Struggling to lose weight

[Luv Bunnies]

I just turned 55 last month. I started following the Weight Watchers plan just over 2 years ago and I've lost 80 pounds. My weight was up and down for years, but this time it feels different. I've made a complete lifestyle change. The key for me is to always (and I mean always) follow a healthy eating plan. I don't need to eat cake and cookies. I don't feel good when I do, so it's just not worth it. I don't take little bites of things here and there. They add up! I can't think of anything I want to eat that would be worth gaining any of the weight back. I love the clothes I can wear, and I love the compliments and positive comments I've received. I have way more energy than I did when I was heavy. I no longer need medication for my triglycerides. I've been maintaining my 80-lb loss for about 8 months. I don't freak out if the scale is up a pound or two one day, as long as it goes back down later in the week. It's a process.

My advice would be to look at a few online programs and see if any of them make sense for you. You can do WW online. There's also Noom and Lose It, which I've never tried but some people seem to like. It was hard for me to figure out how much and what I should be eating, so a structured program that spells it all out was my solution. Good luck!

 

[emer95]

Thanks for your input, everyone! I guess it’s good to know I’m not alone. I do weights when I exercise at home (kettle bells, and body pump which uses barbells and hand weights). I’m a vegetarian and I tend to like healthy food, so my daily meals are typically:
Whole grain Cereal or oatmeal, coffee with 1 tsp creamer, no sugar
Kale salad every day for lunch, with veggies, almonds, and oil and vinegar
Water to drink all day
Vegetarian chili, homemade tomato soup or something similar for dinner. Sometimes I make a veggie burger or veggie pizza.
For a treat after dinner I like a drink of sparkling water with a twist of lemon or lime.
I think that’s a fairly reasonable diet, and with exercise added to it it should be working. It’s really surprising that it’s not. I could cut back on carbs- sometimes I put croutons on my salad or have a little bread with dinner. Maybe that needs to go.
It shocks me how little I need to eat to just maintain my weight (since I’m not losing). I see friends of mine at work eating much more than I do, and adding sweets, drinks, etc. I’m a petite person so maybe that’s why I can’t afford even a little “extra.”

 

[SL6827]

This is why I am taking the drastic measure I am. I am 5'7" and most people are horrified by me doing this but I just dont care.

 

[wenrob]

It has already been proven by science that is is NOT "just math" for a lot of people. Hormones can absolutely affect how your body processes food and burns calories. This is a good explanation of why calories in/calories out is flawed, and why "diets" always fail.

https://www.dietdoctor.com/cutting-calories-wont-solve-weight-issues-instead

It’s interesting that the only places I can find this guy are diet websites. Half think he’s god and half think he’s a quack. I’ll keep my personal opinion to myself.

I do believe messed up hormones can slow people down and can make losing weight tough. However I don’t think it makes it impossible. I also do not advocate “dieting.” If you’re going to lose and keep it off you need to find a way to eat that you can sustain long term.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I’m a petite person so maybe that’s why I can’t afford even a little “extra.”

Yeah that's the issue with me I'm 5 foot 3 inches. Blood-work wise I'm healthy but weight wise I'm not simply because of BMI metrics. Height vs weight. I have though over time disliked the usage of BMI because I find it too simplistic. It can obviously be a good tool for certain indicators but if you were to look at my blood work there are times that I'm healthier or just as healthy in that sense than my skinny bean pole of a husband. In my family for instance we have lower to average blood pressure whereas my husband's family is more higher to average blood pressure. All the dieting and weight loss in the world may not adjust that genetic component.

 

[Music City Mama]

I can relate to this post a lot. I probably don't technically need to lose anything, but I'd like to lose 10 lbs. For years, in January or February, I'd decide I need to lose about 5-7 lbs., I'd add an extra day or two to my exercise regimen (includes cardio and strength) and boom, I'd lose it by May.

Then, about 3-4 years ago, that no longer worked (I'm 49 now). I'm heavier right now than I've been in a long time (although, in most people's eyes, probably not "heavy").

This time, I know I have to change my eating habits. I'm cutting carbs for the most part during the week (although, I'm not on a particular diet, so if I have a sandwich, so be it), and on the weekends, just not worry about it so much other than not snacking. That is a big change for me, and I'm not sure if it will do the trick, but I've only made it through one week so far and I won't weigh myself for another month to see if it's helped at all.

Maybe us "want to lose just 10 lbs." folks can start a thread and keep each other accountable and give each other tips on what's working for us.

 

[DisneyRobin]

If you want to lose weight, do the whole 30 program for 30 days. It costs nothing - just google it to get tips on what to do.

Basically, you cut out added sugar, white flour, grains, legumes, soy and alcohol for 30 days. It works but you have to do it for a minimum of 30 days. You can do anything for 30 days!

After the 30 days, you can add back legumes, soy, grains... and see how you feel. Keeping sugar and white flour out of your diet most of the time is good for you.

Every time I want to lose weight, that’s what I do and it works. I try to adopt it as a lifestyle but when I’m not strict about it for too long, my old eating habits come back and I have to get strict again.

Every year if gets harder and harder to keep off the weight. I’m 50 now and if I’m not careful, I can really put on the pounds!

 

[Music City Mama]

Thanks for your input, everyone! I guess it’s good to know I’m not alone. I do weights when I exercise at home (kettle bells, and body pump which uses barbells and hand weights). I’m a vegetarian and I tend to like healthy food, so my daily meals are typically:
Whole grain Cereal or oatmeal, coffee with 1 tsp creamer, no sugar
Kale salad every day for lunch, with veggies, almonds, and oil and vinegar
Water to drink all day
Vegetarian chili, homemade tomato soup or something similar for dinner. Sometimes I make a veggie burger or veggie pizza.
For a treat after dinner I like a drink of sparkling water with a twist of lemon or lime.
I think that’s a fairly reasonable diet, and with exercise added to it it should be working. It’s really surprising that it’s not. I could cut back on carbs- sometimes I put croutons on my salad or have a little bread with dinner. Maybe that needs to go.
It shocks me how little I need to eat to just maintain my weight (since I’m not losing). I see friends of mine at work eating much more than I do, and adding sweets, drinks, etc. I’m a petite person so maybe that’s why I can’t afford even a little “extra.”

Sounds like you're doing everything right! Are you getting your heart rate up enough when you work out?

 

[lovin'fl]

Yup, in the same boat. I am 46 and been doing low carb and hitting the treadmill and I have dropped some but it has been slow and painful and not as easy as it once was. Around age 35 I started climbing weight. Was a skinny kid and into college but after kids I was not heavy but carried a few pounds too many and in the wrong places (like tummy). I was very out of shape too. But then at 35, the pounds were flying on. Like next thing I knew I was 30-40 pounds heavier. And my mom and her sisters all got heavy too in their middle age years and super heavy in 60-70s. So I wanted to avoid that. I did WW at around 35 and dropped that weight quick and easy and maintained for a long time after. Then it started creeping again around 41. Back up 30-40 pounds and was climbing more. I did WW again and dropped 20 over a long long time. Then stalled there. I started low carb, healthy eating. Then started the treadmill. And could maintain that 20 off. But it would not go lower. And if I slipped at eating healthy and working out (like this past holiday), the weight flew back on. It is so hard to keep at it and not really get where one wants to get (like weight down where I'd like and belly not so puffy...now my arms and legs look puffy too). The one thing that helps is having a down day. Like a day to eat crap. And a day off from working out (I actually do 2 days off of that). And on vacations I loosen up some too. If not I'd just want to throw in the towel and be unhealthy like my mom (who had double knees replaced 19 months ago and now has hip trouble on top of heart issues and other medical problems). I really don't want that but it is hard to keep at it.

 

[mnrose]

I thought it was "impossible" to lose weight once past menopause...and that weight gain was inevitable, etc. I had allowed the extra pounds to creep on. And, I would have told you that I was exercising (I was...walking an average of 80 miles a month), and eating healthy. Apparently, I was eating WAY more than I thought I was. In July 2018, I started really trying to lose weight. Used the free version of the Lose It app, and started actually MEASURING and COUNTING what I ate. What an eye opener! I was consistently underestimating what I was eating. My "new target" was 1400 "net calories" per day (I got more if I exercised). And, over the course of about 9 months or so, I lost 40 pounds. I now weigh less than I did when I got pregnant, and my BMI is in the same range it was (around 20)...down from just over the line to obese. In addition to counting calories, I upped the INTENSITY of my workouts...all of them...to make sure I worked HARD each day. I might miss a day of exercise here or there, but it's rare. Last year, I walked or ran over 1500 miles, in contrast to the approximate 1000 miles I was putting on before that. Same amount of time involved per session...just moved faster. I was 60 when I started this program. It CAN be done. I've been maintaining my weight since I reached the goal, with no problem at all. I have not changed what I eat, although I am allowed more calories in maintenance mode than I was in "weight loss" mode. And, even when losing weight, I did not have any "forbidden" foods...normal things, just smaller portions. I wanted it to be sustainable, and radical changes in what you eat or radically low calorie levels are not sustainable.

 

[gemini2727]

Thanks for your input, everyone! I guess it’s good to know I’m not alone. I do weights when I exercise at home (kettle bells, and body pump which uses barbells and hand weights). I’m a vegetarian and I tend to like healthy food, so my daily meals are typically:
Whole grain Cereal or oatmeal, coffee with 1 tsp creamer, no sugar
Kale salad every day for lunch, with veggies, almonds, and oil and vinegar
Water to drink all day
Vegetarian chili, homemade tomato soup or something similar for dinner. Sometimes I make a veggie burger or veggie pizza.
For a treat after dinner I like a drink of sparkling water with a twist of lemon or lime.
I think that’s a fairly reasonable diet, and with exercise added to it it should be working. It’s really surprising that it’s not. I could cut back on carbs- sometimes I put croutons on my salad or have a little bread with dinner. Maybe that needs to go.
It shocks me how little I need to eat to just maintain my weight (since I’m not losing). I see friends of mine at work eating much more than I do, and adding sweets, drinks, etc. I’m a petite person so maybe that’s why I can’t afford even a little “extra.”

I never consistently lost weight until I started logging calories honestly, every single thing I ate. It was eye-opening to say the least!

When I log my calories using My Fitness Pal (free site), I will lose about one pound a week like clockwork. From my experience, I can say that it is very likely that you may be underestimating how many calories are in what you are eating. From your example, for instance, oatmeal, almonds, oil, chili (with beans?), veggie pizza (with crust?) are not unhealthy foods by any means, but will add a lot of calories to your diet.

Try MFP, log your current calories for one day to see what your really taking in.
Then, (after adding your current weight and your goal weight), it will tell you your calorie allotment for each day to see results.

The only other weight loss program that I have known people to have long term results is WWatchers, which, not surprisingly, also uses the counting method.

 

[gemini2727]

I thought it was "impossible" to lose weight once past menopause...and that weight gain was inevitable, etc. I had allowed the extra pounds to creep on. And, I would have told you that I was exercising (I was...walking an average of 80 miles a month), and eating healthy. Apparently, I was eating WAY more than I thought I was. In July 2018, I started really trying to lose weight. Used the free version of the Lose It app, and started actually MEASURING and COUNTING what I ate. What an eye opener! I was consistently underestimating what I was eating. My "new target" was 1400 "net calories" per day (I got more if I exercised). And, over the course of about 9 months or so, I lost 40 pounds. I now weigh less than I did when I got pregnant, and my BMI is in the same range it was (around 20)...down from just over the line to obese. In addition to counting calories, I upped the INTENSITY of my workouts...all of them...to make sure I worked HARD each day. I might miss a day of exercise here or there, but it's rare. Last year, I walked or ran over 1500 miles, in contrast to the approximate 1000 miles I was putting on before that. Same amount of time involved per session...just moved faster. I was 60 when I started this program. It CAN be done. I've been maintaining my weight since I reached the goal, with no problem at all. I have not changed what I eat, although I am allowed more calories in maintenance mode than I was in "weight loss" mode. And, even when losing weight, I did not have any "forbidden" foods...normal things, just smaller portions. I wanted it to be sustainable, and radical changes in what you eat or radically low calorie levels are not sustainable.

I agree with the no forbidden foods! I love to eat whatever I want, just not over my calorie limit. Works very well for me.

 

[amuse-bouche]

I just turned 55 last month. I started following the Weight Watchers plan just over 2 years ago and I've lost 80 pounds. My weight was up and down for years, but this time it feels different. I've made a complete lifestyle change. The key for me is to always (and I mean always) follow a healthy eating plan. I don't need to eat cake and cookies. I don't feel good when I do, so it's just not worth it. I don't take little bites of things here and there. They add up! I can't think of anything I want to eat that would be worth gaining any of the weight back. I love the clothes I can wear, and I love the compliments and positive comments I've received. I have way more energy than I did when I was heavy. I no longer need medication for my triglycerides. I've been maintaining my 80-lb loss for about 8 months. I don't freak out if the scale is up a pound or two one day, as long as it goes back down later in the week. It's a process.

My advice would be to look at a few online programs and see if any of them make sense for you. You can do WW online. There's also Noom and Lose It, which I've never tried but some people seem to like. It was hard for me to figure out how much and what I should be eating, so a structured program that spells it all out was my solution. Good luck!

Congratulations! I'm sure you feel wonderful! I hope you don't mind me asking, do you have any issues with loose skin after such a drastic loss of weight?

 

[DLgal]

It’s interesting that the only places I can find this guy are diet websites. Half think he’s god and half think he’s a quack. I’ll keep my personal opinion to myself.

I do believe messed up hormones can slow people down and can make losing weight tough. However I don’t think it makes it impossible. I also do not advocate “dieting.” If you’re going to lose and keep it off you need to find a way to eat that you can sustain long term.

I don't even know who he is. I didn't look at who the author was, but the information is not wrong. It has been proven in numerous studies. I keep reading more and more articles on this subject and they all say the same thing. This hormone balancing act is why people can reverse Type 2 diabetes with diet alone.

 

[wenrob]

I don't even know who he is. I didn't look at who the author was, but the information is not wrong. It has been proven in numerous studies. I keep reading more and more articles on this subject and they all say the same thing. This hormone balancing act is why people can reverse Type 2 diabetes with diet alone.

All the things he says to do also reduce calorie intake. He even says limit eating by intermittent fasting which is just another way to control calorie intake. My husband has eaten this way naturally his entire life and has always been thin. Not because there’s any magic to that way of eating but because he’s not eating when he’s not hungry.

Type II can be managed by losing weight, eating a healthier diet and exercise. It’s not near as complicated as that website makes it out to be.
https://www.healthline.com/health/type-2-diabetes-reversible#exercise

 

[Luv Bunnies]

Congratulations! I'm sure you feel wonderful! I hope you don't mind me asking, do you have any issues with loose skin after such a drastic loss of weight?

A little, but not really. I definitely don't have loose skin like you see on some of the weight loss shows. I could certainly stand to tone up my arms and stomach, but I don't have that wrinkly skin that some people get after weight loss.

 

[Searc]

Same issue here. I want to lose about 10 pounds before our cruise in early March.
Cut out alcohol, junk food and exercising 4-5 times a week at the gym.
Scale has only budged 1.5 pounds.

Maybe I do need to count calories as @wenrob suggested....
Sure isn't as easy as it used to be to drop a few pounds.

Cut out soda, too, including diet.

 

[J'aime Paris]

Cut out soda, too, including diet.

I only drink soda if it's mixed with alcohol...so that's already cut.
But thx for the suggestion.
I need to be more aware of portion sizes....

 

[georgina]

If you want to lose weight, do the whole 30 program for 30 days. It costs nothing - just google it to get tips on what to do.

Basically, you cut out added sugar, white flour, grains, legumes, soy and alcohol for 30 days. It works but you have to do it for a minimum of 30 days. You can do anything for 30 days!

After the 30 days, you can add back legumes, soy, grains... and see how you feel. Keeping sugar and white flour out of your diet most of the time is good for you.

Every time I want to lose weight, that’s what I do and it works. I try to adopt it as a lifestyle but when I’m not strict about it for too long, my old eating habits come back and I have to get strict again.

Every year if gets harder and harder to keep off the weight. I’m 50 now and if I’m not careful, I can really put on the pounds!

Your forgot to mention no dairy either. I've looked at it, too restrictive for me. I do agree that sugar and white flour are always bad!

I did have good success last summer following low carb, lost 15 lbs. Kept it off until the recent holiday period, now I'm working on losing some again. I think everyone needs to find what works for them.

 

[DisneyRobin]

Your forgot to mention no dairy either. I've looked at it, too restrictive for me. I do agree that sugar and white flour are always bad!

I did have good success last summer following low carb, lost 15 lbs. Kept it off until the recent holiday period, now I'm working on losing some again. I think everyone needs to find what works for them.

Right - no dairy! You’re allowed eggs - just no milk or cheese. I use almond milk instead...

I have some friends who do low carb / Keto. I’ve thought about trying it to mix things up.

The main difference that I can see is that Keto allows dairy while Whole 30 allows fruits and veggies that are high in carbs (carrots, apples, grapes, baked potatoes, etc). I kind of feel healthier with the fruits and veggies than with the dairy.

I should have also mentioned that I do intermittent fasting. Usually the 16/8 plan but sometimes I push myself for a shorter eating window.

I try to get to the gym and/or walk a few days a week - more or less depending on my schedule.

I find that it’s the diet rather than the workouts that really affect my weight loss.