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Emma Brown
Nutritionist
Janet Aylott
Nutritionist
Kelly Marshall
Fitness Consultant
I have been a member for approx a month. I religiously fill in my diary, generally stick within the cal allowance and am well below on the fat allowance, I do my five a day nearly every day, granted I over do the alcohol but that's only at the weekend usually, and I don't fill my water amount. I exercise nearly every day in some form, and yet despite this I am sticking at the initial weight lost. I'm not putting any on but I'm not losing and I have loads to lose - ideally over 3 stone. Any additional advice would be most welcome. Should I lower my cal allowance for example?
First of all, congratulations on embarking on, and sticking to, a diet and exercise routine that has resulted in weight loss. Losing some weight initially when starting a new diet and then finding yourself 'stuck' at the same weight after a few weeks can be quite a common problem. There are normally a couple of factors that can cause this that you might want to consider.
Firstly, it is very easy to get a little complacent after a week or so and to allow a few bad habits to creep in. For example, this could be not monitoring your portion control quite as strictly and starting to estimate portion sizes. In my experience, this is one of the easiest ways to eat extra calories without even realising it. It is also easy to go slightly over target on a regular basis (especially at weekends!), forgetting how these add up over the weeks. In particular I recommend that you record your alcohol intake - at least for a couple of weekends to see if this could be the cause. You say that you go over at weekends but depending on how much by, this has the potential to undo your good work in the week if not offset with a calorie adjustment elsewhere (plus there's also the weakened resolve for late night munchies that can be a challenge!). I am not saying that you are doing these things, but they might be worth looking at as they can make the difference between losing and maintaining weight.
In terms of diet, make sure you eat a well balanced diet with complex, brown carbohydrates (such as wholemeal bread or brown rice), lean protein (such as skinless chicken or fish) and good fats (like olive oil). Don't eat the same foods every day, as you will get more nutrients and a more efficient fat-burning body by varying your diet. Keep up the 5-a-day and try and make vegetables the main part of this, as opposed to fruit, as they contain more minerals and are generally lower in calories.
To get your weight loss moving again, you could reduce your calories for a week or two, although I wouldn't recommend going below 1200 a day. Some members find not eating carbohydrates with their evening meal useful in situations like this. Another idea is to eat more of your calories earlier in the day, giving you more time to burn them off. From a scientific viewpoint, what you eat and when shouldn't actually make a difference, but in practice it often does!
So, to summarise, I think you need to try a few different things and find out what works best for you. But above all, keep going and don't give up! All the best.
Disclaimer
You are advised to seek medical advice before making any changes to your diet or lifestyle with an aim of weight loss. This website and the content provided should not be used by persons under 18, by pregnant or nursing women, or individuals with any type of health condition, except under the direct supervision of a qualified medical professional. The information contained in these articles, and elsewhere on this website, is provided for educational and entertainment purposes only, and is not intended to replace, and does not constitute legal, professional, medical or healthcare advice or diagnosis and may not be used for such purposes. Continue...
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