heatherboardman's Journal, 29 July 2021

Maybe drop calories for a couple of weeks? I find 1500 works for me for weight loss and 1800 for maintenance. Weight creeps up when I go higher.  

If you think you are already exercising enough, I would follow Anne’s advice. I am doing 1600 a day maximum and I am maintaining. You can have a very good day of eating with 1500 😊 

honestly just stay the course. if your weighing everything and walking that much it will happen. I put on 7# last week. why? no clue. been gaining half to 1 pound a month. that's fine. bodies do weird stuff. just be consistent. you'll get it.  

you are still losing, just slowly. change something if your weight doesn't shift for a couple of weeks or if you want to speed things up. You can safely drop to 1500 cal a day, which would allow you to have two satisfying meals a day. although cal in/cal out remains the golden rule for weightloss, reducing your carb intake and staying fasted for 18 hours a day and eating in a 6 hour window would minimize insulin spikes and should give your weight loss a bump. most importantly, stay consistent 

Thank you everyone, will try dropping to 1500 see how I do with that, good luck to everyone xx 

Keep us posted! (PS I don't know how old you are but if you are anywhere near menopause that has a big effect on many calories you need) 

Do you include calories you drink? Do you include oils, butter, dressing for salad, sauces, sugar, honey etc.? Are you actually weighing your food before you eat it? Portion sizes can be more than you think. What is your height, weight and age? How did you get 1700 as your calorie target? Are you doing any exercise other than walking? 

I'm 52yrs with arthritis in my knees n when iv been on my feet all day feel like chopping legs off lol, it's this app that recommend 1700 when I put height 5.5 weight 11st8lb. UV given me a lot to think of as in drinks n oils thanks I must admit I don't measure those, n yes I weigh my food out n count the calories on the app when I put weight in if that makes sense x 

keeping your carb intake low will more than likely help with your arthritis. it is well documented that people on keto diets see massive improvements with autoimmune issues, as it helps combat inflammation. don't take my word for it, do some research, but IMO it's definitely worth a shot. And yes, be meticulous with your food intake measuring, and include everything 

I have also heard that intermittent fasting helps combat inflammation. I have used glucosamine chondroitin since my mid 30's when I used to train heavy and my joints are in good condition at 54. You could ask your doc about that? 

I like using FatSecret to log my food each day. However, it told me when I started that I could eat 1900 calories a day. I had to reduce my calories to around 1500 calories to start losing. If you check the nhs bmi website, it will give you your bmi measurement along with the number of calories you should eat to lose weight at different activity levels. This worked for me. I also use Health Unlocked which is run by the nhs. It too is a mutual support weight loss forum and I benefit from being part of it along with FatSecret. All the best. By the way it is free. 

If you stay at the same calories or ideally drop down to 1550 you'll lose weight if you're strict on the things I mentioned earlier. Sugars and milk in the tea, butter on the bread, oil in the pan etc, it all adds up and can be the difference to bring in a calorie deficit and surplus on that day 

Hi Heather, it took me a long time to move past the first couple of kgs. Even with counting calories, I didn't start to see any momentum until I started intermittent fasting at the beginning of March. Since then, I've been moving steadily down, albeit slowly. I find that fasting around 14hours is sufficient for me to see little losses and I try to stay around 1500calories, though I don't always manage it. Whatever you decide, change one thing at a time, so you can review fortnightly and see what works. Good luck 😊 

Give it another few weeks, sometimes it takes a while for the body to adjust to change and you may see a drop. I’d only drop calories if for another month nothing is occurring. Perhaps try maybe adding one or two workouts into your week. Dropping calories very low quick just means after a while of losing your body gets used to that so then you’re stuck at very super low calories- not ideal. Good luck :D 

You may have insulin resistance. It’s not all about calories in and calories out. What you should be aiming for in a calorie deficit to lose weight. There are so many variables to losing weight or gaining muscle mass. Try intermittent fasting (16/8 split) Ve mindful of what you are eating too. Reduce carbohydrates, as they generally spike insulin and keep you in a state of hunger. 

Thanks everyone, I'm so glad I asked UV all give me a lot to think about X  

Hodgesafc, I want to thank you, I am going to come across as a real idiot, I have been having my 'calories' for the day, u asked if I weighed, oils, butter, sauces I do admit I didn't today iv weighed my lurpak 20g 144cals wow no wonder IV not lost so thank u for pointing this out maybe this week something off ☺️ 

Hi Heather, it's Nerry Mel. Thank you I'm so pleased you like my posts. I'm glad because I like helping people and having a laugh. So have a lovely afternoon. Take care. Merry Mel.  

Hello Heather boardman, thanks for your support 😊 and kindness. O find it easy to help and care about others but as for myself I have a difficulty in dealing with letdown. If it was someone else I would say nevermind ( person name) you can and will get there some thing on those lines. Now it's Me I feel a failure. Silly I know but that's just me. Have a happy Monday. Its wet and dark here in Surrey England. Merry Mel.