Hi from the UK

[MazzaCat]

Greetings to you all.

I am a 57 year old woman from the UK and am currently about 15 months into a long term diet to lose just over 10 stone (140 lbs).

I am 5 foot 6 tall with a large frame and weighed just over 20 stone (281.25 lbs) when I started. I’ve been doing OK so far and have lost 93 lbs (just over 6.5 stone) to date. I am currently 13 stone 6.25 lbs (188.25 lbs) and my target weight is 9 stone 13.75 lbs (just under 140 lbs) and hoping to settle around 145 lbs after I finish. However, now I am getting to the point where the weight loss is getting more difficult and I need to try to figure out any mistakes and improvements I need to make to keep my weight coming down so I can get to the end and reach my target.

My weight has gone up and down quite a bit over the years having been on diets in the past but never got to the end and then put it all back on again. At least that means I have a lot more experience now because of my past diets and this time I have lost more than ever before.

For the past month I’ve been using a cross trainer at home and have been gradually increasing the time I work out on it. Currently I’m up to 35 minutes a day. My discipline has been really good and I’ve stuck rigidly to my diet and haven’t missed a day with the work outs. I can’t afford gyms so I work out at home. I’m now looking at adding in strength training to also help with my weight loss.

I am eating and drinking about 850 calories a day on average and I weigh and measure everything to the nearest gram or fl oz.

However, I am getting more regular plateau’s and I need to figure out how to beat them.

I deliberately stick to consistently drinking 2.25 litres of fluid a day and the food I eat is my own personal concoction of foods which are both healthy but also things I really enjoy.

My past experience of diets and also having suffered with depression made me realise that mental health is also a very important consideration which I never really hear people talk about in connection with dieting. There is mountains of advice about nutrition and exercise but no one ever mentions mental health. However, as my diet is likely to take getting on for 2 years I think that is an extremely important point. The reason for that is because I know from past experience how much mental suffering you go through on a long term diet. For that reason I have deliberately tried to design in ways to minimise and break up that suffering to help me complete the diet.

For that reason I have created my own personal menu rather than go by someone else’s set diet plan. I make sure everything I eat and drink is something I really enjoy which gives me that mental break from the suffering. Also once a week I have an ease back day where I allow myself what I call my treat meal of the week which is 950 calories.

I try to vary my calorie intake from day to day to try and make it harder for my body to get into a routine where it can resist the weight loss. However, I only eat 1 or 2 meals a day. Even with the exercise I am now getting more frequent plateau’s. Maybe I need to spread my calories out better throughout the day. I’m also not sure if I’m eating too little as I’ve been told it takes calories to burn calories but I don’t really know how to judge the best level other than to see what my scales are saying so I need to find a good way of judging what is best for me.

 

[PLB]

You've already lost almost 100 lbs! Wow! Congrats! You've clearly done a tremendous amount of work already, good for you!

It sounds like you've gone through the same weight loss/gain cycle that so many people go through. It can be so frustrating, but it incredibly common with so-called "diets." Usually they are too overly restrictive and are not helpful for teaching healthy lifestyle habits. As you are getting closer and closer to your goal weight, you will likely find it more difficult to lose weight. This is pretty normal, but I know it can be frustrating after such great progress.

I will have to say that 850 calories per day sounds extremely low! It's possible that your body is protesting a bit at this point, but the closer you get to your "maintenance" weight, the slower your weight loss will likely be. I really like that you use foods that you enjoy as your meal plan, rather than using an arbitrary one... This is part of why people "fall of the wagon" with respect to diets - because of unfamiliar foods, or simply foods they don't like.

Other than the low caloric intake, it really seems like you are going about things in a good way. I think that adding in strength training could really help you, both with long term weight loss and overall body composition. You may see a slow down in the weight loss in terms of stepping on the scale, but I would be willing to bet that if you start building up some muscle mass (some of which was likely lost due to past diet attempts), you'll be happier with your body. Even if the scale doesn't say what you want it to say.

Also, yes to the spreading out your calories a bit more throughout the day. I would suggest staying away from 1 meal per day as much as possible.

Have you thought about journalling your food/exercise in the diary section?

 

[MazzaCat]

Hello PLB. Thank you for your kind reply.

I think actually I’m maybe panicking a little prematurely, partly because I haven’t been keeping a record of what I’ve lost. Since the start of this year I did go through lots of plateaus and my rate of weight loss started falling behind the rate I managed last year. Thinking back though, in the last month since I got the cross trainer, I’ve caught up a bit. I was losing 7 lbs a month last year. I dropped down to about 5 lb a month until the start of May but actually I’ve lost 10 lb this month.

I sat down this afternoon and worked out some record sheets on a spread sheet so I can keep an accurate record from now on and I’ll see how I go through June and then I can see if I need to change anything. I’ve never been any good at keeping diaries and I’m really happy with my discipline so I’ll see how I go with the record sheets and go from there.

I’ve fallen into a really good routine where I know in my head exactly what times I’m going to eat and what I’m having. Having that routine burned into my head seems to be working for me. I lost another lb this afternoon after I posted and I did my work out so I now have 47.5 lbs to target and hopefully I’ll get there in time for christmas.

I agree with you about people falling off the wagon because of eating foods they don’t like. I’ve heard people in the past looking at diet sheets and sounding so miserable about what their next meal is supposed to be which goes back to what I said about mental health. It’s one thing to talk about foods that are nutritionally good but if you don’t like them then they are bad for you mentally which leads to failure because of the additional suffering and depression.

Another mistake I’ve made in the past was allowing myself to get too dehydrated and that almost caused me to black out on one occasion. I’ve learned that it’s fat I need to lose, not hydration. I also take multi vitamin and minerals to help with any shortfall while I’m dieting. I think those and being well hydrated are why I seem to be OK with only averaging 850 calories a day. As long as I feel good in myself and feel alert and not too low on energy I think I’m fine at that level.

I’m hoping that as I gradually increase the length of my work outs that will offset the slow down I’d normally expect as I approach my target. As you said, my muscle mass had become really poor so I’m building up gradually. I’m also not sure if my joints are really up to much strength training and I’m a bit worried about causing myself any real harm so I’m going to have to go very carefully and slowly build up. What does help is that in my younger days I did a lot of cycling and running which is really helping me judge my work on the cross trainer to get the best out of my sessions.

I think possibly the biggest lesson I’ve learned, that will help me into the future, is that for the rest of my life I must never let myself ever be without a decent set of bathroom scales. I’m the kind of person where, if I know an exact number, I’ll react to it. For the last 10 years I haven’t had any because I bought about 3 that were not good enough quality. I finally got a decent one last year and within two weeks I’d started this diet and haven’t looked back. Even when my diet is over, as long as I have scales I can hopefully make sure I never let the weight go back on ever again.

 

[Cate]

Hi, MazzaCat & welcome to the forum. Your weight-loss so far is very impressive. Well done! I think mental health is a huge factor with weight-loss. I think it's very hard to lose weight & get healthy if you are coming from a negative place. Being kind to yourself is very important. I try to look at it as nourishing my body & providing the correct nutrients my body needs. I think some gentle strength training would be beneficial to strengthen your bones & to help improve metabolism. Only 850 calories a day does not seem enough to me to be providing enough nutrition for you. Are you able to see a nutritionist?
I think you are doing an amazing job & I am in awe. I would be interested to see what your daily "diet" includes. The diary section of the forum is a very friendly place & we are able to provide one another with moral support. You'll find it at
https://weight-loss.fitness.com/forums/weight-loss-diary.9/

 

[PLB]

Well, I kind of said it before, but it sounds like you're really going at this in a level-headed way. The pounds often drop off faster at the beginning and the rate of weight loss will slow as you continue with your plan. It's OK if you don't record much, but the information can be really helpful if you do get stuck. Or it can make you realize you are not really in a plateau, as it seems to have done for you. I agree that your mental health is extremely important, so you need to do what works in a way that is taking care of yourself, which you seem to be doing.

Even if you decide not to post often, we would love to hear about your future progress!

 

[alligatorob]

I’ve been doing OK so far and have lost 93 lbs (just over 6.5 stone) to date.

Hey, that's a whole lot better than just ok, unless ok means something different in the UK than the US! I think that is great, and look forward to the day I will be able to say the same.

once a week I have an ease back day where I allow myself what I call my treat meal of the week which is 950 calories.

That's an interesting idea, how is it working out for you? How long have you been doing it.

I think Cate's advice to start a diary and post your food is a good one, think about it.

Good luck to you!

 

[aiminglow]

Hello! Great to meet you! Especially great for me because you're someone around my own weight, with goals round about what mine are. I'll be watching and learning! Cheers!

 

[TrainWithTess]

Greetings to you all.

I am a 57 year old woman from the UK and am currently about 15 months into a long term diet to lose just over 10 stone (140 lbs).

I am 5 foot 6 tall with a large frame and weighed just over 20 stone (281.25 lbs) when I started. I’ve been doing OK so far and have lost 93 lbs (just over 6.5 stone) to date. I am currently 13 stone 6.25 lbs (188.25 lbs) and my target weight is 9 stone 13.75 lbs (just under 140 lbs) and hoping to settle around 145 lbs after I finish. However, now I am getting to the point where the weight loss is getting more difficult and I need to try to figure out any mistakes and improvements I need to make to keep my weight coming down so I can get to the end and reach my target.

My weight has gone up and down quite a bit over the years having been on diets in the past but never got to the end and then put it all back on again. At least that means I have a lot more experience now because of my past diets and this time I have lost more than ever before.

For the past month I’ve been using a cross trainer at home and have been gradually increasing the time I work out on it. Currently I’m up to 35 minutes a day. My discipline has been really good and I’ve stuck rigidly to my diet and haven’t missed a day with the work outs. I can’t afford gyms so I work out at home. I’m now looking at adding in strength training to also help with my weight loss.

I am eating and drinking about 850 calories a day on average and I weigh and measure everything to the nearest gram or fl oz.

However, I am getting more regular plateau’s and I need to figure out how to beat them.

I deliberately stick to consistently drinking 2.25 litres of fluid a day and the food I eat is my own personal concoction of foods which are both healthy but also things I really enjoy.

My past experience of diets and also having suffered with depression made me realise that mental health is also a very important consideration which I never really hear people talk about in connection with dieting. There is mountains of advice about nutrition and exercise but no one ever mentions mental health. However, as my diet is likely to take getting on for 2 years I think that is an extremely important point. The reason for that is because I know from past experience how much mental suffering you go through on a long term diet. For that reason I have deliberately tried to design in ways to minimise and break up that suffering to help me complete the diet.

For that reason I have created my own personal menu rather than go by someone else’s set diet plan. I make sure everything I eat and drink is something I really enjoy which gives me that mental break from the suffering. Also once a week I have an ease back day where I allow myself what I call my treat meal of the week which is 950 calories.

I try to vary my calorie intake from day to day to try and make it harder for my body to get into a routine where it can resist the weight loss. However, I only eat 1 or 2 meals a day. Even with the exercise I am now getting more frequent plateau’s. Maybe I need to spread my calories out better throughout the day. I’m also not sure if I’m eating too little as I’ve been told it takes calories to burn calories but I don’t really know how to judge the best level other than to see what my scales are saying so I need to find a good way of judging what is best for me.

Hi MazzaCat! Wow - almost 100 lbs!! You go girl!! That’s amazing!! If you are hitting plateaus that means your body is adjusting, which is annoying but it means your body is adaptive and listening to you. I would definitely suggest spreading out your calories to maybe 4 meals a day, and slightly increasing your calories! Less than 1,000 calories is very low! I would also highly suggest adding strength training. Changing your body composition to have more lean muscle will make a huge different in your look! You got this girl, let me know if I can help further