How can I burn more calories without realising?

[IsTheRainEverComingBack]

So I’m getting fatter and fatter. BMI is nearly 30, I’m uncomfortable, miserable and annoyed. My diet isn’t that bad, minimal ‘treats’ mostly lots of plants, I’ve stopped drinking. The weight is not coming off.

The main reason is I burn hardly any calories. I work from home and have no kids, so it’s easy to not leave the house for days. 2500 steps is a good day. I used to go to the gym and do yoga but now it just seems overwelming. Deliberately exercising is hard to get motivated for, I like walking but waking round my concrete suburbia is a bit dreary.

I’d love your tips on how to get motivated or get moving in a way that feels like just a part of my day. If that’s even possible...

I'm eating 1100 calories a day at the moment and feeling great on it. I've lost 3 stone so far. It's doable.

Never take a lift or escalator. Walk up the stairs instead.

If you get the bus someone, get off one stop early (if feasible) and walk the rest home.

Get out for a walk everyday. Walking on concrete pavements might be boring, but aim for 4000-5000 steps a day. Or set a goal - I have to keep walking until I see 10 dogs/5 magpies/7 mini coopers etc

Don't allow yourself to drink any other beverage until you have drunk at least one bottle/750ml of water.

If you work from home, you can buy leg weights that you can attach to your ankles, just adds a little bit more when walking around the house.

Start weighing your meals. I used to think an uncooked pasta portion was a generous handful per person. It isn’t - it’s meant to be 80g. Cottage cheese was two large tablespoons. Nope - 30g is the serving recommendation, which is two teaspoons. Start taking photos of your meals on your phone so you can train yourself to eventually dole out the correct portion sizes by eye.

Do 5:2 or 16:8.

Find somewhere on Google maps that it says is 30 minutes’ walk away. Aim to do it in 25, and then 20 on the way back. You’ll have burnt 300 calories so if you do it daily, you’ll have burnt at least 1500 worth of calories by the weekend- equivalent to an entire daily allowance on a sensible calorie diet.

Do weights and use a skipping rope at home to raise your resting metabolic rates.

plumsnet two tablespoons is 30g. A teaspoon is about 4g, a tablespoon is about 15g. Depends on the food so not completely exact but a good guide

I really do need to just get out and walk around.

Peridot I was paying for the gym and not going. I could probably find the money if I was going to go but just getting there feels too much. I think because I was working out so much with weights a few years ago, I somehow don’t know how to start again being so far away from that. Wish I could afford a personal trainer really.

Socialising isn’t an issue. I see friends and family regularly, but it’s generally going by car and sitting. I walk to my DMs sometimes but that once a week can’t override all the days I’m then just sitting.

“Depends on the food so not completely exact but a good guide”.

Nope - it was all this guesswork (and mansize portions when I married) that made me fat! Recommended serving size is on the side of the packet - weigh it out every time until you get your eye in.

I’ve lost 20kg doing all of the above, although it’s taken ages because I’m an impulsive eater and make bad choices. Would have been much quicker if I batch cooked and liked salads.

Yes I have been paying for the gym for a few months now and not going! Have just booked some spinning classes though for next week. I really enjoy that.

I’ve just down loaded the audible trial from Amazon and thought I’d try listening to a book while I walk. Getting bored of music. My sister loves podcasts so I want to do that too.

Can you go for a walk today? 15 or 20minutes? Try it and see how you feel. I know walking around concrete streets isn’t great but it’s a start. Or drive to a park? After 7 years walking streets near me I took dh’s advice and turned right instead of left one day and found a lovely country lane!

Easiest ever way is to go to bed hungry - basically eat by 6pm and drink water or watered down drinks after that.

You might find it hard to drop off to sleep initially (drink a few sips of water instead of food then), but you wake up NOT hungry and feel lighter - an instant incentive to carry on.

Celiac or not, limiting carbs works too - as long as you don't replace them with something else.

Also, wear wide belts under your clothes - they make you feel less hungry and give you a feeling of slimmer waist.

Good luck, you can do it :)

Exercise does help but it needs to be loads.

Ive been in control of my weight once in adulthood. I ran three times a week - 5 miles, speed session and long run 7 - 17 miles on a sunday.

I could eat what I wanted but with runnung so often I was careful when and what I ate as otherwise running was difficult. So it sort of tempered my diet too.

I think this is why I get frustrated. I feel like I’m already doing all this. I pretty much only drink water, or coffee with soya milk and no sugar. I instinctively do a sort of 16:8, I rarely eat before 11am. I don’t really snack, I rarely eat after dinner. I walk really fast when I do, it annoys other people. I weigh my pasta! I try and eat a mostly gut friendly diet. There’s little sugary things or desserts in our house, my DP is T1 diabetic so pudding isn’t really a thing.

This is how I know I’m clearly just not burning enough calories. I could plan and eat 1000 cals but I feel like without increasing basic calorie burn it’s all a bit futile.

I do love Audible though. I can definitely do some more wandering with a book. I was trying to go for lunchtime walks but I’ve been feeling so awful I haven’t made time, but maybe I’d feel better if I did anyway. Probably just need a kick up the bum!

I feel like I’m already doing all this

I felt like I was doing all that too. But it took a week of writing down every mouthful that I ate to see that in fact I ate loads more than I thought I did. Its really worth doing.

Have you been to your GP? An underactive thyroid or a vitamin deficiency may not be helping. If you work at home and don’t get out of the house much, you’re unlikely to have any reserves of vitamin D3 for a start.

Yes I’ve been having some tests with the GP, for Coeliac and various deficiencies. So hoping for some answers there. I take a multivitamin pretty regularly but maybe not enough, and there could be someone preventing absorbition

Can you stick on some music and just dance around your living room for 20 minutes once a day? You can be as energetic as you like in privacy for free, and while I'm not saying it'll solve everything it's a little bit of cardio and it's fun (more importantly) and every little helps. Well done on all the changes you've already made. Good luck!

Miladymilord I’ve used Cronometer and the FitBit app on and off to track food for years. I was vegan for a few years so liked to keep on top of micronutrients, so I have a pretty good grasp on what’s in what. I thought for a while it was alcohol adding too many extra calories, but since cutting that out I can see I’m just not burning much. A food diary is always helpful though.

Thanks starsandstuff that is what I was thinking I should do! Get jiggy while I’m cooking. Neither my front or back windows are overlooked!

Walking really IS good for weight/fat loss..combined with lowering my calorie intake walking helped me go from a size 28 to a size 16! Best free exercise there is.

Any exercise, including walking, burns calories and is much, much better than sitting on your backside. According to the Steps app, walking 10k steps per day covers about 9.5km and burns over 900 calories. That’s 6300 calories a week...

walking 10k steps per day covers about 9.5km and burns over 900 calories

I don't believe that for a second!

I regularly walk 15,000 steps a day but I haven't lost any weight from it. I only lose weight when I count calories and stick to a max of 1400 a day.

I think a mile is about 100cals.

you have to eat a lot less. If you're only short you do not need 1500 - 2000 cals. a day

I walk at least 10k a day (19k yesterday!) and I haven't drunk alcohol for 6 weeks. I don't lose weifht unless I cut calories, which I've done for the last 2 weeks and lost 4lbs.

The sooner you accept you are eating too much (unless you actually have some other physical problem which means that you can't lose) the sooner you can crack on and do something about it. I am 5'8 and I can happily live on 1000cals a day