Critique my diet

[Chubbychubkins]

I'm putting on weight at an alarming rate. I now have a BMI of 29, 2 years ago it was 23 (6 months post 2nd child) and prior to my first pregnancy (6 years ago) it was 21 and had been for 10+ years.

My diet is very samey, I know this. But I find batch cooking easier and we only do a weekly online food shop, we don't live near a shop and we both work full time, so picking up bits is difficult.

I've spent the last week logging everything that has passed my lips, but this is pretty typical. I have cut out our weekly cake (Saturdays) and cut out the alcohol (2 drinks twice a week), both in the last 6 weeks.

Breakfast (when I eat it) is 40g porridge, 1 dollop -heaped tablespoon of greek yogurt and 60g of summer berries.

Monday:

Breakfast as above
lunch - 1 bread roll with chicken tikka sandwich filling, lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes and onion.
Dinner - saag panner - 100g paneer, half tin of tomatoes, 100g frozen spinach, red onion and spices (dried, not a paste). No oil. 2 microwave poppadum's.
Drinks - 120ml of semi- skimmed milk.

Tuesday -
No breakfast
lunch - chili with nachos - 100g 5% beef mince, half tin of tomatoes, onion, garlic, chili, herbs and spices, no oil, 20g cheese, dollop of greek yogurt, 1 corn tortilla cut up and baked in to tortilla chips.
Dinner - chicken jalfrazi - 100g chicken breast, 40g almond butter, tomatoes, peppers, onions, herbs and spices, garlic, ginger. handful of mange tout.
Drinks - 350ml of milk.

Wednesday:
no breakfast
L - chili beef as above with a handful of green veg
D - chicken jalrazi as above

Drinks - 120ml of semi- skimmed milk.

Thursday
B - as above
L - shakshuka - 60g chorizo, 2 poached eggs, 1 pepper, onion, tomatoes, paprika.
D - Saag paneer as above

Drinks - 150ml of semi- skimmed milk.

Friday
B - as above
L - chili beef nachos as above with broccoli
D - Chicken Jalfrezi as above

Drinks - 120ml of semi- skimmed milk.

Saturday
B - no breakfast

L - smoothie bowl - 60g red berries, 30g oats, 25g peanut butter, 60g yogurt,
D - Steak tacos - 100g steak, 1 tortilla wrap, salad greens, 30g feta, tomatoes, 15g pomegranate seeds, tablespoon of geek yogurt, cucumber. Herbs and spices.

snacks - 1 mini twister, 1 mint club.

drinks - 150ml milk.

Today (Sunday)
breakfast as above
lunch - chili beef as above.
Dinner - to be decided. no snacks yet and 150ml milk.

I also drink 2-3 liters of water a day.

I'm not as active as I should be. I do a 30minute home work out 3 times a week (Les Mils) and 2 half hour yoga sessions per week but I'm generally fairly sedentary otherwise mainly as we have drive everywhere as we live semi-rurally.

So let me have it. This week I've put 0.5lbs on. I can't live like this.

I feel for you, it’s so bloody dispiriting.

Your lunches look on the heavy side. I’d substitute with soup or hearty salad

I’d be upset if I wasn’t losing weight on what you’re eating.

I don’t think giving up meat is going to help at all. Definitely don’t swap it for cheese

Thinking about whether your daily requirements are less than you think, are you hungry on what you’re currently eating?

@Rainallnight

I feel for you, it’s so bloody dispiriting.

Your lunches look on the heavy side. I’d substitute with soup or hearty salad

I see what you're saying but lunch and dinner are roughly equal calories (both 450/500ish depending on the day). If I have a lighter lunch I end up being really hungry mid afternoon and then snacking or having a larger dinner (usual size dinner then a snack layer) so I end up on about 1000 calories either way, more if snacking as I struggle to stop.

are you hungry on what you’re currently eating?

A bit, but not ravenously, going to go on a mad binge type hungry as I am if I have a lighter lunch.

I’m trying to lose weight at the moment and I’m aiming for around a 200 calorie lunch (soup usually) and 300 calorie dinner. Everyone’s different and I am very short but it’s something to think about.

Could it be portions? These meals are all ok if it a small lunch portion and controlled dinner portion, but could be very calorific if average to large portions.

Any snacks in between? I'd say it's on the tipping point. If you literally eat just that and small portions then it's strange, otherwise I can easily see how that could be lots of hidden calories and then any snacks on top will be pushing you past loss/maintenance calories.

Lack of exercise I think. Try a brisk walk for at least an hour every day. It makes a big difference.

How tall are you? If you are short then unfortunately you really won't need many calories, particularly if you are sedentary.

I think the issue is less your diet and more your inactivity. 3 x 30 min exercises a week will do nothing for you if the rest of the time you are sat down.

I'm 5'3 and exercise loads (4 x a week 30-45 mins cardio, 2x a week yoga/pilates, 10,000 steps a day).I eat more than you, but not much more and if I stopped exercising I'd have to go right down to your calorie intake to stop myself putting on weight (currently BMI around 23).

@DiscoFlamingo

Could it be portions? These meals are all ok if it a small lunch portion and controlled dinner portion, but could be very calorific if average to large portions.

Any snacks in between? I'd say it's on the tipping point. If you literally eat just that and small portions then it's strange, otherwise I can easily see how that could be lots of hidden calories and then any snacks on top will be pushing you past loss/maintenance calories.

I've listed everything that passed my lips, no snacks. The portions are fairly small, the calorific bits are the meat/ paneer - 150cals for the mince, 165 for the chicken and 300 for the paneer and nut butter. The Saag paneer is 430ish total, the chili is 450, the chicken jalfrazi 550. There no oil in them. Then there's the milk which is in my tea and coffee which is about 100 calories. Breakfast if I eat it is about 350. So my biggest day would be 1450. But that's a day I do a workout.

Other weeks I eat other foods, I don't have the same 5 meals every week but they're all between 400 and 500 calories.

Yes, I am sedentary in job. It's mainly desk based. I go for a 15 minute walk at lunch about 3 times a week and once I collect the kids I don't sit down until DH and I eat around 8.30, then we tidy up.

So plan-

immediate: skip breakfast. Go for that lunch walk more frequently.

Longer term: get details of thyroid levels.

To whoever asked, yes I'm still breastfeeding. But it's always made me gain weight (or cling on to it) rather lose it. And my boobs are back to their pre-pregnancy size due to DC2 not feeding very often anymore.

I hope you find a good way forward, OP.
I am older & 0.75 inches taller but just 62kg... I'd lose a lot of weight on regime you describe.

The simple answer is you're eating too many calories.
I use mfp.. I have 1200 calories set as daily allowance, and I am super strict about counting every single calorie... I think on days your eating breakfast you are hitting 1500 calories and I'd gain weight on that.
I have lost 3.5 kg easily in four weeks with around 1100 cals a day.
Yes I get hungry but I just make myself wait for next mealtime.. You don't die from feeling hungry.
I also never eat back exercise calories unless it's a long run day when I burn about 1000 calories, so use those days to have alcohol or takeaway.
If you want to lose weight you really have to reduce calories and be very strict about it.
Its a bummer!

LittleOverWhelmed

I've been tracking my food and calories for over 2 months now. I've gained nearly 6lbs. I've been tracking my food and the average weekly calories for 18 months.

Could you suggest some workouts? I need to be able to do them at home, we live rurally and I can't get to the gym classes at the times they're on.

I find it really frustrating because for about 15years I didn't need to think about my weight. I mean if I was going on holiday or something I'd be a bit stricter leading up to it but the rest of the time I was naturally slim. My weight fluctuate between 9stone 10 and 10stone 4 depending on the time of the month but my clothes size didn't change I was 8/10 top and 12 bottom (always had huge hips!). Then all of a sudden I just piled on weight. I've lost weight both pregnancies, thankfully, otherwise I'd be even heavier now.

I’m older than you op, but I really have to watch every mouthful to lose weight and exercise every day. 10K + steps is the bare minimum on an active rest day. Usually I run 7-10K 5 days a week (unless I’m ill) with a longer run at the weekend, then strength training x3 a week and yoga x3. I’m still around a stone heavier than I’d like to be.

I would say make sure your portion sizes are accurate and continue to log everything. Try to hit at least 10K steps and perhaps something else on top. It will be a lot easier to lose weight on the right side of 50.

And yes, I accept I'm just eating too many calories. I just seem to need less than I thought.

OP I'm a PT and I can tell you that if this is honestly your diet,then diet is not the issue. Either hormones, thyroid or you need to really ramp up the exercise, get more muscle and get your metabolism going. You could very well be perimenopausal, and I'd suggest a hormone and thyroid check with the doc (private if at all possible so it'll be quick). Exercise is going to really help so try to really go for it exercise wise.

Polkadots2021 can you advise on what sort of exercise?

According to online calcs my tdee is 1487, but eating that much means I gain fairly rapidly.

I saw a dietician for a while and she said that due to abusing my body with awful fad diets, etc, for 20 years I've completely fucked up my metabolism and she is right.

In order to just maintain my weight, I have to stick to 1000-1100cals per day, and to lose weight I actually have to stay below 1000 cals a day, which is hard to maintain longterm, and even then my losses are slow, around 1½lb a month.

If I drink alcohol, I can put on 7lbs+ overnight and it takes me months to lose it again, which sounds ridiculous, but it's true.

Atm, I'm hoping to build up my muscle tone and improve my overall shape rather than focusing on what I weigh so much, as it's very disheartening.

I haven't regularly above 1200 cals for years, as when I do I gain and gain, yet I'm still classed as overweight because my bmi is 27.

Your diet seems OK to me, maybe your metabolism is fucked too?,

Mayo is high in cals: regular mayo is around 102cals per 15ml, which isn't a lot, so it's easy to overdo.

Your diet seems OK to me, maybe your metabolism is fucked too?

I suspect so, though I've only done 2 'diets' -keto for 4 months and a VLCD. The rest has been "healthy eating" and "lifestyle changes".

The other thing I'm working on is to drink more water as I know I'm bad with that.

The only drinks I like/drink are milk, tea and plain tap water and I generally stick with tea, which I have with just a tiny dash of milk.

I drink around 5-8 x 250ml mugs of tea a day and often no other liquids.

I'm trying to drink more water, but I find liquids really filling, so if I drink too much I have no room for food...not a bad thing, I guess, lol.

If I'm lucky I might manage 300ml of water on top of the teas, sometimes even upto 500ml, but not very often.

This seems like a disheartening struggle, and baffling too, given it’s not evident that you’re overloading on bad stuff! So good to get it investigated. I wonder though if there might be some more complex carbs in there for slower release energy across the afternoon if a soup and salad means you’re hungry mid afternoon. So looking at the roll for lunch and perhaps some seeds etc in that salad? My hat is off to you for being able to function without breakfast at all some days. Have you looked at intermittent fasting? So skipping breakfast each day? I am no expert in any of this, so apologies, just wanted to get brainstorming with you and lend support

Yes, I'm going to start skipping breakfast everyday. I only eat it on days I'm hungry in the mornings, I could just wait until lunch though.

I'm lucky that drinking water is definitely something I don't have a problem with. I'm on pint 8 today.

Under eating can also cause weigh gain- your body will start storing fat as it thinks resources are low.
The body coach diet for example had me eating almost 2000 calories a day- with a 30 minute hit session a day.
Prior to that I was limiting to 1200 a day and exercising for about an hour a day.
I dropped 20lbs in 3 months on that diet

Also do you drink tea/coffee with sugars? Fizzy drinks?