I have been sticking to 1400 calories for the 2 months. I record everything I eat and weigh it all to make sure. In the last 2 weeks I have been walking 5 miles a day. Throughout this all, I have lost a measly ridiculous 3lbs! I don't understand why!! Any thoughts would be very welcomed! I knew it wouldn't be easy, I'm 46 and menopausal, but this is driving me mad!
Weight not shifting!: I have been... - Weight Loss Support
Weight not shifting!
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CraftyToots
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That's tough, how much do you have to lose?
I weigh 11st 12lbs right now and at only 5'2" that puts me in the obese category. A 2 stone loss would put around the right place for me I believe but right now I'm trying not to think about 28lbs and concentrate on one or two!!!!
I feel your pain I'm 11 stone 13 and 5ft 3. Ive been trying to stick to 1400 cals for the past three months and been up and down like a yoyo! Partly my fault though as I get frustrated with the tiny losses then pig out (tut tut).
I'm planning to stick to 1200 cals a day but with a weekly allowance of 1400 extra calories to dip into for treats (a bit like weight watchers).
I think its just a bit more difficult for shorter ladies like us as we need less cals in the first place.x
Thing is, I factor in any treats, so I don't feel like cheating. Walls skinny ice cream and a 10cal Hartleys jelly = 72 calories! And I weigh the darned ice cream!!! If I did a yoyo I'd at least see a loss of some kind and be able to assess where the gain comes from, but I have so little to go on!!
morelessAdministrator7 stone
Hi CraftyToots read this and see if it helps healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...
Good luck to you.
Interesting reading, thank you. I want to look into this more, I am aware that there is so much info out there on what is and is not a sensible way to diet and I'm not going to fad. Thought for food indeed!
I am not sure if this helps - but I have only lost about 5 pounds in 2 months. I am using the FitBit app to record what I am eating and I have a Jawbone that records the distances I move/walk and I am still not making progress. In fact, I stopped posting on this because I felt I had nothing to report. Most days I eat around 1400 calories - maybe twice a week I go over.
But I am eating more healthy food and look much better - my skin is really good and I seem to have more energy. A friend whom I hadn't seen for a few months asked if I had been on holiday - so I am looking better - I think she thought I had had a facelift for a moment!! I have also noticed that when I do manage to move/exercise more and consistently more - there is a shift in my weight - but then it comes back if I have a few not so active days.
I am older than you - 60 next month with a BMI of 26.2 and the NHS guide says I should be 12 kilos lighter to be in the middle of the healthy range. I have never been hugely overweight - even as a teenager/post babies - I know how lucky I have been. But now - it just creeps up and up.
So with a month to go before the big 60 I have booked myself into 3 pilates classes a week for the next 4 weeks as I am determined to shift some pounds...
I'm more active than I've been in years, mainly due to arthritic issues but I'm trying to keep up the 5 miles a day despite protesting joints! It's easier than it was to climb stairs and go uphill so I know I'm improving my fitness, I just don't seem to be losing any weight! Good luck with your Pilates, you sound determined!! Go you!
Have you tried taking vitamin D3 and K2 together?
can you post what you are eating on a typical 1400 calorie day?
I don't lose weight on 1400 because my resting metabolism is like 1460. the only way I lose weight is to remove the carbs but I have found this isn't very sustainable for me so I am trying to improve my fitness/muscle mass to increase my resting metabolic rate
it's not going very well, if it helps I have not been able to lose weight for 6 yrs...I just maintain, go down 1lb, go up 2lbs, maintain, go down 1lb, go up 3lbs until eventually it's just a constant gain every month, every year
I worked out my BMR to be just over 1800 so that's why I started with 1400 originally. I use the Fitpal app to track everything - a typical day would consist of (yesterday for example)
94g protein
191g carbs
11g fat (trying to keep this down as a matter of course).
I meant a list of the food, like what do you have for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
also from those numbers you are consuming 1239 calories which is quite low especially for all the exercise you are doing
You also say you go over twice a week, how much do you go over by?
I think if you over exercise and under eat - then you wont lose weight either - the body is a very intelligent design which is why losing weight can be incredibly difficult 
Hi again. It wasn't me who said about going over the calories, it was another poster.
Yesterday I had:
Coffee with skimmed milk & 2 sugars
40g SpecialK Apricot with 0.5 cup of skimmed milk
Homemade Mince & Potatoes (5%fat mince) with carrots and half cup of broccoli and one slice of Hovis wholemeal bread (dry)
200g basmati rice with 70g lean cooked chicken and 2 tsps of light salad cream.
And you are quite right, I forgot to log 2 oatcakes & 24g of cheddar cheese last night. Total calorific intake yesterday was 1372 consisting of 102 protein, 204 carbs and
23g fat!
oops reading the wrong things now lol sorry
I am no expert but maybe check your sugar intake? I bet the special K is full of sugar especially combined with the milk (which also has sugar)..
and your coffee with milk (sugar) and added sugar
(apparently we should only have 25g / 6tsp of sugar a day)..and I can only imagine you have gone over that with the cereal and coffee?
for lunch I wouldn't have that extra piece of bread with the potatoes (but if you need it, wholegrain is apparently better than whole meal)
Dinner I would remove the rice unless you are super active in the evening apparently removing high carb items after 6pm helps with weight loss
finally I think you mentioned somewhere you are 75kg in weight? so you are eating way too much protein.
I think it is 0.8g/kg of body weight so you should be having 60g ...unless (again) you are super active/doing some sort of weight training
anyway in summary it might help to check what macronutrients will be better for you in terms of weight loss, reduce the sugar and change around the times that you eat things - light meals in the evening 
Sorry for the long reply, I am VERY VERY bored at work
No please don't apologise! Any ideas are most welcome. My sugar intake in this example amounted to 33 g which is just under 7tsps I believe. I would happily cut out the bread and rice that you suggested, and could lower my protein - but if I do that I lower my calorie intake and folk are suggesting that is wrong given how much exercise I'm doing! I can't win!
• in reply toCraftyToots
You are having quite a lot of (starchy) carbs - even if you aren't trying to restrict them. Perhaps replace some of the calories in the starchy carbs with some fruit snacks during the day and more veg in the evening ? Your fat also seems quite low ? You could probably supplement with some yoghurts etc to boost your calories ?
• in reply to
And nuts as well !
CraftyToots• in reply to
Yes perhaps I need to be mixing things up a bit, but I'm concerned that if I do that I'm going to struggle to meet calorie intake. I guess there's no straightforward solution and I'll just have to try some different things.
• in reply toCraftyToots
Yeah - I think that's it - just experiment with different things 'til you find something that works and is sustainable in the long term
Maybe you've hit plateau? ( well you are not officially there) Eat slightly more for two days to bump start things again.
I know that my menopause was well horrendous, I could put on 5 to 6 lbs, and then lose it overnights!
Do you feel bloated and crap, molkosan vitality seemed to help with my bloating ( minced ginger, if you can have it), should be your first port of call, 1 heaped teaspoon in a mug, boiling water half way up, strained and then drunk.
Macca root is meant to be good, your body is having ( I assume) readjusting to all the hormonal dramas going on, you need a bit of help,hormones are more complex and Han we think, and do lots id stuff overnight.
I know some find it very hard to lose in/ post menopause, apart from the bloating, which happens every now and then, it's not affected me
I'm really not experiencing any bloating or significant effects to be honest, I just know it's harder to shift the lbs but I'm working at it!! I'm 2 stones overweight, wouldn't have thought id be plateauing at this stage!
Is it simply hormones and age just slowing down?
I presume hormones are playing their part but I'm actually more active now than I was 10 years ago! I also quit smoking almost a year ago and that hasn't helped my weight any!
Seems very unfair, never smoked so I can't compare!
Hi..... I have always lost weight very successfully on calorie counted dieting. I lose the weight, stay slim for a year or two then pile it back on by over eating and lose it again. I always stick to 1200 calories a day and always without question I lose 1lb a day, 7 per week, hence a stone in 2 weeks. The key thing I have found is my diet only works perfectly if I use m&s foods. I think they are more honest with the calorie counters on their packaging. Luckily I don't get too hungry during the day, so I manage with a packet of crisps, small pack around 170 calories and around 5 pm I have a nice big meal, usually grilled meat, new potatoes, veg or salad. I am the same age as you and surprised you are not achieving the same results. Many of my friends have easily shifted weight this way.
Wow if I could lose 1lb per day I'd be overjoyed! I'm not cheating the calories and weigh everything, it's all recorded. I don't understand it either!
I'm happy to share with you exactly what I eat if it will help
Gina I would love that! Which is the best way to do this?
It would be good if we could post pictures, then I could show the weighing scale readings daily, that would motivate everyone.
Hi Craftytoots,
First of all, I think 3lbs in 2 weeks is quite a respectable weight loss They reckon that anything more than about 2lbs per week is not that healthy and in the long term won't do you much good or will just come straight back on again.
But yes, I appreciate if you feel you've hit a bit of a plateau - what kind of weight loss were you getting prior to this last 2 weeks ? Are you quite close to your target weight ?
A couple of weeks ago I had 10 days where I didn't seem to shift anything - following a 6 weeks or so of a good steady weight loss - I changed around what I was eating a bit, reduced my starchy carbs in the evening (no potatoes, rice or pasta etc) and reduced carbs slightly at other times during the day. Did that for a day or so and lost 3lbs in about 3/4 days ! Something seemed to be stuck and making a slight change in my diet seemed to 'unstick' it !
Something like that might work for you ? Good luck
• in reply to
Sorry, should pay more attention to what you've already written about how much you are hoping to lose !!
CraftyToots• in reply to
Hi there! I have only been doing this level of exercise for 2 weeks - I have been restricting my calorie intake for 2 months!!
• in reply toCraftyToots
Thought you meant you'd lost 3lbs in the last 2 weeks ! I reckon you just need to ensure that you are faithfully recording what you are eating (no missing the oatcakes and cheddar !!). Up the exercise (which you have been doing) and see if making a slight adjustment to calories helps. Personally I would be wary of losing too much in one week, but up to you. Lots of people on here will give you lots of support
CraftyToots• in reply to
I am quite religious in my calorie checking - I had it all noted down but not in my phone app which is why I missed the oatcakes and cheese, but I had already totalled it to the 1400. I just don't know, even if I lost a pound per week I would be happy that it was going in the right direction! I'm not into fad dieting, I want something sustainable and am not worried about losing it fast, I'd rather it stayed off!
• in reply toCraftyToots
Perhaps it is just a matter of eating the 'wrong' (for your body) type of things then ? Try changing around what you eat for a few days to see if it makes a difference ? Are you drinking loads of water ? That should help. Perhaps add some strength exercises into your routine as well as the walking ? Have a play around with lots of things to see if any of them make a difference ?
CraftyToots• in reply to
I'm bad at not drinking enough water, just don't enjoy it although I usually have 3 or 4 glasses of Diet Pepsi (no calories/sugar) - these used to be coffees with 2 sugars in each, so I'm trying to do everything right!
The 3 to 4 glasses of diet soda, could put pressure onto your liver, as the artificial sweetener breaks into three things. Two are harmless, however one thing it breaks down to is methanol, which has to be processed by the liver, just like alcohol. This gives additional stress to the body, when you want your want your body to focus on being the healthiest state it can be in. Then this leads to weight loss as a symptom. How about replacing this with sparkling mineral water?
Ok guys, I went shopping on Sunday afternoon and when I saw myself in the 3 way mirror in the changing room I knew it was time to diet. I got home and weighed myself to find I was 193.6lbs.....shocking. I went on the calorie controlled diet on Monday after going to m&s shopping. Yesterday I had some grilled prawns, pack is just over 100 calories, protein and filling with two mini sub rolls and for dinner I had grilled scampi, small pack of mash potatoes and another sub...... Later at night I was feeling peckish so I had some raw carrots and a chocolate mousse which was under 90 calories. I've had a pack of raw prawns today and I made a sauce with one teaspoon of full fat mayo and some ketchup. Later I will have two breaded chicken breasts grilled with grilled veggies, maybe another mini sub and another chocolate mousse and I will weigh 1lb less tomorrow.
It works ladies, I've never known anyone it hasn't worked for sticking to the stuff I eat.... Strange thing is when I have shopped in tesco I have not lost as much.
There is no way I could stick to any diet if I didn't see immediate results.
Thanks for that Gina, seems to me like you're cutting most of the carbs?
Not really Hun as I had 3 mini sub rolls yesterday.
Do you track a breakdown of what you're eating that would show carbs/protein/fat intakes? I'd be interested to see!
No, not at all..... I basically look at what the packets say and just count the calories accordingly. I never go over 1200 and sometimes if I'm not too hungry I stick to 1000. I have everything grilled on the George Forman.
You see, I find it so difficult to figur it out because everyone says something different. I have people telling me 1200 calories is too low if I'm walking 5 miles a day - but that is after all the recommended 10,000 steps. I keep being warned about starvation mode. But at 1400 I'm not losing. I need to look at replacing some carb calories I think. Thanks!
I know they say losing more than 3lbs a week is not healthy, but I think it's much healthier than carrying all the extra weight and all the health risks involved. Also I tend to keep it off for a good couple of years and the only reason I put weight back on is because I stuff my face on takeaways.
• in reply toGina122
That's great - well done you
I find it's harder the first 4-5 days because I have food and calories on the mind and thinking about food is never good when dieting, but by day 5-6 the stomach seems to shrink and get used to the healthy food and lower calories. By the end of week one a loss of 7lbs is quite visible and from then onwards it becomes fun as the results are very encouraging. I don't bother excersising when dieting, I wait till I like the sight of my body then I do callenetics to tone up.
• in reply toGina122
Just out of curiosity, what do you think are the reasons why you put it all back on again ?
If I think back over the last few years...... August 2011 I was 186lbs, I went down to 158lbs in a matter of weeks then I kept it off till around October 2012 when I had some nasty experiences (was ripped off by business partner), I started putting the weight back on and by January 2013 I was 185lbs again.... Dieted again and shifted it and was fitting into size 10 clothing in March 2013...... I managed to keep it off again till around March 2015 when I went through some personal problems again and started piling it on. I would say COMFORT EATING.
I have just weighed myself and I am down to 191.4, Sunday night I was 193.6. That's 2.2lbs loss
Us women are obsessed with the scales and whilst they are helpful I would also recommend measuring your waist, bust, hips, top of each thigh and upper arms. Keep a record of your measurements and even if the scales aren't moving as much as you hope, you can see if your measurements are changing - they should.
I have done that as I hope for some improved muscle tone. Valid point, thank you for mentioning it. However at 2 stones overweight and existing joint issues, I'm doing this for health, not beauty and the only indicator is the scales!
as long as you are happy with the 1400 cals per day, and you have a balanced diet, there shouldn't be too much to worry about. 5 miles per day? that's good, but have you noticed any difference in your leg muscles since you began. building muscle doesn't necessarily mean your muscles get bigger, so if there is no change in size in thighs etc, then carry on and congratulate yourself on your perseverance.
I was about to reply then saw sandylaner1's response and thought the same - you might not have lost much weight for your efforts, but are your clothes a bit easier to get into, suggesting you've lost some fat weight and gained muscle weight? Are there any other exercises you could do - sometimes I find going swimming or cycling once/twice a week for just 6 weeks is enough to change my weight slightly as it seems to give me a kick start?
I do believe I'm seeing a slight difference in shape, I'm regaining a waist so I dare say some difference in inches. I'll measure myself! Exercise isn't my forte but yes, I probably could switch this up, thank you!
Off to measure myself, thank you!
2lbs in 2 weeks would be my dream. Like you I'm active, although as well as walking I do a lot of fitness classes, swim and some gym work. I'm 10 years older and have 2 stones I wish to shed, but believe that a late menopause and under active thyroid are both affecting my metabolic rate, so, although I stick to 1400 calories a day or less, my weight loss averages only half a pound a week. It is frustrating, especially when you read about some of the enormous accomplishments on here. However, I know that I am not the only one and I take the view that I've made a lifestyle change I enjoy, so have stopped expecting dramatic results when I get on the scales and generally take more comfort from measuring my waistline, hips and chest.
As others have commented, you're eating a very carbohydrate rich diet, in simple terms a lot of sugar. If you've read the post on insulin resistance then you'll have read that this type of diet can really derail your weight loss attempts. Sadly we can't rely on Food Labels and databases such as MFP to accurately represent this because often they don't include the sugar you obtain from Starch etc, which for metabolically fit people is not so much of an issue when included in a healthy balanced diet but for those of that are not, it can be really problematic.
You could try sticking to the 1400 cals but dropping the breakfast cereal, mashed potato, rice and sugar in your coffee and replace it with fattier and protein rich food, though keep the latter to a moderate level as excess protein is not good for weight loss. Keeping things like the skin on your chicken, switching to whole milk, eating soft cheese, having avocado and coconut will help. Just try it for a fortnight if you are unsure. There are some middle ages ladies in the community that have had great results both with weight loss and improving their general health and fitness by following similar regimes.
What ever you decide, Good Luck with it.
Thank you. I have been deliberately keeping my fat intake down but realise after all the posts here that I'm going to have to think what equates to 'sensible eating'. The NHS recommendation that led me here in the first place is that your diet should be based upon starchy foods but I'm beginning to understand the sugar issues. I can't figure out how to eat 1400 cals per day whilst reducing my carb intake and moderating my protein intake though! The 'eatwell plate' is irrelevant, does anyone have an example of a well balanced days eating??
The issue is immensely complex, it does not help that we are on the brink of what can only be described as a dietary revolution, which at the moment only leads to exaggerate the confusion for lots of people. I guess there was a similar revolution with tobacco and smoking 40-50 years ago, remembering that it's not that long ago that we had smoking wards in hospitals and it was not unusual to be encourage to have a smoke by your Doctor.
I think the dietary advice our grandchildren will be given when they reach middle age will be very different to now, which does not help the majority of people in the present. It's going to take a generation at least for the changes to become mainstream, because you need a new generation of not only doctors, healthcare professionals but also more importantly the academics that teach them and often set public guidelines.
The simple fact is that Fat has been demonised for decades based on what we now know is very poor clinical data, which in turn has snowballed to where we have a modern day diet and dietary advice in the west that now drives all these metabolic diseases. There are only 3 major macronutrients, Fat, Protein and Carbohydrate and when you remove one from your diet, you need to make up the shortfall with one or both of the others.
The younger generation in our society should probably now be encourage to eat a balance of all 3 of these groups, but because lots of us didn't, instead be forced into overloading on Carbs, this has left us with damaged and/or poorly functioning metabolisms, which in turn has lead to the epidemic we currently have.
The NHS plan is good from the point of view that it gets people thinking about what they eating both from an energy point of view (calories) and a nutritional point of view, it tries to help you form new, healthier eating habits but the problem is I think that Obesity is an immensely complex problem and for that reason it's impossible to have a one size fits all type of fix. We have in this community people with very different problems, without meaning to generalise we have people that are perhaps younger, fitter and want to lose a few kilos perhaps for a holiday or just because they recognise the need to do so, to people that are at a point where their weight is having a real detrimental effect on the quality of their life, so one plan is never going to be the absolute fix for everyone.
I don't want to Spam this community with links to outside resources, I am not a health professional and I am mindful of that and like others I can only advice you based on my own personal experience. All I would say is that a Lower Carb, Higher Fat type of diet might benefit you and researching LCHF would give you information to make an informative decision.
Lastly I would say, don't be afraid to change things, several times if needs be until you find something that works for you personally. Once you have that, it does not matter what anyone else says or thinks is right or wrong, as long as you are reasonably healthy and able to maintain a weight that you are happy with!
Thank you for this. A very informed and informing reply which has given me much to consider. But you're right, I need to experiment and find out what works for ME and go with that. I had to manage my fat intake at minimal levels a few years ago due to gall bladder problems and it's difficult to shake that thought process - it's why we now only ever have skimmed milk in the house but having become used to it we don't think twice about it. Time to change things up a little and see what happens! I reckon 2 weeks on any new diet regime should be enough to to see what it's doing for me (or not) - would you agree? I will look into the LCHF. It just occurred to me that my mother failed trying to lose weight until she did low carb dieting and the results were amazing, but I regarded it as a fad because as soon as she stopped the diet she put the weight back on. I want something that is sustainable as a healthy ongoing diet (where diet is not meant as weight loss!).
Perhaps have a look at the traditional diets from around the world? The common denominator seems to be minimising highly processed foods and added sugars, things like breakfast cereals, and many low fat foods.
I am a few years older than you and find that I need to choose the amount and type of starchy foods I eat very carefully, and it certainly doesn't form the biggest part of my diet. I also make sure not to eat anything after my evening meal, so have an approximate 12 hour gap until breakfast.
You may need to do some experimenting! Good luck.
Thank you!
Hi CraftyToots. Your attitude sounds very sensible. Re carbs, and sticking to 1400 cals, I had a slightly different experience as my doc advised me to cut wheat and dairy. This wasn't necessarily what helped me in itself, but it did make me have to think more creatively. I have ended up rotating between a range of different types of grains, pulses etc, and also reduced my overall carb proportion of meals, although not drastically. Ive also tried to have good breakfasts, regular healthy snacks, and lighter dinners. I suggest looking at things like brown rice, quinoa, oats, sweet potatoes. Also look at the non obvious sources of carbs like bananas, beans, starchy veg such as parsnips, squash etc. Maybe substitute part of the carb portion with these. E.g. I mix mashed banana into porridge, and mashed potato can be made with half potato, half mashed parsnips. Lastly, play around with your timings. Reduce the carb proportion at the end of the day. Your oatcake and cheese snack might be more efficiently processed straight after your walk rather than at a more rested time of day close to bedtime. Be careful about post dinner snacking. Aim to front load your day a bit more. I hope this fits in with all the other good advice you've had here and good luck 😊
CraftyToots• in reply to
I've always had issues with breakfast but I agree, perhaps front loading my day would be more sensible. I've also considered having dinner at lunch. Thanks!
I don't know whether this information helps, but I read that the maximum that the body can loose in weight per week is 2lbs. For example if you see yourself loosing 3lbs in one week, this is 1 lb of water retention lost, as sugar retains water, binds it to the cells in our bodies. Scary, hey?
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