Calling anyone that has ever successfully lost weight?

[polka6]

By successfully I mean 1) more than just a couple of pounds and 2) managed to keep it off.

I don't know what I'm doing wrong. I have tried exercising (weights and cardio), fasting (down to one meal a day), low calorie etc nothing seems to work.'

I am naturally small (short and small frame) but have grown a fat lower tummy and chunky thighs/bum. My arms/shoulders are skinny.

I had hovered around 56-7kg for years and suddenly have now hit 60kg. I dont care about the numbers btw I care about my health and physique. I feel embarrassed to wear dresses due to a big tummy bulge and jeans are a struggle to get on.

I feel like this is a turning point and I'd like to nip it in the bud before I continue down this path. Any changes I make don't seem to make any difference.
I have gradually gained perhaps 1kg/year for a decade or so until the recent 3-4kg.

Any advice?!
I work long/antisocial hours and have a fair amount of personal responsibilities meaning I don't have too much time (e.g I couldnt dedicate my life to the gym/fitness or spend hours getting my step count up etc).

I also just always seem to feel hungry if I cut the dietary intake down too much. At the moment I have coffee for breakfast (no sugar, splash of milk), a hot meal for lunch at work (often no "carbs" e.g chicken and veg or a sandwich) and a meal like pasta with lots of veg for dinner. I try to limit my portions. There is 0 snacking. I don't bother buying chocolate/crisps etc to even have the temptation at home. Sometimes 1-3 drinks on a weekend, often 0. Never smoked.

Where am I going wrong?!

@Watchkeys I have lost a lot of weight.
That is the point of my post.
The op has tried everything and was asking for success stories. It has been a long slow process but I've eventually stopped thinking about food and having 'good' and 'bad' days.
Lower food bills and no gym membership fees are another plus.

You've obviously found the right balance for you. OP hasn't, and needs to up activity levels and increase calorie consumption, because she doesn't exercise or eat enough.

'Moderate exercise' is subjective.

My friend lost 3.5 stones and kept it off.
She ate little and often.
Upped protein, cut carbs and alcohol.
Didn't eat processed food.
Ditched diet drinks.
Although OMAD works for some , drastic calorie cutting didn't work for her.
She didn't count calories, just ate natural food, lots of veg (more than fruit).
Good luck 🤞🏼

like others said, eating too less and feeling hungry isn’t a good idea. From what I’ve heard the body goes into survival mode then (it thinks there’s not enough food available) and will try to hold on to the weight.

I lost 12 kg by eating no/low carb in the evening, no sweets or alcohol, and excercised, or at least walked 5k per day. 1800 kalorie intake per day. I used the Noom app to keep on top of these things. Now I’m less strict (just trying to keep my weight rather than losing) but I regularly exercise, still try to go for low carb in the evening, and I’m doing my best to limit sweets (the hardest part for me).

you could also check if there is a health reason for your weight gain. I always was overweight in my childhood and then got diagnosed with a thyroid problem. Keeping this well managed also helped me with weight loss.

I was merely pointing out to the OP that there are options. I think that's what she was looking for.
With so much 'expert' advice it's amazing that obesity rates are so high.

Most weight loss advice will lead to weight loss if you follow it. The problem is that most people find that very difficult.

There isn’t just one way to lose weight. It’s finding something that’s sustainable with the way you like to eat and your lifestyle.

Not referring to mumsnetters in that comment btw!

@PurpleDaisies Agreed!

Hey OP... I'm not much taller than you 5'3" but I'm substantially heavier. Currently 66kg and a small size 10 (I can now even for on some of my size 8 clothes!) I've lost about 4 kg in the past 4 weeks my counting calories and working out 1hr 5 days per week. I used to be 85kg at my heaviest and back then I did more or less the same that I'm doing now :)

Yes, the experts are trained according to science funded by pharmaceutical and junk food corporations. Including NHS and registered dieticians. Plenty of science to prove them wrong, but it's never told to us.

We're advised to eat things that will make us crave food. And the 'eatwell plate' is a weight maintenance diet, not a weight loss diet. It's all a bit of a mess, really.

Go on the James smith academy free calculator and it will give you calorie and protein targets.

Then log your food on my fitness pal (free)

A higher protein diet while in calorie deficit will keep you full while you lose weight. Honest, I’ve never eaten so much!

Too few calories and your body will just stop losing weight as itll keep hold of every possible source of energy.

You should not be hungry after eating, even on a diet.

oh, and check out the fitness chef for more sensible advice.

@Watchkeys yes big pharma and the food industry have absolutely no interest in a healthy population

I have lost 3 stone and kept it off (I keep gaining and losing the last 7lbs). What worked for me is learning about nutrition and what my body actually needs. Stop doing fad diets and eat more. 850 calories is unrealistic- you are likely to give up, feel miserable and binge.

Your BMR is 1500 calories so for a reasonable weight loss you need to be eating around 1200. Initially you will gain weight but it isn’t real- your body will just have more undigested food in you. If you are consistent then you will lose weight. Don’t be scared of fat either- adding 15g of peanut butter to your porridge makes it so much more filling (and tastier!). I really enjoy watching James Smith but I know he isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.

I would try and fit some exercise in. See it as self care- do 30 minutes of yoga in front of the TV or go for a jog. If you have kids go to the park or for a walk. You will feel so much better. At work every couple of hours as a team we walk up and down the stairs (we are on the 4th floor) and at lunch we go for a walk - could you do something like that?

To be honest you need a small breakfast, a lighter lunch (but not just a sandwich) and a meal.

Steps and exercise really help with losing weight and toning up.

I lost 2 st on Slimming World and have kept it off. This might work for you as you can eat unlimited amounts of ‘free’ foods so no going to bed hungry.

The reason for coffee only now is due to all the intermittent fasting rage and supposed medical evidence behind having all your meals within a small window to reduce insulin levels which is said to have a number of health benefits

the “medical evidence” as to why this works is people eat less, so lose weight. Nothing to do with insulin- that’s all hypothesis. On a lay science level it sounds reasonable, but insulin doesn’t magic fat out of nowhere, you have to be eating too much.

i was like you, i had got into a cycle of trying all the fads. High protein, fasting, skipping meals. My eating was all over the place.

i lost two stone and have kept it off by forking out on a diet plan. 3 months of food, breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack. plus a milk allowance and fruit/veg.

it has completely reset the way I eat. I’ve also learned to recognise when I need to eat- if I leave it too long or try and skip a meal I end up so hungry I binge.

i also find exercise drives my appetite. So sometimes I need to be aware that if I exercise less I will eat less, and keep it gentle- housework, walking, general non exercise activity. I exercise in the days I know I will be busy and not have time to eat.

Actually what you're saying is true, at weekends I have peanut butter and marmite on toast and peanut butter sometimes in dates/on apples. And the odd small bit of Cathedral City lighter cheese too.

I feel better when I've walked but also when I do a 60 minute workout (Team Body Project).

When I lost about a stone approx 3 years ago it was over 2-3 months but with fast walking (10-15 minutes in the morning) and 30 minutes at lunch and then after work (not fast) to get to bus stop but increased length (so would walk further). I had vegetable soup and bread (without spread) for lunch plus either a yogurt and/or fruit. I'd also have the odd office snack (someone used to bring in snack M&S sausage rolls and other treats - I wouldn't have a lot but would allow myself one or two bits). The weight loss was significant as before I'd lose 7lb and now it was easily a stone or just over. I also didn't do much exercise in the evening either. And as it was Christmas we had the odd evening out/Christmas party so I factored those in but was careful before/after those nights. You have to have some things to look forward to.

but insulin doesn’t magic fat out of nowhere, you have to be eating too much

No, but it will encourage your body to keep stored fat, and compensate for a calorie deficit in other ways, i.e. some sort of loss of homeostasis.

In other words it will make your calorie deficit bad for you, rather than you using up your body fat to compensate for it.

Yes, that works if you're not trying to change from being overweight with minimal physical effort. Glad to hear it's going well for you

i am the same as @xalo where exercise drives my appetite to a point it’s very difficult to lose weight.

so when actually “losing”- i cut and/or modify my exercise to a point where I can keep within my calorie limit.

i did crossfit 3x a week and couldn’t lose weight. So I took 3 months off, lost the two stone. Now I will go back to it as I can exercise and maintain weight more easily. It’s also better for my joints not having the extra weight, so the niggles have gone. I can now also do box jumps etc as my strength:weight ratio has gone up.

different things work for different people. Cutting exercise short term to lose weight does not mean you need to avoid it forever.

Really really your on the money there. Different things work for different people. I need exercise to lose weight. I've never been a binge eater either, so I never feel like raiding the cupboards/ fridge

*No, but it will encourage your body to keep stored fat, and compensate for a calorie deficit in other ways, i.e. some sort of loss of homeostasis.

In other words it will make your calorie deficit bad for you, rather than you using up your body fat to compensate for it*

not how insulin works. Like I said, on a lay level it sounds reasonable, but insulin does way more than just make you store fat.

unless you’re diabetic you can’t lose homeostasis. Your blood sugar won’t drop below a certain point, and any rise will be temporary until it returns to the set point. Insulin first controls glucose uptake into cells, and only if there’s an excess will it be taken up by fat cells.

but insulin does way more than just make you store fat

Yes. But its relevance on this thread and it does prevent you from using stored fat. That's what it's for, essentially: to balance your fat/sugar usage, depending on what's most readily available. If there's sugar available, the body will prioritise using that, and insulin will ensure that. Which means you won't use fat.

Not sure what level you're working on that's not 'lay', but homeostasis doesn't mean 'maintaining blood sugar levels', and I've never suggested that it does.