Literally devastated. I’ve eaten the best I have done in a very long time, exercised for the first time in a very long time. Yet I step on the scales and I’m still 30.2 stone. REALLY! People say ‘oh it’ll fall off you’ you’ll lose loads in your first week. This is why I give up. This is why I lose all will power. Before anyone says it’s only a week yes I know, but I have literally not eaten this well in years, I’ve had loads of fruit and veg and minimum calories! I’ve been out for walks and that hasn’t happened for years either.
Devastated. : Literally devastated. I’ve... - Weight Loss Support
Devastated.
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SERIOUSFATCHAT
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Ok, first things first. I didn’t lose any weight in my first week either so I do understand, it’s tough, very tough. But if you’ve stuck to plan you will have lost fat, that’s science, no question. However, you may not have lost ‘weight’ on the scales, which is why scale weight is just one measure, of which there are several, including how you feel, how your energy levels are and using a tape measure.
Secondly, I see you’ve been pointed towards the Daily Diary but are having trouble finding it, here is the link for Friday’s Daily Diary, where we give and receive help with meal planning, please pop along and tell us your plan for tomorrow and see if anyone has any suggestions. If you are eating loads less than usual it may be too little, our bodies don’t like change and give up the fat very reluctantly so it’s vital to eat the right amount. healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...
Lastly, I see you’ve had loads of lovely replies, I do hope you’ve had time to read them all, and other posts on here, then you will see that you are not alone. If you could start to chat to others, you will build up friendships that will sustain you through these difficult times.
Big breath. You CAN do this, loads of us have
Indigo 👍
Thank you Indigo. I felt great eating the right stuff. It helped my mental health, so I will do my best to continue 🙂
Don't be disheartened. Weighing yourself will only disappoint you at this stage. You have made a great positive start to your new life . There will be peaks and troughs on this road . We are all here to help and listen . Turn your frustration into something that spurs you on. This something you can do . Regroup and keep going.
Thanks Jpu966, after reading your comment I wondered if boxing was worth a try to get my frustration out!!
It could work for you...give it a try! Nothing ventured....
in reply to SERIOUSFATCHAT
Hey I sending positive greetings to you and I’m with you emotionally and diet wise to help you on your way please don’t give in we are a team and use us to corespond at the times are low and keep pushing forward one day at a time and together you will win the programme!God Bless !👍
This may seem crazy SERIOUSFATCHAT , but do make sure that you are eating ENOUGH.
Thinking that you can cut right back on food/calories and lose more doesn't work. So whatever your daily calories allowance is (and don't forget exercise earns more calories...) eat them ALL! East at least half of any exercise calories.
And lastly, drink plenty of water. Eating less food means you'll be taking less fluid (many food contain fluids).
Hiya pineapple, thanks for reply. I’ve just looked and there is no way I could eat this many calories!! It’s says eat between 2609- 3354 calories...... I doubt I even ate that many before I started this journey! Any ideas of foods to eat that are calorific but good for me? Xx
Avocado, nuts (plain, not salted, especially brazils, almonds cashews), oily fish (mackerel).
monday19573kg
Ah, I almost can't bear the pic of your tears...I just want to give you a hug.
Hang on in there, kiddo. It's a tough journey and it can be dispiriting at times 😔 I want to ask you how you were feeling before you stepped on those scales? Back in control? Motivated? Happy to be feeding your body good food? Hang onto those feelings. Well-being is such an important element in your success.
Hope to see you on the Daily Diary 🤗
Hi Monday. Thanks so much for your reply, I really appreciated it. It make me think. Because before I stepped on the scales I was happy and excited and proud and motivated! I’m clinging onto those feelings xx
Hiya SFC and how are you doing? Thanks for your reply.
There’s so much info on this site but I do urge you to have a look at the LCHF links (low carbs, healthy/high fats) - it’s definitely working for me. You might feel it’s weird to eat fats but they fill you up and aren’t full of sugar. Sugar is the devil!!! Not fats.
Bread, cereals, rice, spuds, pasta - all high carb & full of sugar.
Take care & hang on in there kiddo x
Thanks Monday x
BridgeGirlAdministrator2 stone
Dear SFC, it's hard to know what to say to you.
I have no idea what you're eating as you're not using the Daily Diary. The one occasion you did use the Diary, this was your food for the day
Breakfast- smoothie (strawberries, raspberries and grapes)
Lunch - ham sandwich & 2 crab sticks
Dinner - pita bread with soup
That is not eating well. That is eating far too little. Far too little.
In the past week, there have been almost 100 replies on posts you've made. Was there anything useful in any of them? Is there anything you've acted on or will be acting on in the next week? It's quite demoralising when people put thought and time into a reply and it isn't clear whether it is any use.
You joined the Friday weigh in team last week and I hope you'll head back there tomorrow but, if you do, please remember that the main purpose of the weigh in is mutual support, not just posting our weights. You had seven supportive replies last week so please balance that out by giving encouraging messages to seven other members tomorrow. It will be appreciated.
I repeat: if your sample menu from last Friday is typical, you are not eating well, and that's the place to start.
If you start using the Daily Diary regularly, start eating well and get involved with other members and their journeys, I'm sure you will see changes in the right direction.
Good luck
Hi Bridgegirl, kind of feel like your reply is a telling off as opposed to encouragement. I tried to reply to as many as I could and if you had read all, you’d see that I did take advice and bought walking poles for my walking.
Good to hear about the walking poles. I know plenty of people find them really helpful and I hope you do.
You seemed to be really down because you are eating healthily but not losing weight, so my main point was that you aren't eating healthily. The one example we have of what you're eating is far too little and not a healthy balance. I have learned so much in my time on the forum and it helped me turn things round so, if I sound fierce, it's because I want that for you. I'm sure it's nicer to get sympathetic comments, but it's the constructive ones that will help most, in my experience.
I see you've checked your calorie range with the NHS BMI calculator, and that's what you should go by. You will not lose weight successfully (i.e. in a way you can maintain) by undercutting it so 3000 calories a day is what you should be aiming for. As you lose weight, that will lower so recheck it every 7lbs or so. If you're not counting calories (and I wouldn't recommend you do), it can be a mental guide for you that that is what your body needs at present.
You're young. You have people that you love and who love you. You have a chance to change. I'm going to give you the link to your first post, and the answers and information you got there and suggest you read it all again and build yourself a plan based on what moreless and Slim_for-Good advised. healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...
About the weigh in: because the aim is to support each other, it does upset me when people post their weight and don't say something encouraging to others, even more so when they get supportive comments themselves. It is something I regularly point out to members and it probably doesn't make me popular but it was said to me in my early days here and, though I was quite indignant, it made me think.
So:-
- eating well and eating enough and not being frightened of healthy fats
- joining in a weekly weigh in, where you'll have team support for as long as it takes
- using the Daily Diary to share your meal plans, see what others are eating
- dropping in to Nutty Natterings for a general chat, whenever you're at a loose end
- sticking with that exercise plan, little and often, and keep a record so you can see your progress
- giving yourself a pat on the back for all the positives, even if they don't all show on the scales
- coming here every day and giving someone else a pat on the back, someone who is struggling, like you
You have it in your hands to turn things around. It will mean big changes but you're among others on the same journey.
Have a good week 
That’s a really helpful post bridge girl. Totally understand, thank you so much xx
That's good to hear
This is really good advice, especially around the calories where there are concerns that the numbers sound high! Once you start looking at calories in food, you soon see how easy it is to consume a lot and for me had helped with what to cut out.
I'm glad to see that you've given such detail to SFC and fingers crossed it has motivated them to continue and also to use the forum for sharing as well as receiving.
I have four words for you: Exercise training-induced hypervolemia
When you start exercising, your blood volume increases - and a litre of blood weighs a kilogram. You are definitely carrying more blood than you were last week, so if you weight is the same, you have lost fat. Don't lose heart.
And you have really beautiful eyes.
Thanks so much subtle_badger xxxx
gman1961Restart April 2024
You are definitely not alone,I could speak about how well I have done and not lost an ounce .
I could speak about how well I hadn't done and lost weight ,I'm learning to not beat myself up about things .
You will lose weight at times when you least expect it.
Good luck SFC,
GARY
Thanks Gary c
Food4Fuel7lbs
I’m really sorry SFC - I’ve had that happen to me before and it’s so disappointing! But the fact that you’ve exercised all week and cut back on your eating means you should give yourself a pat on the back!
I would really encourage you to follow the advice about going on the NHS website to find out your recommended calorie allowance each day. By way of example - in the past I’ve often thought if I need to lose weight I should be eating 1400-1500 calories per day (as average female needs approx 2000 per day) so I’ve always started at 1400. But NHS website actually says I should be eating 1600-2000 per day to lose weight (so I’ve settled on 1750) - it’s a big difference in calories - almost an extra meal a day!! But it’s been a really sensible starting point as I’m not starving my body, the amount will decrease in time as I lose weight.
It takes a bit of work getting organised sorting out your meals for the day and total calories etc but there is loads of info out there and loads of support here too! Don’t give up! Losing weight is always full of ups and downs - it’s frustrating but with lots of support and perseverance we can change our habits for the better 😊
Thank you for your reply food4fuel I just checked and my recommended calorie intake is a whopping 2609-3354!! I was told by my surgeons that I should aim for 1200, and sometimes even intermittently fast. So many mixed messages 
I have a friend who was a similar age to you, was nearly 30st and had bariatric surgery that ended up needing to be reversed. They had a gastric balloon that needed to be removed. They had to endure all sorts of extra surgery, because of the initial bariatric surgery.
In hospital they were put on a very low calorie diet and lost no weight! They returned home and started a low carb way of eating and lost 10st in quite a short period of time and continue to lose weight.
When I joined here, I was 19st 10lbs and 58 yrs old. I'd been doing low calorie, low fat diets all my life and just ended up getting bigger. I started following a low carb way of eating and lost over 100lbs.
At the beginning, I did no exercise, as getting out of bed left me breathless and standing made my back, hips and knees scream at me. I concentrated on my diet first, lost some weight, then gradually started adding exercise, an exercise bike, then walking.
After I'd lost 5st, I started the C25K and a year later ran a marathon. Exercise is great for health and well-being, but plays a very small role in weight loss and at the start, if you're very overweight, it can cause injury.
If you stick to a proper low carb way of eating, which includes large amounts of vegetables and virtually no fruit, you won't need to count calories, you'll eat to appetite, as long as you're getting all the nutrients you need. If you go to my profile, you'll see pictures/recipes of many of my meals, but here's just one of my posts healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...
All of the advice offered here is backed by personal experience and given in good faith in order to assist. You are at liberty to ignore it if you wish, but if you don't at least try things, then you'll never know whether they'll work
Who is your friend I want to speak to her! Lol. I have a gastric balloon at the moment. It’s useless. Has to come out in the next month or so, no idea how that’s going to work with covid, but we will see!! I loved reading your story. Well done you!!! Maybe someday I’ll be running a marathon!! Xx
I'll be there with my pompoms cheering you over the finish line
I don’t know anything about intermittent fasting but a lot of people on this site do so I’m sure they will give you good advice!
I will also just add on reflection that I don’t have any experience in losing large amounts of weight so maybe pay less attention to me and more to some of the commentators below who do!
But please don’t give up - I think educating yourself about diet and nutrition is really useful too - for example although I calorie count as at the moment it suits me I avoid low fat and processed food and cook from scratch as much as I can as this works for me. There’s a lot of trial and error in this that’s one thing I do know! So keep coming back to learn and get support!
Thanks food4fuel xxxx
wa2un7Maintainer
Don’t despair. It took 5 weeks before I started to lose weight on the scales but I took the advice offered here and realised I wasn’t eating a sufficient number of calories. After that the loss was slow but steady. Good luck👍
Thanks for reply wa2un7, May I ask how much you weigh? X
I am maintaining at around 12.5 stone. I didn’t have any particular end goal in mind when I started but when I reached that point I realised I was content with that. Clothes I hadn’t worn for years fitted me and at my age, ( I’m 80 this year, I had no desire to have to try and find a complete new wardrobe. I wish you well in your own journey. Just resolve never to stop trying. You will encounter setbacks, we all do, but the secret is to ‘pick yourself up, dust yourself down and start all over again’ , as the song says! 😊
Ugh well that’s very disappointing for you but see it as an opportunity to refine and tweak:
3 thoughts
- there’s lots of sugar in those fruits. Several of us pointed it out, but you weren’t ready to hear it last week. The bread you eat also turns into sugar molecules in your blood stream. It’s not that you can’t lose weight eating all that sugar, it just makes it so much harder.
- eat some vegetables & serious protein. My 7 year old son eats more vegetables & protein than you if that smoothie & crab stick day was illustrative!
- more encouragingly, do you know how your menstrual cycle affects your weight? You may have retained water because of where you are in your cycle. I am tracking my weight on an app & while I assumed I would weigh more just before my period, it seems it’s much more subtle than that. With three months detailed data, I find I put on 8lbs every month at the same time, & get down to my lowest weight at a magical point at another time.
SERIOUSFATCHAT in reply to
Hiya slim, thank you for your thoughts. At the moment I do feel any fruit, sugary or not, is better than what I was eating. I typical day for me used to be:
Breakfast:
4 slices of toast
Crisps
Chocolate
Biscuits
Lunch:
Sandwich (more bread)
Crisps x 2 sometimes more
Chocolate
Sweets
Dinner:
XL Doner Kebab
Chips
Onion rings
Pudding:
Chocolate
Sweets
Drinks:
All fizzy - coke, Fanta, tango etc
Coffee with about 6 sugars
So now my menu looks like this: I’m proud!
Breakfast:
Strawberry, raspberry and blueberry smoothie with almond milk
Lunch:
Soup or sandwich
Dinner:
Chicken breast
Roasted vegetables
Small amount of mash
Pudding:
Nothing or sometimes a yoghurt or 5 jelly babies.
I guess it’s hard to advise people when you don’t know their background. So hopefully sharing my previous eating habits will help people to see how much of a change this is for me.
With regards to the menstrual cycle, sadly, I don’t have them. Interesting that you put on 8lbs with it though!
Thanks again for your reply and support x
Yeah me too no weight loss. First week and fourth and sixth week, but it got better after that but slow. Lost half kilo a week on average. On the weeks I did lose weight that is but nothing on the others. It’s a bummer but metabolisms don’t switch over that fast. Might take many weeks to change mine too. Hormones and drugs can affect it too. Hang in there this is a marathon not a sprint. I’m there with you.
Hi Claudeminh, thanks for reply. May I ask how much you weigh? I can understand for people who don’t have much to lose, but I weigh 30 stone and I would have put my life on loosing a lot in the first week. I have done previously, so it’s hard to take. Xx
I’m 80 kg but short
I’ll join you in the short club 😂 I’m 5ft. BMI of 79 😩
You've done this before, and now you have a BMI of 79: why are you taking the same approach that has failed you? The definition of insanity is to keep doing the same thing and expecting a different result.
What are you doing differently this time that makes you think you might succeed where you did not last time? The fact that doing the same thing as last time is not working the same way is red flag; it's possible that your previous attempts have damaged your metabolism.
It's time for tough love. It's time for you to acknowledge that you don't have the metabolism to breakfast on fruit smoothies, or eat five jelly babies or mashed potatoes. Those carbs are killing you, and you need to make a huge change to your diet to make a huge change to your body.
Hey there sweetheart! It’s a really rough journey. It’s bumpy. But it’s the start of the journey and there will be times like this. You are going to do brilliantly. Meal plan everyday, make sure you are eating the right calories (there’s a calculator on the nhs website) or your body will go into starvation mode and cling onto your body mass for dear life. Joe Wicks calls the scales the Sad Step and I totally get why. The weight is not falling off me in the way I’d expected given the huge changes I’ve made, but stick with it and it will slowly but surely shift. Don’t give up. You CAN do this xx🦩
Hiya VDB, thanks for reply. The sad step, I love that! What did you do to change may I ask? Xx
I have reduced my cals to 1400 a day and I now do Joe Wicks for seniors twice a week (I’m almost 37 and have developed disabilities due to fibromyalgia, functional neurological disorders, CFS as well as other bits), virtual run on my fit ball (see @Pineapple27 as she did a blog on it) and walking. You need to work out your exercise. I think I read a post earlier in the week that said you struggled with mobility. What is your limit with walking? Xx
Oooooo! I didn’t know joe wicks did a seniors version! I’d looked the the kids one and thought Christ I can’t do that!!! Lol. Virtual run on fit ball?! What’s that? Is that what’s in pineapples Page? Yes struggle with mobility. Ahhhh my walking is quite limited. I’d say I could probably walk slowly for about 1 minute, if not less before having to stop. Xx
Yes that’s in pineapples page. Joe Wicks seniors is good, but it may be too much. Try marching on the spot for 40 seconds getting your knees as high as is comfortably possible for you, 40 seconds standing rest, then repeat for 10 minutes. Do that a couple of times a week. Same with your walking. Walk 1 minute, rest 30 seconds, walk 1 minute, rest 30 seconds for 10 minutes. You WILL get there.
Thanks vintage dolly. So this joe wicks seniors, is it live?? When is it on? Xx
It’s on YouTube, not live x
I’m gonna take a look!
There are some chair exercises too x
Oh cool!!! Thanks so much xx
PandQsMaintainer3st 7lbs
Dear Seriousfatchat, do not accept that things can’t change. If you do nothing else today, at least watch this short video. Rethink your life, learn about healthy proper food that doesn’t turn to sugar in your bloodstream and start eating plenty of it so you don’t feel hungry between meals and start craving.
Thanks for your reply, I will take a look xx
Please let me know what you think when you’ve seen it. Someone on this website pointed me to it and it certainly changed my life for the better, having previously given up all hope of ever being a reasonable weight again. Xx
Hiya, yes I watched it, it’s good! I am being treated for this already too xx
Ok thanks for the encouragement 😂 I was just trying to help you understand that at this stage, I think I’m doing ok. I’m trying to be positive. I’m not ready to cut out bread or ‘sweet’ fruit. Although I already did cut out bananas because someone said they were full of sugar and I swapped them for blueberries. I don’t think it’s irritating, I think it’s horrible thing to say. Please don’t comment again x
Given your post and your obvious distress about your weight, it surprised me to see you say you aren't prepared to cut out bread and many fruits. If this is the price of regaining your health and reaching a weight you're happy with, is it not worth it?
You enjoyed reading moreless's personal story. That's a story of someone who decided to take all steps necessary and make big changes. You have the chance to do that. Isn't it worth it?
We are very fortunate (I should say most of us) in having a huge range of fresh produce available to us. Exploring new veg, trying new recipes is fun. I have all sorts of things in my shopping trolley that I would never have had a couple of years ago. Make it an adventure but, most of all, accept that you need to make big changes, not just tweaking at the edges.
Healthy habits are so more important than weight loss! Anything you are doing to improve your lifestyle should be congratulated. Eating more fresh fruit and veg, exercising more and eating less ‘junk’ food is a huge change for you and you should be proud of yourself! You will lose the weight soon but keep persevering. Look after your mental health too, try not to put too much pressure on yourself and just focus on nourishing and respecting your body💓
AMEN TO THIS ❤️ I was getting a little hurt and unmotivated by some comments on here, but this has put my confidence and motivation back right up there! Thanks weightloss30 xxx
I love this forum for the accountability, but sometimes all the conflicting advice gets a little much! I try to to let weight loss take over too much of my life, you need to be living it too x
Juppy2 stone
Congratulations for being so healthy this week. Hold on to that. You are amazing.
Thanks so much!!
I've noticed that this NHS 12 week program encourages you to weigh yourself every day which I do t think is a good idea as weight fluctuates, it can take weeks for differences to register
SERIOUSFATCHAT in reply to
Definitely not everyday! I find is shocking they recommend that! Xx
Subtle_badger in reply to
There are studies that show this is beneficial to weight loss.
Everything in moderation. Fruits are high in sugar. Try varing what you eat and to start with just slightly reducing portion size. Also some fruit can add water weight in my opinion. Make sure your weighing yourself in the morning after you have been to the toilet
Count your calories. In order to lose weight you have to be in a calorie deficit. In order to lose 1lb per week, you must be in a deficit of 3,500 calories per week. Apps like my fitness pal are great for this, you really must record everything though-so you can see where you’re going wrong. The other important thing to remember is that your weight does fluctuate through the day/week. This is especially true for women who experience hormonal changes around their period. Excercise is important too but you don’t burn as many calories as you think you do. The most important thing is to count your calories! Don’t be disheartened, you’re doing great! Be patient, the weight will come off! Xx
in reply to Emfat
You said "In order to lose weight you have to be in a calorie deficit. In order to lose 1lb per week, you must be in a deficit of 3,500 calories per week. "
I'm sorry but this just isn't true. Our body knows not of calories nor cares one little bit about them. Weight loss/gain is a hormonal response to the fuel that we give our bodies. If we keep fueling up on carbs, then our insulin hormone will come along to get the excess sugar out of harms way by pushing it into our fat cells. If we do this often enough, our insulin is permanently on alert and we struggle to get the fat back out of the cells.
We've effectively lost the key to our fat storage. But don't despair. There's a way to break in 
By changing the types of food we eat: reducing carbs, increasing fats, and eating ample protein. We don't need to worry about calories and all that counting. Stop giving the body junk fuel and it'll reward you many times over.
Here's a link to an informative post put up by the admin team.
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