I'm Still Not Losing Weight!

[Meg888]

http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Body-and-Soul/Question1407790.html

Hi I'm back whingeing again! Thanks to all who offered their advice in my last post above, but sad to say I'm in the same boat. Been stuck at 12st all year. Still doing Juice Plus, feel physically fab on it, and I've made a few changes i.e. I do a different exercise daily, across the week I do strength training, cycling, swimming, and toning. I was told I may suffer from something called oxidative stress, which is basically a chemical imbalance which can store fat among as being responsible for many other things, so my diet is now rich in antioxidant foods, fruits, nuts & seeds. I eat well, 3 times a day as well as the the nutritional shake twice daily. And I have not had one cheat past my lips in over 2 months, but I have not shed a pound. I do not want to change diets again, I enjoy the 'clean eating' on JP and my hair, skin looks fab as well as the painful swelling having diminished on my knees. I packed in smoking Nov'14, and I've been told that this could be the problem - a slow metabolism. Can anyone please advise, I have my dream holiday in 8 weeks time and though I feel great, fitter and toned, but I have not dropped a dress size - all fitness people I ask, always just seem to be about selling me something :-(

[Retrochic]

I would cut out the 'nutritional shake' -they can be packed with calories -you could be taking in an extra 1000 calories a day just with the shakes. Try replacing with a mixed vegetable juice or some fruit. If you look 'toned' then you are replacing fat with muscle and that weighs much heavier than fat. BMI is no indication of health as it does not take into account lean muscle weight. Some female athletes will probably weigh as much as you do so indication of health is not always to do with your weight. How tall are You?

[Meg888]

Hi Retrochic, thanks for your answer. I'm 5'1" so not very tall and I'm almost 45. I'm still size 14. I've had blood tests for thyroid, menopause and diabetes - all good. I take vitamin pills too. The shakes are 223 calories each and made with almond milk - as we do not have dairy, and the diet consists mostly of gluten free & organic food. No processed stuff at all (well apart from the shakes) everyone else reports fantastic weight loss weekly on it, but not me!

[Pete65]

Meg888,
If you want to lose weight, you must eat less food than you are doing now.
Exercise is fine for making you feel good, but has little effect on weight loss.

[Meg888]

I roughly take in about 1400 cals per day including my 2 shakes, 2 healthy snacks and my evening meal. I usually have fruit, nuts & seeds for one of my snacks and either boiled eggs, or prawn/tuna salad for the other

[Meg888]

Oh and 4ltrs of water daily, no tea or coffee or daffeine or sweeteners of any sort - just water & green tea!

[bednobs]

i tend to agree with the above - eat less

[Retrochic]

223 calories for a drink is too much -its the same as a cup of tea and three digestive biscuits. Its 3622 calories a week -about the same as a pound of fat Also nuts and seeds are very high in calories. You sound like you are eating a very healthy diet, but you are wanting weight loss and the only way to decrease your body fat is to eat less calories than you burn. Cut out the shakes and replace with low calorie drink or fruit and you could lose a pound a week.

[DTCwordfan]

Apart from the above comments, are you eating potatos, rice, bread, cous-cous, pasta, cakes and cookies? If so, how much a day?

[Meg888]

Thanks all. I've googled 'calorie cycling' where you have a deficit 2 or 3 days per week, then go back to normal, and have one day when you eat more so that the end result is the equal amount of calories you'd consume daily , only across the course of the week. It's claimed that this can confuse the body and spike the metabolism, does anyone know?

[Meg888]

I don't eat any pasta, white potatoes, bread, cous-cous and definitely no cakes or biccys!! I have only basmati or brown rice, no more than twice week, and I only eat sweet potato. Main veg & fruit I eat is broc, cauli, spinach, kale, asparagus & carrots. Fruit is usually apples, satsumas but mainly berries. I don't have grapes or bananas.

[DTCwordfan]

I'm on a min carbs diet (cut out the above and no beer, cider or sweet wines), fruit allowed and so is dry white wine or Riojas etc, fat and meat ok, loads of veg and I've lost 2.5 stone in just over 3 months - though I needed to, 2 stone to go.

[jennyjoan]

Meg 888 - your meal for one day would do me for a week - seriously.

[ummmm]

Meg...have you ever watched 'secret eaters'?

[DTCwordfan]

yes, I would cut out those drinks and replace with black tea, perhaps with lemon in it.....

[ummmm]

Jenny...you're in denial.

[Meg888]

I tried low carb last year, I felt terrible! Though I wasn't having a lot of fruit/veg. So are you saying I'm having too much food Jenny? According to calorie things on the net, I should have between 1300-1500 per day to lose? at the mo, I usually have between 1300-1400 per day, and adjust as the weight comes off but it never does :-(

[DTCwordfan]

I felt bad for about 4 days and then things picked up, one other side effect that has lasted longer being fatigue in the evening....now that's only occasional - such as last night!

[jennyjoan]

well Ummmm - take right now - I haven't ate one thing this morning or afternoon and same for yesterday. I managed a miserable hamburger last nigt - that's the way I ate. Of course other times I can eat for God

[jennyjoan]

meg888 - there is a great thing on here I think it is called MyFitnessPal - follow it and maybe you could learn a few things. It gives cal by cal. I started it and fell off the wagon

[Meg888]

Ummm - Secret Eaters, I watched once ages ago - but I wouldn't say I am. Typically i'll have my shake first thing (no fruit or veg in it) a couple of boiled eggs on their own. Then a shake at lunch with a berry mix bowl, with either some seeds or greek yog or a few nuts (I don't eat low fat anything) - evening meal will be either fish or chicken always with veg, and sometimes a small portion of rice. If not this, I will cook lean kheema mince or 'clean' curry with either rice or rice noodles - I don't have rice and/or rice noodles more than twice a week - if I snack, I have only either an apple or Satsuma - thanks for the all the replies folks, interesting stuff!