weight loss so slow

Hi all

I was following slimming world but found it really difficult due to the fact that I have a limited diet.
Due to a serious bowel disease I cannot eat fruit - and only limited amounts of veg. I cannot eat roughage - and my fibre intake must be as small as possible.

So I switched to calorie couting with the help of MFP and have found that while I am loosing most weeks it is very slow.

I was on 1200cals per day - but barely loosing and so now eat under that. Previous to that I was eating 1400-1600 per day and was gaining weight.

I am just 5ft 2 in. Started at 12st 4lb in July 2011 - now at 10st 4lb.........that's barely 3lbs loss per month.

Any helpful suggestions? Thanks.

Replies

  • childofbodom123
    childofbodom123 Posts: 175 Member
    Hi. Hope you are doing okay.

    Firstly, you have to work out your BMR. You are Female, 5ft 2 and your starting weight was 172 pounds. Your starting BMR should have been 1,567 and I will have to presume that given your condition exercise may be limited so I will presume activity levels are low (apologies if not) but based on this we can work out that including exercise your daily calorie goal should have been 1,880 calories per day to maintain your weight.

    However you want to lose weight. A pound is 3,500 calories, so with your height and weight it would be best if you were to lose 1 pound per week, so you have to divide 3,500 by 7 which equals 500. Then take your maintaining weight which is 1,880 calories and take 500 calories per day off that, so your goal should have been 1,380 to lose 1 pound per week.

    So knowing this, lets work out what your goal should be today.

    You are currently 144 pounds.

    Your BMR plus your activity level equal's 1,734 calories. That is to maintain your current weight.

    You have not said what your target weight is, however based on your height a good healthy weight for you would be 124 pounds, so let's say you have another 20 pounds to lose, even if your goal is lower or higher the following information applies.

    So to maintain your weight you need to eat 1,734 calories per day. I would recommend losing 1 pound per week. So you need to eat 3,500 calories less per week which is 500 calories less per day.

    This is 1,234 calories per day. This is quite low but accurate for your height and current weight.

    However you say you are finding weight loss quite difficult so here are a few things to keep in mind.

    You are very close to an ideal weight so the last few pounds are always the hardest and weight loss is a bit more difficult because you have much less fat to lose! Do not eat less than 1,200 calories, it is unhealthy for you and will make weight loss in the long run harder, so try to stick to the above goal as it is healthier. If you do get some exercise make sure you eat the extra calories you earned from exercise, or as close as possible. This creates a routine for your metabolism which will help defeat hunger when on a diet and in the long run it will shrink your desire for food!

    I would not be confident enough to give dietry advice with your condition as I do not know enough about it, however if possible try and get the nutrition from fruit and veg with other food types that you can eat. Look for foods high in the following - Fiber, Iron, vitamin A and vitamin C.

    Hope this all helps :-)
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,329 Member
    i would advise getting your bowel disease under control first before worrying about weight loss.

    i would think that those issues would have a HUGE effect on your ability to lose weight
  • skippysells
    skippysells Posts: 49 Member
    So nice of you to take so much time to help another!!
  • lizj1
    lizj1 Posts: 12 Member
    Hi, 3lbs per month is well withing the recommended most healthy weightloss range of 0.5 to 1 lb per week, so I think you are doing really well to keep that up consistently since July - well done!
  • bridgie101
    bridgie101 Posts: 817 Member
    The way the biologists get calorie counts is by drying and then burning foods. They measure the energy the food puts out when burned, and that is its caloric, or energy, value.

    I don't think most humans actually gain every calorie out of what they eat.

    But with your slow bowel, it is entirely possible that you do. Heh. My daughter had a lazy bowel from birth, and she has always had rotten trouble with weight gain.

    I've just noticed that the Optifast chocolate bars I'm eating have one gram of fibre per bar. it's about 200 cals, very filling, it kind of gives me the runs, it's a nutrition bar. is this a thought for you?

    Not actually selling anything, it's just I was staring at my diary today thinking the cappucino ones had 4 grammes of fibre, why did the chocolate ones have only 1? And you with your fibre problems, I wondered if swopping one or two meals a day for these or some similar plan might assist.
  • thank you for your helpful replies

    childofbodon - thanks for the help! i calculated I needed to eat around 1200 also - mostly due to being short LOL.......I just wasn't loosing on it really - kept loosing & gaining the same lb each week. i know the smaller you get the harder it is - but i've still a stone or so to go.

    mesh - my bowel disease is now gone - i have no bowel and live with a stoma bag. the diet restriction is for life....I am now very healthy and not on any meds.

    bridgie - not heard of optifast but google is my friend thanks. it is surprisingly hard to find a nice cereal bar which is low fibre. I have previously been on supplement drinks to help my vitamin/mineral intake without the fibre.

    I have had snack this morning - which I never usually do - It would be simple if our bodies did what MFP predict they will!