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Weight loss chat

A space to talk openly about weight loss journeys and challenges. Mumsnet hasn't checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. You may wish to speak to a medical professional before starting any diet.

Original poster

Weight loss struggle

32 replies

Chewie92 · 12/08/2023 10:33

2 months ago I started my weight loss journey as I'm getting married next summer and I'd love to look and feel my best.

When I started I was 14st 4 which for my height puts me as obese. I've got a goal of 10st but I keep getting knocked down by no weight loss but instead gaining more weight.

I'm in a calorie deficit 6 days a week sometimes 7 (depends if I've caved to a bit of chocolate at the weekend), I exercise 4 times a week which is worked around being a busy mum to a 9 month old, the food I'm eating is as healthy as I can make it and I'm drinking 1.5 to 2 litres of water every day. How am I 2 months later 14st 8 now.

Any advise from others who have perhaps struggled to begin with?

OP posts:
LoveThisUsername · 13/08/2023 01:53

You must be eating more than you think. Have you logged EVERYTHING in my fitness pal or similar to check?

What does a typical day look like?

Do you weigh your portions?

How much chocolate do you eat for it to take you significantly over your calories?

Original poster
Chewie92 · 13/08/2023 07:34

I try to log everything as accurately as possible and I have roughly 1,500 -1,800 calories a day. I fast from 8pm-11am as I heard of so many women having amazing results from fasting. I've gotten better by choosing whole foods which is high in protein and nutrients to stop me over snacking. For the last 2 months I've been eating 2 meals a day with a mid afternoon light snack.

Chocolate is a Sunday treat where I will have a £1 bag of Cadbury button but I don't get the same cravings anymore so I have gone a couple weeks without any chocolate.

I am also burning on average approx 2,400 calories a day with either a workout or a walk. This is why I am left so confused.

OP posts:
SuperSange · 13/08/2023 07:35

Are you sure about that calorie burning figure? I'd be very surprised if it's accurate.

Paq · 13/08/2023 07:41

Agree, you're probably underestimating your calories in and overestimating your calories out.

boboshmobo · 13/08/2023 07:55

You are eating too many calories
Work out your tdee and eat less than that

Be in a calorie deficit for 7 days otherwise you are eating too much .

Count all drinks etc . It's actually very little food unless you are extremely savvy and eat a lot of veg / low cal filling food .

boboshmobo · 13/08/2023 07:56

Also what height are you because eating 1800 / 2000 calories would make me gain weight !

zizza · 13/08/2023 08:02

Sad to say, but I think you're going to need to try to knock off another 500 calories a day if you want to see weight loss. I've been overweight to one degree or another most of my adult life and the only time I've managed to lose weight consistently and significantly was by following the principles behind Michael Moseley's 8 week blood sugar diet (I didn't go down to 800 calories but tried to keep it to around 1000 most days, and finally managed to see results). Good luck

Janieforever · 13/08/2023 08:26

Sorry op, you’re either underestimating your calorie intake or over estimating your calories burned, you are eating enough you are gaining weight, inc eating back your exercise calories.

AllGrownUpp · 13/08/2023 08:29

Write down absolutely everything you eat or drink, you are consuming more than your body needs.

Tailfeather · 13/08/2023 08:32

Well done OP! Have you always exercised? Maybe it is muscle gain? Have clothes felt looser? Maybe it's worth measuring your waist etc as you can lose fat even though the scales aren't telling you so. X

LoveThisUsername · 13/08/2023 08:34

boboshmobo · 13/08/2023 07:56

Also what height are you because eating 1800 / 2000 calories would make me gain weight !

Same here. How old are you op?

Janieforever · 13/08/2023 08:39

Tailfeather · 13/08/2023 08:32

Well done OP! Have you always exercised? Maybe it is muscle gain? Have clothes felt looser? Maybe it's worth measuring your waist etc as you can lose fat even though the scales aren't telling you so. X

Unless she’s Olympic level it ain’t muscle.

Original poster
Chewie92 · 13/08/2023 08:40

Thank you all for the suggestions. I will try and cut calories by a bit more. I'm now worried though about a day when I return to a eating habit which is still fairly normal that I will pile on the pounds again.

In and out calories are all rough. I wear a Fitbit that is as accurate as I know it to be and calories in are as accurate as possible as well. I weigh my food and keep a large amount home made.

I only have 1 cup of tea a day with milk and 1 sugar at lunch time. The rest of the time I only drink water. Never been into fizzy drinks or squashes and I don't drink alcohol so I only record the milk in my tea

OP posts:
Original poster
Chewie92 · 13/08/2023 08:46

Tailfeather · 13/08/2023 08:32

Well done OP! Have you always exercised? Maybe it is muscle gain? Have clothes felt looser? Maybe it's worth measuring your waist etc as you can lose fat even though the scales aren't telling you so. X

I've never really been into exercise. My other half used to and has started working out as he has gained a dad bod which he wants to sort before the wedding. So we work out together and eating better together as motivation as normally I would have given up before now.

Clothes aren't feeling loser at all which is deflating me but I'm still pushing through.

OP posts:
Original poster
Chewie92 · 13/08/2023 08:48

Someone asked how old I am. I'm 31 so know my metabolism would have slowed down. Seemed to slow down majorly when I was about 23.

OP posts:
Sparklfairy · 13/08/2023 08:50

I'm now worried though about a day when I return to a eating habit which is still fairly normal that I will pile on the pounds again.

OP, if you go back to eating what you thought was 'normal', then I'm sorry to say, yes you will go back to your 'normal' weight i.e 14st and then some.

You can't just go on a diet and then go back to eating how you were before. It doesn't work like that.

Janieforever · 13/08/2023 08:53

Chewie92 · 13/08/2023 08:40

Thank you all for the suggestions. I will try and cut calories by a bit more. I'm now worried though about a day when I return to a eating habit which is still fairly normal that I will pile on the pounds again.

In and out calories are all rough. I wear a Fitbit that is as accurate as I know it to be and calories in are as accurate as possible as well. I weigh my food and keep a large amount home made.

I only have 1 cup of tea a day with milk and 1 sugar at lunch time. The rest of the time I only drink water. Never been into fizzy drinks or squashes and I don't drink alcohol so I only record the milk in my tea

Op. Firstly you need to be in calorie deficit to loose and you are not. You’re in calorie excess, hence the gain. And you cannot go back to eating as you were, that’s what has made you this weight, so of course going back to normal would mean gaining the weight back.

to loose weight you need to go into a calorie deficit. You then need to work out what is required to maintain when you get to target and manage to that level accordingly .

uhOhOP · 13/08/2023 08:58

Chewie92 · 13/08/2023 08:40

Thank you all for the suggestions. I will try and cut calories by a bit more. I'm now worried though about a day when I return to a eating habit which is still fairly normal that I will pile on the pounds again.

In and out calories are all rough. I wear a Fitbit that is as accurate as I know it to be and calories in are as accurate as possible as well. I weigh my food and keep a large amount home made.

I only have 1 cup of tea a day with milk and 1 sugar at lunch time. The rest of the time I only drink water. Never been into fizzy drinks or squashes and I don't drink alcohol so I only record the milk in my tea

I think the first thing to address is the accuracy of how many calories you are consuming every day, rather than to just go ahead and cut calories by a bit more, as you said. How would you be able to do that, in any case, when you say the number of calories you consume is only roughly known?

If you log every single calorie you eat and drink you'll know exactly how many calories you consume in a day. You can compare that to your BMR and TDEE to have some idea of whether you need to reduce, and by how much. I like this – www.sailrabbit.com/bmr/ – TDEE calculator. You can also use it to calculate the daily calorie deficit you need in order to lose however many pounds you want to lose per week or month.

Original poster
Chewie92 · 13/08/2023 09:03

Thanks for suggestions. All noted!!!

OP posts:
AllGrownUpp · 13/08/2023 09:10

Remember to log sauces, condiments, oil you’ve cooked with, it all adds up.

SallyWD · 13/08/2023 09:13

I'm really surprised if you can burn 2400 calories a day through a workout or walk. That's an incredibly high number. I walk over 10,000 steps a day and think I burn 400-500 calories max. When I used to work out at the gym the figure was the same.
If you're really in a calorie deficit every day and burning a lot calories and still putting on weight then something is wrong and I'd see a GP for tests! I suppose it's possible you're putting on muscle which is heavier than fat but if this was the case you'd notice your clothes were getting looser.
I think the most likely explanation is that you're underestimating the calories you consume and overestimating what you burn.

LoveThisUsername · 13/08/2023 09:29

I agree. Even when I was going to BMF as a fat beginner, each session only burnt 500-600 calories.

Toomuchtrouble4me · 13/08/2023 09:42

I couldn’t lose on that many calories. I need 1000 a day or less to lose. It’s not the healthiest, or cheapest but I do overnight oats with frozen blueberries for breakfast, low cal soup and rivita thins for lunch and a 350cal ready meal in the evening with a solero or a curly wurly (both 99cals) for my evening sweet tooth. I have 1/2 pink skimmed milk in desperate bottle in the fridge as I do like tea throughout the day. It’s boring but I know it’s 1000 calories, I have all I need in fridge or freezer and it works. If you find you’re still hungry try slimming world. The weekly weigh ins and support do help and you can eat more.
Fasting I’m not great with as I live my morning coffee with milk, but my brother did amazingly well with it but he also cut out bread and all dairy. Lost all his excess weight (4st) in 6months and has kept it off.

boboshmobo · 13/08/2023 09:50

There is your problem , it is forever !

You need to learn to adapt and make fulfilling low calorie food

The way thin people stay thin is they eat the correct amount of calories for their body and height

IrisBearded · 13/08/2023 09:54

I have managed to go from 14st to 10st this year, desperate to finally sort myself out so the willpower was strong

I'm 5ft3 and have consistently lost 1-2lb a week by tracking my calories, keeping processed and low fat foods to a minimum. Carbs usually less than 100g a day.

I only eat between 1000-1200 calories a day . I workout 5x a week and don't include those calories in my calculations.

I fully expect to have to keep to about 1200 cal a day in future to maintain, just the way I am made. I'm not ravenous because I try to keep the glucose spikes down, the glucose goddess in Instagram is good for info on this. If I eat too much sugar/carbs I definitely see an increase in my appetite.

So depending on your current height/weight it's probably that you're eating too many calories by the sounds of it.