Why am I not losing weight?

Dj_plasma

Could be about metabolism and body being in starvation mode. I struggled for a long time myself but lost 20 kg last year and have maintained / continued to lose weight even though i cut out the physical exercise (on top of everyday work life) 3 months ago. I was previously running 3 times a week and going to gym 3 times a week. Running was 1 or 2 10km runs and 1 or 2 5km runs. Gym was pilates class 2 x a week and 1 general cardio / light weights session

If you want to change metabolism, and ensure not in starvation mode. i'd recommend definitely having regular daily snacking, but healthy snacks, I also cut down a lot of my sugar intake. I'll depict what eating regime i started last year which i believe is the key to my weight loss.

Breakfast: Mini blueberry/cranberry filled shredded wheats with semi-skimmed milk / toast / muesli with greek yoghurt.

Mid-morning snack: small hand of roasted unsalted almonds and a 0% fat yoghurt.

Lunch: Giant CousCous salad home made (peppers, spring onion, chilli, feta, chopped mint, lime juice, olive oil) and either smoked mackerel fillet or turkey fillet or chicken fillet (gently fried and then oil removed)
Mid-afternoon snack: small hand of roasted unsalted almonds.
Diner: Some form of protein - salmon, steak, bolognese, quiche etc. Lot's of fresh vegetables - corn on the cob, broccoli, carrots, mange tout, sugar snaps, veg stir fry etc etc and little to no carbs although i did have some sweet potato (avoiding carbs if eating later).

This has worked very well for me and I believe it's a combination of having carbs earlier in the day rather than later, your body general stores carbs for later use. Capsaicin in chilli is supposedly very good for boosting metabolism.

fairy_lights

Dj_plasma wrote: »

If you want to change metabolism, and ensure not in starvation mode. i'd recommend definitely having regular daily snacking, but healthy snacks, I also cut down a lot of my sugar intake. I'll depict what eating regime i started last year which i believe is the key to my weight loss.

No, starvation mode is a myth. Skipping a meal won't magically make your body store everything as fat - if it did, prisoners in concentration camps would have been enormous. Your metabolism never stops working (if it did you'd be dead) so doesn't need to be kick-started or changed.
Regular snacking can help some people as it prevents then getting so hungry that they end up binging, but is by no means necessary for most people.

Dj_plasma

fairy_lights wrote: »

No, starvation mode is a myth. Skipping a meal won't magically make your body store everything as fat - if it did, prisoners in concentration camps would have been enormous. Your metabolism never stops working (if it did you'd be dead) so doesn't need to be kick-started or changed.
Regular snacking can help some people as it prevents then getting so hungry that they end up binging, but is by no means necessary for most people.

Eating at regular intervals, and having more frequent but smaller meals is better for your metabolic base rate, please note i wasn't saying it stops your metabolism, but it might be slowed or increased slightly by changes you can make. I was suggesting eating healthily but managing more what and when you eat it to gain most effect. Lot's of complex carbs in the evening for example is not a good idea as this energy is best used throughout the course of a day and slowly released, other less complex sustenance might be used prior to this i.e. "storing" it for later use.

Just_a_Girl_2

Dj_plasma wrote: »

Eating at regular intervals, and having more frequent but smaller meals is better for your metabolic base rate

This is a myth. Meal size or frequency has no effect on metabolism

Dj_plasma

I have tried presenting what worked for me, two replies have come in with "X, Y and Z are a myth". Reading on line seems to suggest validity in some of what I have said, perhaps not in exactly the way I have phrased it, but still. Also just because it worked for me doesn't mean it'll work for the OP, everyone has different circumstances and needs.

If you are replying saying it is a myth please also add reasoning for your statement, with if possible evidence i.e. linking to peer-reviewed scientific studies. this helps further others knowledge and understanding. There are many contradictory studies and claims out there but these can usually be discounted in the peer-review process.

izzybella16

You should try HIIT, cardio is useless for weight loss

april87

If your hitting the gym that amount then you definitely need to eat more. I was stuck in the same cycle, endless cardio/classes and not eating enough and was loosing nothing really. Got the help of a coach and the first thing she mentioned was that I wasn't eating enough. Higher food intake and switching to weights with 1 cardio session per week. I was at the gym 5 times a week, and lost 16lbs in 4 months. I wasn't big before and towards the end, the weight lose slowed down. I did loose 13% body fat and saw major changes in my body.

I would say eat more and stop going to the gym that much. Track and weigh all your food. You can even workout your macros, to fit your goal and what your current level of activity is. It would probably help a fair bit and just try cut out all refined foods, try eat 'clean'.

movinghelp

Thanks for all the replies, really helpful. On the exercise I am trying to do strength (kettlebells, squats with weight bar etc) and I do a dedicated HIIT class as well as spinning which is another form of HIIT. But yes I think I may well cut down to 4-5 times. Just to mention yoga normally accounts for 2 sessions and I do that more for the mental benefits than to lose weight. All my joints are hyper mobile so this also helps.

Food wise, I have tried to reduce carbs especially after lunch. I think it may just be that I've been quite hard on myself as quite a few colleagues have been telling me they've noticed I've lost weight so I think I may just not be noticing the gradual changes.

On the muscle weighs more than fat question my OH assures me I wouldn't be able to build that much muscle that quickly to make a notable difference.

fairy_lights

movinghelp wrote: »

On the muscle weighs more than fat question my OH assures me I wouldn't be able to build that much muscle that quickly to make a notable difference.

He's right you won't be building super hulk-like muscle, but if you've started strength training you might be retaining water as your muscles repair themselves, which could explain why your colleagues can see a difference even if the numbers on the scale aren't moving.

chuckley

movinghelp wrote: »

Thanks for all the replies, really helpful. On the exercise I am trying to do strength (kettlebells, squats with weight bar etc) and I do a dedicated HIIT class as well as spinning which is another form of HIIT. But yes I think I may well cut down to 4-5 times. Just to mention yoga normally accounts for 2 sessions and I do that more for the mental benefits than to lose weight. All my joints are hyper mobile so this also helps.

Food wise, I have tried to reduce carbs especially after lunch. I think it may just be that I've been quite hard on myself as quite a few colleagues have been telling me they've noticed I've lost weight so I think I may just not be noticing the gradual changes.

then you really need to fix your food intake.

you need to fuel up on the carbs before the high intensity workouts and move to the protein afterwards for the recovery.
You won't get anywhere with any real results if you do loads of the right exercise but eat the wrong foods and/or eat too little.

the fat storing is true.