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Frustration

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Suzi

Member
Hi, sorry but I'm really feeling fed up. I have type 2 which is well under control with medication after having a difficult time a few years ago. As a type 2 the doctors have always been pushing me to loose weight and I decided to go for it a couple of months ago. Started out really well and lost 8 pounds within 2 weeks. Doing 1200 calories a day and introducing walking and daily out of breath exercises. However after this no more weight loss continued. I looked online at a meal replacement plan and decided to try this to help me on my way, however when I spoke to my doctor about it she has just thrown water all over it and told me that these diets are a really bad idea. How am I supposed to loose weight if I am doing all the right things and it still isn't happening! My doctor is a complete waste of space and is so unhelpful. They won't refer me for further help, even though I am over weight by a couple of stone I am not over the threshold for further assistance. This has really upset me, I am doing what I am told and it isn't working and don't know what else to do.
 
Hi. So sorry to hear that you are feeling really chewed off with the lack of support but well done on your excellent weight loss, so far. I appreciate that you have hit a plateau which is frustrating but we all know it happens. One of the things I have read is that too few calories puts the body into starvation mode and it slows down the metabolism to conserve resources. I believe that eating more calories but keeping the carbs low may help you to push through it.

The problem with shakes diets is that they don't teach you how to eat properly/sensibly/sustainably for the rest of your life. Losing weight is hard but not as hard as keeping it off. Finding a way of eating which you enjoy but helps you lose weight and can then be adapted to maintain that loss is key. For me that is low carb, higher fat but most importantly, that also helps me manage my diabetes.

The other option is to up the exercise to try to push through it that way and make sure you are drinking plenty of water.
 
Hi Barbara, I thought the 1200 was enough calories so that I wouldn't go into starvation. The plateau was expected but it has completely stopped and I had upped the exercise since then too which makes it even more frustrating. Once I feel a bit happier about going back outside and into public places again I would like to take up swimming again. I know what you are saying about the shake diets but I was just wanting something else to help along as I am happy sticking to the 1200 (I'm not even missing the crisps anymore!) and I am enjoying the exercising, so I would like to get to the target weight and would hope that I wouldn't do the gorging that I did before which got me into this mess in the first place. Thanks for coming back to me it is much appreciated 🙂
 
I'll support @rebrascoras ideas.

Bit like your doctor I'm no fan of fancy diets but I would not pour cold water on them because they may be a way forward for some.

Seems like you have hit a weight plateau on your current regime and I would take that and see what happens over the next few weeks. Then review and make some changes if warranted and I would be thinking about tweaking your diet rather than making wholesale changes. Play the long game is my way of thinking.
 
Thank you, I will stick at it a bit longer and will hopefully get back to the swimming which may help. My doctor disagrees with everything I say so I shouldn't be too shocked. Fair enough though, if that seems to be the majority thought on these sort of diets, I will give it a miss.
 
You could maybe try a slightly different tack so forget about calories and watch the carbs. If you keep a food diary for a few days and work out how many carbs you are having and then reduce by maybe a third but up your protein and fat with a bit more veg. Many people have success at losing weight with a low carb diet so less than 130g per day, some as low as 40-50g but if you are currently having more than 130g is then look to reducing to that amount. If less at the moment then you still may need to go a bit lower.
If you post the sort of meals you have then people may be able to make some suggestions.
 
Thank you for that suggestion. Ok I will give that a go, I did a food diary when they adjusted my medication a few years ago to work out what was causing spikes. I don't have bread very often at all as that seems to be the worst culprit for me. I have been doing an egg and a nectarine for breakfast and then soup for lunch followed by a main meal (my partner is an amazing cook, he does know he has to keep carbs minimal). As Barbara mentioned above, she goes for low carb, high fat - I was just worried that high fat wouldn't help with the weight loss. I will definately give the diary a go and see if I can lower carbs a bit more.
 
Thank you for that suggestion. Ok I will give that a go, I did a food diary when they adjusted my medication a few years ago to work out what was causing spikes. I don't have bread very often at all as that seems to be the worst culprit for me. I have been doing an egg and a nectarine for breakfast and then soup for lunch followed by a main meal (my partner is an amazing cook, he does know he has to keep carbs minimal). As Barbara mentioned above, she goes for low carb, high fat - I was just worried that high fat wouldn't help with the weight loss. I will definately give the diary a go and see if I can lower carbs a bit more.
It is easy to under estimate the carbs in some foods but your menu sounds good in principal.
If you haven't already got it Carbs and Cals is a good guide to carb value in foods, book or app available. As long as you reduce carbs then increasing fat and protein can still lead to weight loss.
 
I agree with the above. Just keep going. Your body may be just readjusting itself.

I too had several plateaus but just kept going and eventually each time more progress was made. It can be a bit hard sometimes but be encouraged if you eat less than you need (calorie wise) it has to make a difference. And less carbs more fat and more protein is the way to go.

Its a bit like climbing a moutain. Everyone wants to get to the top and it can be very hard work and it can seem very daunting, but one step at a time will get you there however far away it is and however little progress seems to be being made right now.

Good luck and keep going.
 
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