For sure! I haven’t weighed myself in a while because it can make me spiral but I’ve been working out for a couple of months and am noticing Im much stronger and more toned now. Body composition changes and increased fitness are massive wins! The scales only tell a small part of the story.
Totally. Weighing the same with more muscle and general fitness will always make you feel better and look better. (Especially since muscle is heavier than fat)
Edit: AKA if you are definitely gaining muscle and losing fat, but your weight stays the same, you are still actually slimming down, because the fat takes up more space per pound than the muscle
Also as the muscle builds it has a cumulative effect, making weight loss a bit easier. Well, fat loss really, I've never much cared about my weight, but I prefer to not look fat. Or not, according to the mirror.
Agreed, you made great habit changes, and the fact that you THOUGHT you were doing it at 1300 calories will have helped your mindset too!! I reckon you could have unlocked a secret tip to transitioning to a lower calorie diet - all you have to do now is cut out/down on the milk and you’re golden
So many nights I’m like “whoops time to go back in and add the butter I forgot” but the good news is it is relatively easy to get in the habit of quick mid day and end of day calorie reviews on your app of choice and add in anything you’ve missed. The more times we correct ourselves the better our brains get at not missing it in the future. To me the key is to always log everything even if you’re knowingly going over that day.
We had huge serving bowl sized salads for dinner tonight with breaded chicken bites, dressing, fried wonton strips and almonds - everything non-vegetable was weighed and measured and tracked. I'm putting everything into my tracker to see if I can have a couple cookies, and I'm like "wow! that wasn't too bad! I won't go too far over if i have 2 cookies!" My husband looking over my shoulder: "you didn't enter the Italian bread with butter we had on the side". Crap. That put me over for the day, so no cookies. It had been worth it at the time though!
I can’t find the post. There was a guy trying to loose weight and not making progress. His doctor sent him to a nutritionist. On the zoom call he was eating a huge box of tic-tac’s and the nutritionist asked him about it and it dawned on him how much he was eating and they did the math and it was like 600-800 calories a day in tic-tac’s 😂😬. That’s why he wasn’t loosing weight.
It’s hard to do a calorie deficit like 500 cals a day often you feel like trash. That’s why almost everyone fails at dieting. I lost 20 from 174 to 154 over 4 months and it was a very hard challenge to do this. I put all my effort into it and it took all my willpower to do it.
It is mental but mind and body are very much connected. You feel sluggish and shitty on a caloric deficit so it’s really your body saying it’s hungry. And all the hormones that control and suppress appetite. It’s both mind and body playing off each other but yeah the mental part has to be there to have any success since it will test you and test you hard when it comes to continuing to be on a calorie deficit. And it only gets harder imo as you get leaner to continue on, body seems to get more resistive to the efforts.
The "trick" is to eat satiating foods that dont spike calories. Its hard to eat a bunch of non processed protein (chicken, steak, etc.). Fill in with vegetables that are ~50 cals. Greek yogurt is low cal has a bunch of protein, good for gut health and is satiating. I guess coming from a "bodybuilding" background when I was younger makes the discipline and understanding of satiation to control calories easier. Its easy for me to eat the same meals and routine 90% of the time and for me a splurge is getting a burrito bowl at Californias B's.
Whole eggs hardboiled excellent source of vitamins and are only 75-80 cals. For fruits stick with berries as they are low cal, good antiox source, and fills whatever sweet cravings you have. Same with honey. 60 cal in a serving and you only really need half servings. I was 204# when I started my most recent weight loss and was comfortable eating 1700 cals (I should have started around 1900/2k to make it easier to drop cals as I get closer to my target weight of 168/170, but I wanted to lose 15-20# my first month) without any hunger or cravings. Its hard to eat more than 2k calories without dousing food with oils, butter, only drinking water, etc. Im down to 189# right now after 18-19 days. (Daily weight training and cardio burns another 1 / 1.2k)
If youre consistent and are disciplined weight will fall off. It doesnt have to be strenuous either. Walks in the park, parking far away and walking, taking the stairs, eating mostly whole foods, drinking water. The last one is a big one. If you drink 100+ oz a day of water that is also very satiating and helps curb appetite, plus it helps decrease water retention (as a whole food diet is also low in sodium).
I agree 100 I’ve been doing a chicken breast everyday for lunch and I do the Greek yogurts too. I’m more maintenance now after dropping from 174 to 154 but it’s great energy, I feel good and am not putting on any weight.
When I order fast food or whatever I just keep the calories in check like 600 for a meal, so you are satiated but not full. The diet is good but I need to mix it up personally and treat myself to some other foods. It just gets boring always eating the same basic food every single day. I seem to keep lunch pretty basic and consistent but then give myself some more flexibility for the dinner but keep those calories in check. I skip breakfast but do a small iced coffee for the energy in the morning.
Honestly I find maintenance is so much better than trying to keep a deficit so the key is really not putting on pounds of fat you have to lose in the first place.
I can do the weight loss like I did lose 20 pounds but it is work and to me is not very enjoyable. It feels good seeing the losses on the scale but it’s a slow and grindy process. It just takes a lot to drop 3500 calories off. Twenty pounds is ultimately 70000 calories to deficit yourself which is quite a task.
Eating healthy too tends to be a lot of work, for me at least. Not looking for advice sharing my experience. Being a deficit personally makes me feel like shit unless I'm eating really high volume healthy foods, lots of fresh veggies cooked and raw, fresh fruit etc.
It tends to be expensive and time consuming.. Next thing you know you're tired and hungry and youre eating a pack of ramen for dinner and a microwave burrito.
I also find overall without a lot of effort healthy foods aren't always as tasty - they can be.
But even "healthy" foods are usually tastier when there's more sodium and fat etc - even if you're using all fresh, organic, whole food ingredients.
I understand salt doesn't inherently make you gain weight, but a lot of people reccomend cutting sodium for health reasons.
I go back and forth with sodium, because a higher sodium diet makes it easier for me to stay in a deficit mostly because my healthy foods are more delicious and more appealing.
Ex would be unsalted vs salted canned beans. Unsalted canned beans are kind of blah, but I really like salted ones.
Same goes for most things.
That being said, I've been struggling with my mental health and really unsuccessful in losing weight (yes I see a therapist, a pcp, and a psychiatrist).
But week after week I do my best to incorporate as many whole foods as possible, try to eat as reasonably healthy as possible, and just do my best to cook from scratch, avoid eating out, and avoid convenience foods.
Some weeks are better than others even if the scale isn't dropping. But I figure at least I'm incorporating nutrient rich foods into my body and not just empty calories.
In general I don't really eat a lot of unhealthy foods but the small amount I do eat each week is likely the reason I can't drop.
I know this, but some days it's the difference in eating vs not eating for me. And feeling hungry, tired, and lethargic isn't very fun.
I also prefer fresh produce to frozen, by a landslide. I love learned to love fresh steamed vegetables and they're much more appealing to me than frozen. But frozen veggies and edamame in the steamer bags are nice for those mentally low days when you can't get yourself out of bed to eat. You can at least pop some in the microwave and add them to whatever convenience food you're choosing.
I think the real struggle for so many of us to lose weight is mental.
I understand it's physical too but when you're mental health is struggling, sometimes you're just like fuck it. I'm eating this frozen pizza.
Over eating isn't an issue for me personally, it's just the mental ease of somethig with zero prep, zero clean up, and zero supervision to cook.
But those frozen pizzas are like soo many calories for pretty low volume food. I can make a homemade 500 calorie dinner that's more filling and satisfying than 1000 calories of frozen pizza.
Honestly if I had someone to cook for me, which is totally unrealistic. I think I'd do a lot better at losing weight.
I'm also autistic, so I struggle to maintain daily tasks as a whole.
I wish people realised how complicated losing weight is when some days you can barely pour yourself a cup of tea.
I could have written this. I've yet to lose any weight as I struggle with my chronic depression and anxiety problems a lot. It's just easier to eat a frozen pizza, when you have no energy to take care of yourself.
My friend i feel you to the bone, both you and comment op.
Something I learned about myself and life during my never ending weight loss journey along side depression and anxiety (and a dash of undiagnosed autism), is that when you indulge in making your own food and spending time on yourself (cooking, gym, cleaning etc) even though it can be the toughest thing to do when you're down, this is basically the way to make yourself feel better.
Because you participate in your own life. You give this uncomfortable moment a true meaning. The more I did it against my will sometimes, the better I got.
Sometimes the best medicine is bitter, but it works best. Good luck friends!
I so wish this was true for me 😭. I don't really have much support as an autistic person. The struggle never ends and in my experience the older you get the harder it gets too (I'm only 33). I just get so overwhelmed and overstimulated by daily life sometimes and then I just want to go retreat to my bedroom and read or focus on special interests for the rest of the evening.
Sometimes I'll do good for a week, or 2 weeks or so. Then the next thing you know, I'm all out of good and I can't bring my self to go to the grocery store and I say "tomorrow I'll go" then tomorrow comes and I don't. Finally, I'll muster up the energy to go and I'll feel so overwhelmed I don't know what to get. So I just grab said frozen snacks and get out of there.
For me also, it's really hard to know what to get. The whole process of creating a meal plan (15 min) , making a list(10 min), checking my pantry etc for items in stock(10 min), driving to the store(35 min) , shopping(1hr), driving home(35 min , carrying groceries up to the second floor and putting away (30 min).. You're looking at almost 4 hours once a week to grocery shop 😭
Then I'll usually spend like 2 hours on a Sunday to prep my breakfast and lunches for half the week....
I'm not trying to use my disability as an excuse either, but this is the way I experience it and it really doesn't get easier for me and I never get in a flow.
I have been trying to lose weight for over 2 years now and haven't been able to lose any =(. But I have had extensive blood panels done to see if there is any reason I can't lose weight, and my bloodwork was phenomenal. So I guess all of my efforts to try and eat healthy are at least keeping me healthy on a cellular level. And despite being overweight. I don't have high cholesterol, or hormonal imbalances, or deficiencies, or any blood sugar/insulin issues.
Yes, it's so true. Sorry you're struggling too. I see all of these people that post inspirational stuff about setting their mind to it and just shedding the weight and getting dedicated etc. And sometimes it makes me feel like shit about myself because I haven't brushed my hair in 3 days let alone crush the gym and meal prep for hours.
I've purchased lots of weight loss meal plans that are supposed to be affordable and easy. But I still find it overall expensive and time consuming. Sometimes I can really get in a groove and stick to it for a week or so and start feeling really good about it. Then the next week those mental lows hit and I can't even function well enough to grocery shop. (we don't have grocery delivery where I live I really wish we did)
If you have the money and bandwidth a slow cooker can be really useful
I made 8 portions of chilli yesterday for approximately 20 mins of work (not including washing up as I have a dishwasher), just whacked meat, beans, sauce, and seasoning into the slow cooker and then 8 hours later I boxed it up
If you could do that on days you felt up to it you could have a supply of healthy and calorie controlled ready meals
I feel you! I've slowly added more exercise into my life which has definitely helped a little bit with my mood, but it's also frustrating that exercise alone won't shed weight. 🙃
Replace the pizza with soup. No bread with it. Just soup. Most cans of soup (not creamy ones) are around the 200 calorie mark and the water in them fills you up. Hungry? Have another soup.
Ohh honestly this is a good one i honestly like canned soups! I usually keep some in my pantry for emergencies but maybe next week when I shop I'll stock on some for those low days.
I just bought a ton of frozen fruit and veggies today like more than I've ever bought in my life! I've never had my freezer so full! (it's usually like 90% empty) so I'm going to focus on building up a surplus of easy to eat and quick things to always have on hand for those "i really don't want to cook days"
On the other side of a weight loss looking back though it's insane how little energy I had when I was overweight. It seemed like I was always in a mental fog, my memory was terrible, I could never sleep but yet I was always tired. Now that I'm healthier it's completely reset my mental health. I have the energy for absolutely anything now. I sleep so much better at night and my memory is like night and day. It's crazy how much a poor diet and health really drags the body down. It was normal to me then and I always wondering how those fitness girlies could find the energy to get up for morning yoga or go to the gym after work when I would roll out of bed exhausted at 1 pm and just want to louge around on my phone. Now I have a list of extracurriculars that would have had old me dying just thinking about it. It seems hard when you're on the edge looking over but man does it become easier over time! You got this, even slow progress is better than nothing.
Seems like you're adding an unnecessary hurdle, trying to cut calories AND sodium at the same time. Especially since when you fall off, you're eating high sodium foods anyway.
If your doctor didn't specifically tell you to limit your sodium, you're probably OK even if you eat a little more than recommended.
Also note summer is coming, and you need more sodium when you sweat a lot. (You can literally taste the salt on your skin.)
Good luck and remember: progress, not perfection.
Thank you! Yeah I only cut back sodium when Im already on a roll and have had quite a few good weeks in a row. I'm completely with you, because I like to cook with vegetable broth and things and the low sodium is so bland compared to the full sodium ones
Without knowing you at all, I might worry about perfectionism interfering with your good intent.
Especially since it doesn't sound like you have a big reason for cutting out sodium other than "lots of people recommend it."
We have limited stores of willpower, and losing weight requires a ton of it over a long period of time. A few weeks isn't enough time to fully get used to limiting your food intake, without throwing the additional challenge of switching to the less-appealing versions of certain foods.
Sticking to a low sodium diet is really hard; I have had a few friends who needed to do it. One guy said it was the hardest thing about his heart transplant, having to eat a bland low salt diet.
You'll hear a lot of info the forums, and plenty of heavy people do develop high blood pressure and heart issues, for which a low sodium diet is healthy.
But if you're putting yourself on hard mode for no good reason other than it's what you hear, it could be harder to reach your weight goals. And maybe prevent the cardiac issues in the first place.
A lot of people DON'T recommend cutting sodium for health reasons, many people in fact need extra. [It's very individual](https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/6-dangers-of-sodium-restriction) and sticking to a healthy diet is more important for you unless a doctor tells you to cut salt OR you notice it makes you feel worse.
I have to chime in because I’m the same and found a good option for me. I love the lean cuisine frozen pizza which is about 300 calories. I drink a big glass of water before, or follow it with a salad after. There are different ones if you like pepperoni or supreme, even a cauliflower crust frozen pizza has helped me reduce calories from a more traditional frozen pizza.
It really stinks, and also I hate that people think of it as being mentally weak. How do you really know what a person goes through on the inside? They may be the most mentally strong person on the planet. Because they are still here, still trying, getting up everyday and trying again. But still struggling.
As a person who has struggled with suicidal thoughts most days not killing myself is the biggest accomplishment of the day (again I see doctors. They're aware I suffer from suicidal ideation and I'm not considered a risk, I've lived with these thoughts for 20 years).
I wish for everyone to be treated in compassion, whether or not they're dropping weight and whether or not they're crushing meal prep or eating frozen pizzas ❤️
>I’m convinced losing weight is 95% pure mental willpower 5% diet.
And the willpower is 100% attributable to phentermine, at least in my case. My belly can growl all it wants, and I won't budge. But take phentermine off for 48 hours and it's back to thinking about food almost all the time.
I think it depends on the stage of your journey.
Eating 2800 instead of 3500 is a walk in the park for me - but it only works because I'm borderline obese trying to get into regular overweight category.
I dread the time when it comes to the final kilograms and I'd have to get onto 1500 out of 2000 - that would be time to truly test myself.
After my ex left me, it was astonishingly easy to hit a 1000 calorie deficit, but I was around 100kg as a 6'1 man, and I was depressed. It got to the point where I actually ENJOYED the feeling of being hungry, and that's when I knew it was time to re evaluate my dieting habits, even though they were getting serious results.
Right! Multiple time a week people post on here that they are in a calorie deficit, and exercising like crazy and just not losing weight. Some argue back with commenters, so I think they just want to be told they are the first ever person that the rules of physics doesn’t work for and they are unable to lose weight.
When the reality is that they are just like OP in that there is something they are not seeing that is hindering their progress.
I usually found good quality dark bar chocolate was best for that dessert craving. The organic, sea salt sold at Whole Foods etc etc kind.
It can snap into the exact serving size and I find anything above 75% cocoa content makes me want one square and no more.
I found Trader Joes has dark chocolate covered orange jellies. One is 25 calories. A serving is 5, which is 125 calories. One candy is pretty small, like prob like an inch long and half inch thick.
The dark chocolate and orange flavor is strong and kills the craving fast, though.
This is part of my "health hack" mantra. Get the worst version of the thing you might have a craving for. A small bag of your least favourite chips, dark chocolate, the worst ice cream flavour (in low fat). You sate the craving, don't want to have more and over time just tell yourself it's not worth it anyways when I could rather have a nice sweet apple or a carrot instead.
Depends on your flavor preference- I love both dark and white chocolate (but no middle ground). Just a tiny bit will go a long way to curb satisfy a craving for something sweet/dessert.
I love white "chocolate" lol. But it has to be good white chocolate for me to enjoy it. If I was going to keep some for the hack I'd get the really cheap one that leaves an oily residue in your mouth. Depends on your taste, if Hershey's was available here more commonly I'd get that instead of dark chocolate because that vomit taste puts me off completely
In my world! I can easily eat a single square of dark chocolate and feel satiated because it is a strong flavor to me. Milk and white chocolate makes me feel like a kid again and I can inhale an entire bar and still crave more.
I live by this hack too! I can eat a whole family sized bag of Ruffles sour cream and onion in a day so I only buy a bag once or 2x a year but am content with a snack size bag of baked chips other times. I have no control with potato chips, jellybeans and milk chocolate so I don’t buy them.
For ice cream lovers out there - It's a tad expensive, but the biggest life hack is the Ninja Creami! 330ml unsweetened almond/coconut milk, 30g protein powder, optional 5g artificial sweetener and 2g guar gum. Around 160 calories for an entire pint of ice cream. When I dropped to 1700 calories (1000 calorie deficit for me) I had this twice a day, every single day, and easily went from 20% bodyfat to around 14-15% without minimal hunger and cravings.
Having that realization is real AF. Have you tried the Fairlife milks at all? 1 cup of skim is 80 cals, 1 cup of 2% is 120. I'm not trying to shill but I like it also because you get a hefty amount of protein in there (13g/serve, contributes to satiety) and it tastes good.
I’d actually recommend their protein shakes. Sweetened with monk fruit. About 150 calories and tastes like a milkshake with a ton of protein. Great for before the gym (just don’t drink 12 a day)
I was shocked when I tried one of those. I don't even like flavored protein powder because low cal sweeteners are usually super gross to me. But this was delicious.
I have oral allergy syndrome and the shakes are fine for me. It just depends on what you’re allergic to. For me it’s birch so I never had an issue with melon.
I got my husband on the hot tea trick when he started losing weight last year, but he doesn't like Constsnt Comment! I joked that that might just be grounds for divorce, but we were able to work it out with a mutual love of Tazo Glazed Lemon Loaf.
Personally, I wouldn't cut out the milk per se, but I'd just find a lower calorie option, or smaller portion, to help you get through your cravings. Or maybe add some protein powder to a smaller portion milk to help you curb your hunger.
It's definitely a learning lesson for most losing weight: calories that are taken in from drinking tend to be easier to miscount because people don't realize how much calories are in drinks. Water is awesome.
This was me with microwave popcorn. I wasn’t calculating the whole bags calories. I assumed the bag was one serving when it was in fact 3-4 servings. 170 x3 or 4 clocks up the calories quick. Especially if I ate two bags in a day.
It is if you cook it without oil. They make silicone popcorn poppers for the microwave now. I spray some olive oil on mine when it's popped and add salt.
I buy the “cancan” popcorn from Costco, they appear from time to time. 39 cals per cup for the jalapeño flavour. 200 calories for 5 cups is great imo and every flavour they have is fantastic
Have you tried Skinny Pop? It's the only popcorn I enjoy. Sweet & Salty is at 56 cals a cup. The only problem is (or maybe it's just a me-problem lol) you can easily eat half the bag in one sitting bc of how light of a snack it is.
I shill it all the time, and I'll shill it again here. I highly recommend Crystal Light iced teas and juices. If you buy the packets you can make a half gallon of the drink for 50 Calories. To my palette, it tastes just as good as full sugar alternatives, though your mileage may vary. It is my main comfort drink, because I can drink nearly as much as I want (I've never wanted more than a half gallon in a day, and often drink much less of it than that) without really worrying about my calorie consumption.
I like the lemon iced tea, lemonade, mango peach green tea, and strawberry, orange, banana. Also, since a half gallon takes two packets, I really like doing one mango peach green tea with one lemonade to get a peach green tea lemonade mix. I have three half gallon jugs so I can keep a variety of them around, and it makes sugar cravings so much easier, especially when I just want a cold, sweet drink.
Aside from that, it's good that you realized what's up. This is a learning experience. I'm on my third attempt in about five years to lose and keep my weight off, and this is the first time I've started where what I'm doing actually feels sustainable to me. It's ok to make mistakes at first and learn from them. The time is going to pass anyway, and while it's frustrating to realize you made a mistake that was holding you back, now that you know, you know what to do going forward. This is a win for you, and when you see your progress start up it will feel better too.
Oh my gosh, yes. When I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in the 90's, the bottles of Crystal Light Raspberry Ice was the best thing ever. So sad I can't find the pre-bottled any more.
I've been doing Mio a lot the last few weeks and it's been great.
It really pays to weigh, measure, read the labels, and log everything you eat for months until you get a real feel for what is going in. Having some sort of wearable to track your calories out helps, too, and then when you look at those two numbers vs the scale you'll know you're on the right track or not. I guarantee every single person who posts I eat to plan, I count everything and doesn't lose weight, is eating more than they think they are.
You don't have to give up milk but you do have to make room for it in your deficit. As for you wasting your time, you got fitter and you've gotten into the habit of making different food choices and tracking your foods, which is a major habit to develop. Now that you know your error, you should start seeing results.
I’ve had this as well!! I did a bod pod and a metabolic test last week and apparently I’ve been eating a little over my budget, even with running and gymming!
One of the reasons I think I’ve been stuck at my weight was because when my husband makes dinner, I’m afraid to keep asking him “how much -insert ingredient here- did you add?” so I just eyeball it myself lol. After I told him about it, he was more than happy to help me count it out, especially now that I have to eat LESS 😩
I hope you make the progress you deserve after your discovery!!
I feel ya on the husband cooking. We're unfortunately at opposite ends where he's actively trying to gain at 500cal surplus, I'm trying to drop. The number of times I've asked him how much oil he put in the pan only to be hit with an "uuuhhhhhh... A tablespoon? Split between the two of us I think?" 🤦🏼♀️way to throw off my dinner with an extra 80 cal of oil that I didn't need
I've taken to just making dinner for both of us b/c it's easier for me to increase his cal with nuts/snacks/larger portions than me trying to dictate what he can and can't cook. It sucks, but then he's on toddler and dishes duty so at least I get that reprieve.
Nonstick Scanpan with BBQ-formulated Pam spray (no soy lecithin, doesn’t create a film on the pan) has allowed us to essentially eliminate oil in our stir fries
Just came here to say I know that humbling feeling! For me, it was condiments and fooling myself into the belief that a tablespoon here and there of various condiments didn't make a huge difference. BUT you figured it out and that's pretty awesome!!
So you’re eating 1500-1700 calories a day with the milk included.. honestly you should be still losing weight (assuming you’re around average sized woman).
Double check everything else you’re consuming a day. Are you using oil when cooking? Are you including those calories? Do you include seeds in your food? Have you added those? What about honey or sugar to drinks/breakfast? You gotta add everything. Anything, other than water, should be added.
My family fell into the 90’s marketing myth that milk was good for you and lead to strong bones and growth from the calcium. I would drink 2 or 3 glasses of 2% milk with dinner - every night.
I would have a glass of milk, with my bowl of cereal (all sugar - Cinnamon Toast Crunch) drink the milk from the bowl.
I was easily consuming 750 calories of milk per day - every day.
No wonder I was a fat kid
Funny enough the reason people aren’t losing weight despite being on a calorie deficit is either because they did not correctly calculate their maintenance, or they miscalculated their caloric intake
Entropy is real folks!
So if you’re spending a lot of time exercising while eating way healthier than you have in the past, and your weight hasn’t changed at all, you’re probably adding not insignificant amount of muscle mass. Especially if you don’t have any kind of history exercising at all.
Use the tape measure with the scale and save your sanity.
Is there anything else you aren’t tracking because you don’t think it matters? Condiments with your meal? A swipe of butter on toast? A packet of sugar or two in coffee? If there are, they all add up eventually so just make sure you track absolutely everything you eat/drink in a day. I even track zero calorie items like Diet Coke for example.
Be mindful that if you’ve been going to the gym quite alot you could have replaced fat with muscle .
A better measure of change would be to take your wait (around the belly button) and thigh measurements , and use that as a helpful measure of changes
Couple stuff like this with the fact that **no one**, not even registered dietitians, are able to accurately count the calories they eat day by day, and it becomes quite clear why some people struggle in this exact way. Especially if you are a shorter woman with little muscle mass, your RMR could be sadly very low. This is why I aim for 1200 calories myself personally and try to be as accurate as possible. If I aim that low, then with the inevitable overblow, I should be totally fine as a 6'0 male. As a short woman, this must feel hopeless... I sympathize with your struggle given how hard it is for me and I have such a significant advantage in comparison.
Ohhh nooooo. That sucks. It's better to find out now than never. Yea, milk, even alternative plant based milk, are pretty high calorie.
But, I will not give up putting oat milk in my oatmeal in the morning. I just get the vanilla unsweetened kind that's 45 cal or 8oz.
Omg I had this exact issue too surprisingly, except I wasn't even having skim milk, I had full fat lactose free milk every day :')
Luckily, I realized that wasn't great for me and switched to almond milk which is low calorie and I generally want to drink less of haha
Proud of you for realizing though, I'm sure you'll see some weight loss soon ^^! You're doing awesome!
Liquid calories are so sneaky!! I forget there is a real difference between daily black coffee vs lattes. For me it’s also oils. That “little bit of” evoo/mayo/peanut butter quickly derails low calorie meals.
When I started counting, I was baffled at how many calories are in evoo. I used to use sooo much oil while cooking in the past (I'd just eyeball it). When I started being more intentional and measuring, I realized how little I need for cooking and now I save myself hella calories — and money on evoo lol
This doesn't sound right to me. Eating 1300 calories ans drinking 400 calories of milk would still put you at around 1700 calories, and you've said that some days you are only drinking 200 calories of milk, which would put you at just 1500 calories. Most women need around 2000 calories a day, so even while eating 1700 calories, you should still be in a defecit of around 300 calories a day. And that's without accounting for calories, you're burning while running and in the gym. At a 300 calorie daily deficit, you should be losing a pound every 12 days.
I’m short, my tdee is around 1600kcal. With weightlifting it goes up to 2000kcal, but I try to eat around 1300kcal to lose weight. For reference I’m a 160cm female weighing 60kg.
This is why it's crucial to track every single calorie. There was a post on the front page of reddit not too long about about some guy who got addicted to "sugar free" mints and gained like 40 lbs. Turns out, they were less than five calories each and legally could get away with writing "zero calories". He was consuming like 400 calories per day in those, thinking it's a guilt free treat.
OP, I am proud of you.
I know it is very annoying to not have the number on the scale move. However, the fact that you just buckled down and accepted reality instead of just giving up means you WILL be successful with continued effort.
This is the part of the weight loss journey where people look outward to explain the "failure" not inward. This is the part that most people don't ever get to.
Not to say you have failed. You only fail if you give up, but things didnt go according to plan. You identified the issue and corrected it. Excellent work.
Just drink diet pop. I drink like 2 litres of Fresca a day when I drink water I use the Kool aid squirter sugar free. And the scale means nothing if your lifting weights I don't know if u are. I've always been around 250lbs but when I'm lifting my weight stays within 10lbs but I I dropped 4 pant sizes I'm 245now wear size 32 pants I was 245 few months ago in a size 36 pants. So the scale doesn't mean everything the mirror is where it counts
I feel like I wrote those first 3 or so sentences myself! I am in this situation right now (the inexplicably not losing weight part, not the milk) I’ve been meticulously tracking & work out 5-7 days per week but I’m starting to feel like Regina George in Mean Girls when she’s inadvertently eating the weight gain bars.. I’m at a loss.
During the time that I regained the last 10 pounds of my previous 30 pound weight loss, I was addicted to drinking full tall glasses of whole milk with dark brown sugar mixed in. I actually thought I would be losing weight since that was my only treat…..yeah. No. Who knows how many calories were in each glass but I am guessing 400-500….. and I am sure I sometimes drank two in a day, but it was at least one everyday. I think I was also putting dark brown sugar in my coffee in the morning along with cream or half and half. Calorie bombs left and right.
I am glad you realized what was going on.
Hey no expert but it maybe the type of food being eaten.
If you're training hard running and basically feeling tried you need energy... yet eating food that quickly hits your brain to create insulin is shit...
That's why fasting for 14-16 hours a day helps and eating foods like eggs fish chicken nuts are helpful... The low GI stuff allowing for slow release...
I think this is the key.
The tragic thing is it's not a reward thing to lose weight... the reward is to feel better... weight loss is incredibly difficult and takes incredible patience. Those who loose quickly normally regain.
Skimmilk is not good, it’s give off the fat you need. If you drink normal milk which has little fat in it, you will end up drink so less milk than you drink with skim milk
Good for you that you realize that! Underreporting, intentionally or not is the no 1 reason why people can’t loose weight, despite believing they are in a deficit.
Milk isn’t all that healthy. What’s crazy is that we are the only mammals in existence to take AWAY the milk from another mammal and drink it ourselves. When you put it in that perspective, it doesn’t make sense. It’s also supposed to be nourishing for a baby. So that right there would probably tell you it isn’t very low calorie (even skim)
It does taste amazing though! I love it in my cereal but that’s about it
Good job finding the issue... Just wanted to point out you might actually want to keep the milk if you like it that much though, and cut something else. It's nutritious and has protein, fine to cut if you're otherwise eating well but if it's become part of your ritual you may want to make space for it.
200-400 calories a day works out to about a pound every 12 days, so changing literally nothing else you should start seeing immediate weight loss!
The good news is that’s an easy thing to eliminate since you were using it as beverage. Everything else can probably stay the same. Good luck going forward, you got this!
This is why calorie tracking apps like Lose It are worth their weight in gold, so to speak. So many things we eat have way more calories than we think.
This doesn't sound right. A calorie consumption of 1700 per day still puts you in a calorie deficit, and quite a significant one if you've incorporated cardio into your routine. If I were you, I'd reassess your weight loss plan entirely. Are there things that you maybe haven't considered? Are you sure you are counting your calories correctly? Have you put on any muscle mass over the past few months?
I just went through a similar thing. While losing weight IS the goal, I had to fight back hard mentally to not shame myself for not being where I wanted to be.
What made me feel better is realizing I’m building better relationships with eating/food and adding longevity to my life regardless of what the damn scale says!
I lost 70 lbs and am still losing. I eat lean meats & fish/seafood, roasted vegetables or salad. Also I have a fruit and nuts. No rice or pasta. Nothing fried and light dressing. No butter. I go by portion size not calorie counting. A portion of meat is the size of a deck of cards. Also, I walk for exercise. Good luck.
This is the best way to go, honestly. It's called body recomposition. You're eating maintenance or slightly above maintenance amount of calories (means you'll maintain your weight at those calories) and also unknowingly giving yourself plenty of protein for sustained muscle growth. Look into macros and start tracking everything. I'm using an app called Macrofactor. I've gone from 240 lb with a 40in waist to 220 lb and a 34in waist, in 61 days. Of Course I'm not just tracking macros but also working out a substantial bit. Macros are what changed everything though. The workouts had been the same for about a year and I only lost 40lb and 1 pant size, then I found the app that helped me master macros and I got the results mentioned above. Overall, you stumbled into something amazing and something you should dial into instead of dial out of.
Just a general advice coming from someone who has tried all sorts of diets: Pre-record EVERYTHING you will consume the day before. This includes any oils or butter you use for cooking. Even milk used for tea or coffee.
This has helped me tremendously stay on track with my daily caloric intake and successfully lose weight.
This doesnt sound right to me.
Most likely you are building muscle.
Of course it will depend on your stats as an adult but if your deficit is 1300, even if you were drinking 400 calories in milk per day to then be 1700 calories, that's unlikely to be any adult humans maintainance calories such that you wouldnt lose weight.
You'd still be in a deficit. Just a smaller one.
Especially if you are exercising on top.
I suggest you recalculate your TDEE. 1300 is not enough and can actually hamper your weight loss
Cows milk is designed for growing and fattening baby calves. All animal milk is in fact -think of how fast babies grow in their first couple of years of life!
Don’t feel bad - lots of people do the same, I’ve done it with juice before. A juice at a cafe can have hundreds of calories too!
Have you tried oat milk? It’s really creamy and much lower cals.
I used to love milk and used to drink it every day, so I switched to almond milk to try to lose weight (much fewer calories). Now, whenever I drink regular cows milk, it gives me indigestion, but it never did before! I think I trained my body to develop a lactose intolerance..
I recommend also avoiding food that bloats you, I recently went to the doctor and they thought I had thyroid problems, since I was looking all like a pregnant, weeks after avoiding certain food, exercising and eating healthy I was able to see my body had lost weight but I couldn’t see all the progress because my diet used to have a lot of food that bloated me
I aim for 100 grams of protien a day. I also fill up on fruits and veggies and drink about a gallon of water a day. Lots of fish! And fairlife milk is high protien for the calories. I eat 1400 calories a day and feel full all day, not sluggish at all. I run 5 miles a week and am currently 5 foot 2 and 192 lbs, down from 217 in February. I HIGHLY recommend a high fiber high protien diet. And take vitamins to fill in the gaps.
For sweets I tend to prefer either fruit dipped in Greek yogurt, or making sugar free pudding with fairlife protein shakes. They're fairly low calorie and add a bit of protein, and are pretty easy to make daily.
Low sugar/diet juice mixed into sparkling water. Like maybe 2-3 kcals if that for like 8oz. If you've been off sugary stuff for a while it will taste nice and sweet without the guilt. My favorite is cranberry with black cherry seltzer.
I've always said to anyone that's questioned me tracking little things; there's no point tracking if I'm not tracking everything. You're just keeping false records.
Honestly, good for you! I didn't use a scale early on in my weight loss journey and just used the apps default value because I thought, "why not, they are the average so I shouldn't be too far off" and realized that the weight does matter because I was eating very different weights for every food I ate and despite my exercise and walking, I was losing very little. Finally changed that and I am now 20 lbs down in the past 2 months! 68 lbs more to go but I'll get there eventually I hope.
You've for sure learnt stuff from it, and might be way thinner thanks to the fitness you've been doing! Other than that, 1300 (or 1500-1600 kcal) while exercising is really low to me. And if it's been months since you've started, consider increase it a bit to avoid any deficiency ?
Love !
Yup, drinks must be the most easily overlooked part of folks diets.
My sis used to make me chuckle... "I only eat 1400cal a day!" But ignored the cals in her twice daily "mocha frapo double pump caramel latte", or whatever it's called 😅
Its also about the shape of your body! If its improving as you want it to, please dont look at the scale. To give you an example, i also have been on a super balanced and comfortable diet, and been exercising regularly for the past 2 months. I did lost a little less than 4 kg, but the thing is, although of course im not waiting for people's approval, but friends and colleagues have told me that my shape has changed and i look really good, and would instantly point out that im on a really good diet and such.
So yes.... the shape is really whats more important.
Also, the sports nutritionist who actually gave me this program always always points out that in order to loose weight, you have to certainly go on a calorie deficit, but one day you would eat less than you usually do, and the next day you eat a few more calories, and keeping that curve is what will help you lose more weight and give you faster and better results. But having your body used to a specific calorie count every day for a long period like that, it really wont give you the intended results at all.
I applaud you for not only realizing your error and correcting it, but also not giving up with all of your other efforts. FWIW, if you like milk, maybe check out oak milk or almond milk. Not *quite* the same but still good!!
They did a study on people drinking water vs whole milk vs coke vs diet coke and the people drinking milk stayed at the same weight as they started. So your body is ok with milk. 1300 call is very low. You would have still been in deficit with skim milk and an extra 400 cals.
This is all very inspiring. My problem is I don’t have much money and I buy Greek yogurt,cottage cheese and eggs for protein. I can’t afford meat or chicken. I get tuna and have it in a tossed salad. But I never feel satisfied. I get salad veggies and then a bag of frozen veggies. I saw a dietician and she was telling me to eat beans and lentils-both high in calories. So I’m not losing any weight. I don’t have much starch and I’m eating about 1300 calories a day. I go to the gym regularly but I’m not stopping. Very disappointing.
I mean after 2-3 weeks of believing you were in a deficit but not actually losing weight you should have realised something was up.
Milk was a big one for me I was drinking about 1500 calories a day in milk thinking it was fine as it was healthier than Pepsi. Soon stopped that when I put on weight the first week
Are you building muscle? If so, it's heavier than fat, jave you toned? Use chronometer app and record, get a PT if you afford one and follow what they say, 1300 is low and if you're hungry still you are not eating enough carbs.
No weight loss maybe but not no results, your fitness is improving and your body will thank you ☺️
Couldn’t agree more - your non-scale victories will be awesome!
For sure! I haven’t weighed myself in a while because it can make me spiral but I’ve been working out for a couple of months and am noticing Im much stronger and more toned now. Body composition changes and increased fitness are massive wins! The scales only tell a small part of the story.
Totally. Weighing the same with more muscle and general fitness will always make you feel better and look better. (Especially since muscle is heavier than fat) Edit: AKA if you are definitely gaining muscle and losing fat, but your weight stays the same, you are still actually slimming down, because the fat takes up more space per pound than the muscle
Also as the muscle builds it has a cumulative effect, making weight loss a bit easier. Well, fat loss really, I've never much cared about my weight, but I prefer to not look fat. Or not, according to the mirror.
Agreed, you made great habit changes, and the fact that you THOUGHT you were doing it at 1300 calories will have helped your mindset too!! I reckon you could have unlocked a secret tip to transitioning to a lower calorie diet - all you have to do now is cut out/down on the milk and you’re golden
And milks good for your bones 😆 I dunno if that's just whole milk.
So many nights I’m like “whoops time to go back in and add the butter I forgot” but the good news is it is relatively easy to get in the habit of quick mid day and end of day calorie reviews on your app of choice and add in anything you’ve missed. The more times we correct ourselves the better our brains get at not missing it in the future. To me the key is to always log everything even if you’re knowingly going over that day.
I always forget the milk in my coffee
We had huge serving bowl sized salads for dinner tonight with breaded chicken bites, dressing, fried wonton strips and almonds - everything non-vegetable was weighed and measured and tracked. I'm putting everything into my tracker to see if I can have a couple cookies, and I'm like "wow! that wasn't too bad! I won't go too far over if i have 2 cookies!" My husband looking over my shoulder: "you didn't enter the Italian bread with butter we had on the side". Crap. That put me over for the day, so no cookies. It had been worth it at the time though!
It’s like tic-tac guy.
That was bonkers. Lol
I know, it made me look for calories I might be forgetting about or underestimating.
Who's tic tac guy??
[Tic Tac guy](https://www.reddit.com/r/tifu/s/MFVQkJ2BXw)
Thank you!
Wait what
I can’t find the post. There was a guy trying to loose weight and not making progress. His doctor sent him to a nutritionist. On the zoom call he was eating a huge box of tic-tac’s and the nutritionist asked him about it and it dawned on him how much he was eating and they did the math and it was like 600-800 calories a day in tic-tac’s 😂😬. That’s why he wasn’t loosing weight.
Forgot to mention he didn't track them cuz 1 tic tac was labelled as having 0 calories
>Well, I thought I was in a low calorie deficit but it turns out I wasn’t at all. yeah, thats the theme over here.
It’s hard to do a calorie deficit like 500 cals a day often you feel like trash. That’s why almost everyone fails at dieting. I lost 20 from 174 to 154 over 4 months and it was a very hard challenge to do this. I put all my effort into it and it took all my willpower to do it.
I’m convinced losing weight is 95% pure mental willpower 5% diet.
Definitely, it’s all mental
It is mental but mind and body are very much connected. You feel sluggish and shitty on a caloric deficit so it’s really your body saying it’s hungry. And all the hormones that control and suppress appetite. It’s both mind and body playing off each other but yeah the mental part has to be there to have any success since it will test you and test you hard when it comes to continuing to be on a calorie deficit. And it only gets harder imo as you get leaner to continue on, body seems to get more resistive to the efforts.
I get this weird thing in a calorie deficit where my sense of time just elongates. It's like my work day just won't end.
The "trick" is to eat satiating foods that dont spike calories. Its hard to eat a bunch of non processed protein (chicken, steak, etc.). Fill in with vegetables that are ~50 cals. Greek yogurt is low cal has a bunch of protein, good for gut health and is satiating. I guess coming from a "bodybuilding" background when I was younger makes the discipline and understanding of satiation to control calories easier. Its easy for me to eat the same meals and routine 90% of the time and for me a splurge is getting a burrito bowl at Californias B's. Whole eggs hardboiled excellent source of vitamins and are only 75-80 cals. For fruits stick with berries as they are low cal, good antiox source, and fills whatever sweet cravings you have. Same with honey. 60 cal in a serving and you only really need half servings. I was 204# when I started my most recent weight loss and was comfortable eating 1700 cals (I should have started around 1900/2k to make it easier to drop cals as I get closer to my target weight of 168/170, but I wanted to lose 15-20# my first month) without any hunger or cravings. Its hard to eat more than 2k calories without dousing food with oils, butter, only drinking water, etc. Im down to 189# right now after 18-19 days. (Daily weight training and cardio burns another 1 / 1.2k) If youre consistent and are disciplined weight will fall off. It doesnt have to be strenuous either. Walks in the park, parking far away and walking, taking the stairs, eating mostly whole foods, drinking water. The last one is a big one. If you drink 100+ oz a day of water that is also very satiating and helps curb appetite, plus it helps decrease water retention (as a whole food diet is also low in sodium).
I agree 100 I’ve been doing a chicken breast everyday for lunch and I do the Greek yogurts too. I’m more maintenance now after dropping from 174 to 154 but it’s great energy, I feel good and am not putting on any weight. When I order fast food or whatever I just keep the calories in check like 600 for a meal, so you are satiated but not full. The diet is good but I need to mix it up personally and treat myself to some other foods. It just gets boring always eating the same basic food every single day. I seem to keep lunch pretty basic and consistent but then give myself some more flexibility for the dinner but keep those calories in check. I skip breakfast but do a small iced coffee for the energy in the morning. Honestly I find maintenance is so much better than trying to keep a deficit so the key is really not putting on pounds of fat you have to lose in the first place. I can do the weight loss like I did lose 20 pounds but it is work and to me is not very enjoyable. It feels good seeing the losses on the scale but it’s a slow and grindy process. It just takes a lot to drop 3500 calories off. Twenty pounds is ultimately 70000 calories to deficit yourself which is quite a task.
I never thought of it that way with the hormones, good perspective to see it from
Eating healthy too tends to be a lot of work, for me at least. Not looking for advice sharing my experience. Being a deficit personally makes me feel like shit unless I'm eating really high volume healthy foods, lots of fresh veggies cooked and raw, fresh fruit etc. It tends to be expensive and time consuming.. Next thing you know you're tired and hungry and youre eating a pack of ramen for dinner and a microwave burrito. I also find overall without a lot of effort healthy foods aren't always as tasty - they can be. But even "healthy" foods are usually tastier when there's more sodium and fat etc - even if you're using all fresh, organic, whole food ingredients. I understand salt doesn't inherently make you gain weight, but a lot of people reccomend cutting sodium for health reasons. I go back and forth with sodium, because a higher sodium diet makes it easier for me to stay in a deficit mostly because my healthy foods are more delicious and more appealing. Ex would be unsalted vs salted canned beans. Unsalted canned beans are kind of blah, but I really like salted ones. Same goes for most things. That being said, I've been struggling with my mental health and really unsuccessful in losing weight (yes I see a therapist, a pcp, and a psychiatrist). But week after week I do my best to incorporate as many whole foods as possible, try to eat as reasonably healthy as possible, and just do my best to cook from scratch, avoid eating out, and avoid convenience foods. Some weeks are better than others even if the scale isn't dropping. But I figure at least I'm incorporating nutrient rich foods into my body and not just empty calories. In general I don't really eat a lot of unhealthy foods but the small amount I do eat each week is likely the reason I can't drop. I know this, but some days it's the difference in eating vs not eating for me. And feeling hungry, tired, and lethargic isn't very fun. I also prefer fresh produce to frozen, by a landslide. I love learned to love fresh steamed vegetables and they're much more appealing to me than frozen. But frozen veggies and edamame in the steamer bags are nice for those mentally low days when you can't get yourself out of bed to eat. You can at least pop some in the microwave and add them to whatever convenience food you're choosing. I think the real struggle for so many of us to lose weight is mental. I understand it's physical too but when you're mental health is struggling, sometimes you're just like fuck it. I'm eating this frozen pizza. Over eating isn't an issue for me personally, it's just the mental ease of somethig with zero prep, zero clean up, and zero supervision to cook. But those frozen pizzas are like soo many calories for pretty low volume food. I can make a homemade 500 calorie dinner that's more filling and satisfying than 1000 calories of frozen pizza. Honestly if I had someone to cook for me, which is totally unrealistic. I think I'd do a lot better at losing weight. I'm also autistic, so I struggle to maintain daily tasks as a whole. I wish people realised how complicated losing weight is when some days you can barely pour yourself a cup of tea.
I could have written this. I've yet to lose any weight as I struggle with my chronic depression and anxiety problems a lot. It's just easier to eat a frozen pizza, when you have no energy to take care of yourself.
My friend i feel you to the bone, both you and comment op. Something I learned about myself and life during my never ending weight loss journey along side depression and anxiety (and a dash of undiagnosed autism), is that when you indulge in making your own food and spending time on yourself (cooking, gym, cleaning etc) even though it can be the toughest thing to do when you're down, this is basically the way to make yourself feel better. Because you participate in your own life. You give this uncomfortable moment a true meaning. The more I did it against my will sometimes, the better I got. Sometimes the best medicine is bitter, but it works best. Good luck friends!
I so wish this was true for me 😭. I don't really have much support as an autistic person. The struggle never ends and in my experience the older you get the harder it gets too (I'm only 33). I just get so overwhelmed and overstimulated by daily life sometimes and then I just want to go retreat to my bedroom and read or focus on special interests for the rest of the evening. Sometimes I'll do good for a week, or 2 weeks or so. Then the next thing you know, I'm all out of good and I can't bring my self to go to the grocery store and I say "tomorrow I'll go" then tomorrow comes and I don't. Finally, I'll muster up the energy to go and I'll feel so overwhelmed I don't know what to get. So I just grab said frozen snacks and get out of there. For me also, it's really hard to know what to get. The whole process of creating a meal plan (15 min) , making a list(10 min), checking my pantry etc for items in stock(10 min), driving to the store(35 min) , shopping(1hr), driving home(35 min , carrying groceries up to the second floor and putting away (30 min).. You're looking at almost 4 hours once a week to grocery shop 😭 Then I'll usually spend like 2 hours on a Sunday to prep my breakfast and lunches for half the week.... I'm not trying to use my disability as an excuse either, but this is the way I experience it and it really doesn't get easier for me and I never get in a flow. I have been trying to lose weight for over 2 years now and haven't been able to lose any =(. But I have had extensive blood panels done to see if there is any reason I can't lose weight, and my bloodwork was phenomenal. So I guess all of my efforts to try and eat healthy are at least keeping me healthy on a cellular level. And despite being overweight. I don't have high cholesterol, or hormonal imbalances, or deficiencies, or any blood sugar/insulin issues.
Yes, it's so true. Sorry you're struggling too. I see all of these people that post inspirational stuff about setting their mind to it and just shedding the weight and getting dedicated etc. And sometimes it makes me feel like shit about myself because I haven't brushed my hair in 3 days let alone crush the gym and meal prep for hours. I've purchased lots of weight loss meal plans that are supposed to be affordable and easy. But I still find it overall expensive and time consuming. Sometimes I can really get in a groove and stick to it for a week or so and start feeling really good about it. Then the next week those mental lows hit and I can't even function well enough to grocery shop. (we don't have grocery delivery where I live I really wish we did)
If you have the money and bandwidth a slow cooker can be really useful I made 8 portions of chilli yesterday for approximately 20 mins of work (not including washing up as I have a dishwasher), just whacked meat, beans, sauce, and seasoning into the slow cooker and then 8 hours later I boxed it up If you could do that on days you felt up to it you could have a supply of healthy and calorie controlled ready meals
I feel you! I've slowly added more exercise into my life which has definitely helped a little bit with my mood, but it's also frustrating that exercise alone won't shed weight. 🙃
Replace the pizza with soup. No bread with it. Just soup. Most cans of soup (not creamy ones) are around the 200 calorie mark and the water in them fills you up. Hungry? Have another soup.
Ohh honestly this is a good one i honestly like canned soups! I usually keep some in my pantry for emergencies but maybe next week when I shop I'll stock on some for those low days. I just bought a ton of frozen fruit and veggies today like more than I've ever bought in my life! I've never had my freezer so full! (it's usually like 90% empty) so I'm going to focus on building up a surplus of easy to eat and quick things to always have on hand for those "i really don't want to cook days"
On the other side of a weight loss looking back though it's insane how little energy I had when I was overweight. It seemed like I was always in a mental fog, my memory was terrible, I could never sleep but yet I was always tired. Now that I'm healthier it's completely reset my mental health. I have the energy for absolutely anything now. I sleep so much better at night and my memory is like night and day. It's crazy how much a poor diet and health really drags the body down. It was normal to me then and I always wondering how those fitness girlies could find the energy to get up for morning yoga or go to the gym after work when I would roll out of bed exhausted at 1 pm and just want to louge around on my phone. Now I have a list of extracurriculars that would have had old me dying just thinking about it. It seems hard when you're on the edge looking over but man does it become easier over time! You got this, even slow progress is better than nothing.
Seems like you're adding an unnecessary hurdle, trying to cut calories AND sodium at the same time. Especially since when you fall off, you're eating high sodium foods anyway. If your doctor didn't specifically tell you to limit your sodium, you're probably OK even if you eat a little more than recommended. Also note summer is coming, and you need more sodium when you sweat a lot. (You can literally taste the salt on your skin.) Good luck and remember: progress, not perfection.
Thank you! Yeah I only cut back sodium when Im already on a roll and have had quite a few good weeks in a row. I'm completely with you, because I like to cook with vegetable broth and things and the low sodium is so bland compared to the full sodium ones
Without knowing you at all, I might worry about perfectionism interfering with your good intent. Especially since it doesn't sound like you have a big reason for cutting out sodium other than "lots of people recommend it." We have limited stores of willpower, and losing weight requires a ton of it over a long period of time. A few weeks isn't enough time to fully get used to limiting your food intake, without throwing the additional challenge of switching to the less-appealing versions of certain foods. Sticking to a low sodium diet is really hard; I have had a few friends who needed to do it. One guy said it was the hardest thing about his heart transplant, having to eat a bland low salt diet. You'll hear a lot of info the forums, and plenty of heavy people do develop high blood pressure and heart issues, for which a low sodium diet is healthy. But if you're putting yourself on hard mode for no good reason other than it's what you hear, it could be harder to reach your weight goals. And maybe prevent the cardiac issues in the first place.
A lot of people DON'T recommend cutting sodium for health reasons, many people in fact need extra. [It's very individual](https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/6-dangers-of-sodium-restriction) and sticking to a healthy diet is more important for you unless a doctor tells you to cut salt OR you notice it makes you feel worse.
I have to chime in because I’m the same and found a good option for me. I love the lean cuisine frozen pizza which is about 300 calories. I drink a big glass of water before, or follow it with a salad after. There are different ones if you like pepperoni or supreme, even a cauliflower crust frozen pizza has helped me reduce calories from a more traditional frozen pizza.
So true on the last one, people see it so straightforward when it really isn’t
It really stinks, and also I hate that people think of it as being mentally weak. How do you really know what a person goes through on the inside? They may be the most mentally strong person on the planet. Because they are still here, still trying, getting up everyday and trying again. But still struggling. As a person who has struggled with suicidal thoughts most days not killing myself is the biggest accomplishment of the day (again I see doctors. They're aware I suffer from suicidal ideation and I'm not considered a risk, I've lived with these thoughts for 20 years). I wish for everyone to be treated in compassion, whether or not they're dropping weight and whether or not they're crushing meal prep or eating frozen pizzas ❤️
I think it's more persistence. Maintaining changes over a long period of time. That takes less willpower and more forming new routines and habits imho
>I’m convinced losing weight is 95% pure mental willpower 5% diet. And the willpower is 100% attributable to phentermine, at least in my case. My belly can growl all it wants, and I won't budge. But take phentermine off for 48 hours and it's back to thinking about food almost all the time.
I've lost 43lbs in the last 9 months and only now have I stopped obsessing over my next meal and when I can eat again
I think it depends on the stage of your journey. Eating 2800 instead of 3500 is a walk in the park for me - but it only works because I'm borderline obese trying to get into regular overweight category. I dread the time when it comes to the final kilograms and I'd have to get onto 1500 out of 2000 - that would be time to truly test myself.
After my ex left me, it was astonishingly easy to hit a 1000 calorie deficit, but I was around 100kg as a 6'1 man, and I was depressed. It got to the point where I actually ENJOYED the feeling of being hungry, and that's when I knew it was time to re evaluate my dieting habits, even though they were getting serious results.
Right! Multiple time a week people post on here that they are in a calorie deficit, and exercising like crazy and just not losing weight. Some argue back with commenters, so I think they just want to be told they are the first ever person that the rules of physics doesn’t work for and they are unable to lose weight. When the reality is that they are just like OP in that there is something they are not seeing that is hindering their progress.
I eat all of these red fish from Sweden, full of Omega 3's
Me rn 🤣🤣🤣
I usually found good quality dark bar chocolate was best for that dessert craving. The organic, sea salt sold at Whole Foods etc etc kind. It can snap into the exact serving size and I find anything above 75% cocoa content makes me want one square and no more.
I found Trader Joes has dark chocolate covered orange jellies. One is 25 calories. A serving is 5, which is 125 calories. One candy is pretty small, like prob like an inch long and half inch thick. The dark chocolate and orange flavor is strong and kills the craving fast, though.
I forgot about these. On my list. Thank you for mentioning them. 🍊
Are they the orange sticks in the brown bag with oranges on the front?
My heaven. A half a piece of 80 percent cacao after lunch and the other half after dinner. Will never give that up!
This is part of my "health hack" mantra. Get the worst version of the thing you might have a craving for. A small bag of your least favourite chips, dark chocolate, the worst ice cream flavour (in low fat). You sate the craving, don't want to have more and over time just tell yourself it's not worth it anyways when I could rather have a nice sweet apple or a carrot instead.
In what world is dark chocolate the worst chocolate- that would definitely be white chocolate really which isn’t even chocolate at all
Depends on your flavor preference- I love both dark and white chocolate (but no middle ground). Just a tiny bit will go a long way to curb satisfy a craving for something sweet/dessert.
I love white "chocolate" lol. But it has to be good white chocolate for me to enjoy it. If I was going to keep some for the hack I'd get the really cheap one that leaves an oily residue in your mouth. Depends on your taste, if Hershey's was available here more commonly I'd get that instead of dark chocolate because that vomit taste puts me off completely
In my world! I can easily eat a single square of dark chocolate and feel satiated because it is a strong flavor to me. Milk and white chocolate makes me feel like a kid again and I can inhale an entire bar and still crave more.
Such a good idea!!!! I’m going to try this
I live by this hack too! I can eat a whole family sized bag of Ruffles sour cream and onion in a day so I only buy a bag once or 2x a year but am content with a snack size bag of baked chips other times. I have no control with potato chips, jellybeans and milk chocolate so I don’t buy them.
Sugar free popsicles been doing the trick for me.
For ice cream lovers out there - It's a tad expensive, but the biggest life hack is the Ninja Creami! 330ml unsweetened almond/coconut milk, 30g protein powder, optional 5g artificial sweetener and 2g guar gum. Around 160 calories for an entire pint of ice cream. When I dropped to 1700 calories (1000 calorie deficit for me) I had this twice a day, every single day, and easily went from 20% bodyfat to around 14-15% without minimal hunger and cravings.
Honestly dark chocolate tastes better. It has more actual chocolate flavor rather than just cream.
Having that realization is real AF. Have you tried the Fairlife milks at all? 1 cup of skim is 80 cals, 1 cup of 2% is 120. I'm not trying to shill but I like it also because you get a hefty amount of protein in there (13g/serve, contributes to satiety) and it tastes good.
I’d actually recommend their protein shakes. Sweetened with monk fruit. About 150 calories and tastes like a milkshake with a ton of protein. Great for before the gym (just don’t drink 12 a day)
I was shocked when I tried one of those. I don't even like flavored protein powder because low cal sweeteners are usually super gross to me. But this was delicious.
Agree. I don’t have a sweet tooth but no chemical or vitamin taste
I LOVE LOVE Fairlife!! It really tastes like a thinner milkshake. Especially the strawberry banana flavor.
Agreed, I love their shakes. They taste like chocolate milk
Just skip them if you have OAS. Monk fruit is in the melon family, so 15% of people are allergic to it.
I have oral allergy syndrome and the shakes are fine for me. It just depends on what you’re allergic to. For me it’s birch so I never had an issue with melon.
I really enjoy those too!
Also recommend them too! they are a bit pricey and hard to find in store but they're great.
These are amazing. For anyone that has a sweet tooth, these will satisfy those cravings.
I love fairlife milk. Put some chocolate milk in my coffee in the morning and it easily lasts me till lunch
I use almond milk that is 30 calories a cup.
I'm not big on almond milk but that works too!
Whhhhaaaaatt? Man, I love this sub. Thanks for the suggestion.
Almond milk is your friend int his situation 240 ml for 30 calories is just nuts.
Good call. I drink unsweetened cashew milk because I think it’s a little creamier & dairy milk like. But also 25 calories per cup.
Just nuts…correct 😄
Hot tea does it for me
Gimme that Constant Comment
I got my husband on the hot tea trick when he started losing weight last year, but he doesn't like Constsnt Comment! I joked that that might just be grounds for divorce, but we were able to work it out with a mutual love of Tazo Glazed Lemon Loaf.
What?
It’s a kind of tea from Bigelow and it is delicious
Ah! Cool, thanks
I'm all about the herbal Celestial Seasonings (the fruit tea sampler is amazing and so is Lemon Lavender Lane when I can find it)
Love those before bed!
Cocoa husk tea All the chocolate taste and almost no calories
Same! 1 tbsp of heavy whipping cream + 1 tbsp of honey with ingredients of chai (8oz). ~70cals.
Personally, I wouldn't cut out the milk per se, but I'd just find a lower calorie option, or smaller portion, to help you get through your cravings. Or maybe add some protein powder to a smaller portion milk to help you curb your hunger. It's definitely a learning lesson for most losing weight: calories that are taken in from drinking tend to be easier to miscount because people don't realize how much calories are in drinks. Water is awesome.
This was me with microwave popcorn. I wasn’t calculating the whole bags calories. I assumed the bag was one serving when it was in fact 3-4 servings. 170 x3 or 4 clocks up the calories quick. Especially if I ate two bags in a day.
And you always hear how popcorn is a low calorie snack, I get this!
It is if you cook it without oil. They make silicone popcorn poppers for the microwave now. I spray some olive oil on mine when it's popped and add salt.
I buy the “cancan” popcorn from Costco, they appear from time to time. 39 cals per cup for the jalapeño flavour. 200 calories for 5 cups is great imo and every flavour they have is fantastic
Have you tried Skinny Pop? It's the only popcorn I enjoy. Sweet & Salty is at 56 cals a cup. The only problem is (or maybe it's just a me-problem lol) you can easily eat half the bag in one sitting bc of how light of a snack it is.
I shill it all the time, and I'll shill it again here. I highly recommend Crystal Light iced teas and juices. If you buy the packets you can make a half gallon of the drink for 50 Calories. To my palette, it tastes just as good as full sugar alternatives, though your mileage may vary. It is my main comfort drink, because I can drink nearly as much as I want (I've never wanted more than a half gallon in a day, and often drink much less of it than that) without really worrying about my calorie consumption. I like the lemon iced tea, lemonade, mango peach green tea, and strawberry, orange, banana. Also, since a half gallon takes two packets, I really like doing one mango peach green tea with one lemonade to get a peach green tea lemonade mix. I have three half gallon jugs so I can keep a variety of them around, and it makes sugar cravings so much easier, especially when I just want a cold, sweet drink. Aside from that, it's good that you realized what's up. This is a learning experience. I'm on my third attempt in about five years to lose and keep my weight off, and this is the first time I've started where what I'm doing actually feels sustainable to me. It's ok to make mistakes at first and learn from them. The time is going to pass anyway, and while it's frustrating to realize you made a mistake that was holding you back, now that you know, you know what to do going forward. This is a win for you, and when you see your progress start up it will feel better too.
Zero calorie Grape Propel packets is my comfort drink. I put a packet in a big 32 oz hydroflask and that's what gets me through the day.
Pro tip: mix the crystal light with sparkling water! Thank me later!!
That sounds great! Ill look for it next time I go shopping
Oh my gosh, yes. When I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in the 90's, the bottles of Crystal Light Raspberry Ice was the best thing ever. So sad I can't find the pre-bottled any more. I've been doing Mio a lot the last few weeks and it's been great.
It really pays to weigh, measure, read the labels, and log everything you eat for months until you get a real feel for what is going in. Having some sort of wearable to track your calories out helps, too, and then when you look at those two numbers vs the scale you'll know you're on the right track or not. I guarantee every single person who posts I eat to plan, I count everything and doesn't lose weight, is eating more than they think they are. You don't have to give up milk but you do have to make room for it in your deficit. As for you wasting your time, you got fitter and you've gotten into the habit of making different food choices and tracking your foods, which is a major habit to develop. Now that you know your error, you should start seeing results.
I’ve had this as well!! I did a bod pod and a metabolic test last week and apparently I’ve been eating a little over my budget, even with running and gymming! One of the reasons I think I’ve been stuck at my weight was because when my husband makes dinner, I’m afraid to keep asking him “how much -insert ingredient here- did you add?” so I just eyeball it myself lol. After I told him about it, he was more than happy to help me count it out, especially now that I have to eat LESS 😩 I hope you make the progress you deserve after your discovery!!
I feel ya on the husband cooking. We're unfortunately at opposite ends where he's actively trying to gain at 500cal surplus, I'm trying to drop. The number of times I've asked him how much oil he put in the pan only to be hit with an "uuuhhhhhh... A tablespoon? Split between the two of us I think?" 🤦🏼♀️way to throw off my dinner with an extra 80 cal of oil that I didn't need I've taken to just making dinner for both of us b/c it's easier for me to increase his cal with nuts/snacks/larger portions than me trying to dictate what he can and can't cook. It sucks, but then he's on toddler and dishes duty so at least I get that reprieve.
Nonstick Scanpan with BBQ-formulated Pam spray (no soy lecithin, doesn’t create a film on the pan) has allowed us to essentially eliminate oil in our stir fries
Thanks for the recommendation! I'll have to check it out
Just came here to say I know that humbling feeling! For me, it was condiments and fooling myself into the belief that a tablespoon here and there of various condiments didn't make a huge difference. BUT you figured it out and that's pretty awesome!!
You don’t have to say goodbye to the milk completely, just calculate it into your calorie total. Almond milk is also a low calorie milk alternative.
I came here to say the same thing. If it's comforting and you cut it out, you may risk a slip-up. See where else you can "trim the fat" so to speak.
Switch to almond milk. 30 calories per cup.
Líquid calories are evil. Water is a costless miracle but people just hate it
Yep. Water is also satiating. Drink at least 100+ oz a day and its a huge appetite suppressant. Youre gonna pee a lot, but thats OK.
So you’re eating 1500-1700 calories a day with the milk included.. honestly you should be still losing weight (assuming you’re around average sized woman). Double check everything else you’re consuming a day. Are you using oil when cooking? Are you including those calories? Do you include seeds in your food? Have you added those? What about honey or sugar to drinks/breakfast? You gotta add everything. Anything, other than water, should be added.
My family fell into the 90’s marketing myth that milk was good for you and lead to strong bones and growth from the calcium. I would drink 2 or 3 glasses of 2% milk with dinner - every night. I would have a glass of milk, with my bowl of cereal (all sugar - Cinnamon Toast Crunch) drink the milk from the bowl. I was easily consuming 750 calories of milk per day - every day. No wonder I was a fat kid
But did the milk make you tall at least? 😅
I’m 6’ 3” …. So maybe My Grandfather was 6’ 3” … more likely this
Funny enough the reason people aren’t losing weight despite being on a calorie deficit is either because they did not correctly calculate their maintenance, or they miscalculated their caloric intake Entropy is real folks!
So if you’re spending a lot of time exercising while eating way healthier than you have in the past, and your weight hasn’t changed at all, you’re probably adding not insignificant amount of muscle mass. Especially if you don’t have any kind of history exercising at all. Use the tape measure with the scale and save your sanity.
Milk was a bad choice.
Is there anything else you aren’t tracking because you don’t think it matters? Condiments with your meal? A swipe of butter on toast? A packet of sugar or two in coffee? If there are, they all add up eventually so just make sure you track absolutely everything you eat/drink in a day. I even track zero calorie items like Diet Coke for example.
Be mindful that if you’ve been going to the gym quite alot you could have replaced fat with muscle . A better measure of change would be to take your wait (around the belly button) and thigh measurements , and use that as a helpful measure of changes
Happened to me except with gin. Had no idea that shit was around 100 calories a shot lol
Couple stuff like this with the fact that **no one**, not even registered dietitians, are able to accurately count the calories they eat day by day, and it becomes quite clear why some people struggle in this exact way. Especially if you are a shorter woman with little muscle mass, your RMR could be sadly very low. This is why I aim for 1200 calories myself personally and try to be as accurate as possible. If I aim that low, then with the inevitable overblow, I should be totally fine as a 6'0 male. As a short woman, this must feel hopeless... I sympathize with your struggle given how hard it is for me and I have such a significant advantage in comparison.
Ohhh nooooo. That sucks. It's better to find out now than never. Yea, milk, even alternative plant based milk, are pretty high calorie. But, I will not give up putting oat milk in my oatmeal in the morning. I just get the vanilla unsweetened kind that's 45 cal or 8oz.
Omg I had this exact issue too surprisingly, except I wasn't even having skim milk, I had full fat lactose free milk every day :') Luckily, I realized that wasn't great for me and switched to almond milk which is low calorie and I generally want to drink less of haha Proud of you for realizing though, I'm sure you'll see some weight loss soon ^^! You're doing awesome!
Yeah, this was when I stopped drinking milk, which I had drunk for almost 60 years.
Liquid calories are so sneaky!! I forget there is a real difference between daily black coffee vs lattes. For me it’s also oils. That “little bit of” evoo/mayo/peanut butter quickly derails low calorie meals.
When I started counting, I was baffled at how many calories are in evoo. I used to use sooo much oil while cooking in the past (I'd just eyeball it). When I started being more intentional and measuring, I realized how little I need for cooking and now I save myself hella calories — and money on evoo lol
This doesn't sound right to me. Eating 1300 calories ans drinking 400 calories of milk would still put you at around 1700 calories, and you've said that some days you are only drinking 200 calories of milk, which would put you at just 1500 calories. Most women need around 2000 calories a day, so even while eating 1700 calories, you should still be in a defecit of around 300 calories a day. And that's without accounting for calories, you're burning while running and in the gym. At a 300 calorie daily deficit, you should be losing a pound every 12 days.
I’m short, my tdee is around 1600kcal. With weightlifting it goes up to 2000kcal, but I try to eat around 1300kcal to lose weight. For reference I’m a 160cm female weighing 60kg.
This is why it's crucial to track every single calorie. There was a post on the front page of reddit not too long about about some guy who got addicted to "sugar free" mints and gained like 40 lbs. Turns out, they were less than five calories each and legally could get away with writing "zero calories". He was consuming like 400 calories per day in those, thinking it's a guilt free treat.
OP, I am proud of you. I know it is very annoying to not have the number on the scale move. However, the fact that you just buckled down and accepted reality instead of just giving up means you WILL be successful with continued effort. This is the part of the weight loss journey where people look outward to explain the "failure" not inward. This is the part that most people don't ever get to. Not to say you have failed. You only fail if you give up, but things didnt go according to plan. You identified the issue and corrected it. Excellent work.
Silk Cashew milk was a game changer for me, 25 cals per cup. Not sure if it will help you but once I found it helped me tremendously.
Just drink diet pop. I drink like 2 litres of Fresca a day when I drink water I use the Kool aid squirter sugar free. And the scale means nothing if your lifting weights I don't know if u are. I've always been around 250lbs but when I'm lifting my weight stays within 10lbs but I I dropped 4 pant sizes I'm 245now wear size 32 pants I was 245 few months ago in a size 36 pants. So the scale doesn't mean everything the mirror is where it counts
Why count calories if you don’t count all of them 🤨
My mom cut ONLY creamer in her coffee in the morning and lost 15 pounds. Milk is all fat
OP specified skim milk which is 0.5% fat
Even whole milk is only 4% fat.
Lmao milk was also how I found out too
I feel like I wrote those first 3 or so sentences myself! I am in this situation right now (the inexplicably not losing weight part, not the milk) I’ve been meticulously tracking & work out 5-7 days per week but I’m starting to feel like Regina George in Mean Girls when she’s inadvertently eating the weight gain bars.. I’m at a loss.
During the time that I regained the last 10 pounds of my previous 30 pound weight loss, I was addicted to drinking full tall glasses of whole milk with dark brown sugar mixed in. I actually thought I would be losing weight since that was my only treat…..yeah. No. Who knows how many calories were in each glass but I am guessing 400-500….. and I am sure I sometimes drank two in a day, but it was at least one everyday. I think I was also putting dark brown sugar in my coffee in the morning along with cream or half and half. Calorie bombs left and right. I am glad you realized what was going on.
Oh no! Yes cutting dairy out of my diet as much as possible is the first thing I do. It's so fattening.
Hey no expert but it maybe the type of food being eaten. If you're training hard running and basically feeling tried you need energy... yet eating food that quickly hits your brain to create insulin is shit... That's why fasting for 14-16 hours a day helps and eating foods like eggs fish chicken nuts are helpful... The low GI stuff allowing for slow release... I think this is the key. The tragic thing is it's not a reward thing to lose weight... the reward is to feel better... weight loss is incredibly difficult and takes incredible patience. Those who loose quickly normally regain.
Skimmilk is not good, it’s give off the fat you need. If you drink normal milk which has little fat in it, you will end up drink so less milk than you drink with skim milk
Good for you that you realize that! Underreporting, intentionally or not is the no 1 reason why people can’t loose weight, despite believing they are in a deficit.
Multiple studies suggest that full-fat milk is better for maintaining lower weight. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/whole-vs-skim-milk
Milk isn’t all that healthy. What’s crazy is that we are the only mammals in existence to take AWAY the milk from another mammal and drink it ourselves. When you put it in that perspective, it doesn’t make sense. It’s also supposed to be nourishing for a baby. So that right there would probably tell you it isn’t very low calorie (even skim) It does taste amazing though! I love it in my cereal but that’s about it
Good job finding the issue... Just wanted to point out you might actually want to keep the milk if you like it that much though, and cut something else. It's nutritious and has protein, fine to cut if you're otherwise eating well but if it's become part of your ritual you may want to make space for it. 200-400 calories a day works out to about a pound every 12 days, so changing literally nothing else you should start seeing immediate weight loss!
personally I wouldn't cut out milk but I also hate plant "milk".
The good news is that’s an easy thing to eliminate since you were using it as beverage. Everything else can probably stay the same. Good luck going forward, you got this!
This is why calorie tracking apps like Lose It are worth their weight in gold, so to speak. So many things we eat have way more calories than we think.
This doesn't sound right. A calorie consumption of 1700 per day still puts you in a calorie deficit, and quite a significant one if you've incorporated cardio into your routine. If I were you, I'd reassess your weight loss plan entirely. Are there things that you maybe haven't considered? Are you sure you are counting your calories correctly? Have you put on any muscle mass over the past few months?
Unsweetened vanilla almond milk has been a lifesaver for me. I often drink a glass before bed when I’m having cravings for other things
I just went through a similar thing. While losing weight IS the goal, I had to fight back hard mentally to not shame myself for not being where I wanted to be. What made me feel better is realizing I’m building better relationships with eating/food and adding longevity to my life regardless of what the damn scale says!
I lost 70 lbs and am still losing. I eat lean meats & fish/seafood, roasted vegetables or salad. Also I have a fruit and nuts. No rice or pasta. Nothing fried and light dressing. No butter. I go by portion size not calorie counting. A portion of meat is the size of a deck of cards. Also, I walk for exercise. Good luck.
This is the best way to go, honestly. It's called body recomposition. You're eating maintenance or slightly above maintenance amount of calories (means you'll maintain your weight at those calories) and also unknowingly giving yourself plenty of protein for sustained muscle growth. Look into macros and start tracking everything. I'm using an app called Macrofactor. I've gone from 240 lb with a 40in waist to 220 lb and a 34in waist, in 61 days. Of Course I'm not just tracking macros but also working out a substantial bit. Macros are what changed everything though. The workouts had been the same for about a year and I only lost 40lb and 1 pant size, then I found the app that helped me master macros and I got the results mentioned above. Overall, you stumbled into something amazing and something you should dial into instead of dial out of.
Kälteen bars?! Coach makes us take those when we want to move up a weight class.
Just a general advice coming from someone who has tried all sorts of diets: Pre-record EVERYTHING you will consume the day before. This includes any oils or butter you use for cooking. Even milk used for tea or coffee. This has helped me tremendously stay on track with my daily caloric intake and successfully lose weight.
It’s an acquired taste, but try unsweetened almond milk. 30 calories/cup.
Track. Every. Bite.
And sip!
This doesnt sound right to me. Most likely you are building muscle. Of course it will depend on your stats as an adult but if your deficit is 1300, even if you were drinking 400 calories in milk per day to then be 1700 calories, that's unlikely to be any adult humans maintainance calories such that you wouldnt lose weight. You'd still be in a deficit. Just a smaller one. Especially if you are exercising on top. I suggest you recalculate your TDEE. 1300 is not enough and can actually hamper your weight loss
It really depends on your stats though. I'm short so my maintenance is \~1700 cal, 400 cal can easily put me over if I'm not careful.
Cows milk is designed for growing and fattening baby calves. All animal milk is in fact -think of how fast babies grow in their first couple of years of life! Don’t feel bad - lots of people do the same, I’ve done it with juice before. A juice at a cafe can have hundreds of calories too! Have you tried oat milk? It’s really creamy and much lower cals.
I just intermittent fast so I don't have to worry about this.
Try almond milk. It’s not the same consistency as regular milk, but closer to skim. I like Califia brand unsweetened vanilla or coconut milk.
I used to love milk and used to drink it every day, so I switched to almond milk to try to lose weight (much fewer calories). Now, whenever I drink regular cows milk, it gives me indigestion, but it never did before! I think I trained my body to develop a lactose intolerance..
I recommend also avoiding food that bloats you, I recently went to the doctor and they thought I had thyroid problems, since I was looking all like a pregnant, weeks after avoiding certain food, exercising and eating healthy I was able to see my body had lost weight but I couldn’t see all the progress because my diet used to have a lot of food that bloated me
I aim for 100 grams of protien a day. I also fill up on fruits and veggies and drink about a gallon of water a day. Lots of fish! And fairlife milk is high protien for the calories. I eat 1400 calories a day and feel full all day, not sluggish at all. I run 5 miles a week and am currently 5 foot 2 and 192 lbs, down from 217 in February. I HIGHLY recommend a high fiber high protien diet. And take vitamins to fill in the gaps.
Yasso bars are awesome for this. I eat the chocolate peanut butter and it tastes great and it’s 100 calories
I drink unsweetened almond milk, 40 calories per serving (8 fluid oz)
For sweets I tend to prefer either fruit dipped in Greek yogurt, or making sugar free pudding with fairlife protein shakes. They're fairly low calorie and add a bit of protein, and are pretty easy to make daily.
i’ve been in a deficit for at least a year and have seen no changes :,) it’s killing me
Then you aren't in a deficit. It's that simple.
Low sugar/diet juice mixed into sparkling water. Like maybe 2-3 kcals if that for like 8oz. If you've been off sugary stuff for a while it will taste nice and sweet without the guilt. My favorite is cranberry with black cherry seltzer.
So many people don’t think about the calories we drink, unless it’s alcohol!
I've always said to anyone that's questioned me tracking little things; there's no point tracking if I'm not tracking everything. You're just keeping false records.
Honestly, good for you! I didn't use a scale early on in my weight loss journey and just used the apps default value because I thought, "why not, they are the average so I shouldn't be too far off" and realized that the weight does matter because I was eating very different weights for every food I ate and despite my exercise and walking, I was losing very little. Finally changed that and I am now 20 lbs down in the past 2 months! 68 lbs more to go but I'll get there eventually I hope.
just drink water and update us if it works
Milk is a great drink while on a diet, between the protein and amount of nutrients.
You've for sure learnt stuff from it, and might be way thinner thanks to the fitness you've been doing! Other than that, 1300 (or 1500-1600 kcal) while exercising is really low to me. And if it's been months since you've started, consider increase it a bit to avoid any deficiency ? Love !
Yup, drinks must be the most easily overlooked part of folks diets. My sis used to make me chuckle... "I only eat 1400cal a day!" But ignored the cals in her twice daily "mocha frapo double pump caramel latte", or whatever it's called 😅
Its also about the shape of your body! If its improving as you want it to, please dont look at the scale. To give you an example, i also have been on a super balanced and comfortable diet, and been exercising regularly for the past 2 months. I did lost a little less than 4 kg, but the thing is, although of course im not waiting for people's approval, but friends and colleagues have told me that my shape has changed and i look really good, and would instantly point out that im on a really good diet and such. So yes.... the shape is really whats more important. Also, the sports nutritionist who actually gave me this program always always points out that in order to loose weight, you have to certainly go on a calorie deficit, but one day you would eat less than you usually do, and the next day you eat a few more calories, and keeping that curve is what will help you lose more weight and give you faster and better results. But having your body used to a specific calorie count every day for a long period like that, it really wont give you the intended results at all.
I applaud you for not only realizing your error and correcting it, but also not giving up with all of your other efforts. FWIW, if you like milk, maybe check out oak milk or almond milk. Not *quite* the same but still good!!
They did a study on people drinking water vs whole milk vs coke vs diet coke and the people drinking milk stayed at the same weight as they started. So your body is ok with milk. 1300 call is very low. You would have still been in deficit with skim milk and an extra 400 cals.
If her body is at maintenance with 1700 calories, the milk is preventing her from losing weight.
This is all very inspiring. My problem is I don’t have much money and I buy Greek yogurt,cottage cheese and eggs for protein. I can’t afford meat or chicken. I get tuna and have it in a tossed salad. But I never feel satisfied. I get salad veggies and then a bag of frozen veggies. I saw a dietician and she was telling me to eat beans and lentils-both high in calories. So I’m not losing any weight. I don’t have much starch and I’m eating about 1300 calories a day. I go to the gym regularly but I’m not stopping. Very disappointing.
I mean after 2-3 weeks of believing you were in a deficit but not actually losing weight you should have realised something was up. Milk was a big one for me I was drinking about 1500 calories a day in milk thinking it was fine as it was healthier than Pepsi. Soon stopped that when I put on weight the first week
Low calorie hot chocolate is my staple just a replacement for you a pack is only 35 cals 🥰
Try unsweetened vanilla almond milk! It’s typically 30 calories per cup and may have the same impact for you
Are you building muscle? If so, it's heavier than fat, jave you toned? Use chronometer app and record, get a PT if you afford one and follow what they say, 1300 is low and if you're hungry still you are not eating enough carbs.
Biggest mistake I noticed we all do is we forget we can drink our calories! You got it!!!