At my wits end

flyingtank5 · April 2021

So I started dieting last year. Cut my calories down to 1400, started walking more and cut out pretty much any treats at all.and all drank was water.
Lost 2 stone /14 kg.

I'm now 70.7 kg and have been since Christmas. I took time off at Christmas and didn't calorie count at all for a good month, but didn't gain any weight.
But since January I've been back on dieting, calorie counting etc and I have lost absolutely nothing.

I keep oscillating between 70 and 71. I cannot seem to break it.

I eat 1400 calories a day, I go on the trampoline for at least half hour pretty much every day (a natural stress relief tactic of mine, I didn't take this up only for weight loss). And I do big hikes pretty much every weekend (think 10 miles plus).

I also occasionally do mid week hiit workouts using small dumbells. Though I'm pretty sporadic with that.

I'm not sure what else to do. I can't really go lower without eating basically nothing and being hungry all the time. But I'm also borderline obese according to my bmi (155cm tall, bmi 29).

Ive considered surgery, because clearly my body just refuses to lose the final 10kg+ I need to lose to get into my healthy weight range (48-54 kg, but my initial goal is 60)

My TTEE is apparently 1900.

janejellyroll · April 2021

If you open your diary, we may be able to provide some more helpful feedback.

INTJmom · April 2021

Probably a silly question, but are you weighing and measuring everything? I've noticed that if I don't do that, I don't lose anything. I swear it seems like shorter women just don't have as much leeway calorie wise. (I'm 152.4 cm.)

snowflake954 · April 2021

Once you have less to lose your counting has to be on point and your exercise calories have to be exact. I wouldn't throw in the towel just yet. As mentioned, if you don't use a digital food scale, do that. You may have to start experimenting with different foods to see what keeps you full. Maybe up your protein. Making your Food Diary public can help. You've done well so far. Good luck with the rest of it.

flyingtank5 · April 2021

How do I make my diary public?

flyingtank5 · April 2021

OK so my diary should be public now, if that helps.
I don't use a food scale because I tend to have my food made for me by family, maybe that's the issue!

I'm basing my calories off of what the app says for whatever I'm eating, but there's allot of variation in what the app says the calories are for any given food item.

I've mostly Been assuming it was accurate because I lost so much weight before + I generally don't eat much in a day (at least I don't think I do). Maybe that's the problem

Beverly2Hansen · April 2021

So I removed dairy and gluten from my diet and broke the world's longest plateau. I also had to give up cheat days and start walking 5 miles a day. I would try different strategies in 3 week intervals until one causes weightloss. I don't think dropping your calories is the answer. Also if you're truly stuck at that weight strength training would at least turn some of it to muscle and it would help you burn more resting calories once you switch to maintenance.

janejellyroll · April 2021

flyingtank5 wrote: »

OK so my diary should be public now, if that helps.
I don't use a food scale because I tend to have my food made for me by family, maybe that's the issue!

I'm basing my calories off of what the app says for whatever I'm eating, but there's allot of variation in what the app says the calories are for any given food item.

I've mostly Been assuming it was accurate because I lost so much weight before + I generally don't eat much in a day (at least I don't think I do). Maybe that's the problem

I took a quick look and your diary and I think the estimation could be at least part of the issue. Any time you're eating food that someone else is preparing and then choosing generic/database entries for those items, you're doing rough estimates. Things like "cheesecake" or "chow mein," 1 serving . . . well, you don't know what recipe the person who made the entry is assuming and you don't know what size serving they're estimating. This means your progress is going to often be less predictable than someone who is using more accurate methods to estimate their food intake.

There are a couple of different things you can do in response. You can choose a different method of logging that is more accurate -- you could prepare your own food or you could partner with the family members who are preparing food to better understand what they're preparing and how and then create more accurate entries based on those recipes. You could create a "buffer" in your calories by setting your goal lower than it would otherwise be and knowing that since some of your logged items are likely higher that it will probably balance out. Or you could accept that your progress will likely be less linear than it would be if you were logging with more accuracy.

Only you can judge which one of these are best for you. I don't bring up changing how your food as prepared as if it is no big deal . . . I know for some people, that would be a really big deal. It's just that calorie counting is a weight control method that does depend on some level of accuracy to work as expected. As people get closer to goal, many of us find that greater accuracy is more important (while others never reach that point).

Note: You say you can't go lower without being hungry all the time. This could be the case or it could be an issue where your food choices could be tweaked to help you feel more satisfied. For example, I notice you have a few lunches that are just white bread and bacon, a dinner that is just half a donut, lunch of a just a chocolate chip muffin . . . stuff like that. Now it could be that you find this way of eating perfectly satisfying, but I'll just point out that many of us find that specific food choices help us feel more satisfied while in a deficit. The foods you're basing your meals on are not typically associated with feeling fuller. If you can't change what you're eating or you find that these are the best choices for you, please disregard. You had a day where you only ate about 1,400 calories and about 1,000 of those were chips, candy, and a chocolate chip muffin. I'd be STARVING. This is meant in the spirit of advice you can take if you'd like and ignore if not.

flyingtank5 · April 2021

You raise very good points. Do you have any recommendations for more filling foods? I know meats are supposed to be very filling.

88olds · April 2021

An issue with calorie counting is that it isn’t very exact. A food scale is a big help. Also the toughest stuff to deal with are dishes prepared by family and friends. At restaurants you can use the the NI. So you’re working in tough conditions.

Weight loss is mostly about problem solving and persistence. How are you going to address this? For a plan to work we have to be able to live with it. How are the other people in your life going to react if you step into calorie counting food prep? Don’t be surprised if there’s blowback.

Weight loss takes place mostly in the kitchen. As hard as I tried to exercise my way to goal weight, I eventually had to face the fact that I could undo an hour at the gym in five minutes eating. Start looking at what you usually eat and try to figure out some modifications.

I’d start by looking for lean protein and vegetables. Check out egg whites. How about oatmeal or barley if you’re looking for carbs. You might want to take macros into consideration. I’m not a macro counter. That seems like a whole lifestyle. But I’m aware of how much protein and fat I’m getting. Both of those help when it comes to satisfaction. I found that to lose I had to tolerate feeling hungry sometimes. But it was only temporary discomfort. Being hungry a lot isn’t really necessary and doesn’t help in the long run. Keep working. You can get past this. It’s doable.

janejellyroll · April 2021

flyingtank5 wrote: »

You raise very good points. Do you have any recommendations for more filling foods? I know meats are supposed to be very filling.

Some people do find meats (or other high protein foods, like tofu or beans) to be very filling. Others respond better to fiber (found in beans, vegetables, and fruits). There are people who find fat to be very satisfying, so they follow a higher fat diet -- usually focusing on fat from animal products like meat or dairy, but also things like avocados. People usually have to experiment to find exactly what works for them, but a common finding is that a combination of sufficient protein, fiber, and at least moderate fat is satisfying for many.

One thing that really helped me was to keep notes on how I felt after various meals. I'd note when I ate and when I got hungry again. If I found a meal was very satisfying, I would note that. I only had to do this for a short period of time before I began noticing trends.

chocolate_owl · April 2021

flyingtank5 wrote: »

You raise very good points. Do you have any recommendations for more filling foods? I know meats are supposed to be very filling.

It's all very personal, but I tend to find a balance of lean protein, vegetables, and a starch like rice or potatoes to be satiating. The plate method (50% of your plate is veg, 25% is protein, 25% is starch) is a good starting point for ratios, and you can adjust as you learn what works for you. For protein, I opt for chicken, pork loin, fish, shrimp, eggs, beans, and lentils (tofu is a good choice too but my husband isn't a fan). I'll eat beef maybe once every other week, and highly processed meat like bacon and sausage I eat sparingly. Most of my fats come from cooking or dressing salads with olive oil, nuts for snacks, and fatty fish like salmon. If you discover that fat is satiating for you, keep the skin on the chicken, make roasts with fattier cuts of meat, and top everything with avocado - just log it accurately. For vegetables anything goes, but veg and fruit higher in fiber will probably be more satiating - leafy veg, broccoli, artichokes, carrots, berries, apples, etc.

Things like muffins and donuts have been cut out of my diet entirely - I never liked them that much to begin with, and I personally don't find them worth the calories. A donut for breakfast means I'm ravenous until lunch. On Saturdays I eat at maintenance (1800 calories instead of 1300), so if I want ice cream or cheesecake or some other higher-calorie indulgence, that's when I have it. During the week, I usually stick to a piece of dark chocolate after dinner (~50 calories) if I want something sweet. Once again, this is all very personal, but if you're looking for ideas this works very well for me.

At my wits end

Replies

Categories