I am the heaviest I have ever been and since reaching 60 in January have been cutting out alcohol, chocolate and biscuits in the hopes of losing weight. Only lost 1kg in 4 weeks so decided to try calorie counting instead and have found that I can have everything I normally eat and struggle to reach 1400 calories a day.
My daughter reckons that I haven't been eating enough for a few months now and that's why I've gained weight as my body is storing everything I eat.
Is this possible?
Yes it is. I had been doing the same. If you restrict too many things as once you will find it difficult. By the way on the 18th March I will be 64.
Thanks for responding. I'm going to try eating more earlier in the day too as I tend to not eat for the first few hours.
I feel more motivated and determined than I have felt for years and actually went to a zumba class this morning which i loved!
Enjoying reading through the posts on here and they are so helpful
They are ElaineChristine 60
Just take it one step at a time.
I go Nordic Walking twice a week with a friend.
Good luck ElaineC60 i am sure you will acieve your goals.
Hello and welcome to the Weight Loss Forum ElaineChristine60 😊
Having some knowledge of calories is important, but if you’ve lost a kilo already you are doing something right. Scale weight doesn’t always equate to fat loss, there are other measures such as feeling well, energised and fitter. The other option is to look at WHAT you’re eating, hormones play a big part in fat storage, have a look at these two links healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...
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Best wishes and have a good first week
Indigo 😊
Yes. If you don’t eat enough you store. My friend has had great luck on keto diet she had issues at first but then went to dietician and she started holding herself major accountable for everything and she’s lost so much finally it’s working.
I have been eating things I normally don’t. Like breads and sugar I’m gaining and I’m not snacking much which I usually do. I gained 4 lbs. very unusual for me. It’s good to snack graze and eat.
Hello, guitara69, and welcome to the forum 😊
I can't agree about snacking and grazing. I would suggest aiming for two or three filling meals a day with plenty of healthy fats and reduced carbohydrates, and cutting out the eating between meals. You might find this interesting
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How do you post so only community members can see
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So if I reply is it only community if locked. ? This
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I'm not sure if it is dependent on how much you have to lose and what your eating habits were like prior. As I had about 20 pounds to lose and am slim boned, I have to really cut my calories and have very low carbs to lose any weight. I have lost 15 pounds in 7 weeks. I did eat more one week and didn't lose. I do SW and if I followed their plan properly I'd have only lost in the first week. I use SW as a motivational tool more than anything.
GM. I'm not medically trained so cant say why you may have not lost any weight or if you are "storing".
I do know that you have to weigh everything, including fruit and veg as these calories must be counted as well and spare calories will turn into fat regardless of where they come from.
The science is if you eat less calories than you needs then your body will use the stored fat as energy and you should lose weight.
If it continues then my suggestion is to visit your GP for a check up and they may be able to suggest something else.
Hi again, I've just had a thought!! Can I ask who suggested 1400 calories?
My practice nurse told me that my intake should be between 1800 to 2107 and my BMI was 36.
I've stuck to 1800 calories (most days) and I've lost weight consistently for the last 4 weeks.
I wonder if you may be eating extra calories somewhere without realising.
I would suggest some medical advice and support to find out what may be happening.
My weight gain was through hormonal medication which I no longer take and I noticed a difference within weeks of stopping it.
The calorie counting has defo worked for me.
Good luck with everything!!😁
Thanks for the advice. I am pretty good at weighing everything but I think part of my problem after looking at previous replies is the amount of carbs in my diet at my age. I used to follow slimming world green days which is quite carb top heavy and did really well but that was 20 years ago!
Because I live on my own I tend to resort to things like cereals (2 or 3 a day) or baked potatoes and have now realised my diet is very carb orientated. I'm going to try to drastically reduce my carb intake over the next couple of weeks and see if that helps. I have looked at the keto diet but don't think it's for me as a lot of the foods they suggest as staple items I don't like plus it seems very complicated.
As far as the amount of calories goes when I worked it out it said I could have 1600 but I am sticking to the 1400 as that is plenty for me.
I am also going to check the side effects of the tablets I am taking in case one of the side effects is weight gain, and if I'm not losing any weight in another month or so will consult the doctor! Thanks again 
Do u like instant oatmeal ? I buy plain regular & add blueberries unsweetened applesauce. It’s good for you and fibre keeps you fuller no sugar but natural. You could add plain yogurt to it as well.
Try making a pot of brown rice keeps in fridge awhile or brown rice pasta. Use pesto for flavour you just throw it in super easy. Always eat veg & season you meat with real slices and lemons not sauces. Or use yogurt with spices for sauce on meat. Make two smoothies at once to have on hand. I use those Starbucks glass coffee they sell on shelf bottles in grocery stores. One blender makes two of those. Use only plain yogurt protein powder frozen fruit add what u like. Kabobs are awesome to make for singles I’m one buy some skewers soak them marinate in olive oil garlic basil oregano balsamic vinegar. Buy a couple diff meat make them up cook them you have enough for 4 days lol. That way you’re only making veg every day. I’m lazy I’d rather prepare enough for a couple days or I don’t do as well.
Thank you so much for all the useful tips
Yes it is your body goes into starvation mode if you don't eat enough. Try eating up to your allowance and not eating late at night
Thanks for the tips. And you guessed right...I do eat late in the evening so I'm making a conscious effort to eat earlier.
Yes I was always a late eater 8 pm was average even 9 at times so eat earlier now and try to make sure I have lunch at lunch time could be 3.30 before now try to have it by 1.30 at latest
I am guilty of eating late, but funny enough doing a lot better. I refuse to have a microwave, and I put most things in the freezer. That way, if am tempted to eat late at night, I would think twice, and cant be bothered to heat things up in the oven for example. Funny enough I had a craving for something out the freezer just this weekend. It was around after 8.00pm, and I went to the freezer and thought, this isn't going to work, I dont have a microwave, and will take ages to heat up in the oven, so yes eating late was my biggest problem, but now I dont. Freeze everything, and not having a microwave works for me. I do not wake up feeling stuffed anymore. When I have me breakfast, I enjoy it a lot more.
That's great and as you say not easy to snack if everything frozen
Sometimes even if you are overweight you may not lose much weight. Unless you weigh your food it can be difficult with a low calorie diet. Expect you have cut down on salt as well as sugar and fizzy drinks even if they are low calorie. I found when I tried to diet, I only lost about a kilo a month. As grains wheat rice rye barley and maize are high in carbs,
as well as sugary foods, you might find these foods are slowing down your metabolism.
By eating vegetable carbs and having protein more than four times a day in between meals you might find your metabolism will start to improve.
You could the day with a slice of melon, and can have a crispbread with cottage cheese, fish or meat paste as snacks with tea or coffee and drinks such as low calorie squash.
Cutting down on pastry bread and foods with additives such as sausages which have cereal and glucose added, might help too. For lunch you could have avocado and prawns, or a salad with a small amount of feta cheese an olives. For supper you could have a casserole of meat, with green leafy vegetables, broccoli, cabbage, runner beans. I usually add carrot and onion to my casseroles as carrots have vitamins and beta carotene, good for eyesight. Fruit such as strawberries, raspberries, blackcurrants, blueberries blackberries can accelerate metabolism, but apples, oranges, can also help to protect your arteries from cholesterol. If you have yoghurt use the natural low fat, and only use a tablespoon. Tomato juice in a large tumbler can raise sugar, so have a small glass.
By cutting down on dairy you are reducing lactase such as in soft cheeses. and yoghurts and milk. I take lactase free milk as it is lower in sugar, but can't have too much.
By eating more than 3 times up to 5 times throughout the day you can stimulate your metabolism which may increase your weight loss within a week. It's worth a try. Hope you continue to lose weight steadily as you are succeeding.
Thank you for all the helpful tips. I will post my progress in a couple of weeks of cutting right down on carbs. Fingers crossed
I would suggest eggs for breakfast maybe with bacon. Also have full fat yoghurt and try to eat satisfying meals with protein and fibre and healthy fats which will fill you up. Also I think you should stick to 3 meals per day with no snacking in between if possible.
That is soo true, our bodies are sensible machines, and what it is, when we don't eat regularly, the right stuff, especially when we are accustomed to eat a lot. Our brain sends a message to our body to say we are starving, therefore sends the body in panick mood. Hence the reason, our body holds on to the fat in our body makes it difficult to lose weight. It all boils down to moderation I say, I am guilty of that myself, but I did my research, and your daughter is 100% correct.
Hello and welcome to the forum HealthC 😊. Are you wishing to join the forum for help and support with weight loss? If you let me know I can sort you out with a badge
Follow this link to our chat thread and a list of all the activities we run. We've found active participation to be key to success, especially with our weigh-ins and Daily Diary healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...
If you haven’t already, then please read the Welcome post here which has lots of useful information about all the things we have on offer healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...
Best wishes in your weight loss journey
Indigo 😊
Hi Indigo
Yes I would like to join the forum for help and support and to log my weight every week. If you could sort this out I would appreciate it.
Thanks 😀
Have a good read of all the links I’ve given you above, choose what day you would prefer to weigh-in and just join in 😊
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