Why can't I lose weight?

ibizafan_2

The 5:2 diet has worked for me for a few years now. I don’t follow it on high days or holidays, but get straight back to it easily. I don’t find it hard, and even go to the gym on fasting days. It’s not for everyone but I like it.

sheramber

It is calories in against calories out.

Reduce what you have as a meal.

Cut out the extras like the cheese in your dinner, Have a smaller portion of beans, one chicken thigh, a smaller potato

A friend had success by cutting her meals in half, as recommended by her doctor,

Join a slimming club.

Duckyduck

Start weighting your food, you might be surprised how your portions compare to portion size on labels.

Increasing the intensity and duration of your exercise will help. Exercise is great for overall health, but losing weight comes from a calorie deficit and most people find it easier to reduce food intake rather than increase calorie burn through movement.

elsien

If you want to build up to a park run, try the couch to 5K app. Or a look cal group if you prefer company but I did the app because it was easier to fit in round work. It's very good for those of us building up exercise from scratch.

belfastgirl23

You’re asking us why you can’t lose weight. But the answer lies in yourself.

First of all do you know why you gained the weight? Do you understand the behaviours that led to it? If you want to change something you need to understand it first.

Second, you need to accept that your lifestyle supports the weight you currently are. Listing foods is all very well but quantity matters A LOT. If you don’t want to fill in myfitnesspal and weigh your foods, that’s fine, but as it’s a major tool for weight loss, if using it is too much hassle for you, you need to ask yourself are you really committed to losing weight?

Third, exercise is certainly good for you. However it is very easy to overestimate how many calories it gives you and indeed to overestimate how intense your exercise is. Most weightloss (and gain!) comes from what you eat, not from exercise.

Losing weight is like having a part time job. It takes time, effort and focus. And it doesn’t happen overnight, it’s a process.There are some good resources out there. There is a really good podcast called ‘Half Size Me.’ It doesn’t what to eat, rather it helps you to work on yourself so you can figure out what kind of diet works for you.

For me, cornerstone habits are using myfitnesspal, doing some intense exercise at least 3 times a week, walking about 5 miles a day, ideally more, no alcohol, and very limited sugar. Over time, through journaling and reflecting, I’ve identified my own triggers and also how to eat in a way that works for my life and my preferences. This is the work you need to do too. It includes noticing for example how different foods make you feel and how much they fill you up, noticing when you’re full and stopping eating etc.

And if you aren’t prepared to do it, that’s fine, release the pressure on yourself. It’s ok to not want to lose weight enough to make this effort. I know for sure I should be about a stone lighter than my target weight but I also know that I’m not prepared to make the level of sacrifice it would take to get to that weight. That’s my choice, mindfully made

Good luck!

bubbs

I lost 5 st 3lb in 52 weeks on slimming world, i have maintained the weight loss for 12 months, give it a go and see how you get on?
I eat loads as well but loads of the right stuff, make sure you are drinking enough water/fluids as well
EDIT
Also i do no exercise apart from everyday stuff, although i clean houses for a living

Sharon87

I feel your pain, I struggle to lose weight, mostly because I have bad self control! I know it's because of that meal out or that chocolate at work. I also can't lose weight through diet alone as I'm so short, the calorie deficit is too much for me and I'm always starving if I try. I always use a combination of diet and exercise, that worked a couple years ago, it's a struggle right now for me as I know I'm not exercising as frequently as I was and having too many treats (tbh I'm not trying that hard at my diet, but I am exercising to get fitter)

Your diet strikes me as a lot of carbs and sugar and not that much protein. There are calculators to say how much of each nutrient you need for your body weight/height. It might help. I would also recommend My Fitness Pal, you can scan the packet and most of the time it's in the database! I tried Slimming World and it taught me a few things, but I couldn't stick to it. I only lost about 6 pounds in 2-3 months, but at least it was a loss!

Cereals, dried fruit are packed with sugar. Also be careful on the quantity of nuts and seeds, they are full of fat, despite being healthy, weigh them out and check the packet and limit them to a set weight.

Weighing food really puts into perspective how much we perceive to be a 'normal' portion, but it's usually over double what the packet says is a portion (or more).

Yazmina

Thanks for your encouragement. Hubby says I should try smaller meals more often. I could portion things up and take them to work, but I still might eat it all in one go! I'll try this or maybe Slimming World. I think I'm expecting to lose half a stone in a couple of weeks, but the way I'm going maybe I should have a target for the end of the year.

olgadapolga

I think that the main issue is that you need to control how much you are eating. Not what you are eating but how much.

You don't need to exercise to lose weight. Exercise is great and improves your overall health but weight loss is all about calorie control and ensuring that the amount you eat (calories in) is less than those you are using (calories out).

I would definitely second all of the suggestions that you register with MyFitnessPal. Not only does it do the calorie counting for you but there is a wealth of information about weight loss and associated areas.

The only thing you really need to do is weigh your food to use the website/app to its best advantage. And weighing food isn't a laborious task - once it becomes part of your routine, it's simple and quick to do.

Losing weight is actually really very simple once your mindset is right and you are prepared to be consistent in your approach to it. Consistency, dedication (for want of a better word) and logging everything on MyFitnessPal helped me to lose over ten stone in a year.

And believe me, if I can do it, anyone can.

Nicki

Yazmina wrote: »

I`ve been trying for about six years. I did go down to 72kg for a while but I don't know how. Moving Forward's example looks great, but I'd be hungry all the time, hence the pretzels. I need something to snack on besides fruit and 'nutrition' bars. I'm not on a specific diet I'm just trying to make changes that I hope I can stick to.

None of these sound great snacks to be honest. You need a small hit of protein to make a snack filling.

You could try
Hummus with raw veg
A matchbox size piece of cheese with an apple
One oatcake with peanut butter
An apple spread with almond butter
Some Greek yogurt
Boiled eggs
A dozen almonds and an apple

Trouble with pretzels and dried fruit is that you need a lot to fill you up and they are very moreish so easy to keep picking. Also because they are simple carbs they will cause an insulin spike which will make you hungry again about an hour later.