I've been feeling quite down recently and searched some weight loss forums and this one popped up.
I got with my boyfriend 3 years ago and I have seemed to just balloon (literally). I've always been a size 10/12 but now I weigh 14 stone and I'm a size 16.
I finally got my act together and joined the gym a few weeks ago, I've been attending the classes/gym regularly and have completely changed the way I eat... I've cut out all my fizzy drinks (coca-cola addict), I've swapped my sugary teas for herbal teas, I only drink water now. I always have a healthy breakfast and lunch, I have dinner with loads of vegetables and I have been cutting my carb intake some nights.
I know it's only been 3 weeks and it's a slow process but my weight doesn't seem to be shifting at all and it's quite disheartening, I would have at least thought I would have lost something... Even half a pound maybe?
I would really appreciate if anybody could give me some pointers as I'm literally on the verge of quitting altogether.
Hi, Lolly. Sorry to hear that it's not going as fast as you like. Are you measuring your food? You might still be eating a lot of calories depending on what you cook your food in. So, try to count calories for one or two days and see how that works.
If your muscles are sore from classes, that means they could be retaining water that's hiding your weight loss. Water weight also fluctuates very easily depending on what you eat from one day to the very next day.
You can also try intermittent fasting. Try not to eat anything after about 7 at night and stop drinking an hour before you go to bed. That usually works when I'm stuck, but it's still a matter of finding out what works for you, so try many things and see what your body reacts to the best. Since your weight gain happened recently, try to remember what type of diet you had at your smaller size. Did you change your diet in any sort of drastic way or maybe started eating a lot more? If not, it might be good to have a check-up just to be safe.
Last edited by MatchaPocky; 03-03-2016 at 10:45 AM.
I generally don't eat after 7.30pm latest and I went to the doctors for them to check my thyroid but it's fine.
I've always been one of those people where I can eat and eat and eat and not gain anything, I've been 14 stone for quite a while now and I still wouldn't put the weight on no matter what I've eaten, but obviously when your in a relationship your food intake rises, ordering takeaways or going out to eat after work at 4pm then going home and having dinner as well so, I know that that's what's caused the weight gain but I've stopped doing that now.
And no I haven't been measuring my food, I'm not sure how to do that. Someone also mentioned counting calories, but in my house hold we eat a lot of fresh food so I'm not really sure how to count calories in half a broccoli or a chicken breast if you know what I mean, or if I make a salad etc.
I've been doing really well lately with what food I'm eating, also I work on a high street so it's really easy to go out and grab a McDonald's for lunch which I didn't do on a regular basis any ways but I've been avoiding all that heavy food and preparing my lunches at home.
It's just really disheartening at the moment cause I thought I was doing really well and when I spoke to one of my friends the other day, she told me she's lost nearly a stone in weight and she doesn't attend the gym as regularly as me and her food intake isn't the best.
I've never dieted in my life before so I'm not really sure what I should be doing besides eating healthily.
No problem! Since you said this is your first time I wanted to be really thorough, so I apologize in advance if you already know some of this or if it is redundant! This is how it works calorie counting:
Calories in vs calories out is the basic weight loss equation; There is also a lot of other factors that effect this equation from person to person, but it's a good place to start out. There are 3500 calories in one pound, so you need to burn that many calories to lose one pound.
You can look up a bmr calculator and it'll give you an approximate amount of calories you should eat to maintain your current weight. If the calculator doesn't ask what your fitness level is (sedentary, lightly active, etc) multiply the number it gives you by 1.2 to get your daily calorie needs for a normal day (out of bed but without exercise).
I just type in bmr calculator on google and use the first link.
Eat and exercise so that you're about 500-1000 calories under that number, but stay at least 1200 net calories a day so you can fit in your daily nutrition. If you're not hungry, don't drop far below this number for more than a day or two. Anyway, by cutting 500-1000 calories a day, you should lose about 1-2lbs weekly.
These calculators aren't always entirely accurate since people differ but they give a good estimate for most people. Remember as you lose weight, this number will go down. So always check back every 10-20lbs or so.
Example:
My bmr is 1982 x 1.2 = 2378 calories to maintain my current weight if I don't exercise on a routinely basis.
I eat 1200 calories a day on average. 2378-1200 = 1178 deficit
Seven days a week = 1178 x 7 = 8,246 calories a week.
Each lb is 3500 calories so = 8,246/3500 = 2.35lbs lost a week, which is a little less than my average per week for the last month. That's, why I think the calculator I linked is fairly accurate.
Weight loss is not linear however, some weeks your loss might be a little, and then a lot the next. Still weigh in on a comfortable basis to make sure you're losing but try to look for average monthly trends to gauge your goals.
To measure your food, buy a food scale, pre-proportioned food or find anyway to accurately weigh your food. Measure your food and any oils you use before you cook or mix your salads, and compare it to the nutrition labels. Then, add up your calories that way. If it's fresh, Google will usually have a good nutrition estimate of most things in various ways (like grams vs. cups) if you just type in the food to the search bar. We also have calorie charts in the calorie counter support forum.
I like using grams to measure whole food since cutting and chopping can effect how much you can actually fit into a cup, and cups/tablespoons for liquid and sauces.
I hope this helped! But I just wanted to say, you're doing really well by eating fresh food. That's already a step towards being healthy and just because the loss is slow right now, doesn't mean you shouldn't be proud of feeding your body well so keep at it! Take your time and don't let yourself get overwhelmed. Even if you slip up, keep going towards your goal in a way that's comfortable for you.
It is disheartening when you don't see the weight coming off straight away. In my experience it is always at least one of 3 factors:
1) Training ineffectively in the gym.
2) Eating too much/too little of the wrong things.
3) Not recovering well enough.
To remedy this you need to take a couple of steps. Follow these rules and update us with your progress:
1) Download MyFitnessPal on your phone and you can log in online and track your calories (very easy even if it is "half a broccoli", just hit search on the app). Make sure you are eating in a calorie deficit by at least 300 cals. Make sure your protein intake (ie meat, fish, egg, etc) is high. Also increase your water intake to at least 2 litres.
2) Train using big, strength building movements such as squats, deadlifts, overhead press. Then combine this with cardio interval training to increase calories burnt throughout the session and even after the session!
3) Make sure you get between 7 - 9 hours sleep. I know this one is difficult but your cortisol hormone levels will be high if you do not sleep enough. Cortisol encourages muscle loss and fat gain! NIGHTMARE!!
By the way I live in London too in case when i say country walks you think that isn't doable (when I don't go off away for weekends i do home county walks) Google walks or get the time out book.
Or have you a climbing wall near you? Or if you are on Thames, canoeing or stand up paddle boarding. Or say biking in one of the forests like Epping or the Olympic velopark. So much stuff to do in London!
Another way is to fill your time up with fun active stuff and you will exercise without even realising it!
Haha................Who needs country walks? I'm also a Londoner and I find taking the tube into Bond Street to drool at beautiful clothes is a massive motivation for me. I've fallen in love with fashion again, after years of fitting room nightmares.
PS I may study Bond Street, but I'm far more likely to buy at H&M
Best of luck Lolly, You can do it. It takes time to work it all out and get it just right for you
Hello from London & Please Help Me,
