Need help with my diet

I am stuck. I've lost nearly 3 stone, gone from 13st 12lbs to 11st 2lbs. I've been trying to shift the last stone for a year and it just won't budge. I don't know if I'm eating too much or not enough, but I'm evidently doing something wrong.

I lost 1lb last week by eating, for example:
Brekkie: honey nut shredded wheat with skimmed milk
Snack: clementine
Lunch: brown roll with John West Weight Watchers coronation tuna
Snack: apple
Dinner: tabbouleh with some grilled halloumi, or small fillet of salmon with veg and some spaghetti
Snack: orange
Lots of water, 2 cups of coffee

BUT my typical weekly exercise looks like this:
Monday: straight to gym from work, then teach 2hr dance class
Tuesday: 1 - 1.5h run with club
Wednesday: straight to gym from work, then attend 2hr dance class
Thursday: no exercise
Friday: straight to gym from work
Saturday: no exercise
Sunday: long run, usually 1h 45m

What am I doing wrong? Help!

Comments

  • It may seem a strange thing to say but it looks to me like you're not eating enough! Perhaps your metabolism has shut down? Have a look at the 'feeling hungry' thread under 'training' and see how much everyone else eats!
  • No, it doesn't seem a strange thing to say at all, I was starting to suspect that. Thing is, if I eat any more, I don't lose any weight. I'm stuck. And disheartened.
  • Twinklemel, are you perhaps overestimating how much you need to lose? Maybe you're the right weight for your build?
  • yep your definatly not eating enough
  • You lost 1lb last week, Twinklemel? That definitely isn't "stuck"! And you are not eating too much by any standards.

    Are you brave enough to TRY eating a bit more - an extra 500cals a day or thereabouts - consistently, and hide the scales for a fortnight? I suspect you'll be pleasantly surprised.
  • Ah, but my 1lb loss last week was the first loss since about October.

    I'm reading the Hungry thread as recommended, in the hope that I can pick up some wisdom there!

    I'm only 5'2", so I am too heavy. I'm 70kg. Too fat for my weight, I'm sure. And I'm not happy with my body, which is way more important than what the scales say. I have a huge wobbly stomach, because that's where my body loves to put all the spare fat, while my arms are fairly thin.

    I just want to shift around a stone and then get off this weight loss treadmill I'm stuck on. :-(
  • yep but at the amount you are eatig your body will be sacrificing fluids and lean tissue instaed off fat . this is very commen in very low calorie diets


    I have an article on this on my website at www.xhog.co.uk (in Fad diets section)
  • Twinks - chuck your scales. Don't live your life by a number. How do your clothes fit? If the waistbands are a bit tight then fair enough. But you are deffo not eating enough - with the amount of exercise you do, you should be quite firm rather than flabby - bear in mind that muscle is heavier than fat.
  • The trouble is if you have been eating at too low a calorific intake - when you start eating correctly you will initialy put on weight as your body grabs hold of the callories and holds onto them

    This is cos you have probably caused your metabilism to slow down

    eating at the correct level will rectify this then you can look at loosing weight on a structured weight control plan
  • PP - I don't want *these* clothes to fit! I want smaller clothes to fit! :-)

    I am a 12 in trousers and 14 in tops.

    My thighs are firm, but my front between boobs and legs is flabby. Yuck. :-(

    I don't know what to do!
  • Size 12 in trousers and 14 in tops sounds OK to me, Twinklemel. And you may find you're never quite "right" aesthetically for your own critical eye.

    When I was training hard, I completely lost my boobs but still had an impressive set of saddlebags.

    If it's just your tum that's the problem, think about liposuction. Seriously. It's the only reliable way to spot-reduce.
  • Pilates (or similar) will tone the underlying muscle up. The skin may not be able to recover that much if you've lost a lot of weight in a very short time. If your body has been needing & not getting nutrients, this may be the case.

    As Will said, your metabolism has probably slowed down. Your body as it is, is probably in starvation mode & won't lose any more until there's a drastic change in your routine.

    I know how you feel, I managed to lose quite a bit in a short time but then got to the last half stone & got injured. Would be happy now to stay at 10 stone...
  • If you want to firm up your front, why don't you try doing Pilates? Even doing it once a week will make a difference.

    Also, when you run, how hard are you running? Too much or too little effort won't be helping your weight loss, even if you are running for a long time - you need to hit an optimum fat-burning level.
  • BTW twinks - we all want smaller trousers to fit!!!

    :o)
  • Twinks, just a thought, but your breakie sounds a bit iffy to me. All those honey nut cereals are very sugary (with a high glycemic index). Also, a bowl of cereal does not give you a "full up" feeling. Have you tried investing more calories (of a low G.I. nature) in breakfast. Personally I find a bowl of porridge or a couple of slices of home made brown bread keeps me going until lunch.
  • A good breakfast is

    A bowl of poridge made with skimmed milk with some dried fruit & honey
    Slice of wholemeal toast with low sugar jam or thin sprad of helathy option peanut butter
    Activ Yog' type drink
  • That's *HUGE* breakfast to me! Should I eat all that?

    I had two slices of a low fat banana bread this morning with a glass of milk. Is that ok?
  • You should aim to eat about 25% of your daily caloris at breakfast to give you a good start to the day and provide the energy you need

    I'll post some alternitve breakfast ideas this afternoon
  • Have only recently started eating 'proper' breakfasts again as attempt to boost energy and put on a bit of weight.

    Would be interested in alternative, tending to stick to Shredded Wheat or Weetabix and banana. Usually tempted into adding something a bit sweet to it, such as granola or crunchy based cereal to add interest. However, aware that these are probably sugary and not so healthy.

    Interested also in how to break down rest of calorie intake. Up usually at 6am, but tend not to want to eat breakfast until 8am when at work. Lunch then post run at about 2 or 3pm then dinner usually 8 or 9 when I get home from work. Rarely snack between meals - find it very difficult to eat anything between those fixed times. Would be glad of advice / suggestions

    (apologies to Twinklemel if it sounds like I've high-jacked thread, not intended...just that the discussion has raised some points I'm interested in)
  • Theres nothing wrong with snacking but stick to a midmorning and midafternoong HEALTHY snacks of about 50kcals to 100kals each - thngs like a bit of fruit or a few nuts, seeds, sugar snap peas, sliced carott & Peppers etc or a sports bar of some type

    Other alternitves for breakfast are poached edd on wholemeal toast (I do my eggs in Microwave) with a natural yogurt with fruit/nuts added and a glass of OJ

    Id say avoid the sugary Carials and stick to thisgs like porige & screaded wheat - you can make these more interesting and/or sweeter by adding things like

    * Banana
    * Dried Mixed Fruit
    * Nuts
    * Honey
    * Cinimon

    There are many ways to split your diet, it is all about finding what is right for you - but a good breakfast is very Important

    But on a whole i'd advice a 4 meal per day (pls a couple of snacks) as a good starting point - some people even split it down further to a 6-meal per day plan

    eating small meals more frequently is a good aproach to maintaining energy and not fealing hungry

  • also when prepareing a meal, activley think about portion control - most people get this all wrong

    for example when looking at a plate for a main meal (lunch or dinner etc) divide the plate in 4

    * 2 quaters should be Veg
    * 1 quater your carbs (rice, pasta, patato etc)
    * 1 quater should be your protien (preferaby from a lean sauce)
  • ...finishing off a small bowl of Shredded Wheat and an apple - very interesting tips there WildWill.

    Concerned about eating sports bars / protein bars though. Have been recommended to do so, rather than a more traditional chocolate bar or pastry. However reading about fat contents etc, some of the protein bars seem to have a concerning level of fat / calories. As result tend to steer away from them. Any recommendations there?
  • you're best sticking to fruit.

    there's some real sh*t in some of those bars.
  • Yes, Sam, in your case I'd recommend eating more of 'em. You NEED fat and calories and should not be "concerned" about them.
  • That's what concerns me Toria. Would they be any better / worse though than a pastry/choccie bar.
    Its my usual post long run treat on a Sunday - protein bar, pot of coffee and Sunday papers. I used to have a cheap pastry or two from Sainsburys (cinnamon whirl or similar), or a big flapjack, or even King sized Mars Bar.
    Perhaps a tuna sandwich and fruit would be better?
  • Sam - why don't you make your own flapjacks? They're just oats, butter, golden syrum, dried fruit - bung them in the oven for about 20 mins and they should last for the best part of a week. They should be ok - at least you know what's in them.

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