I give up

[Biddy2shoes]

I’m 70kg 172cm tall and trying to get down to my best weight of 62kg. I’m on about 800 calories a day perhaps less some days. Brown wholemeal low carb is my boring diet. I power walk for a mile ever morning. I do PE with Joe at 9am plus some weights and sit ups. I have a half hour walk at lunch time and every other evening I go for a short jog. I. Am. Still. Gaining. Weight. My belly fat is getting bigger. My thighs flabbier. My arms are bingo queens. My cheeks are getting chubbier. I am a woman who’s menopausal and I HATE it. Why do I bother ☹️

[IndigoBlue61]

Hello and a very warm welcome to the Weight Loss Forum Biddy2shoes

First of all, if you haven’t already then please read the Welcome Message (in your inbox) and follow the link to Pinned Posts. In case you missed it here’s the link again here healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh... Please read it carefully so you can find all the information you need to find your way around the forum.

Secondly, as you are now aware, our bodies change as we age. You are a healthy weight, so maybe it time to stop chasing the numbers and think about it in a different way, have a look at this for an explanation about how our bodies use different foods as we hit the menopause. healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...

Lastly, as a peer to peer support group we rely totally upon mutual encouragement. Nothing beats joining in, reading posts and replying to others. Our Group Weigh-in and the Daily Diary are probably the best places to start

Best wishes in your weight loss journey

Indigo 😊

[Biddy2shoes in reply to IndigoBlue61]

Thank you, that’s really really helpful 🙏🏼

[IndigoBlue61 in reply to Biddy2shoes]

You’re very welcome 😊

[Lytham 3 stone]

Hello, please don't give up, would you like to join us in the weigh in? Here's the link, hope to see you there! x

healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...

[Minniewinny 5 stone Maintainer]

The best way to benefit from this forum is to join in..

I really started to lose weight when I started planning my meals each week by joining in the daily diary...

Have a lookie and see what others are eating and what comments might be offered to you to tweak your meal plans...?

Cheering you on 🎉🎉🎉

[Hidden]

Apparently resistance exercises /weights are very helpful to women addressing the menopause. We lose muscle strength, due to the hormonal changes, which is not helpful. I’ve started a resistance exercise programme myself as my resistance against menopause, which I expect to hit in the next couple of years. My triceps are complaining tonight, which I think is a good sign...

[LUCKYPANDA]

Hi don't give up. You are doing so well. You are already ahead of those who are not doing anything. You might have hit the point where you are not able to loose weoght with your current diet and workout. This is the time where you need to push with your workout more to get over this stage. It happens to everyone and they wonder why they r not loosigg weight. This is your point and don't give up. Just push harder with workouts

[LUCKYPANDA]

Also it's not about calories you might want to download the app called macros. To loose weight you need 40%carbs, 30% fat and 30% protine. Once you learn this weight loss will be much easier. You will seee with this app weather if your intajing too much carbs or too less protine.

[SofaJockey in reply to LUCKYPANDA]

Interesting to see those quoted percentages, LUCKYPANDA . Where do those stats come from please? I notice my own splits (according to my tracker) are: 25% carbs, 35% protein and 40% fat, with weight-loss progressing nicely. Curious to know more about food proportions.

[LUCKYPANDA in reply to SofaJockey]

I came across that from youtube. One fitness guy was saying it in order to loose weight you need to have those percentages he called it endomorph.

And yes everyone is different, for me it worked but you might need to play wihh your fat, carbs and protine doing up and down seeing which one is working for you.

[Subtle_badger in reply to LUCKYPANDA]

This is not true. It may work for you, but it's not universal. I could not lose weight until I dropped my carbs way below that level.

[LUCKYPANDA in reply to Subtle_badger]

Hi yes it's true it may not work for someone else or may do.. Just we need to find out our body type first what works for us.

[Hidden]

Maybe a total change up will help biddy !! 800 cals every day is very low, and if you've been eating that low every day there is a chance your body has become accustomed to that in a way that prevents any more losses! Perhaps calorie cycling and fasting would spark your metabolism into action again. This might mean 1850 cals Monday to Wed, a very low cal day Thurs maybe zero, 1850 Fri and Sat, 500 Sunday. That kind of thing. It makes the body work harder. There are a zillion ways to incorporate fasting such as a long break daily - not eating til 3pm say. Fasting in whatever way you do it gives your body a total break from insulin which is the main cause of belly fat. What do you think about intruducing something like that?

It goes without saying I'm not a medical professional and only give my advice based on my own experience and my own personal research into the topic for the last few years.

Cheering you on!

[Subtle_badger]

OK. Time to stop that 800kcal diet. It's not working for you, and it will eventually slow your metabolism. Time to mix things up.

I weigh about the same as you, and am a little shorter, so my body would probably dissatisfy as much as your own does, but I am currently moving in the right direction in terms of weight and waist. I am menopausal (thought I was through it but in fact the hot flashes have only just started 🤒)

I have successfully lost weight with low carb and intermittent fasting, but that has not targeted my waist, which stayed pretty much the same as I lost 5kg. Two things did change my waist. One was VLCD (what you are doing now), and that's obviously not working for you, and the other was extending my fast. I am eating almost nothing one day, and 3 hearty low carb meals the other. I believe this will keep my metabolism ticking, but most importantly in a couple of weeks I lost 6cm off my waist.

healthunlocked.com/fasting-...

I know my body has changed in ways I can never undo, but I think I may get my sub 70cm waist back, which is pretty exciting. At 57 I am considering buying a 👙. I probably won't, but it doesn't seem like an insane idea. Must work on abs first! Slim_for_good is right about the weights; we must fight to keep our muscles, and increase them if we can.

What are you eating? I can't really parse "brown wholemeal low carb" because I only understand wholemeal for grains, and I don't think grains belong on a low carb diet. I'm eating vibrant salads, miso glaze chicken, pulled pork, frittata etc etc. I would not describe that as brown wholemeal. You can eat good food if you are low carb, in fact I think it is easier, as you aren't eating dull potatoes and pasta.

OK, I like pasta, but it's not exciting.

[PandQs Maintainer 3st 7lbs in reply to Subtle_badger]

Hi Subtle Badger - don’t give up on the bikini idea. I can give you a few years but after success on LCHF beyond my wildest dreams getting rid of fat around my middle, I’ve spent hours during lockdown wearing a bikini in the garden. It’s not itsy bitsy by any means, quite substantial compared to ones of my teenage years. The neighbours haven’t dived for cover yet!

[Subtle_badger in reply to PandQs]

It's not that I wouldn't, it's that I don't have many swimsuit opportunities (I don't find London pools very inviting, and I don't do resort holidays), and I still have a maillot in pretty good condition.

[PandQs Maintainer 3st 7lbs in reply to Subtle_badger]

I had to look up "maillot" - i thought it might be something with frills below knee level

[Subtle_badger in reply to PandQs]

😂

It's a basic Speedo in a racing style. I would have called it a Speedo, I've been told that in the UK, "Speedo" only means budgie-smugglers.

[PandQs Maintainer 3st 7lbs in reply to Subtle_badger]

Correct, as frequently seen worn by Russians on Spanish Costas

[Bexxsy10 in reply to Subtle_badger]

😂😂

[Annekelly58]

Oh dear, you sound really fed up. I must say, I'd love to be your weight. Try to get things in proportion; weight isn't everything. Well being, happiness, health etc are equally important. Perhaps focussing too much on the scales is pulling you down. There's lots of useful ideas on this site, so good luck.

[rga11]

Keep going! We all find it really hard, sounds like you have been really disciplined so far.

Weights do work, they are effective at changing body shape. Good luck and let us know how you are getting on x

[moreless Administrator 7 stone in reply to rga11]

Hi and welcome, rga11

All of the information you need about the forum can be found in Pinned Posts healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh... and I hope you'll be joining all the Events, Challenges and Clubs that we run, especially a weigh-in and the daily diary.

We've found active participation to be key to successful weight loss and, of course, it's a good way to get to know people, find inspiration and share support and encouragement.

Wishing you all the best

[Hippa]

Don’t give up!! Change is not necessarily a negative thing And our bodies have to change as we get older. Think healthy rather than thin. My weight fluctuates and I have come to terms with accepting that I am heavier now than when I was younger - I have managed, in the last six months, to lose around two stones by actually eating more. 800 calories is not enough - I ate at around that level for three years or so and my weight crept up. Hospitalisation after surgery opened my eyes to how much people are actually supposed to eat - a lot of good, healthy, unprocessed food. It was a revelation, to be honest! Be kind to your body and eat well and exercise for the sake of improving your wellbeing, rather than checking the scales all the time. I am probably around your age but still feel attractive and have fun with my kids, despite not being as slim as my daughters! As long as you don’t allow yourself to get overweight, enjoy your life - particularly at a time like this, when the future is so uncertain.

[Besipam]

Don't give up.. please... you're doing this for you... just really really review what you're eating.. if I eat carbs, or drink alcohol.. there's something in the mix of what I eat that keeps the weight on... no matter how low the calories... the only way I get a start is by eating a bit of meat or fish n steamed veg, or veg soups... no lentils..no bread... no low fat spreads or oils... use delicious herbs and spices... keep going.. you're doing all the right things to stay fit...your body will respond.. believe in yourself.. (And remember... muscle weighs more than fat...)... and 800 calories a day isn't sustainable ...

[moreless Administrator 7 stone in reply to Besipam]

Hi and welcome, Besipam

I hope you'll follow the link to Pinned Posts too and will also become an active member of our community healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...

Onwards and Downwards!

[amykp Visitor]

First of all, exercise does not help much at all with weight loss--it is good for you of course, but weight loss has to do almost completely with diet. Second of all, try watching or listening to Dr. Jason Fung online. He explains WHY we get fat...thus what can be done about it. dietdoctor.com/the-obesity-...

800 calories sounds miserable :o(