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?

[KihoBebiluPute]

Its impossible to assess how healthy that diet is without quantities but look at the amounts of the high calorie things - almond butter and mayo are hugely high and you may be eating more of these than is reasonable. No need to cut them out but you will probably see a difference if you halve the amount of those substances and have a bit more veg instead.

[pinkbalconyrailing]

at your age unfortunately energy need in women drops enourmously.
my tdee (the amount of energy the body uses without accounting for any exercise) is only about 1500cals. for me to keep my weight I need less than the 2000cals that's always on food packaging as a guide for adult average use.

[Oxyiz]

So what about changing rather than restricting OP?

[LukeSkywalkerBoots]

Changing what I eat you mean @oxyiz ?

[Wyntersdiary]

That's quite a lot of food to be honest. Doesn't matter if the food is healthy if your over eating.

You need to be eating less calories than you burn

[Wyntersdiary]

I would stay away from things such as bars as they have a lot of sugar and can be high in calories, I would stay away from salad dressings and use natural stuff instead such as lemon juice or balsamic vinegar etc

Also gingerbread man I wouldn't have.
Also 2 loads of fruit with honey isn't good, honeys high in sugar.
I would stick to having breakfast, lunch, dinner only no snacking and also maybe add in some intermittent fasting

[northbacchus]

The nut butters and naked bars and the salmon! All fatty!

I think almond butter is around 50% fat, so if you’re having 20g, 10g of that is fat! Very easily, if you’re heaping your servings of the butter, you’re increasing the fat content of your diet quite significantly.

[Bwlch]

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

Isn't 2000 calories the recommended amount for the average woman, not all women regardless of size, metabolism, activity level etc?

You clearly are not average.

[Bibidy]

Arghh some of the replies on here. Someone who has a history of eating disorder does not need to read these things!

OP, what you have described is NOT a lot of food. What you are having sounds great and healthy.

I would perhaps focus on switching up your activity? Maybe replace a couple of boxing sessions with a body pump class or something? Weights helped me tone up a lot. x

[Lurkingforawhile]

@Bibidy completely agree! OP - you're doing really well and I understand it's hard when weight goes on for no reason. I think seeing a professional (GP) would be sensible.

[LukeSkywalkerBoots]

All of these responses saying don’t eat things like salmon or apples are really triggering me- bloody hell if I can’t eat things like that then what am I supposed to live off of- plain lettuce?!

[pinkbalconyrailing]

@LukeSkywalkerBoots

All of these responses saying don’t eat things like salmon or apples are really triggering me- bloody hell if I can’t eat things like that then what am I supposed to live off of- plain lettuce?!

no one is saying 'don't eat this don't eat that'
what we are saying is look at the portion size and be mindful of the calorie content. also we have given pointers where 'hidden' calories might add up.

[WinniePig]

I lost half a stone recently then hit a plateau. I suddenly dropped a couple more pounds after changing diet. I was still eating the same number of calories but different foods. I think I was in a rut of eating bread at lunch so a sandwich or something on toast but then swapped to a homemade soup (full of fibre) then had a homemade curry (bbc healthier chicken balti - amazing) with rice (as opposed to a pasta or potato based dish). I think the extra fibre and spice kick started everything again so maybe you just need to change up what you eat for a few days.

[midgebabe]

The only option is to first work out what calaories you are actually eating . It's impossible from a menu to judge that, as small changes in portion sizes can matter a lot.

So weigh everything, including milk in tea and dabs of butter in a frying pan

Then , if you are gaining weight, decide for yourself how to lose 200 or so calories from your typical day and see where that takes you , hopefully from gaining to losing weight. By weighing and calorie counting you may spot some easy wins


If you are older, weight bearing exercise is also very useful.

[FatGirlShrinking]

@LukeSkywalkerBoots

All of these responses saying don’t eat things like salmon or apples are really triggering me- bloody hell if I can’t eat things like that then what am I supposed to live off of- plain lettuce?!

I think overall your diet is great, lots of healthy foods. The problem is that if you want to lose weight the only way to achieve that is to reduce calories and I think that's what people are trying to help point out.

If I look at your whole day, the only thing I would say is to stick to the salad option rather than the pitta at lunch, or steam some greenbeans/babycorn/sugar snap peas to have with it, so no cuts there it's just about choosing one option over the other.

And switch your fruit, honey, almond butter snack for something else, maybe veg sticks and hummus. Just because there's a fair bit of sugar in your day overall with 2 servings of fruit/honey, apple, nakd bar and gingerbread.

It's important that you not feel hungry or deprived and that you still enjoy the foods you're eating.

[Bibidy]

All of these responses saying don’t eat things like salmon or apples are really triggering me- bloody hell if I can’t eat things like that then what am I supposed to live off of- plain lettuce?!

OP, this is NOT the right place to ask dietary questions for someone with your history. Most of these replies are not taking that into account and posters don't realise how harmful what they are suggesting can be to someone in your shoes.

I would potentially suggest engaging with a nutritionist/dietician who can provide guidance whilst also taking into account your history with disordered eating.

I say this with so much care as my best friend has been in and out of hospital with an ED and I absolutely know how much damage some of these replies would be doing to her headspace. Just know that you have done brilliantly to get to where you are not with your diet and many things can make women gain weight, particularly those on medications.

[Bibidy]

Also I'm sure you understand more than enough about calories and restriction already, and I'd doubt that you have discounted that in your current daily diet.

Therefore, I would say again that maybe switching up your activity will help. Maybe incorporating something like yoga or swimming would also help you to feel more zen. It sounds like you have a healthy lifestyle and your weight is not high so you don't have anything to worry about on that front.

[greenflamingo]

Your diet sounds brilliant and delicious and there’s no way you need to restrict it - it sounds like a really joyful meal plan! I’d speak to your GP about the medication and find out if there are alternatives. But otherwise, be kind to yourself - if a small amount of weight is the pay off for a life free of anxiety, it might be worth it.

[Divebar]

People on here are deranged and utterly irresponsible to be picking apart this diet and making comments about nut butters etc. This is not helpful for someone with a history of disordered eating. You don’t need a diet as such because you’ll be obsessive about it I guess. I can get very obsessive about “rules” when I’m trying to lose weight and end up cutting out more and more foods. I’ve discovered The Medicinal Chef on Instagram. He promotes a low GI style of eating - lots of veggies, fish, nuts, whole grains although he is lower carb ( not low). He walks and lifts weights. He has a couple of books. He’s very non faddish.

[Divebar]

Also. It’s a tiny amount of weight gain. Please don’t just stop your medication because of your weight.

[Oxyiz]

Not one single person has said to live off lettuce or stop eating apples on this thread.

I genuinely apologise if I was one of the ones to trigger you OP, but yes, altering your diet is exactly what I meant - not a big change, just drop the salad dressings and processed snacks, and eat way more fruit and veg until you're full every single day.

Maybe see if that stops you putting on weight rather than worrying about losing any?

And again, weight lifting exercises.

[JoeCalFuckingZaghe]

As PPs have said, please do not start calorie counting and restricting your diet. With a history of disordered eating this be hugely detrimental to this. Please go speak to your GP about this, as others have said the medication has weight gain and anxiety as side effects, if you no longer feel the need to take them speak to your GP about a long and slow withdrawal plan. I really hope you can feel better soon

[Georgeoftheinternet]

Already I can see too much sugar.

[Georgeoftheinternet]

Eat more animal products, eat more animal fat, cut down on the carbs and up the protein.

Hate this idea what fruit and vegetables are for a balanced diet. Women need animal fats.

[movingonup20]

How much exercise are you doing? My dd has an unhealthy relationship with food so is under the dietician, she's been advised that 1200 calories is all she needs to maintain her weight (she considers walking to the bathroom exercise, she doesn't do fitness!) 1200 is one decent meal which explains why I struggle with my weight (I'm also not fond of exercise).

Whilst it seems a healthy diet, if it's not accompanied with exercise it's probably too many calories, I would drop the honey and the naked bar