I'm stuck! How do I lose more?!

[itsgettingweird]

Hi.

I've been up and down about 9lb the past few years.

Various things going on in life including death and my own health issues.

Whenever I lose weight I manage really well to lose those 9lb.

I've done it again quite easily but I seem to get stuck at this weight once I get there. Previously it's been the cause of me giving up (I think but unintentionally).

I do not want to this time.

I've decreased my calories again but I'm already 300 a day under the recommended amount of calories recommended for me to lose 1.5lb a week.

Any suggestions?

I agree with intermittent fasting, I stop eating at 7pm and eat again at noon the next day, managed to lose the extra pounds that wouldn't shift. No calorie counting or restrictions, ate what I wanted between 12-7pm

Sorry missed this, why don't you adjust the hours to work around your schedule, idea is to fast 16 hours eat 8 hours.

So if you get up 5am, eat 10am - 6pm, take sufficient food for the day to work, maybe try that for a couple of days

I would definitely increase your protein and fiber. Both will keep you fuller for longer.

Don't decrease your cals, no point eating 1200 cals but being starving. Much better to keep your cals reasonable and be able to stick to your plan.

You have to be patient!! Weight loss isn't linear. Your looking for a decline of weight over time.

For reference I'm shorter with a bmi of 21.5 and I eat considerably more calories. I am active but exercise has virtually no effect on weight loss. Being generally active (which sounds like your are) has a far bigger impact.

Keep going, weight loss really does take time and we loose it at different rates. No app can tell you you will loose x pounds a week. Some weeks you will loose nothing, some weeks you will loose a lb.

Enjoy the process, make it work for your life otherwise you won't stick to it.

Good luck

Nine that would be ideal but I get 20 minutes to eat between 8.30 and 3.30 (and some days I've not got lunch until 1.30/2pm due to the nature of my job) and if I'm lucky a quick bit of fruit at 10.30.

Then I'm straight to training with ds and not home until 7.30/8.30pm.

I'd love to really do some swimming and fasting but it just is impossible with my lifestyle.

Calorie counting is about all I can guarantee will fit in and that I can resolutely stick to with life disrupting my plans!

If I limited myself to 8 hours eating I'd either have to skip breakfast and lunch or skip an evening meal - neither of which time wise and the amount of food I can manage in one go have worked when I've tried. Which is really annoying!!!!!!

Good news is weigh in this morning and I've lost another 1.25lb

Enjoy the process, make it work for your life otherwise you won't stick to it.

Thankyou. This is exactly what I'm having to do - make it for my lifestyle. Which I accept is very different from the norm. I think I need to get my head round the fact all the ideals I'd like to follow don't won't work.

I'm going for general lifestyle change and healthiness and maybe need to be more patient.

And maybe stop obsessing about every lb and start enjoying the benefits of feeling healthier full stop.

For a start I should start being proud of myself for doing this whilst also quitting smoking nearly 5 weeks ago!

I don’t really have any advice on the weight loss plateau because I am stuck too but I just wanted to say it sounds like you are doing really well with your new food choices and you sound so motivated. I wish I was as committed as you! I’m sure you’ll get there.

Oh, it’s only a week? Then it’s not a plateau, you’re just being impatient, weight loss isn’t linear.

This! Your weight fluctuates daily and hormonal changes can have a huge impact, weight loss is not linear and a week is too short a time to measure progress.

You need to be more patient (I know it’s hard), a plateau would be no changes after 3-4 weeks. If you give up every time you have a week with no weight loss you’re going to be stuck in a perpetual cycle of losing and gaining the same few pounds.

Up your calories a bit, eat more protein and take a more longer term/life style change approach.

Weight loss comes in chunks. Your hormonal profile will impact water levels and therefore weight. As @BIWI said, you're eating loads of fruit, which is essentially sugar.

I'm 5'8" and found that a good diet to lose weight was:

M: full fat (10%) yoghurt +/- raspberries (low carb fruit)

L: salad with protein of some sort (cheese, meat, avocado, etc.)

D: meat with lots of veg.

Cook meat in oil. Add oil to salad as a dressing (I used to put oil and cider vinegar into a bottle, then give it a shake before dressing the salad).

You're not stuck if it's only been a week! Remember that weight fluctuates with hormones etc.

Agree with more protein and fibre. Also - ditch the diet coke. It's got a terrible effect on the body. It gears up to deal with sugar and then gets none.

I’d listen to the Steven Bartlett podcast with Dr Mindy Pelz - it is about fasting but it’s really opened my eyes as to why it matters, even if you can’t do it everyday. It also talks about hormones, insulin resistance and how to link eating to your cycle.

I think you’ve got too much sugar and not enough protein and healthy fat in what you’re eating.

You need to start your day with protein.
An egg would work alongside the banana. Or porridge made with skimmed milk.

Have some string cheese mid morning alongside the apple.

Stop eating grapes. They are sugar bombs.

Have some spinach salad with the chicken breast at lunch. The rice cakes are empty carbs - dump them.
If you need something filling, have brown rice with the chicken and spinach salad.

Your dinner is too late and too carb heavy. You need to stop eating white potatoes and refined pasta.
Switch to whole wheat pasta, maybe a small sweet potato. Brown rice is another healthier carb option at dinner time.

Beans of various types and in various forms are also filling and very nutritious. You could have lentil soup, green split pea soup, bean chili, bean enchiladas, and much more.

You can have a few strawberries after dinner.

You need significantly more vegetables in your diet - broccoli, cabbage, chinese canbage, peppers, green beans, peas, cauliflower, occasional carrots, parsnips, turnips.

You need to broaden your protein choices: eggs, tuna, other fish, low fat cheeses.

Why are you avoiding gluten? Have you had an intolerance diagnosed or is there some other reason?

Are you using an app to log and weighing absolutely everything ?
I changed from slimming world to calorie counting Luke this and quickly lost another stone .

I use nutra check and weigh everything!! Or scan it .

You may be over estimating your calorie deficit .. it's impossible to not lose if you are in one .

I also have a wonky thyroid so it def works

You need to stop drinking the Pepsi. It's teasing your metabolism.

You could have a square of dark chocolate instead.

Im same height as you 5ft 7 and started the year at 13 st 5. Im down to 12st 3 by cutting out UPF and sugar pretty aggressively. Not doing any calorie counting. Still a way to go and it’s falling off slowly but it is coming down so I’m happy!

I'm intolerant to wheat.

Tested for coeliacs but that was negative but told to avoid wheat because it causes too many digestive issues.

Yes everything is scanned and weighed.

And I'm entirely honest with the app and myself if I eat something like a cupcake (homemade and logged as total ingredients divided by number of cakes)

My friend does slimming world and eats what she wants at weekends. I thought I may do that but even at weekends I'm on it because I just don't want the crap because I feel so much better.

Interesting thing is that I'm getting more dehydrated despite drinking loads and weeing much more.

So I'm going to up my fluids even more.

Unfortunately I can't eat any earlier in evening because I'm not home. But will look at brown rice as an alternative because that's a positive choice I can make.

Walk 6k 4 times a week. These are the days I eat more calories.

Why are you eating more calories on these days? I eat exactly the same amount of calories irregardless of if I have gone to the gym that day.

Also, 6k isn't even 4 miles. It's not that far, and most certainly not enough to merit extra food.

You're also eating very little protein. Ditch the rice cakes as they are devoid of nutrients - you want to eat nutritionally dense food. Eggs for breakfast is a good place to start. For lunch - a whole chicken breast and leafy greens or a salad with an olive oil and vinegar dressing. Healthy fats like olive oil are good for you.

Interesting thing is that I'm getting more dehydrated despite drinking loads and weeing much more.

You should speak to a doctor about this.

Op I suggest you revisit your old posts where you list your diet - because a year ago it was a heck of a lot better!

you said oats for breakast
Chicken and grains for lunch
and then veggies and fish / meat for dinner

Damn sight better than now! 😂

itsgettingweird · 28/01/2023 18:17

I find diets so hard to stick to because I end up craving the foods I've cut out.

So I've massively changed my diet and upped my walking.

I'm no longer getting hungry and craving the wrong foods as a quick fix. I'm no longer even wanting much in the way of sweets and chocolate which was a side effect I didn't expect!

I have

Overnight oats made with a muller yoghurt for breakfast.

Cous cous, red onion, peppers and chicken for lunch.

Dinner is usually chicken or ham. Grapes, beetroot and sometimes rice cakes.

I also have extra grapes and the poppits lentil crisps.

If I'm extra hungry I have hard boiled eggs, apple, toast.

If I have a sweet tooth I make hot chocolate.

OP the above diet that you used to be on… is brilliant!

You must be starving.

I am 10st and eat:

2x sourdough, 2x tbsp hummus, 1/2 an avocado, 2x poached eggs and sweet chilli sauce just for breakfast!

lunch is leftovers, today was pasta bolognese with loads of cheese

dinner will be a Thai green curry with basmati rice

also had about 4 squares of dark chocolate.

i only drink water and 1 can of fizz a day.

I'm not eating "extra".

My calories for losing weight are 1770 a day.

I'm eating 1200-1500. I eat 1500 the days I walk because the lower amount isn't enough for me to get through the day as I have a very active job also.

Someone upthread suggested I stick at 1600 every day and so more on all days. This still leaves me in deficit of 450 calories per day if I eat that amount.

Problem is I just don't want that much food but will be getting extra calories as I'm adding in an egg for breakfast.

Going to try adding yoghurt with my fruit at lunch too for extra protein.