Am I doing something wrong?

[jking428]

Firstly, let me start by saying that I know weight loss is not the point of W30. I know it is about NSVs but given that I’ve achieved many NSVs already, my primary focus is weight loss as I am about 10-15kg overweight and have been trying to lose it for over two years.

In the past two years, I have done 6 W30s and eat mostly paleo the rest of the time. During my first two W30s, I lost 4kg but did not lose any weight in any of my subsequent W30s.

At the beginning of this year, I began another W30 to try lose a bit more weight – this time I cut out fruit of any kind as well as nuts (unless as a garnish on a salad).

6 weeks later, I have not lost a single gram. I exercise 3-4 x week. I have PCOS/insulin resistance – I know this makes weight loss difficult but I am so frustrated and disappointed not to be losing weight.

I am ashamed to say I am considering re-adopting a Weight Watchers style diet. I know that WW is completely rubbish and is a terrible way of eating but I lost about 18kg using WW 5 years ago, which I have never been able to achieve with W30/paleo.

Typical meals for me:

Breakfast

2 boiled egg, roast sweet potato, cauliflower, kale, kimchi, olive oil

Chicken thigh, roast vegetables, ½ avocado

Beef mince, roast vegetables, ½ avocado

Lunch/dinner

Kale/spinach/lettuce base, roast chicken, roast vegetables, ½ avocado, olive oil, kimchi

Beef mince, cauliflower puree, spinach, broccoli

Kale/spinach/lettuce, 2 boiled eggs, carrots/cucumber/red pepper, ½ avocado, tahini, kimchi

Kale/spinach/lettuce, beef meatballs, mixed roasted or raw vegetables, olive oil, kimchi

Pulled lamb, spinach, cauliflower, tahini, ½ avocado

Shakshuka/baked eggs (2 eggs) with ½ avocado, kimchi

 

I think I am eating enough because I don’t get too hungry between meals (although I am always hungry by the time the next meal comes around). I rarely eat a pre/post workout snack as I normally exercise around dinner time anyway (30-40 min run or 1 hour strength training).

I eat a lot of kimchi, drink kombucha and a use apple cider vinegar in salad dressings and drink a diluted glass of ACV most days.

Does anyone have any advice? Am I doing something wrong?

[jmcbn]

How is your sleep?

How are your stress levels?

How many days/times a week are you training?

How much time do you spend out doors?

Optimal health certainly starts with food but it doesn't end there.......

Finally though, just on the subject of food, when you say 'roasted veg' what veg do you mean? ie. how often are you eating starchy veg?

[jking428]

I sleep relatively well although I sometimes have difficulty falling asleep (something I have struggled with my whole life). I tend to sleep about 9 hours a night.

I wouldn’t say that I am overly stressed – obviously each day is different but on the whole I think my stress levels are relatively stable. I do suffer from depression/anxiety (I take medication for this) and often clench/grind my teeth at night – not sure if this is stress-related?

I exercise 3-4 times a week, between 45-60 minutes. A few years ago, I was exercising for an hour and a half to two hours, 5 times a week but the trainers at my gym advised that this was too much.

Living in London, I don’t spend a lot of time outdoors at this time of year. I run outside 2-3 times a week but only after work, once the sun has set so I’m probably not getting enough vitamin D. In the summer, I spend more time outside.

My roast veg is usually a mix of sweet potato (never white potato), cauliflower, aubergine, courgette, red peppers, carrots and broccoli. Perhaps I am eating too much sweet potato – probably around 1 whole sweet potato a day, spread out over three meals. However given that I am not eating any fruit whatsoever, I thought this would be ok?

Thanks for your help.

[Crastney]

also - who cares how much you weigh?  it's just a number.  let the scale go.  especially if you feel fit and healthy.  it sounds like someone some time you that you have to be a certain weight, and you're now obsessing about that number.  everyone is different, one size does not fit all.  You've done W30 often enough that your body has reset itself to a new normal - any further weight loss will probably be unhealthy wieght loss.  It does look like you're not eating any pre or post work outs, so maybe your body is thinking, I'm doing all this exercise, but there's not enough food, so I've got to hold on to all that I'm getting - therefore you won't lose weight.  It sounds counterintuitive, but when your body knows that there is fuel available, it's more likely to use the body fat as fuel, and you'll start to lose that.  try a pre post work out meal before/after each exercise.  They are only small, so don't worry about 'all the extra calories' - it's difficult to put on weight to any significant degree on this kind of diet, unless you're eating an absolute shed load, and your body will tell you you're full, so it'll be more difficult to eat too much.

and make sure you're drinking enough water.

and how much coffee are you drinking?  that can affect weight loss too (presumably by weight loss, you actually mean getting rid of excess fat, rather than just having less weight - because you know that muscle weighs more than fat, so as you tone up, and get more muscle and less fat, you'll actually put on weight).

anywho - good luck!

[Crastney]

hello also in London.

anyway - other things to question:  Is it belly fat you're trying to lose, or all over 'weight'?  some times it's a mater of adjusting your exercise so that you do things which actively tone those areas in question.  I've always had a 'beer gut' which I still have a bit of even though I'm now only 9 and 1/2 stone.  I don't do any sit ups, or stomach exercises, I'm sure if I started to, this would soon go.

[jking428]

Hi Crastney, it’s not so much about the number on the scale. I don’t feel fit or healthy – I have a lot of excess fat and am currently 10kg heavier than my first W30 weight of 65kg two years ago. I have put on quite a lot of weight (fat) since moving to London last year and am now 75kg. 5 of my 6 W30s were prior to moving to London so my ‘London’ weight of 75 is higher than my healthy W30 weight of 65. I know BMI is not the best indicator but mine is currently 29 and I would prefer to be closer to 25-26 (65-68kg… my ‘old’ weight). I know weight gain is natural as you get older but I am 26 so it is frustrating to be battling this much already.

I drink plenty of water and coffee about 4 times a week (although I drink 1-2 green teas every day). Is it the caffeine that can affect weight loss? i.e. should I stop drinking green tea as well as coffee? I will start having a pre-WO snack, thank you for the advice.

You are correct – I mean fat, not just weight. I really struggle to build muscle (even with the help of a personal trainer) so it’s definitely not a case of toning up/gaining muscle. Unfortunately my clothes are significantly tighter and I have much more excess ‘flab’ than 1-2 years ago. I am trying to lose fat all over – face, arms, belly, thighs. I try to focus on different areas each time I exercise. I’m sure it’s obvious by now, but in case you’re wondering, I am female.

[Crastney]

I actually hadn't considered either way if you were a man or a woman, but thanks for the clarification.  75kg is about 11 1/2 stone?  65 is about 9 1/2 which is what I am now and was a year ago (ie I was 75, now actually wieghed at start of Jan as 59kg) - and I don't know which bit specifically has had the weight loss affect, as I wasn't trying to lose weight, but lost 3 kilo over January.  I've read somewhere that caffeine can have an effect on weight/fat loss.  If you struggle to build muscle, then the question is are you getting enough protein?  a post work out meal of lean protein, and startchy veg will help with muscle recovery - something like some boiled potatos with some skinless chicken breast, or boiled eggs (with the yolks removed) - fat after a work out stops or reduces that body's ability to use/absorb the protein (or something like that).  As you're going to a gym, is there a nutritionalist there who could advise you?  or your PT maybe?  Also - weight gain as you get older is not something to worry about at 26!  I'm 40 and not worried about that yet

Have you got a blog page/ thread on this forum where you write up your daily meals? with exercise, etc?  do this for 3 or 4 days, and one of the mods will get back to you with suggestions for minor tweaks that might not be obvious from what you've put here.

You say that you're not hungry between meals, but you are hungry by the time you get to the next meal, which to me indicates that you're only just eating enough to get to the next meal, and as I say, if you're not eating extra to cover the workouts then your body isn't getting enough for it to be ok with letting go of the excess - if you see what I mean.  You need to be eating enough that your body knows that there is going to be some available to cover the workout.  It is possible that if you're not eating enough, your body goes into 'starvation' mode, where it stores as much as possible, in case you don't get the next meal.  counterintuitively - eat more.

sorry - edit to add - how tall are you?  that weight at 6'3" is different to that weight at 4'8"

[jmcbn]

2 hours ago, jking428 said:

Living in London, I don’t spend a lot of time outdoors at this time of year. I run outside 2-3 times a week but only after work, once the sun has set so I’m probably not getting enough vitamin D. In the summer, I spend more time outside.

 

My roast veg is usually a mix of sweet potato (never white potato), cauliflower, aubergine, courgette, red peppers, carrots and broccoli. Perhaps I am eating too much sweet potato – probably around 1 whole sweet potato a day, spread out over three meals. However given that I am not eating any fruit whatsoever, I thought this would be ok?

I'd look at adding in a vitamin D3 supplement to see how you go with that. I'm in Ireland where sunlight is even more limited and take one from Sept-March. On top of that I make a point, pretty much regardless of weather, to get a 30min walk outdoors at roughly the same time each day - this helps with melatonin production, which in turns helps balance out cortisol...

Regarding the starchy veg the recommendation for those with diabetes, insulin resistance, or those who lead a sedentary lifestyle would be to limit starches to every other day.

Nine hours of sleep is pretty good, but the anxiety may well be holding you back a little too - especially if there's a Vitamin D deficiency at play too. You could think about an omega 3 supplement to help with this.

3-4 times a week of exercise is spot on. Just make you're you're getting in some daily healthy movement too, and definitely think about incorporating a postWO protein on the days that you strength train.

You *might* also want to cut back a little on the probiotics - there is such a thing as too much of a good thing.....

Do you take a hormonal birth control?

[jking428]

Thanks for your advice Crastney. I am 5'3 (1.6m), which puts me around 29 on the BMI scale. Even at 63kg, I was on the higher end of the BMI normal range (25) but was happy at this weight and I don't have the build of a 'thin' person so 65 suits me just fine. I will take your advice about pre WO meals and will start up a food journal on this forum. 

JMCBN, I was taking a vitamin D supplement last year but didn't feel that it was helping at all so I stopped. More than happy to give it another go, so I'll pick one up this week along with omega-3. I walk about 25 mins each date (commute) in addition to my other WOs. 

I take hormonal birth control which was prescribed by my doctor to manage PCOS. At one stage a few years ago, I was also taking Metformin (for insulin resistance) but after my first W30, my doc said I could stop taking it as my blood glucose had dropped to a healthy number. 

I didn't realise one could have too much probiotic food so I will think about cutting back on that too (although I love kimchi and a meal doesn't seem complete without it!!)

In previous W30s, I did eat less sweet potato but because I've cut out fruit completely, I thought I could get away with eating a little bit (about 1/3 - 1/2 of a sweet potato) with most meals.

[jmcbn]

Make sure you're taking the vitamin D supplement in the morning otherwise it will play havoc with your melatonin production, which is what you need to help you fall asleep. Also make sure it's vitamin D3 and NOT vitamin D2 which is prescribed by many Drs and is not the type of vitamin D produced by the body and as such is much less effective.

I would ditch the starches & stick to lower GI fruits such as berries thrown into your salads - blueberries in particular work with pretty much anything...

I know it's something you've no control over right now, but the HBC probably isn;t doing you any favours in terms of weight either.

Hope this helps.

[jking428]

Thanks for the vitamin D tip - I have started Solgar Vitamin D3. 

I have discussed it with my doctor and I am going to come off the pill. I don't need it for contraception, I was taking it purely for PCOS management. I understand that PCOS can be managed largely through paleo/W30. However, I am a little bit worried about coming off the pill and PCOS symptoms flaring up - does anyone have experience with this?