Started high protein diet, less carbs ,calorie counting but not lost anything ! Help please
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Denva16
Posts: 5 Member
Hi all :-)
I’m now a mum of 2 had my daughter 6 months ago and before I had children I was the type who struggled to keep weight on and never had to worry about what I ate. Now is very different ! My weigh goes up and down by 3 to 4 lbs every few days and I seem to always look bloated and can’t shift that stubborn tummy fat . I have naturally managed to get from weighing almost 11st when pregnant to now being 9st 3oz but I used to be 8st 4 . I don’t expect to be as small as before but I’d like to lose this belly fat and some leg fat and get to a fitter looking 8st 10.
Iv been doing a high protein diet with less carbs and counting calories . I’m getting in 110g of protein a day through food (not shakes) and I’m usually about 200 calories under my allowance every day. I exercise and I’m always on my feet but so far no weight loss at all! After I log my diary it says in 5 weeks I would be 8st 5 if I keep eating like I do but so far I haven’t lost anything and I’m still bloated
I’m now a mum of 2 had my daughter 6 months ago and before I had children I was the type who struggled to keep weight on and never had to worry about what I ate. Now is very different ! My weigh goes up and down by 3 to 4 lbs every few days and I seem to always look bloated and can’t shift that stubborn tummy fat . I have naturally managed to get from weighing almost 11st when pregnant to now being 9st 3oz but I used to be 8st 4 . I don’t expect to be as small as before but I’d like to lose this belly fat and some leg fat and get to a fitter looking 8st 10.
Iv been doing a high protein diet with less carbs and counting calories . I’m getting in 110g of protein a day through food (not shakes) and I’m usually about 200 calories under my allowance every day. I exercise and I’m always on my feet but so far no weight loss at all! After I log my diary it says in 5 weeks I would be 8st 5 if I keep eating like I do but so far I haven’t lost anything and I’m still bloated
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Replies
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How long have you been doing this?
How are you measuring your portions?
How careful are you in selecting the database entries you use?
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Give your body time to heal, it has only been 6 months since you`ve given birth.
However: a lot of the time people eat back the calories that they burned during exercise and believe that they`re still eating at a deficit. My advice is to STOP THAT! This is because you don`t know if you`ve really burned that much (sort of like how adult women are “recommended” to eat 2000 kcals a day but I`m under 5` tall so that would fatten me up unless I`m an Olympic athlete!)
Recalculate your TDEE using a lower activity level and try keeping to those calories instead.
Good luck!
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Are you breastfeeding your child? It's only been 6 months like Diastole said, milk production is more important than weight loss if you breastfeed.
Your profile says you joined 4 days ago. If 4 days is also the time for your new diet and calorie counting, getting any significant results in that time would be, frankly, a miracle. The weight and bloating did not come in four days, they won't go away in four days. This is a long distance thing, not a sprint. One pound is about 3500 calories, if you have now eaten a deficit of 200 calories for four days, that's a total deficit of 800 calories which would be less than 0.25lbs, if one makes a straightforward calculation ignoring all other variables like natural fluctuations due to bowel movements, how much water you are drinking and retaining each day etc.
Take it slow, only weigh yourself once a week and take measurements. By weighing yourself every day, you see all the daily fluctuations, consider them weight loss or gain, and you're just setting yourself up for failure. Trust me, I've been there and done that. There are people who find everyday weigh-ins helpful, I'm just not one of those people.1 -
Your weight naturally fluctuates by 3 to 4 lbs, and you expected to see a loss on the scale after logging your food for four days?
I suggest more patience. I also sincerely suggest a more moderate approach. Do not eat under your allowance. Do not force down protein foods on the expense of other foods you might like better. A healthy diet is balanced and varied, and you have to keep at this for a long time.2 -
Iv been being careful on what I eat for the last month and saw no results so it’s been a week that iv started a high protein diet as I hear it’s good for diets and weight loss . I’m not breast feeding ,so that isn’t a issue with what I eat etc. What I find difficult is iv never been a big eater so I actually find it hard to eat enough calories in a day , iv been eating more calories and food since getting this app as that what it recommends even when putting setting to mild exercise. Am I doing wrong by eating more calories by following what it says ? Very confused . I hear if you don’t get enough your body holds onto fat but also eating to much won’t help , it’s knowing what amount is right for me that I’m struggling to work out , let’s just say I no longer know my body type or how my body works since being a mum.1
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The good news is that your body type is still "human - female", so you can still eat like a person, and your body does not "hold onto fat if you don't eat enough". The bad news is that if you're not losing weight, you're logging inaccurately, so in reality, you're eating more than you think. If you find yourself weighing more than you like, you've consistently been eating more than you need, for some time, so your perception of normal is skewed. You will need a food scale, and to check all the database entries before you log. You're supposed to eat the amount of calories MFP tells you. Enough protein is good for you, but all that's required for weight loss, is a true and consistent calorie deficit, and time.5
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What’s good for weight loss is to be in a consistent calorie deficit. You don’t need to eat a particularly high protein diet to do that, although adequate protein is important when eating at a deficit to maintain lean body mass. You also need to be patient as weight fluctuates naturally for women and especially as a new weight loss/fitness program begins. You’re also only 6 months post partum and while you may not be nursing, your body is still adjusting, hormones fluctuating, etc. Lastly you mention some confusion about eating back exercise cals - if you use MFP to set your goals then yes you’re meant to eat at least some of those cals back as MFP’s target was calculated based on the assumption of no exercise. Some people find them a little inflated so they only eat back about half the calories until they establish a consistent pattern. It’s also important to have reasonable goals and be accurate on the calories in side of the equation - so I’ve got some questions for you that will help ensure you’re on the right track.
Have you read the stickied most helpful forum posts?
How much weight are you trying to lose?
What rate of loss did you select?
What calorie target did MFP provide you?
Are you logging everything you eat, ideally using a food scale?
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Don't believe click bait nonsense like 'body holding onto fat if you don't eat enough' or 'body type'
The good news is this is a good place to learn actual facts about weight loss and fitness, so WELCOME!
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WinoGelato wrote: »What’s good for weight loss is to be in a consistent calorie deficit. You don’t need to eat a particularly high protein diet to do that, although adequate protein is important when eating at a deficit to maintain lean body mass. You also need to be patient as weight fluctuates naturally for women and especially as a new weight loss/fitness program begins. You’re also only 6 months post partum and while you may not be nursing, your body is still adjusting, hormones fluctuating, etc. Lastly you mention some confusion about eating back exercise cals - if you use MFP to set your goals then yes you’re meant to eat at least some of those cals back as MFP’s target was calculated based on the assumption of no exercise. Some people find them a little inflated so they only eat back about half the calories until they establish a consistent pattern. It’s also important to have reasonable goals and be accurate on the calories in side of the equation - so I’ve got some questions for you that will help ensure you’re on the right track.
Have you read the stickied most helpful forum posts?
How much weight are you trying to lose?
What rate of loss did you select?
What calorie target did MFP provide you?
Are you logging everything you eat, ideally using a food scale?
Thank you for your reply , no I haven’t read through the most helpful forum posts as of yet but read through some of the other posts that have certain similarities to thoughts iv had or questions iv wanted to ask .
I believe my calorie target is 1400 and I set my rate of loss as 1lbs a week .
I currently weigh 9st 4oz and hope to get down to a fitter healthy looking 8st 10oz , I used to be 8st 4 before having kids but I think maybe I was slightly to thin looking back then. I read the nutrition information on packets and then go through the database and find a correct version to log into the diary .
I don’t increase my calorie intake when iv done exercise even though it says I can , I’m just not hungry enough to eat any more , to be honest I struggle to reach my daily recommended calorie intake unless I push myself to eat more . In general I could easily skip breakfast then have a cooked lunch and then a snack sized dinner , I don’t snack between meals either . Should I be forcing myself to eat 3 meals a day and should I push myself to eat more than normal in each meal just to fill my recommended allowances?
Thank you all for your help and sorry if I am slow in getting to grips with it all0 -
WinoGelato wrote: »What’s good for weight loss is to be in a consistent calorie deficit. You don’t need to eat a particularly high protein diet to do that, although adequate protein is important when eating at a deficit to maintain lean body mass. You also need to be patient as weight fluctuates naturally for women and especially as a new weight loss/fitness program begins. You’re also only 6 months post partum and while you may not be nursing, your body is still adjusting, hormones fluctuating, etc. Lastly you mention some confusion about eating back exercise cals - if you use MFP to set your goals then yes you’re meant to eat at least some of those cals back as MFP’s target was calculated based on the assumption of no exercise. Some people find them a little inflated so they only eat back about half the calories until they establish a consistent pattern. It’s also important to have reasonable goals and be accurate on the calories in side of the equation - so I’ve got some questions for you that will help ensure you’re on the right track.
Have you read the stickied most helpful forum posts?
How much weight are you trying to lose?
What rate of loss did you select?
What calorie target did MFP provide you?
Are you logging everything you eat, ideally using a food scale?
Thank you for your reply , no I haven’t read through the most helpful forum posts as of yet but read through some of the other posts that have certain similarities to thoughts iv had or questions iv wanted to ask .
I believe my calorie target is 1400 and I set my rate of loss as 1lbs a week .
I currently weigh 9st 4oz and hope to get down to a fitter healthy looking 8st 10oz , I used to be 8st 4 before having kids but I think maybe I was slightly to thin looking back then. I read the nutrition information on packets and then go through the database and find a correct version to log into the diary .
I don’t increase my calorie intake when iv done exercise even though it says I can , I’m just not hungry enough to eat any more , to be honest I struggle to reach my daily recommended calorie intake unless I push myself to eat more . In general I could easily skip breakfast then have a cooked lunch and then a snack sized dinner , I don’t snack between meals either . Should I be forcing myself to eat 3 meals a day and should I push myself to eat more than normal in each meal just to fill my recommended allowances?
Thank you all for your help and sorry if I am slow in getting to grips with it all
A couple of things-
If I'm converting correctly, you want to lose @ 10 lbs and you are already a healthy weight. This means weight loss will be s-l-o-o-o-o-o-w. You simply don't have enough excess fat to expect to see the scale move every week. Plus, small fat losses can easily hide behind normal water weight fluctuations. When I was losing my last 10 lbs, I would see nothing for weeks then one day I'd drop a lb, then nothing for weeks then drop a lb. That's just real life.
Get a food scale and use it as often as possible for all solid food. We all think we have a good grasp on what a portion of food is, but most of us just don't. I found I was eating as much as 300 cals more than I thought I was when I started using a food scale. It's kind of life changing.
Your macros don't directly affect weight loss, so use whatever macro % you want, the calories are what matters.
Be patient and good luck
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Are you drinking at least 8 glasses of water per day.6
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Are you drinking at least 8 glasses of water per day.
Hi , no I’ll be honest I’m not a great drinker , never feel thirsty ever so I have to remind myself to drink which is one reason I bought the Acti hydra slim as you add it to water and are only supposed to sip throughout the day so I fill a big sports bottle and make sure I have it with me so I’m reminded to drink :-) does not drinking enough cause water retention and bloat ?
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WinoGelato wrote: »
A couple of things-
If I'm converting correctly, you want to lose @ 10 lbs and you are already a healthy weight. This means weight loss will be s-l-o-o-o-o-o-w. You simply don't have enough excess fat to expect to see the scale move every week. Plus, small fat losses can easily hide behind normal water weight fluctuations. When I was losing my last 10 lbs, I would see nothing for weeks then one day I'd drop a lb, then nothing for weeks then drop a lb. That's just real life.
Get a food scale and use it as often as possible for all solid food. We all think we have a good grasp on what a portion of food is, but most of us just don't. I found I was eating as much as 300 cals more than I thought I was when I started using a food scale. It's kind of life changing.
Your macros don't directly affect weight loss, so use whatever macro % you want, the calories are what matters.
Be patient and good luck
Thank you , yes I think I am being impatient , I guess I was hoping to see some progress to give me a bit of a boost and help me stay focussed and positive. The fat I do have is purely the stubborn last band on belly fat and tops of my legs so I know it’s hard to shift , I know I’m in the healthy weight category but to look at I don’t exactly look fit and in shape and it doesn’t look like I’m being careful with what I eat to look at my tummy0 -
Are you drinking at least 8 glasses of water per day.
Hi , no I’ll be honest I’m not a great drinker , never feel thirsty ever so I have to remind myself to drink which is one reason I bought the Acti hydra slim as you add it to water and are only supposed to sip throughout the day so I fill a big sports bottle and make sure I have it with me so I’m reminded to drink :-) does not drinking enough cause water retention and bloat ?
Yes, it actually does - drinking more water will help your body flush excess water from the system (water is a diuretic).
The 8 glasses of water is not necessary - check your pee, if it's light yellow or clear, you are hydrated, if it's dark, then you need to drink more water.1 -
Water is soooo important. I hate water i do. I have to use crystal light in my water or else I'll gag. LOL but with my body I've noticed that 3L a day I'll loose lbs consistently. Try drinking more water. Also.. ya hormones are a big thing. I've read and heard that your hormones are such a big part of weight loss where they help you loose or help you gain weight. It takes about a year for your hormones to settle back after kids (I have 2 kids), plus.. as you age your body changes your hormones change. Dont lose hope just stay consistent.. meaning log everything for a month then tweak things as you go.1
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