Why am I not losing weight?

misgrace

Hi folks, I need help, answers and advice as to why I dont seem to be losing any weight.:mad:

Therea quite a lot of you on here on one weight loss plan or another, so maybe someone can give me some tips or at least tell me where I am going wrong.

TBH I am not really that much overweight, but need to lose about 8 pounds,as my clothes are getting tight on me, and my hips and tummy have put on a few inches, I am going on holiday in April and trying to lose it, but its not shifting.

Firstly, I dont eat chocolate, or biscuits, or even chocolate biscuits for that matter, I dont eat cakes, sweets puddings either.
I dont eat meat or fish as I am a veggie, I dont really drink, I might have a couple of vodkas, (biggish ones) every couple of weeks.

This is what I dont eat, so you would think, my god, the weight should be dropping off her, but its not.

Now, I will be honest and tell you what I have been eating the last 4 and a bit weeks, bearing in mind I am a veggie and have been for 20 years, and I cant stand quorn, that soya meat stuff, and all that pretend stuff that looks like meat but isnt ifywm.

I dont eat breakfast, I know you'll all be typing like mad shouting B/F is the main meal of the day, but I have never eaten breakfast for years, if I am home, I might have a slice of toast about 10.30, I cant face anything earlier than that.
I dont eat much lunch, as I am on the go all day, and sometimes forget to eat, but I might have a little bit of salad that I take to work with me, or a tuperware box of fruit, or 2 bananas, or an avacado.
This does me, then in the evening, I will a smallish dinner but without the meat, or I make home made soups with all the pulses and beans, freeze it and take it out when I need it, sometime I will have pasta and a sauce, or a veggie curry, with about 2 tablespoon of rice, and a bit of nan bread.

The last 4 weeks I can count on one hand how many pieces of bread I have had, or chips, I sometimes have a little mash with my meal, or a jacket potato, no butter, but a veggi chille over it, no cheese.

I have been doing my sit-ups and stomach crunches, I walk when I can, and my job is a decorator, so why on earth have I only lost 2 pounds in just over 4 weeks?
My calorie intake can only be about 800 max surely

nearly forgot to add, I do love my tea, and I have always been a lover of tea, I used to drink about 8 mugs a day with over 2 teaspoon sugar in every mug.
Its now down to 5 mugs a day, and 1 sugar, and semi skimmed milk.

So any hints, tips ideas will be appreciated.:)

yoyo1980

YOu need to kick start your metaboloism - skipping meals and not eating reg is a metabolism killer - try lots of smaller healthy snacks to kick things off.

Indie_Kid

Eating breakfast is meant to help with mentabolism - this helps with weight loss.

You're probably not losing weight because your body needs a certain amount of fat and other minerals.

It could just be your ideal weight?

kandyfloss

Your body could have gone into starvation mode because you are not eating enough to keep it going through the day.We all need a certain amount of food in our bodies so that it can carry out essential repairs etc and to help keep up an immune system to help fight off any infections etc.

800 calories a day is definetley not enough.Try eating a bit more for your height and if you want to lose weight sensibly,then a lb a week is more than enough but only if you are taking in enough in the first place.The weight will only come off if you have too much in the first place.You might already be up to your proper weight for you height and body build

Once you are eating properly,and if you still want to get into your clothes then doing some aerobic exercises will help to tone you up and make you look better.

Good luck and try not to worry too much,just eat properly and enjoy life

misgrace

I know what your saying, I do think my metabolisim has disappeared completely, cause the work I do, and stuff I do at home, I know I use lots of energy.
I had been aprox 8 - 9 stone for years, always ate similar to what I mentioned, always been a dec,so have always been fit, yet the last few years its just crept up, and was over 10 stone 4 weeks ago, so have only lost two pounds, and yet I have cut out fatty stuff, TBh I never fry anything anyway, but cut out starch, and yet I cant shift it, I am exercising , amd doing about 80 sits up, 80 stomach crunchers, side bendsa day you name it I'm doing it, its just so disappointing.

Maybe I should eat a bit more, or at least try and eat something first thing in the morning.

Badger_Lady

Hey misgrace! I'm not qualified in any way to advise you, but I am a vegetarian (ex-vegan) who's done a helluva lot of research into diets over the last ten years and has successfully lost weight (I'm currently losing 0.5lbs a day with the help of a personal trainer).

There are two simple things that instantly spring to mind looking at your diet:

1) You're not eating enough calories. Peverse though that may sound, it's perfectly possible to eat too little and end up slowing your metabolism down. Your body is effectively afraid to lose weight because it might need it!

2) You're not getting anything like enough protein. I know you say that you don't like beancurd or soya etc but you're not substituting it for anything else either. Protein is the building blocks of our bodies - it's very filling and will never make you fat. By cutting it out of your diet, you're restricting your calorie sources to carbohydrates (which can provide energy but in excess will be stored within the body) and fats (good fats, mind).

The diet that I'm currently on is the most successful I've tried and has been designed for me through trial and error with my personal trainer... so you might need to tweak it slightly for yourself, but the principles are sound:

Eat 5 small meals per day
This is to speed up your metabolism... each meal is the size of a sideplate, but you never go longer than three hours between meals. Because of this, your blood sugar doesn't drop, you have sustained energy and you build up an appetite.

Protein, protein, protein!
Every single meal - everything you eat - must have protein. I eat a lot of egg (scrambled, boiled, omelette...), tofu, Quorn (not my bag either but I've got used to it) and the dried soya chunks you can buy from Holland and Barrett. You can also use low-fat cottage cheese or Total 0% yoghurt (this has a better balance than any other yoghurt I've seen).

As a rule of thumb, your meal should be 50% protein, 25% carb (wholewheat pasta, potato, oats...) and 25% fruits / vegetables. If you really struggle to find natural sources, a whey protein powder like Sci-MX can help - it's not just for body builders. You can either mix it into a shake, into porridge or into yoghurt and it actually tastes pretty yum.

Always eat within 30 minutes of a workout
You say you do exercise which is fab... I'm told that after a good training session, your body is crying out for nutrition to help repair your muscles, and so anything you eat within 30 minutes will be perfectly absorbed and used.

Have one day off a week
Each week, just for one day, forget the diet. Order a fat, juicy pizza and take it to bed. My last day off was on Friday and I spent the entire day eating different types of cake - still lost weight! This is to stop you stalling on your diet - a good old binge means that the next day the diet has impact again. And because you do it every week, the weightloss is consistent, avoiding that sharp curve you usually get. It also means you can continue having a life with friends!

Your last meal should be 4 hours before bedtime.
Any carbs that you have in the evening are likely to be wasted while you sleep, and therefore stored. So if you must eat in the evening, stick to protein with a bit of fruit, and try not to eat late.

Drink 10 glasses of water per day
Once you start, it becomes easy - you start craving the water. Cruelly, any caffienated or alcohol drink incurs an extra glass of water to make up for it.

Only a suggestion, but it is doing wonders for me. I'm fitter, healthier, have better skin and am rapidly heading towards a size 10 (my goal! I'm currently a 12). So I hope it helps. If you're interested in any of my recipes, gimme a shout

bizywizy

i agree with the others about kick starting your metoblism.

You need to increase the input to match your output and hopefully things will move.

Your body is storing because you are doing a famine/feast type intake which just isnt healthy nor good for losing weight.

Start your meals with a couple of mouthfuls of protein - depending on what you are planning on putting into your diet.

Sounds like you need to plan ahead with your meals so they are ready to go - so maybe some batch cooking up some things may do you some good.

At the moment I do a brocolli and mozzerella cheese soup which is easy and lovely.

Also a courgette and aubergine bake with onion, garlic and tin of tomatoes - that does 4 meals so yummy and can be microwaved very easily.

You need to give your body some substinance to use up so it isnt eating your stored values.

I have lost 7 1/2 stone on sureslim. and kept it off for 18 months now.

*Vikki*

Sounds to me like you are under eating which can stop weight loss or slow it down. Eat 3 meals a day and you will loose weight.

thor

10 stones is not all that heavy so might not even need to lose that 8 pounds. Also you might be overstimating how much energy you burn working as a decorator.
I think you should eat more but also start to take exercise. Do something that leaves you breathless for an extended period(like running) and you will burn calories, tone up your muscles and most importantly increase fitness.
I run and hate doing so but after a good session I always feel very very good. It is worth all the effort.

Magpye

You need to eat more, your 800 calories per day is a sign of extremely disordered eating, as is skipping breakfast. You should, TBH, stop worrying about losing weight or calorie counting and simply focus on eating the foods your body needs in the amounts which satisfy you. You should find your weight stabilizing.

poppy_f1

i was like you and didnt eat breakfast but i literally started forcing myself to even have a slice of toast then a decent snack mid morning