Why am I so overweight? Help me to understand

[PomegranateVase]

I’m 3.5 stone overweight (over the top end of the ideal weight to height guidelines), but would be around 5 stone over the lowest end of the guidelines, and I’m a size 16-18.

I cook from scratch using fresh ingredients everyday, including lots of vegetables and broths. We typically eat lots of healthy Japanese food that I cook from scratch at least 3 times a week, and only eat meat, chicken or fish around 3-4 times per week.

5 days a week I do a 20 minute brisk walk.
Twice a week I walk for 2 hours at moderate speed.
3-4 times per month I walk for around 3 hours at moderate speed (so around 9-12 hours walking - in addition to the above).

I drink 2 cups of coffee daily with a little milk and 1 sugar, as well as 3-4 cups of tea with 1 sugar. I also drink sugar free squash, and only very occasionally treat myself to a sugar free fizzy drink.

I drink 1 or 2 bottles of wine per week, eat one share size crisps packet to myself, and eat a few biscuits.

A typical weekday looks like this:
•Avocado on 1 slice of sourdough toast with a coffee
•1 Nature Valley snack bar and a coffee
•Baxter’s carrot and butter bean soup with 1 slice sourdough toast and butter
•A couple of biscuits
•Homemade Japanese vegetable, tofu and noodle soup.
•3-4 cups of tea and squash.

My best friend is a size 14 and it as overweight as me. She drives everywhere and never walks and doesn’t do any form of exercise. She eats lots of processed foods daily, also takes sugar in her hot drinks, drinks the same amount of alcohol as me and eats 1 large fry up breakfast every week.

Another friend is a size 10-12 and eats lots of pasta and processed foods, drinks about the same amount of alcohol as me and walks probably about the same amount as me.

My thyroid is functioning normally.

I fail to understand how I’ve become so overweight by leading this lifestyle.

Please can you give me any advice or tips on how I can lose weight as I feel my diet is quite healthy already.

Could something be wrong with me medically if I am this overweight?

I’d love op to pop back and update us a month from now. I hope everything goes to plan for her

I see what you are saying. I think it just depends what sort of thinker you are doesn’t it. I have lost over 9 stone since going low carb after 30 years of ‘diets’ and calorie counting. I personally found I got completely burned out on the counting and tracking after a few weeks and never made any progress. I am autistic though and I like things to be clearly defined so just cutting out certain foods was so much easier for me. If I could have (a bit) of something sugary I would have that bit and then maybe a bit more and then I’d be back in the blood sugar cycle. Just taking certain foods off the table all together is easier for me to manage. It doesn’t feel like I am depriving myself because I no longer crave these foods. Like I said - I dropped half my body weight of over 9 stone in 2 years just from doing this - I am also physically disabled so no exercise involved

I really recommend tracking your calories with an app, at least for a couple of months just so you can start to understand what you are eating per day. Coupled with a set of measuring spoons and kitchen scales so you know EXACTLY how much food you are eating. When I started doing so, I was shocked by how many extra calories you can end up consuming per week just by, for example, being a bit heavy handed with the oil when cooking, or having two teaspoons of sugar and one cup of milk on my weetabix, rather than one teaspoon and half a cup (measured using measuring spoons). I had always thought that wholegrain bread had fewer calories than white… it doesn’t, it has the same calories (although it does fill you up for longer as it has more fibre).
I’ve found the key to losing weight without starving yourself is to make sure you eat loads of fibre (so, loads of fruit and veg), have some protein and a little bit of fat in every meal (they all help you stay full), plan to have a kid morning and mid afternoon snack, and don’t deprive of nice food, just moderate the serving sizes.

Too little protein to keep you satiated. Too many carbs. Nature valley bar is junk food, it looks healthy but dark chocolate is actually healthier.

"meat, chicken or fish' actually helps you keep weight off.
Drop the biscuits and nature valley.
Limit the wine to 1 bottle per week. Replace with diet G&T to cut even more.

Last but not least: I recognize this takes willpower. I've recently put on a few pounds by ignoring those principles.

I am surprised some people just don’t register things like this, agreed with most comments it’s the empty calories that aren’t helping and also the 6 tea spoons of sugar a day (from the 2 coffees and 3-4 teas per day) is far too much. Cut that out easily 😊

I worked with a woman who would have a massive scone, butter & jam for breakfast (work canteen) & say “oh it’s allowed on my Weight Watchers points” then point at my porridge & say “oh, you’re so good!”. I just liked porridge.

I could never understand it… She never lost any weight. I was young & slim anyway (and didn’t know what points were) but it always stuck with me. I’m not slim now, but I don’t diet.

Hmm, I'm not so sure. I've always been slim and my appetite is significant! Metabolism plays a huge part.

I've no doubt it's significant to you but in comparison to many overweight people, it won't be as large.

It’s the wine and crisps. Especially the crisps. Sorry.

Yes, I’m very slim and today I’ve eaten

Breakfast: two egg cheese omelette with roasted tomatoes, coffee with milk

Lunch: salmon fillet, large rocket and red pepper salad, scone with jam and cream

Dinner: homemade chicken curry with sweet potatoes, peppers, mushrooms and spinach and coconut milk, with rice and mango chutney

Pudding: homemade plum crumble with ice cream

No idea how many calories that lot is but I’m 5’5, mid forties and weigh just over 8 stone, size 6. My weight never fluctuates.

I AM very toned though and have maintained muscle so I guess my metabolism is higher because of my body composition.

My day today has been 40gms(oats) porridge with semi skimmed milk, 1/2 banana, blueberries and seeds. Mid morning 1 square 70% dark choc.

Lunch- homemade carrot & sweet potato soup. An apple

Dinner- salmon fillet, brown rice and stir fried veg. Yoghurt and fruit.

Especially the wine more like. I was aghast at how many calories a bottle contains. Minimum 650 calories so if you’re having a couple a week or 4-5 a week as I was at my worst… Easy to see how and why it makes you fat. It also causes water retention, my face looked like a moon.

@PomegranateVasehow have you got on with a week of a few changes? Second weekend of any diet is tricky.

How old are you?

I eat very similar to this without the desserts. Also very toned.

Yesterday:
Breakfast: Oats, almond milk, chia seeds, blueberries, latte

Lunch: Chicken and spinach, an apple

Dinner: 3 eggs, protein shake (almond milk, plant protein, ground almond, frozen berries).

Yes, there was a thread a while ago where a woman went on holiday with a larger friend and couldn’t believe how much and how often her large friend ate.

If a very slim person who believes themselves to have a healthy appetite spent 24/7 with someone who is overweight, they may rethink how they view their own appetite/diet.

“I eat loads!” is meaningless really.

Kind if irrelevant what you ate. The portion size is going to be the thing.

You’re right!

Breakfast: 40g oats, tablespoon of chia seeds, 200ml almond milk, ~80g blueberries, a ‘regular’ latte so around 200ml of oat milk.

Lunch: 1/4 roast chicken, 100g spinach, regular sized apple

Dinner: 3 large boiled eggs, protein shake (250ml almond milk, 30g plant protein, ~80g of frozen berries, 10g of collagen powder, tablespoon of ground almonds.

2 cups of tea, so another ~100ml of oat milk.

No idea how many calories that is, but I seem to be able to maintain my weight. Any more than this, particularly if it’s carb-based, and I feel bloated / sluggish.

I’m mid-30s, petite but toned. Impressed (jealous) with PP who can have 2 desserts a day and stay thin! Sugar fucks me up in so many ways - skin, energy, bloatedness.

I don’t always have puddings. But if I want one/it’s on offer I will.

Once you find an exercise you enjoy it will be easier. The hardest thing will be to get started.

You sound sensible and willing to get healthier, good luck!!!!