Why am I not losing weight? I feel like I'm doing everything right (for once!)

[feetarekillingme]

My weight has crept up over the years but I've stuck my head in the sand until a month ago when I went to the doctors and was put on meds for high blood pressure. It was the wake up call I needed so I (literally the same day) embarked on a healthy eating plan.

I'm 15 stone, 48 (possibly peri but no real symptoms) and I've been doing Weight Watchers plus have been walking 20-30 mins every day.

I've been 'religious' about logging my food and drinking between 2-3 litres of water a day. I've lost 6lbs in the first month but the last 2 weeks have been barely noticeable losses like 0.2lbs one week and 0.3lbs the following week.

Typical food diary which on WW works out at about 1200-1300 cals daily

Breakfast
3 x scrambled eggs, no butter, but small slice of low fat cheese

Snack
2 x snack a jacks (as a snack)

Lunch
Large spinach salad with either tuna or chicken and with a vinagerete dressing or extra light Mayo. Fat free Greek yoghurt and grapes or strawberries

Dinner
Medium baked potato
Chicken breast or fish (baked with seasoning)
Garden peas
Salad or a can of chopped tomatoes (love my chopped tomatoes!)

If I'm hungry later in the evening, I'll have some fruit or a fruit tea. In Weight Watcher terms this is about 20-21 points a day.

I don't feel hungry probably because I think I'm filling up on protein.

Obviously it's a shock to my system as I've previously been a couch potato who ate crap and maybe I'm just being unrealistic but as I'm really working hard Im hoping for better than teeny losses like that. It seems too soon for a plateau as well.

I even started to worry thinking there's something wrong with me but I feel generally ok. I just want to reduce my weight and the pressure on my body. Im not giving up but I'm wondering what I'm doing wrong here?

Certainly grimly predictable that someone will come along and take umbridge of advice to eat low carb and spectacularly misunderstand that low carb does not mean 'cut out food groups' nor does it mean 'no carb'.

And as others have pointed out there are many of us who unfortunately learned far too late that eating starchy and refined carbs, even in moderation, cause cravings which are uncontrollable. Once carbs are lowered and consist of veg, fruit and beans/pulses (for me) and protein raised, the cravings go away.

I know exactly what low carb means, thank you.

I was the same as you, tried all the IF, low carb, fast 800 stuff even though as a scientist I knew it was all about eating less, I just wanted that quick easy fix.

I ended up doing 3 months on a meal plan, so all meals and snacks provided, just add fruit and veg. Then I couldn’t use my own sabotaging logic -well if I have a chunk of cheese it’s low carb so that’s not cheating, or I haven’t eaten and it’s 2pm so I’ve been “fasting” and give myself permission to eat all the things.

it completely reset my eating habits and I lost 2.5 st. I’m off it now but slowly losing about 4lbs a month- it does seem like I lose the 4lbs in one week and then spend 3 weeks maintaining it 😂. But it is coming off. I am 50 and gone from 170 lbs to 140 just eating as you are, 3 meals and a snack, and being careful with portion size and calories per meal.

This.

You sound like you're approaching this really sensibly OP and have a good awareness of your own relationship with food and diets. You are losing weight slowly and steadily - I know you get people who point out they lost a stone in a month doing low carb or whatever, but ultimately your rate of loss is more sustainable long term (and will be actual fat rather than 50% water weight).

@bellac11 like @RoeK I know what low carb means too thank you. As for cravings, well it's up to the person to either resist or indulge. So many people claim to have insulin resistance but that will be a result of being fat, not the cause. Obviously once someone is very overweight it becomes much harder to lose it again so the best thing is not to get overweight in the first place so we maintain control. Easier said than done I know. It's very easy to gain weight and can be hard to lose it but ultimately we have choices. Im partial to jam doughnuts and would eat 3 in one go but I choose not to. Changing habits is key.

Only 3?

@MrsPelligrinoPetrichor I think my record is 6 when I was 16 and you could buy bags of 10 in Tesco.

Well done on starting OP it’s not easy! Sounds like you’re doing great, stick with it and over time it’s bound to work out. I’m trying too and have been for about 8 months, I am loosing it but slowly. I’m feeling much healthier too. Best of luck 🤞

@feetarekillingme come and join us on the very supportive and sensible healthy eating thread LOSE IT Summer thread. It helps keep me away from the doughnuts 😁

I've been 'religious' about logging my food and drinking between 2-3 litres of water a day. I've lost 6lbs in the first month but the last 2 weeks have been barely noticeable losses like 0.2lbs one week and 0.3lbs the following week.

As others have pointed out, this is entirely normal and to be expected.

From now on, expect loss to come in fits and starts. Some weeks you will lmay lose a couple of lbs or more. Others you may. not lose anything. Still others you may appear to gain a couple.

It's really only if you get to about 6 weeks without any loss that you have an issue.

It depends on what your problem actually was ~ for me it was endless hunger. I’ve quit booze, started drinking loads of water and am staying healthily low carb - it’s coming off with salads vegetables and meat/fish. I am never hungry and when I am there’s no urgency. It’s a relief.

I am 15 stone (or was ) and 48 too. I’ve lost weight but mainly around my stomach. Not sure how much as I can’t bring myself to get on the scales - hopefully I will manage soon.

I would think you’re probably eating more than 1200 a day. I’d be inclined to plug your day into My Fitness Pal to check. I agree with getting rid of all the low fat stuff, switch to full fat.

Resistance exercise will tone you up and is really excellent for you, it’s not a big calorie burner though so don’t be tempted to think that you can eat a bit more if you’re exercising. 90% of weightloss is done in the kitchen.

Have you had your bloods checked? Blood sugar, thyroid function etc?

Yes, I have been double checking on MFP and tracking every bite so defo not over-eating. But I am having bloods done next week for something else and I asked them to add in a full blood/thyroid check.

Consistency is key. You'll get there. You may find you don't lose weight for a while and then drop 6lbs in a week.

Are you also exercising? It will boost the loss

Personally I've found a low carb diet excellent for losing weight.

I have been prediabetic for years. Tested just in the diabetic range earlier this year. I decided to go low carb and was back in the prediabetic range within a month. In 3 months I've lost almost 2 stone and am not hungry at all.

I strongly suspect that limiting alcohol to a tiny amount a couple of times a week has made the most difference.

I forgot to say. I'm now losing weight at a steady1 to 2 lbs a week. Usually 2. I think that seems about right.

Your body is trying to bully you out of making the effort. I’ve had this, keep going, don’t give up and little by little you will get fitter, more active and the weight will start coming off.

Exactly. I'm not following a low carb diet to jump on a faddy bandwagon. I'm doing it to save myself serious health problems further down the line.

Read why we eat too much Why We Eat (Too Much): The New Science of Appetite https://amzn.eu/d/3tyXsnT

If you're consistently losing, but very slowly then the reality is that you're in a calorie deficit but not a very big one. The sensible thing would be to keep going as you are and accept that you losses will be slow and steady. Adding in some exercise (but continuing to eat the same) will give you a bit more margin for error and you might see slightly quicker weight loss, but ultimately it's 80% diet/20% exercise realistically.

Ok, so this bloke is a bariatric surgeon. His speciality is weight loss surgery.

so, if the principles in his book are “science” and based in fact, why is he still practicing weight loss surgery? Surely it would be better for his patients to read his book and follow the principles within rather than undergoing life changing surgery?

do you really think he’s found a magic weight loss formula?

I am fed up of reading about that book. It's posted about on every weight loss thread I've read like it's a magical epiphany for the reader. If I see it in a charity shop I might get it to see if I have that magical epiphany and no longer want jam doughnuts.

A few initial thoughts -

The snack a jacks are empty calories, swap for carrots and houmous, a hard boiled eggs, Greek yogurt etc. Better yet, ditch the snack altogether. Also, swap your lunch and dinner around - a lighter meal in the evening is better.

You probably are perimenopausal and that will hinder weight loss. I'm the same age and for me, even though I was eating in a calorie deficit, tracking macros and eating lots of protein, the weight did not come off even though at one point, I was doing body pump and spinning classes five times a week. The magic bullets for me were weight training and HRT. And even then it took a good few months. In our late 40s, and particularly as we approach perimenopause and menopause, we have to reconsider not only how we eat, but when.

A poster mentioned resistance training not being a big burner of calories. That's not true. Resistance training, particularly weight lifting not only raises the heart rate in exactly the same way traditional cardio does, but it has the best after burn effect because it builds muscle - muscle burns more calories and body fat.

Good luck OP. The weight will shift, just make some tweaks and keep going.

Keep at it, you're doing all the right things and it will work. Make sure to mix up your exercise so incorporate hills, speed walking and muscle work at home like squats.