For 2 months I’ve been on a very low cal meal replacement plan - max 750 cals of which only 70g carb a day while exercising I have only lost max 1lb a week which is less than if I were on a 1000 cals healthy diet. Do you think I should quit? I just don’t understand why due to such minimal cals I am not loosing more weight. I had blood tests and they came back normal so I don’t have thyroid problems etc. Any suggestions on what to do?
Why can’t I lose weight?: For 2 months I... - Weight Loss Support
Why can’t I lose weight?
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moryton
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Elisabeth3Maintainer
What is your calorie range allowance?
750 sounds low. People on this forum often refer to starvation mode when the body tries to reserve energy.
Max 1lb per week is not bad at all.
Why do you want to lose more? This is a sustainable rate, I would not worry about that, unless you must lose weight more quickly.
Calorie allowance is max 750. I’m just comparing myself to others on this very low cal meal replacement diet and the majority are loosing at least 3-4lbs a week. I was expecting a much bigger loss as it’s nearly half the cals required to lose weight. I just dont know why I can’t lose. When I did weight watchers it took me 18months to lose 22lbs. Am I doing something wrong or should I go to the doctors and ask for additional tests?
There are a lot of factors to consider, when it comes to weight loss. How much exercise are you getting? Carbs are Good for you, they are Energy, not fat. Avoid red meat daily, eat fruit and veg where possible. And Please, always have Breakfast, because that meal alone will tell your body that you are not starving yourself, and store unwanted Fat.
Exercise doesn’t mean that you have to join a gym, an hours housework is the equivalent! If you are not massively fit, a short walk daily. Other hurdles are Age in Women especially. Stopping smoking. If you check, you should Not replace all of your meals with supplements, eat at least One meal per day.
Hope I haven’t bamboozled you with too much info!
Any probs. Let me know, I would love to help!
Best wishes.
Thanks so much for the info. I do aqua aerobics and just walking on treadmill so not excessive. I’ve been told to not eat fruit as it’s full of sugar and don’t eat red meat. I’m just very despondent as I really thought I would have lost 21lbs by now.
Trust me! The darker the fruit, the better! Natural sugar in moderation is Healthy! Have you heard of the traffic light system labelling on food and drink? By law, manufactured food Must be labelled with colours...Green - Good, eat plenty. Amber OK IN MODERATION, finally Red - Avoid if dieting. Once a week, perhaps! Check your cupboards, you’ll be surprised!
I feel your pain as I’m in exactly the same place it so depressing x
Hi Chezw and welcome. Sorry to hear you're not in a good place.
I'm not sure if you've got around to reading the intros and info that the admins supply but tagging one of them in so that you get a warm official welcome BridgeGirl
If you'd like to introduce yourself and where you're at, at the moment, then I'm sure you'd get lots of specific pointers on how you may be able to change things in a positive way.
What is that meal replacement plan?
And why do you apply it?
Can you eat proper food instead?
I was on weight watchers and for a year stayed the same even though I stuck to it so I wanted to kick start weight loss - My GP suggested the meal replacement diet as I am obese.
With what do you replace meals?
Powders, tablets?
4 Packets of dried soup porridge shakes and reconstituted meals all containing vitamins - you add 200g of vegetables or you have 3 packets and 100g protein plus veg. It’s actually very tasty but I’m despondent because I’m not loosing weight albeit very slowly
What is you replace the replacement with real food?
What is the reason you eat packet-food? You say your GP suggested this?
If so, indicated for how long?
It’s very similar to Cambridge diet - I thought it would kick start weight loss quickly and then I could follow a healthy low carbs diet. It contains all the vitamins and minerals you need but remain low cal and low carbs. I don’t feel hungry but just thought I would lose more weight quicker
Thanks for your reply.
I don't know what Cambridge diet is.
I would come off those sachets as soon as I could. I don't know what opinion others have or your health care professional, or you yourself.
Yes I will thanks
Ok thanks
Never give up keep trying remember we lose weight but it replaces with muscle which is heavier. I try not to concentrate on the scales, has your body image changed? Is your clothes a bit bigger? I lost a stone then gradually put back on half. However I lost a dress size so it depends on what you want. I am still trying as I don't want to go back up a dress size. Just eat and try to forget about the scales it's not easy but can be done. I done it and I use to weigh myself every day. Now every two weeks. Keep up love yourself.
BridgeGirlAdministrator2 stone
Hello and welcome to the forum, moryton 
Without having an idea of what you're eating, it's hard to offer suggestions. I would just say 750 calories is extremely low and I wonder where you got that target from. Maybe you already have a healthy BMI and are very short but I still can't see 750 calories as being sustainable, and if you're following a plan that isn't sustainable, as soon as you start eating "normally" the weight will some come back.
Also, I agree with Elisabeth3 that 1lb a week is a reasonable and healthy rate of loss.
I suggest you use the Daily Diary to log your meal plans and read others, then you can get some useful feedback.
You'll find a summary of the forum's activities here
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I hope you'll join in all the forum has to offer
You will probably have more luck if you have more calories; you need to eat at least your basic metabolic rate (usually around the 1600 kcal mark) in calories or your body will just hold on to anything it can and will eat up your muscle rather than fat, as muscle is more nutritious.
Good morning, Vickikate, are you back to rejoin us or are you here to support? You are very welcome, either way
Welcome moryton,
I agree with those who have told you to eat more. 750 calories is not a sustainable eating plan.
Take a read of this,
I agree with all above. It’s not nice and it’s not sustainable eating 750 calories a day, also you will stop losing weight altogether. It happened to me, don’t obsess with the scales either. Others may be losing more but they may have much more to lose than you. If you want to reduce carbs join the LCHF forum, it works for me although it has taken me a long time as I went about it completely wrong. Read as much as you can before you start, I have maintained for months now others longer and I am never hungry. Before I was always hungry and snacked between meals, not now though.
Edge1234Visitor
Hi Moryton, I agree with all of the above of course, it will also make a big difference as to how much weight you have to lose (as mentioned by BridgeGirl above.) As if you are close to your ideal weight your body slows right down to reduce fat loss - as there is less to lose, it’s a self-preservation thing!
Don’t lose heart, following the advice above and having more to eat, maybe upping your activity levels if possible is likely to reap rewards but be very careful if you are close to your ideal weight/BMI (check this before you proceed) as you could make yourself very ill.
Xx
Thanks for all your help! I will read all your links. I think my metabolism has slowed to conserve energy so it’s obviously something is wrong. I’ve got 2 stones to lose so will try the suggestion of low GI I’m so happy for all the advice as it makes sense to me know and am relieved to stop the meal replacement diet as I feel ill on it
Good for you Food is always better than replacements, as far as I'm concerned.
You may well be anxious about increasing healthy fats in your diet as fats have been so demonised. This is a good introduction to low carb eating
And this is the first in a series, The Skinny on Obesity - all short and worth watching on YouTube
Very interesting.
It's worth looking at the series from the beginning. They're only around 12 minutes each and you can follow through on their reasoning and evidence
Well I was looking for the others but somehow dozed off! I think it's the heat! 🤣
They'll keep
I'm glad for you that you've found a way forward and a reason to ditch feeling miserable.
Food should be enjoyable even whilst losing weight.
To reverse your metabolism will take a bit of work but if you follow StillConcerned's path you won't go far wrong.
Hi, moryton
As others have said, the Low-Carbohydrate, High-Fat (LCHF) diet works... and you need to eat more.
Calorie restricting suppresses the metabolism, and Not Eating All Day aka Intermittent Fasting (IF) stimulates it. See:
Real food is more healthy and you will feel more satisfied too.
Your metabolism has probably ground to adjust to a much lower calorie intake. If you are a woman, you will naturally respond to a calorie deficit with storing fat much faster than a man, I'm afraid! I had the same problem in my last diet. What works for me is keeping VLC intermittent: eat 1000 one day, 1200 another etc. I let myself eat more at weekends. As long as you aren't over eating your BMR, you won't gain weight, so don't panic if you see the scales go up a few pounds at first as this is water weight. You might have a hormone condition but I suggest talking to a doctor. Plateaus are inevitable however so if you can look me in the eyes and say you aren't secretly snacking or having large portions, I wouldn't worry.
I think the reasoning behind the Low cal meal replacement was to put you into ketosis so you wouldn’t feel hungry but I don’t think I ever was in ketosis maybe that’s also why I just haven’t shifted the pounds quickly
There's no need to starve yourself to switch into ketosis - and with 70g of carbs, it's unlikely this would happen anyway.
As others have said, the only predicable outcome of a 750kCal/day diet is that your metabolism will wind down to 750kCal/day. This is the actual meaning of "calories in = calories out".
Drop in on the LCHF group. You'll find it's full of happy people eating proper meals and losing weight very fast
focused1Maintainer13kg
Starvation mode ....? Think even 1000 cals is low . Key into Myfitnesspal app and go for 1250 cals per day . This free app also gives you macros so will guide and you can scan bar codes too . 1250 for me = porridge made with water plus greek yog and fruit and a cup of coffee with semi skimmed milk plus 1 tsp sugar = 350 cals . I don't snack so just water then lunch . Tin tuna in water = 115 cals or 150g cottage cheese with mixed salad plus either pack of lentil chips from Lidl / multipack or handful of almonds . Diner large bowl of soup ...cup a soup base with loads of spinach , frozen mixed veg etc whizzed in a blender or 3 egg omelette with lean ham , salad or grilled fish or large chicken breast with veg or salad and a yogurt such as Activia .
I just keep to the 3 main meals . Weekends I will have G and slimline tonics and the odd off diet meal .
I aim for 3 Zumba classes per week plus the odd swim and walk . I also clean 8 hours per month for neighbours and have quite an active full time job .
I now maintain but will drop or put on the odd 1lb .
This is now a lifestyle for me . I lost 18kg in 9 months keeping to this strictly but now have a few weekends off to maintain . I started in Jan 2018 so this isn't short term .
May sound silly but eat more. If you don't eat enough you go into starvation mode and store fat rather than loose it. Check you calorie allowance on BMI calculator and stick to top end of it.
If you need a recommendation for a decent diet plan look at SlimmingWorld, its sustainable and well balanced. I'm 3 st down and now doing couch25k.
I put on weight with slimming world - all that pasta and free foods
Elisabeth3Maintainer
Agree here. ✔️
Cant have been having your 1/3rd of your plate of free food!
I stuck to it for 2 weeks and put on 5lbs.
Sad to hear that, I guess it doesn't work for everyone. You shouldn't have been eating loads of pasta etc though, only 1/3 of your plate carbs, 1/3 speed food and 1/3 lean protein. Better luck with whichever plan you find suits you better.
Thanks
Dear Moryton
I take my hat off to you if you have lasted 6 weeks on meal replacement shakes!
I much prefer to eat real food and carefully plan to eat fresh healthy foot even if calorie restricted.
It is easier to lose weight if you are very overweight and weight loss seems to slo the nearer you get to a healthy BMI
You could start introducing real food and try time restricted eating
Have a look at the Fast 800 web site and you may find useful info there
A steady loss of 1 lb every week sounds good to me
Best wishes
Keep going. It's recommended that you should loose between 1 - 2 pounds a week. I feel the same as my meds stop me from looking weight. Well done on what you have achieved so far
morelessAdministrator7 stone
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