One year into my Unsuccessful diet (food diary included)

[weightloss21]

I'm looking for advice on where to go next as I feel I have hit a brick wall and not sure what else to try.

I'll try and make this as short but informative as possible.

I have always struggled with my weight. From last January I decided to track my food more carefully and start intermittent fasting by not eating breakfast and having black coffee instead. Within this time I have done the strict keto diet but didn't lose any weight.

Instead of going over every diet I have tried etc I will just write down my food diary more recently. Snacks can be from 0-3 per day and / means or.

More recently:
Pre - 2nd lockdown - work full time 5 days a week, on my feet all day job.
Breakfast = black coffee
Lunch = nothing/apple/babybell
Dinner = soup/stew/jacket potato/salad/meat&veg
Weekends = roast/spag bol/pasta etc - higher carb food

2nd lockdown - wfh sitting down most of the day. Upped exercise to 2/3 days a week (at home) either exercise bike or HIIT.
Breakfast = black coffee
Lunch = Salad/omlette/soup
Dinner = meat & veg/ fish & veg/ salad/ soup
Snacks = fruit/cup of tea,coffee,hot choc/babybell/boiled egg

Since last Monday (25th Jan) - reduced eggs as was eating a lot before.
Breakfast = black coffee
Lunch = Protein shake
Dinner = meat,fish & veg/ salad/soup
Snacks = apple,orange/sugar free jelly/teaspoon of peanut butter/cup of tea,coffee

I have a cheat meal once a week which usually consists of something like = lasagne/cottage pie/pizza/pasta and bowl of ice cream and a choc bar eg twix, mars bar etc

Since last January I haven't lost any weight. The first lockdown I didn't have a cheat meal but it didn't seem to make a difference (or I was losing it and then putting it back on).

My current meal plan isn't working so I am not sure where to go from here. Please do you have any suggestions/share your food diaries as I am at my wits end!!

It sounds like you need a week of weighing absolutely everything to make sure your portions aren’t off.

This is partly why I have cut out breakfast and now having a protein shake for lunch instead incase I was overestimating my portion sizes. I then just look at the packaging for the calories of a particular thing and can work it out and often overestimate in case they are approximate.

But I obviously do need to work on my portion size as I thought a tin of soup to yourself was ok

I'm with you @weightloss21 I'm a bit heavier than you, I'm super active and eat around 1800 cals (of good foods) and I just don't lose weight. I've been this way for years and tried almost everything. Burning 3-4000 cals per day, plenty of exercise and walking and still nothing. Thyroid is underactive but supposedly within range but weight is creeping up slowly year on year. I've even tracked foods to the exact gram before so it's not that. Frustrating

You have been eating too few calories historically (when you restrict too much your body responds by cutting your output to match, so you’ll feel lethargic, cold, your skin and hair/nails suffer). Unfortunately if you just increase your calories now your body will store the extra as fat.

This is my biggest worry!
I will definitely read those suggestions thank you.

I followed my fitness pal for a year and went from 15 and a half stone to 12 and it didn’t feel like I was on a diet really, I never deprived myself and ate lovely food but the crucial thing I did was to weigh everything, you may be surprised how much you are underestimating your calorie intake.

Yes a 3-egg omelette is quite big

I haven't eaten eggs for the past two weeks as I was eating eggs a lot and think it could have been part of my problem thinking they are 'heathly'.

Have you tried egg white omelette? 1 whole egg (to give it colour) plus 3 egg whites comes in at 120 calories compared to a 3 egg omelette at 204 calories and it has more protein.

Have you tried egg white omelette? 1 whole egg (to give it colour) plus 3 egg whites comes in at 120 calories compared to a 3 egg omelette at 204 calories and it has more protein.

No I haven't but I love eggs so I definitely will!

A tin of soup is about 200-250 calories on average in my house (chicken and bacon, cream tomatoe and pea and ham) but I bet you don't just have the the tin of soup. You have the bread with it?

3 egg omelette? What else goes into it apart from 3 eggs? Oil/butter in the pan? That's easily another 100-150 calories you're not accounting for.

You eat too much, and probably not the right things.

Weigh your food. Account for every single ingredient. Move more. Your heart rate needs to be elevated to enter fat burning stage, you won't be doing that on a walk either.

All the rest diets etc are bull. It's all the same, you need to eat less and move more. Every fat person does.

(Medical issue aside obvs)

I say this as a previous fat person, so I learnt the hard way.

I would eat a whole tin of soup for lunch.

The issue with the omelette isn’t likely to be the eggs, it’s what else you’re adding. I would eat a three egg omelette for lunch.

It’s highly unlikely that those are the things that are causing you not to lose weight.

I was 15stone (probably a bit more tbh as I don’t have scales in my house, so could only weigh myself once I could go to mum’s over the summer!) in May last year. I am now 13 stone 9lbs.

I aim to eat about 1800 calories a day, give or take, and input everything into MyFitnessPal. I tend to have a day at the weekend where I don’t track but still aim to eat sensibly (plus at weekends I get out for hikes so need to eat a bit more anyway).

My average weekday looks like:

Breakfast: small bowl of porridge, fruit, flaked almonds or cereal (about 300 cals)

Lunch: Homemade soup & 2 slices of bread and butter (about 500 cals)

Dinner: Pasta and veg, curry and rice, chicken and potatoes etc (between 500 and 800 cals)

Dependent on what I have left I might have a small dessert but often don’t as we eat quite late. I don’t tend to snack either, but if I do that goes into the dessert.

My weight loss has been slow but consistency has really paid off - there’s a noticeable difference and my jeans - once too tight - are now falling off me and I need to go down a size. I will continue this approach, adjusting my total daily calorie intake down slightly every 5-6lbs (eg when I started last may I was eating about 1850, now I aim for 1785). I also weigh everything (which drives DP mad 😂) and quite often do some mental calculations in the evening - do I want seconds/a dessert or do I want a hot milky drink before bed.

I expect continuing this approach will get me to about 13stone by April and then it will become easier again as the evenings are lighter and I can get out for evening walks rather than squishing them into lunch breaks.

I have never, ever lost weight in a sustainable way when eating very low amounts of calories, nor do I think it’s healthy or sensible for adult women to be eating very little, but equally it’s only by weighing absolutely everything (and reducing pasta portions ) that I’ve been able to see how much I was actually eating when I thought I wasn’t eating “that much”.

Forget diets and calories, it doesn't work, as you are finding out!

Previous poster who mentioned Obesity Code is spot on, look it up. There are also many videos where Dr Fung explains why diets don't work and how to fast effectively.

A tin of soup is about 200-250 calories on average in my house (chicken and bacon, cream tomatoe and pea and ham) but I bet you don't just have the the tin of soup. You have the bread with it?

The one I like is 210kcals and I have it on its own. I don't eat bread anyway. Which I would round up to 300kcals.

With my 3 egg omlete I do add butter and things into myfitnesspal too and I round up - so most days I have rounded up at least 100kcals incase I have underestimated.
But that is why I have switched to having a protein shake now as it is not so easy to have a bigger portion size or underestimate the kcals.

A tin of soup is fine. Two tins is fine if you're hungry and it's within your calorie allowance.
You're eating more calories than you think somehow. Maybe your cheat days are more calorific than you think and your deficit during the week is less than you think so you are just maintaining.
I don't believe it's possible that you're eating 500-1200 calories a day and staying the same. It's basic physics.

I have a cheat meal once a week which usually consists of something like = lasagne/cottage pie/pizza/pasta and bowl of ice cream and a choc bar eg twix, mars bar etc

That's your problem, right thre. That cheat meal once a week could easily knock out all your losses. If I were to eat a cheat meal like that on a Sunday, it basically puts me back to where I was the week before.

And I bet there are one or two more little "cheats" during the week, aren't there? A hot chocolate, or a Twix...

Or is it biology? Or both? Either way, science.

The only thing you're "cheating" with that meal, is yourself.

It is clearly about portion sizes, which you admit are huge.
3 eggs in an omelette is a lot, are you at least having it plain?
As for the soup, again to eat the whole can is a lot.
Have something for breakfast and cut out the snacks, reduce your portion sizes and eat on a smaller plate.

allpaddingtonbearsmarmalade

You are eating a lot of carbs. Since last year I have tried to cut out all starchy carbs like pasta, potatoes, bread, porridge etc unless its on my cheat meal.

Do you track these? Or just track calories?
I have had no luck when tracking carbs and I actually wonder if me eating very few carbs 6 days of the week is actually making it more difficult for me to lose weight.

And I bet there are one or two more little "cheats" during the week, aren't there? A hot chocolate, or a Twix...

No I don't cheat during the week as these foods aren't in my home they coincide with the treat day at work so I eat it there which is easier for me to be good at home.

It's not the 6 days of low carbs that is making it difficult for you. It's the one day of high carbs and calories.

You're not on a low carb diet, if it includes hot chocolate, pasta, icecream, chocolate bars, etc etc...

@crimsonlake

It is clearly about portion sizes, which you admit are huge. 3 eggs in an omelette is a lot, are you at least having it plain? As for the soup, again to eat the whole can is a lot. Have something for breakfast and cut out the snacks, reduce your portion sizes and eat on a smaller plate.

3 eggs is 210 calories. A tin of soup is 200 calories. Neither of those things are 'a lot'. It's the extras that bump up tue calories.

I did not realise that having a tin of soup to myself for a meal wasn't something that other people do so obvioulsy that is going to change.

If I had my protein shake = 200kcals
Half a tin of soup = 100kcals
Then that would only be 300kcals a day.

If I maxed out my snacks which is up to 3 a day say on an apple, cup of tea, sugar free jelly then my total would be about 500kcals - without weighing it.

You're eating more calories than you think somehow.

This.
People don’t stay the same weight on 500 calories a day - if you could wouldn’t that be great for those around the world suffering famine and starvation.
You need to weigh and count carefully. I’m sorry but I find it hard to believe that anyone’s ‘cheat day’ can regularly be less than 1500 calories unless your portions are minuscule.

It's not the 6 days of low carbs that is making it difficult for you. It's the one day of high carbs and calories.

I would agree but then everyone says you should never go on a fad diet it needs to be a lifestyle change. But surely giving up carbs altogether would be a fad that people can't sustain?

Realistically you need to stop guessing and get yourself some digital scales and a measuring jug. I expect if you weighed and measured your guestimates you would see where you are having extra calories. Over the course of a week these 'invisible' calories add up.
If time permits try not to eat any convenience foods and cook from scratch.
I wish I could follow my own advice, new job means I do no exercise at all now and cannot face going out in the dark for a brisk walk..scales are going up