather.

They have solved this by marching on the spot at home. They started doing this while the kettle boils for their cup of tea and then started doing half an hour in front of the TV in the morning, then went to an hour.

Yesterday they managed to exceed 10,000 steps by 5pm having not left the house.

SchrodingersImmigrant · 03/02/2021 10:29

Guessing with calories doesn't work. Be reading fir a surprise when you qeight stuff and see how much it really works out. I think we all had some "omg" moments like that

BeakyWinder · 03/02/2021 11:01

@SchrodingersImmigrant

Guessing with calories doesn't work. Be reading fir a surprise when you qeight stuff and see how much it really works out. I think we all had some "omg" moments like that
Exactly, my brain refuses to accept what 30g of cheese actually looks like Grin rather than what I want it to look like.
SchrodingersImmigrant · 03/02/2021 11:03

I am now so awesome with cheese. It's a science! I can cut with about 3g+/- accuracy after considering density, mould, wetness, consistency etc😂
However, at the beginning my brain tried to convince me that 100g is the onlyacceptable portion 😂

JengaNonConfirming · 03/02/2021 11:09

I'm aiming for 10000 steps a day. I do some of them walking on the spot in front of the TV, or whilst listening in to a meeting. And I dance around to music - we'll, I call it dancing..... Grin

BeakyWinder · 03/02/2021 11:25

@SchrodingersImmigrant

I am now so awesome with cheese. It's a science! I can cut with about 3g+/- accuracy after considering density, mould, wetness, consistency etc😂 However, at the beginning my brain tried to convince me that 100g is the onlyacceptable portion 😂
I'm very good with potatoes, pasta and meat.. but cheese is unbelievably heavy Grin
SchrodingersImmigrant · 03/02/2021 11:35

Cheese is indeed the heaviest food there is😫

CodenameVillanelle · 03/02/2021 11:59

My activity level dropped loads when I got a new job that's all computer based. I take ten minute breaks and hula hoop Grin I did 8000 steps of hula hopping yesterday as I was in a meeting I mostly listened to for an hour. You can listen and hula hoop at the same time! I learnt to hula hoop during lockdown for this reason.

LetMeStraightenMyCrownFirst · 03/02/2021 12:36

@Brainfry

I also don’t eat breakfast so am combining fasting into this too! I don’t eat between 7pm and 1pm the following day. I will have one or two cups of tea with a splash of milk tho - does this still count as fasting?
If you're having milk you're breaking the fast.
bakereld · 03/02/2021 13:01

I'm 5'2 OP, I have to eat around 1100 to lose. I'm sedentry WFH, I go on the excercise bike after work which burns around 250 cals to try an increase my activity levels

AuntieStella · 03/02/2021 14:07

Another snare is to check whether you're using the weight for dry pasta or cooked

And unfortunately TDEE does decrease with menopause

(I'm hanging out in this section again because I have lockdown weight to lose, that compounded Christmas cheer, and I need to get it off again before it settles in and feels at home. And I find threads in this section motivating)