I keep piling weight on and I can’t figure out why

[LukeSkywalkerBoots]

Hey all

My ‘happy weight’ is around 9 stone. However, over the last few years I have gone up to 10stone 4 which on my petite frame feels very uncomfortable (particularly around the middle).

This is what I eat on an average day:

Fruit with a spoon of almond butter and honey
A nakd bar
A bowl of kale and tuna salad with seeetcorn and a bit of salad dressing, or a tuna mayo pitta bread with an apple
A little homemade gingerbread man mid afternoon
Salmon and vegetable stir fry with chilli sauce and half a microwave rice
A bit more fruit and almond butter

I have quite a disordered relationship with food and worry a lot about what I’m eating putting weight on me.

I’m on pregabalin which may have added some weight to the pile- however I have been on it a couple of years and I thought medication weight gain would be rapid rather than slow?

I’m also often bloated and it drives me mad.

That sounds like a really healthy and low fat diet to me. Those naked bars are pretty high in calories though?
Is it age related? Are you doing less exercise? Could be thyroid related, maybe see a gp to rule out.

How much activity are you doing? I’d skip breakfast myself and eat within an 8 hour window. It’s the easiest way to cut out calories.

Re above poster. Maybe it’s too low fat. You need fat to feel full. I’d recommend reading a Michael Moseley book. Low fat diets aren’t great for weight loss.

You only have to consume a little over your tdee to gain weight. Nakd bars are nutritious but quite calorie heavy. The fruit would still be sweet without the honey. The piece of gingerbread man could be the 100 calories that you're over by. It all adds up.

The sensible thing would be to download my fitness pal, weight or measure everything you eat or drink, including (especially including!) dressings and log it for several days.

And it's not low fat at all. Lots of healthy fats in there, in the nuts, the fish and so on.

How old are you? Have you had any blood tests done? If you’re 35 plus it could be hormone / age / menopause related. Get some blood tests done. As we get older our metabolism etc slows down and we can pile on weight even when eating the same amount / doing the same activities.

How old are you? I'm a similar size and when I hit peri menopause I realised I can't handle carbs any more

If you're overeating on "healthy" foods you're still overeating. Nakd bars tend to be high calorie, as do nut butters. I'd scrap both of those for a start. Also, do you need the gingerbread man everyday? Even if small, you could be talking 80-100 calories and no nutritional value.

It seems like nitpicking over small things, but my TDEE is calculated at around 1650 calories based on my weight, age, activity level etc. If I was to eat the recommended 2000 calories for women I'd be gaining at roughly 1lb a week, so it's easy to see how it can happen.

Any booze? I'm doing SoberOctober, eating habits have not changed one bit but I've dropped just short of a stone!

How old are you.
Im carrying more as i age and have got a bit of a mum bod.
I think its important to not start counting calories with your history of disorderd eating. That would be the wrong way to tackle it as your diet sounds better than most peoples and not at all unreasonable.

My fitness pal is a good idea . I would also raise with the gp as you don't sound like you're eating enough to gain weight. However if you are sedentary then you could be eating for example only 100 calories a day too mucb to gain that weight over 2 to 3 years. I'm no expert though. I would do a mixture of MFP app to see if there are any hidden calories you're forgetting. Plus - maybe a gp check up is worth thinking about if MFP doesn't show anything up.

Im not in a position to critique your diet but i have been on pregabalin for a number of years and the weight gain IS slow after an initial gain. its soemthign to do with the medicine changing the way your body stores and metabalises calories. Im on other drugs that have the same effect and even with no change to my diet and exercise than befor ei was on the meds, i have gained so so much weight. Im now on a super strict diet to see if i can lose some of it

I think there are other things at play OP. I would be very suspicious of the medication. I had a brief read and it seems to be for treating epilepsy? Have you tried a strict ketogenic diet to see if that may help you control your seizures?

If the medication gives you good control of your epilepsy then sometimes you have to trade off a side effect, in this case weight gain. I have a strict ketogenic diet myself and don’t find it particularly difficult to stay on. I wonder if a Keto diet alongside your medication might be the answer 🤔

Baked bars aren't high calorie compared to a lot of other similar products - often 100 - 150 cals per bar. I would say speak to your GP as that's what they're there for. No obvious cause of weight gain + bloating - get it checked out. Good luck

Nakd grrr autocorrect!

I’m 41. The pregabalin is a drug I was put on for fibromyalgia which I actually don’t consider myself to suffer from anymore. I tried coming off the pregabalin but started feeling horribly panicky so bottled it (long history with anxiety). It makes me so dreadfully constipated but helps my anxiety so much, I’m in a quandary about what to do.
And no I don’t drink.

Constipation will cause the bloatedness .Agree with above posts go to your GP.If all fine a nutritionalist.You don't say what exercise you do.Once I hit my 40s I couldn't get away without doing something everyday.Doesnt have to be much- 7 min hit workouts on YouTube are short and sweet.

Ah okay. Well if you don’t think it’s helping the original reason for taking it then it seems like even more reason to come off it. Can you taper the dose slowly? A ketogenic diet is also fabulous for anxiety by the way. I’ve gone from a very highly strung individual, hyper critical of myself, to quite a steady person emotion wise. They now use it to treat schizophrenia would you believe!

Pregablin is awful for weight gain! Majority of the people I know who have taken it gave gained weight.
You don’t sound like your eating a lot calorie wise but has it changed from when you were smaller?

That sounds like a really healthy diet. I am a similar size and shape and got here by eating a lot of sugar, flour and chocolate.

I feel for you as in a similar boat myself! Am desperately trying to lose weight and dont seem to eat a great deal! Maybe Naked Bars are high in sugar though? also even a "little" gingerbreadman are high in Sugar too .Try swapping him for a Banana or sliced Apple .

I pile on weight if I eat over 50g of carbs per day. Nut butter is great but how about swapping fruit for eggs at breakfast? Could you ditch the pita and rice for more veggies - avocado would be a filling alternative. You say dressing and chilli sauce do you make it yourself? Store bought can be packed with carbs/sugar. I’d probably add feta to the lunch too.
I agree with pp about trying ketogenic, especially as a reset. You can then gradually introduce some carbs until you reach the point of maintaining.

Naked bars aren’t high calorie, they’re about 100-150 calories which isn’t high for a snack!

You could discuss with your GP whether it would be possible to wean off the Pregabalin slowly, and if necessary substitute it with an anxiolytic drug with fewer side effects. However, Pregabalin is prescribed for chronic pain - in your case from fibromyalgia, and you may find the pain recurs if you stop treatment.
A blood test for thyroid function would also be a good idea, as hypothyroidism is a not uncommon cause of weight gain in middle aged women.
Have you also considered portion size, OP? The healthiest foods will still cause weight gain if you eat more of them than you need.
Increasing your exercise a little, within the limits imposed by your fibromyalgia, may also help by burning more calories, but also helping your metabolism to balance intake better.
Addressing minor weight gain now is very sensible of you, as it is much easier to prevent future large gains now than to treat them later. Good luck.