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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.

Really really stuck, what to try?

34 replies

Twoshoesnewshoes · 19/12/2024 23:22

I’m late 40’s, generally been middle of healthy BMI all my adult life.
now in peri menopause, I’ve been gaining weight steadily over the past three years. I’ve tried 5:2 which used to work, but had no impact.
i have been on HRT a few times, seems to add weight. Currently not on it and not wanting to try it again.
i had been weight training a bit but I can’t now due to a back injury . I walk (hills) most days and have started swimming twice a week.
ive been on FP for two months, weekdays on 1300 and weekdays max 1700 (which is my maintenance amount).
ive put on a pound.
im utterly despairing. My clothes are starting to to not fit, I really don’t know what to do now.
please help!

OP posts:
Firestorms · 19/12/2024 23:24

Mounjaro if you fit the criteria and can afford it.

Twoshoesnewshoes · 19/12/2024 23:47

I don’t, I’m just into overweight BmI

OP posts:
XChrome · 20/12/2024 01:45

To be still gaining weight on calories that low (and with activity on most days) seems abnormal even after menopause. I suggest you have your thyroid checked.
It may even be that your calories are too low. I know that sounds contradictory, but you can't build muscle when you are in such a caloric deficit, and muscle is your engine for burning fat. I don't know what your height and current weight are, but 1300 would be low for almost everyone.

A bad back need not mean you can't strength train at all. There are lots of moves you can still do which don't involve your back. If you can walk hills and swim you can probably do some weight work if you're careful and use good form. Both hill walking and swimming involve the back quite heavily actually.
Try doing seated leg extensions/curls and upper body work. Save things like squats, rows and deadlifts for when your back is better.
I have a chronic back condition and had to eliminate deadlifts, bent over rows and regular squats. I can still do ball squats. That's where you get a stability ball up against a wall with your lower back pressed on it, put your legs way out in front of you and squat, rolling the ball up and down the wall as you go. It puts all the work in your quads and protects your back. You can hold dumbbells while you do it, but if you want to try it, start with no weight to see how it goes for your back.

It goes without saying that you should make sure you ask your doc/physio if it's okay to resume some strength training.

If you do go back on HRT, ask for DHEA and testosterone in addition to female hormones. These will help you build muscle and give you more energy.
I have taken them for ten years myself and have mostly avoided age-related muscle loss.
Just be sure to get the bioidentical ones.

Imonmyway · 20/12/2024 01:49

Are you getting 10,000 daily steps?? That was a game changer for me aswell as calorie counting which I see you're doing

Slawit · 20/12/2024 02:02

I would be interested to know what your eating, I used to believe it was a simple case of calories in should be less than calories used. Unfortunately, its not that simple, not all calories are the same. I have lost a lot of weight recently just by cutting out 95% of processed food from my diet as well as portion size. If it’s not straight out the ground, straight of the tree, straight of the animal then I don’t have it. Then if I have a slow week, I reduce my portion size. How much water are drinking, chances are not as much as you should be.
I also try to include as much super foods as I can. The human body is a very complex machine superfoods help fine tune it to run as efficiently as possible. Best of luck, don’t give up.

Twoshoesnewshoes · 20/12/2024 09:22

Thanks, yes I should count steps and definitely up water .
@Slawit - example day
breakfast one pice of toast with peanut butter and marmite
lunch corn thins with cottage cheeses, carrot sticks
actvia yoghurt
snack protein flapjack
supper veggie chili with rice
three maltesers
and around 83 cups of tea 😁

OP posts:
Slawit · 20/12/2024 15:32

Hi.
Your toast if it isn’t already it must to be wholemeal. Get rid of the peanut butter (sorry) swap this for 2 poached eggs or even 4 for the first fortnight just to kick things into gear. I have 2 poached eggs for breakfast religiously and I’m convinced this is a major part of my weight loss. Your corn thins along with your protein flapjack might be too many carbs, I would swap your flapjack for a high protein low fat no added sugar yogurt, they are double the protein no carb. I Forgot to mention in my original thread I try as much as possible to eat a high protein low carb diet. But I use the word diet loosely I prefer to call it a healthy eating alternative.

Cormoran · 21/12/2024 07:48

Twoshoesnewshoes · 20/12/2024 09:22

Thanks, yes I should count steps and definitely up water .
@Slawit - example day
breakfast one pice of toast with peanut butter and marmite
lunch corn thins with cottage cheeses, carrot sticks
actvia yoghurt
snack protein flapjack
supper veggie chili with rice
three maltesers
and around 83 cups of tea 😁

Why would anyone trying to lose weight eat peanut butter is beyond me. Then ultra-processed food (UPF) for lunch and snack is never going to help you, and that in addition to the corn thins and flapjack, includes Activia, probably your toast and if your carrot sticks are shop bought and not peeled and cut at home, they will have gone through a chlorine bath and citric acid wash. Add to it, the Maltesers, even if only 3, and well, it is not surprising you aren't losing anything and slowly putting on.

Cut the UPF and start eating whole food.
For breakfast switch to a couple of tablespoons of rolled oats with a couple of tablespoons of flaxseeds. or Fresh berries and greek yoghurt, or a soft boiled egg. Even better, alternate.
For lunch have a small chicken breast, cook it at home and slice it into fingers to eat cold or heated with green beans and for dinner have a tiny bit of rice but brown, red or black, and a big mixed salad with at least 6 different vegetables and a piece of oven baked fish.

Tea is fine as long as there is no sugar, and stop snacking. If you absolutely MUST (it appears brits can't survive without snacking everyday, not a single French woman I know snacks ) , have vegetables. Baby Roma tomatoes, sliced red pepper, or fresh blueberries if you need sweetness.
Focus on fresh food, whole food, nothing that goes through an industrial process that can harm the gut microbiome, high in fibre, high quality and variety of vegetables. More than something very saucy like a chili, make a massive tray of oven roasted vegetables, aubergines, courgettes, pumpkin, carrot, leek, .. Ditch jars of sauces, tins of coconut milk if you are using them,

To answer your question about what to do: stop going through restrictive patterns of odd fasting, or macronutrient suppression . Do a pantry and fridge makeover. Eat the foods available when your great-grandmother was alive. Fresh. Real. Nutritious and good for overall health. You want to go fancy, have quinoa, tofu , both have existed for thousands of years.

Onand · 21/12/2024 08:14

As someone who has seen several yo-yo dieters change their lives with Mounjaro I think you should give it a try.

AlbertCamusflage · 21/12/2024 08:32

OP is only very slightly overweight, Onand. Medication wouldn't be appropriate and pharmacies are not allowed to provide Mounjaro in situations like this.

TheRozzers · 21/12/2024 09:04

I can only guess the 83 cups of tea have whole milk and 3 sugars?!

Try the Louise Parker method, cutting out sugar and eating little and often really works.

Twoshoesnewshoes · 21/12/2024 17:21

Thanks everyone!
tea has tiny dash of oat milk, no sugar.
i don’t eat meat.
yes good pint about the carbs, ill go back to protein yoghurt rather than bars.
i eat things like the corn thins because im at work - no cooking facilities, no fridge etc.

OP posts:
Twoshoesnewshoes · 21/12/2024 17:25

@XChrome ill try the ball squats, thanks.
im 5’4 and 10st 3

OP posts:
creamsnugjumper · 21/12/2024 17:26

I'm similar to you OP and I swear HRT made me gain about 8kg over a year, I increased my dose of oestrogen and lowered my calories to 800 for a few weeks and started to drop, I found basically my maintenance which has always been 1500 is now about 1200 and anything above this is weight gain.

The 800 and high protein for 3 weeks seems to kick start some loss, I still have a few kg left to be back to a year ago but I found regardless of training, exercise it I was gaining.

MadKittenWoman · 21/12/2024 17:45

Michael Moseley's Fast 800. I didn't have a lot to lose but I'm only 4' 9" / 145cm so every bit shows. I've lost 9 1/4 lbs / 4 kg in 5 weeks, BMI of 22 and I'm slimmer than I've been in about 30 years. Cut the carbs!

Poisonwood · 22/12/2024 10:26

Do some yoga every day, even just a small amount. This was a game changer for me, at the same age. Not only did I lose weight, clothes fitted far better as I became more toned and my mood and sleep improved dramatically. On top of that, it made me WANT to eat healthier. Meditation and movement. There’s lots of yoga for bad backs too…my best friend (ex dancer) has a bad back and yoga is the main exercise she can now bear to do.

Twoshoesnewshoes · 22/12/2024 11:45

@Poisonwood thats a good idea, I used to do yoga regularly. That’s a great incentive to get back to it.

OP posts:
thisoldcity · 22/12/2024 11:49

What has clicked for me this year is something I've had to do as I've been diagnosed as pre-diabetic so I've cut out sugar as much as possible and reduced carbs and upped the veg in meals. I've lost weight without having to think about it and it's not been my focus as I was trying to cut down blood sugar and wasn't really overweight to start with. I really wish I'd done this years ago instead of calorie counting etc.

Samphire44 · 22/12/2024 13:10

Where are you gaining weight? If it is mainly round your middle I would suggest getting a cgm and testing your blood sugar response. I think you need to up protein in your breakfast and reduce the bread, aim for 30g (through eggs, greek yoghurt, meat, fish, protein powder etc).

Try to get 1.6g of protein per kg of target body weight, so after breakfast make sure you are hitting this. Also you seem to be lacking fibre, aim for at least 30g a day.

Personally I only track fibre and protein and have had good results with body recomposition. I also eat zero upf, it is a lot easier to feel full on whole foods. I maintain on around 2000 calories a day.

Onlyvisiting · 22/12/2024 13:13

Twoshoesnewshoes · 19/12/2024 23:22

I’m late 40’s, generally been middle of healthy BMI all my adult life.
now in peri menopause, I’ve been gaining weight steadily over the past three years. I’ve tried 5:2 which used to work, but had no impact.
i have been on HRT a few times, seems to add weight. Currently not on it and not wanting to try it again.
i had been weight training a bit but I can’t now due to a back injury . I walk (hills) most days and have started swimming twice a week.
ive been on FP for two months, weekdays on 1300 and weekdays max 1700 (which is my maintenance amount).
ive put on a pound.
im utterly despairing. My clothes are starting to to not fit, I really don’t know what to do now.
please help!

Join weight loss resources (or similar) and track calories in and out. Consistently and reliably.
It's boring but very effective, all the other tricks and fads are just ways of restricting calories without counting them. Ultimately its calories in v energy out. You need a calories deficit to lose weight, and a balanced diet to do it healthily and safely. Everything else is just glitter imo

Gwenhwyfar · 22/12/2024 13:16

" if your carrot sticks are shop bought and not peeled and cut at home, they will have gone through a chlorine bath and citric acid wash."

This is the kind of that that puts people off trying to eat more healthily.

As for 3 Maltesers being a problem...

Gwenhwyfar · 22/12/2024 13:19

"Ultimately its calories in v energy out."

Normally, I'd agree, but OP has a calorie deficit and is putting ON weight. Looks like a menopause thing to me.

AlbertCamusflage · 22/12/2024 13:26

thisoldcity · 22/12/2024 11:49

What has clicked for me this year is something I've had to do as I've been diagnosed as pre-diabetic so I've cut out sugar as much as possible and reduced carbs and upped the veg in meals. I've lost weight without having to think about it and it's not been my focus as I was trying to cut down blood sugar and wasn't really overweight to start with. I really wish I'd done this years ago instead of calorie counting etc.

This is the only thing that really works for me, too. If you are disciplined enough to cut carbs right down it can shift your metabolism a bit and cause you to burn fat a bit more readily. It also helps to normalise your blood sugar which has the effect of dramatically reducing food cravings.

The only time I really worked effectively at low carbing, I lost a significant amount of weight and kept losing after I had stopped calorie counting and watching portion sizes. It changes you.

Unfortunately I did eventually fall off the wagon and the carbs have crept up a bit, but (about three years on) I have retained about two thirds of the weight loss I achieved.

(I'm 61 btw, so all this was post menopause)

thisoldcity · 22/12/2024 13:56

@AlbertCamusflage I'm also in my 60s and really wish I'd done this before as I've tried most diets in the past. I think the fact that this was to prevent me getting diabetes gave that extra motivation and made me stick to it. I've been doing it since February and my blood sugar is now out of the pre-diabetes range, I just need to keep it there. I found it also helpful that friends and family understood it wasn't that I was on a diet and 'go on, a little bit won't do you any harm', they knew it was for my health and that I was determined to get my blood sugar in check.

Sunshineandrainbow · 22/12/2024 14:04

I would take hot soup in a flask to work.
I just made Tesco recipe super lentil and veg soup for this week it is amazing.

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