What am I doing wrong?

[DivinityMum]

I feel like I have been on a diet for ages, but have lost 0lbs. I don't get it - maybe someone can explain to me why. This is what I eat most days:

9am: Coffee with oat milk (no breakfast)
12.30pm: Lunch which is mainly a pre-prepared salad (like the M&S avocado quinoa salad - maybe around 300-400 calories)
4pm: One small bar of Dairy Milk OR vegan protein balls OR a protein shake (banana, peanut butter, almond milk, protein powder etc)
8pm: Dinner which is mainly grilled vegetables, quorn, etc.

I don't get time to cook for myself (I cook regular food for the DC) so it's mostly all veggies and shakes. I eat out one dinner a week. Stopped drinking alcohol.

I also try to get 10K steps a day and do weights 3 times a week at the gym.

I am BMI 29 but I have lost 0lbs since I began this pattern of eating several months ago. I can't eat any less - what am I doing wrong?

I have just googled the M&S salad and it’s actually 531 calories. Which is a lot!

You need to stop relying on pre prepared food and prepare meals for yourself.

You’re not calorie counting or portion controlling which is the problem.

You need to cut out 3500 calories a week to lose 1lb. Whatever you’re eating now with the exercise you’re doing, you’re breaking even. So I suggest you accurately calorie count it and then work out how to cut out 500 calories per day (assuming 1lb a week is satisfactory to you)

I assume from what you’ve written you’re vegan?

Join Nikki’s vegan weight loss chat on FB groups, helps a lot in terms of protein.

Have you added up the total calories of your daily intake?

Look into calorie deficit

are you actually counting calories?

I don’t think you are eating anywhere near enough imo.

I used to do strict calorie counting in the early days and it was always around 1200-1400 calories. I assumed I was in calorie deficit as nothing has changed but maybe I need to count again.

@Lifeispassingby

I don’t think you are eating anywhere near enough imo.

It's very hard to judge on the info given. 'Quorn and grilled vegetables' could be any amount of calories depending on portion size and type of vegetables.

The diet sounds high on processed food (in which definition I include quorn).

1. Protein is no where near enough.
2. Snacks - for me, snacking does not work. I do intermittent fasting with breaking my fast with a protein smoothie (12pm), lunch (2pm), and dinner (7pm). 5 small meals or snacking turns straight into fat on me.
3. Protein shake - lots of sugar and fat in here with banana and peanut butter and almond milk. Are you using a full banana? I would be suggesting my favourite - 1/4 small banana, greek yoghurt, spinach, blueberries, protein powder, water.
4. Carbs - keep an eye on your carb intake. Seems it may be a little high? I hate it, but my body turns simple/low GI carbs to fat - rare treats for me now.

I don't think you need to eat less but you would benefit from eating less sugar which is hiding in the oat milk, and any pre-prepared salads, chicken etc.

Here is what I would do if I were you:

1. Coffee with soya milk (it has less carbs and sugar) also if you froth it - it is fine.
2. High protein breakfast/starchy carbs - eat them now if you are going to eat them. Eg pancake made from oats, eggs served with full fat greek yogurt and berries. Or a wrap with scrambled egg and avocado

1. Snack - full fat cottage cheese on two rice cakes with avocado
2. Lunch - Home cooked chicken breast seasoned with herbs and spices, salad leaves, sweet potato, 1 tblsp olive oil
3. Snack - protein shake - ice, almond milk, 1 tblspoon full fat greek yogurt, protein powder
4. Dinner - chickpea curry, quinoa, few salad leaves (homemade)
5. Snack - 3 tblsp of full fat greek yogurt, handfull of berries, 6 - 8 almonds

• 3 litres of water per day
• As a guide for each meal you are looking for a palm of protein, a whole hand of carbs and a thumb of fat.
• Batch cook sweet potatoes and chicken breasts on a Sunday to help make it easier.

My experience and I have gone from 11.7 stone to 8 stone 8 is that it takes a lot of consistency and if you are a small woman like me - there is not much room for just one treat - unfortunately.

@Lifeispassingby

I don’t think you are eating anywhere near enough imo.

Is that a sarcastic comment?

Op the reason you’re not loosing is that over the course of a week you eat enough calories to maintain your current wait. To loose weight at a rate of a pound a week you need to under eat by 500 calories a day.

You’re clearly significantly under estimating how much you consume. And are eating the wrong stuff, High calories like bars of chocolate, protein balls or shakes with peanut butter etc. You’re then eating out on a Saturday but you don’t say what you eat.

So whatever you were counting before you’ve either grossly increased or were counting very wrong.

'Quorn and grilled vegetables' could be any amount of calories depending on portion size and type of vegetables

Exactly and how they are prepared, Ie with oil etc

Ultimately it doesn’t matter, the simple fact is you consume what is required to maintain your current weight.

@Bluntness100 no it was an honest one. I don’t think OP is eating enough fruit or vegetables and not eating breakfast isn’t always great- but as I said thats just imo

It's very hard to judge on the info given. 'Quorn and grilled vegetables' could be any amount of calories depending on portion size and type of vegetables.

Quorn and veggies (or any dinner I do at home) is around 300-400 calories. I avoid carb-heavy veggies and I can tell I am not overeating, I feel incredibly hungry every night.

You’re then eating out on a Saturday but you don’t say what you eat.

The one-night binge was recommended to me as a way to continue losing weight (but clearly not working).

But thanks all, it's all useful feedback - I do realise now that I am eating more carbs and sugars and processed food than normal. I need to figure out ways to reduce carbs and eat more protein, and maybe look at better protein than quorn.

The one-night binge was recommended to me as a way to continue losing weight (but clearly not working).

If you're anything like me, a one-night-binge can undo a whole week of sensible eating .

Unfortunately, weight loss gets slower when you get into the late 20s of BMI. My BMI is currently 26 and it's taking me a couple of weeks to lose each pound. I'm post-menopause, which doesn't help. Frustrating as I'm only a stone off my goal weight but it feels like I'll never get there.

I do have to be really, really strict to lose anything. Refined carbs are disastrous for my weight, so things like your Dairy Milk would be a total no-no.