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Can't lose weight, what is wrong with me?
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I doubt I've ever eaten 3100 cals in a day. I watch these programs like supersize superskinny and the overweight people eat so much sh!te it is unbelievable. I am not like that at all which is why I get so down about struggle with my weight. I fry nothing except stir fry with teaspoon of olive oil, I don't eat huge portions, i don't eat processed foods or ready meals, have a take away 3 times a year at most and only have one portion which usually don't finish, not mega meals like they do on these shows. I have a one year old baby who eats all the same meals as me so everything has to be low salt, good healthy food- fish or meat with lots of vegetables. I always measure portions of rice and pasta even when not on a diet. Also most alcohol I consume in a week is one bottle of wine. I do all the right things but just doesn't work for me.
TT ;0)
Beebs- Lovely to see you on here, I am on page 120 of your Lighter Life thread. One of those annoying lurkers
, want to read whole thing before I post. Won't be trying LL as just can't afford it but seriously considering VLCD to get myself kickstarted.
I was 10 stone before I had my eldest daughter 13 years ago and put on 2stone while pregnant and another 2.5stone in the year following birth. Struggled for many years getting nowhere on the weightloss front and then tried the atkins diet. It worked really well for me initially, lost 2 stone quite quickly but then plateaued out and took a couple of years to lose the rest. Gave up on atkins during that time and eventually had to restrict myself to 1600cals a day and run 5hrs a week and swim 2hrs a week. Got down to 10stone 4lb but couldn't maintain it no matter how I tried. Just kept creeping up over 11stone even after going to personal trainer and half killing myself couldn't get under 11stone.
Then had another baby last year and all went to pot again, couldn't run due to really bad sickness in beginning and week after that stopped my pelvis separated at back and could barely walk never mind run. The result being I ended up piling on all the weight again. I don't want it taking me another ten years to get it off again.
TT ;0)
Doc tested thyroid etc (looked at me like i was an idiot as I am not overweight but trying to explain that I SHOULD be slimmer considering how careful I am with food and how excessively I exercise). everything fine of course ggggrrrrr
I have come to the conclusion that it's the babies
I think for some of us - our bodies are just very good at adjusting. They make us hungry if we lose too much weight and up and down our metabolism to try and maintain the status quo. Especially post baby. SO many women in our position.
TT - I understand your frustration - I found it much harder after baby no 2 than after baby no 1. Did weight watchers - found that easier than trying to go it alone but it was a slow hard slog.
Things to try - apologies if you have heard it all before.
Morning exercise - 10 mins every day before brekkie (or every week day). (in addition to your normal routine)
I have been doing this for the last few months and it has actually made a difference for the first time in 6 years.
Green tea - you've prob read about this a million times - but it is such a weird taste that it stops me eating for a while afterwards. Gallons of this is supposed to speed up your metabolism.
Protein shakes - instead of 1 meal a day if you can find one that is tasty (that's the hardest part)
Total change of routine - get into a different sport - add in tae-bo or cycling or swimming - def try weight lifting of some sort if you don't already. Feeling strong gives you such a positive buzz.
If your running will allow - cutting back on come of the carbs at night - at least the starchy ones - not atkins or anything daft - just getting your carbs from fruit/veg rather than bread/pasta etc
Lots of water - an obvious one I know.
Can't think of anything else. A good site is www.weightlossresources.co.uk it's subscription so not a free one but it is good and will allow you to track your calories and exercise really carefully.
good luck.
You sound like you are doing really well and I don't envy your job as a childminder - you must be on the go all the time?!! My little one is 17 months and I am exhausted just having him an hour.
I think that you are probably not eating enough and I wouldn't get too obsessive about it all. Your baby is only one, so that you are probably still carrying a bit of baby weight. You are doing an amazing job, surviving on little sleep, looking after home and children, weighing food etc and on top of that fitting in lots of exercise. Wow. I am in awe.
I am now about 10 st 10lb and I just can't shift any more weight. Will get down to 10st 7lb and then boom it goes back on and if I am not careful then I go up and over 11 stone (i am 5, 6' so not big but bigger than I want to be). I exercise 3-5 times a week and am healthy in the week and let myself have a bit of what i fancy and wine at the weekend but I am happier than if i were having to weigh food and myself every day. Be careful that you don't get upset - carry on with what you are doing and I imagine you may have a sudden loss.
Hi TT I did get a bit fierce about lurkers on that thread
, but I also apologised for being such a tw*t about it. 
Have you tried SW, I've had a great first day and am back to eating all the good stuff I first ate post LL and then when I had to go fat free waiting for my gall bladder to be whipped out.
I echo what mommy saysabout not being too hard on yourself, its a full on job/life that you are juggling.
Thank you mommy and gymaddict, you posts were very nice and not patronising like some can be (totally unintentionally so I know, not trying to be horrible to other posters, they are trying to help with no real knowledge of me and how much I have tried and already know about weighloss).
mommy- you sound like you are at point I was 3 years ago when had lost weight the 1st time. The difference between me at 11stone and me at 10st 7lb was huge. At 10 st 7 I looked positively skinny in my clothes( still had a half stone to lose off thighs/tummy but easily disguised by clothing) at 11 stone I was fat and took huge amount of effort to try to get under the 11 stone and stay there.
gymaddict- will give some of your suggestions a try. Might try doing the yoga on wii fit as my new exercise as used to love yoga, had a really good video but it got too old and crackly(bit like me LOL), ordered a dvd of same instructor but just didn't like the new dvd the same. Need to do something that isn't putting pressure on my knees as they are struggling with all the running, walking and wii active.
Might try green tea again, tried it in past and couldn't get used to it but I know you get different flavoured ones now.
Working on the water drinking, have drunk over 2 litres today and I know if I persevere for a week I'll get to the stage were I will be thirsty all the time and won't have to force myself drink.
Have now cut way back on carbs, atkins did work for me in the past so won't hear a bad word against it, not an option for life I don't think but does help a lot of people initially. Not doing Atkins just now but eating lots of fruit and veg and not pasta, rice, potatoes etc.
Never found a protein shake I like (suggestions welcome) but I am using slimfast for some meals so think they are similar idea.
Do often use WLR website for calorie info, join now and again for free trial.
TT ;0)
Hi Beebs,
I struggle to go to classes such as SW as hubby works a lot of evenings and as he is an Independent Financial Adviser he has no set hours from week to week. I also found when I was going to personal trainer a few years back and being weighed by someone else it made me put on weight LOL, mad I know.
Have a running buddy who uses Scottish Slimmers and does really well on that whenever her weight creeps up, she finds the weigh ins help her. Just down to personality I suppose.
I had 2 slice of dry nimble wholemeal toast with a lovely juicy tomato for breakfast. A cafe slimfast for lunch which I topped up with extra water to fill my nice big costa cup, trying to drink as much water as I can any way I can LOL, was suprisingly nice watered down thought it might have been gross. For dinner I had a burger made from mince(no bap) with a cheese slice, 50g of relish and a huge green salad made from watercress, spinach, rocket, raw courgette and spring onion, dressed with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and some black pepper . Have only had 671cals but honestly not hungry, told myself earlier I would have another slimfast and some fruit if hungry tonight but just haven't been bothered. Also had a multibionta vitaamin tablet- didn't count that in my calories though LOL!
TT ;0)
TT, Hi- Been a while since the WLO1600calories monster thread. Knowing you from that it doesnt strike me that you are kidding yourself about the quantities of food/amount of exercise you are doing. That is much much more of a newbie mistake ("but I ran 3 miles, I needed the energybars") Assuming that the doctor dosnt have anyhting to say about thyroid then it must be a metabolism thing then I dont thing more of the same will help. My view is that eating even less and doing more will cease to have any effect apart from to bring you to the edge of eating disorder portions and total frazzlement! My advice is give up dieting for a while. I dont mean stop eating healthily or sensibly just give up the hawk mentality and scrutiny. You are really active, which is great. you have a busy life and lots on your plate (metaphorically). You know the principles of a good diet so it is highly unlikely you would go crazy and gain anymore weight. Let yourself off the hook for a few months and maybe the mental and physical break will help kick start things when you start a slightly more restrictive regime. Good luck. s xxxx
BTW I still make thoses lovoely soups you posted. yum.
I was trying to think back and remember key things about my weight loss, and see if anything from there could help.
The only things I can think of right now that I believe helped me alot, were......
Drinking LOTS of water, at LEAST 2ltrs a day, but try to 3ltrs, I remember reading that for every 1000cals you consume you should also consume at least 1ltr of water, also, I read that a well hydrated body metabolises fat better, its a pain having to go to toilet more offen, but its worth it.
Also, I put a "curfew" on my eating, I wouldn't eat anything after 8pm in the evening.
Breakfast is extremely important, a good low GI breakfast can keep you going through the morning, and stops cravings mid morning, I swear by a bowl of porridge made with water and a handfull of blueberries or other berry.
Personally, I would dump the slimfast, I really don't think things like that are good for you, infact, I really don't like any "meal replacement", IMO, there is NO replacement for a sensible meal.
If you struggle eating large(r) meals 3 times a day, have 6 smaller meals.
Have you tried any of those hypno tapes like paul mckenna and the like? I go through phases of using them. I don't think they are a miracle cure but they are brill for relaxation and (for me certainly) stress hormones can play a big part in weight retention.
Protein shake - I found a nice one online. It's called Whey cooler and it tastes like gatorade - (lemon and lime flavour). Only problem is that the UK supplier seems to be acting up and everyone only has a few tubs in stock. i am hoping this will sort itself out - I get it from my Personal Trainer who has now run out !!!!! disaster.
It has 20g of protein per serving - and NOTHING else (s0 80 cals for 600mls). Tastes great and mixes clean like juice. There is some out there in internet land if you fancy the sound of it.
Danowat: The point of the protein shakes is the satiety factor. They are not magic - they are just a tool like anything else. They help some people - they do nothing for others. We are all different.
I know plenty of folks who thrive and get great success on meal replacements. yes, in an ideal world we would all eat nice sensible healthy meals and be a healthy weight. The problem is that some of us struggle with that and so need a strategy to help. For me, one such strategy is extra protein. It fills me up and I much prefer whey protein to animal protein (veggie leanings) and it allows me to reach my target macronutrient levels more easily. (OCD? - me, never!)
This is why things like lighter life really help some folks. They need to totally cut themselves off from their past eating habits. Meal replacements (even for one meal) serve the same purpose. It's great that you managed to slim down etc on healthy eating. The point of this discussion is that for some, exercise and healthy eating just somehow doesn't quite manage it - or at least does it so slowly that we lose all motivation and go back to square one. If weight loss was so straight forward, just move more and eat less - there would be no obesity problem. It's not that all these overweight folks have no will power and don't want to lose weight -it's just not that simple for a lot of people, too many other factors.
Have just noticed that 2 slices of Tesco healthy living low fat cheese slices give you 20g of protein for 104 cals, with 2g fat and 4g of carb. Would rather add them to my toast & tomato in the morn than a protein shake, not that I am particularly keen on cheese slice, but gloopy and stick to the roof of your mouth, but can't be trusted near a slab of cheese and slices of cheese are just too high in cals.
Danowat- I know protein shake won't help me lose weight but think it is very important that I make sure I am consuming enough protein while on low cal diet and exercising.
I started using foodfocus website (much like WLR) and I only had 50g of protein yesterday so need to introduce some hi protein, low cal things into my diet as should be eating at least twice that amount .
TT ;0)
Protein shakes make you fart like Mr Methane too!
"Make a wish"
Yes, it is a personal thing, but I truely believe that to lose weight, and keep the weight lost, you need to make a life long maintainable change.
I mean, no one really wants to have to live on meal replacements for the rest of thier life.
I just think people want a quick fix, a short cut, but in reality, there isn't a quick fix or a short cut to life long, maintainable weight managment.
The reason people lose motivation (IMO), is due to unrealistic expectations, diets that are uninspring diets, and crappy meal replacements.
Gymaddict- I agree wholeheartedly.
I find slimfast is a good option for me some lunchtimes as it is quick and easy, I am trying to find other quick, easy, healthy recipes that I can throw together at lunchtime for about the same calories and won't get lazy about preparing. Got enough stress at lunchtime trying to feed other peoples children who are always so bl**dy fussy
. Also cost is a factor, to buy lots of stuff for meals at lunchtime often costs way more than the £0.41 per serving it costs for my slimfast (only £0.20 per serving at mo cause it's half price in Tesco.) Will over time find meals that I can substitute for slimfast and just drink the skimmed milk with my meal instead of adding slimfast to it.
Weight down 3.4lb this morning, which is more weight than I have lost in 4-5months. I know if it stays off til end of the week that it is mainly water, but I am happy with that as means I am getting rid of some fluid retention and that is a good thing.
TT ;0)
GA for me LL was plain laziness, it was a no brainer for 14 weeks, I don't have big issues around food, just ate and drank too much and had crept up to fatness. I have obviously drifted back to the old bad habits a bit but am now dealing with it before it runs away with me.
Horses for courses and all that
The best we can all do is eat good healthy foods from first principles but we don't always do what is best for us
Onward and downward TT
Danowat - please don't be discouraged, i wasn't intending or trying to argue with you - i just have a slightly different point of view.
Danowat - I completely agree with you.
Most diets fail because they restrict - this encourages craving, binging, then oops better get back on that yo-yo diet mentality. Change behaviour FOR GOOD is the only way to maintain it.
Certain things 'help' like staying hydrated etc, but ultimately it's down to simple energy in vs energy out... and in doing that you make choices as to what / how much to eat and how much you move about.
Long term, those choices become automatic so you're not on a diet... and if you stay at your ideal weight you're maintaining equal cals in and out.
For the last 2 weeks I've had an extra 8 miles per day workout (walking / running with a dog) and after week 1 I'd lost weight (unsurprising doing 56 miles p/w), so had to up my cals to not lose anymore as I've not weight to lose.
No counting calories, supplements, or special diet - just I moved about more.
I know people who struggle with weight loss may view this as too simplistic but I fail to see how it cannot work (unless you're on meds which mess with your BMR).
Was that a cream puff? (huff)
Danowat- I appreciate that you have lost a huge amount of weight and kept it off without resorting to the methods some of us have. But I have tried your method many times over the past 13 years and it hasn't worked for me. I wish to God it had.I am very happy for you that it works for you and very jealous
(that is supposed to be me green and sick with envy).
I also know that even if my thyroid levels come back ok that doesn't mean that it's not my thyroid that is affecting my metabolism. Just that the levels are within the levels that they won't treat with medication, doesn't mean they are not causing me to gain weight easily and they may well right themselves over time and go back to where they were prebabies. My mum was borderline underactive thyroid for a long time and it did eventually change on it's own. She believes that it was the atkins diet that corrected her levels, whether that's true or not we will never know. It could have been weightloss that did it, could have been the atkins or maybe it would have done it on it's own-don't know.
TT ;0)
Danowat: The point of the protein shakes is the satiety factor. They are not magic - they are just a tool like anything else. They help some people - they do nothing for others. We are all different.
I know plenty of folks who thrive and get great success on meal replacements. yes, in an ideal world we would all eat nice sensible healthy meals and be a healthy weight. The problem is that some of us struggle with that and so need a strategy to help. For me, one such strategy is extra protein. It fills me up and I much prefer whey protein to animal protein (veggie leanings) and it allows me to reach my target macronutrient levels more easily. (OCD? - me, never!)
This is why things like lighter life really help some folks. They need to totally cut themselves off from their past eating habits. Meal replacements (even for one meal) serve the same purpose. It's great that you managed to slim down etc on healthy eating. The point of this discussion is that for some, exercise and healthy eating just somehow doesn't quite manage it - or at least does it so slowly that we lose all motivation and go back to square one. If weight loss was so straight forward, just move more and eat less - there would be no obesity problem. It's not that all these overweight folks have no will power and don't want to lose weight -it's just not that simple for a lot of people, too many other factors.
????????????????????????? I didn't do that honest - wierd
I agree that it is simply calories in/calories out, I just don't believe that every 5 ft 7" female of 140lbs has the same rate of calorie burn and it's finding the level that works for you that is the problem. There are too many other factors involved that can affect your BMR as many of you have admitted yourself by suggesting that not eating enough would slow BMR down to point where can't lose weight.
TT ;0)
Danowat - please don't be discouraged, i wasn't intending or trying to argue with you - i just have a slightly different point of view.