To be annoyed that I put on weight everytime I try to lose some

[dealer]

I'm generally just over 11 st, I would like to be about a stone less.

So, as per usual, I started a health kick 3 weeks ago. I'm now 11st 9. I've cut out all snacks and I've been getting up an hour earlier to go for an hour's bike ride before I get the kids up. I drive for a living, but have to average a drop every 4mins to make any money. Where practical, I usually run up and down the paths, so not a totally sedentary job.

I know from previous experience that as soon as I stop trying to lose weight I will drop back to just over 11st. So how the hell do I get to below 11st? Pre-dcs I was 8st. My eldest is 14 and the only time I've been below 11st since then was when having hg with the other 2 pregnancies.

To make things worse, everyone always seems to bang on about the waist-to-hip ratio thing. I have no bum or hips at all, so my waist measurement is actually larger than my hips, and of course the weight I always put on goes on my belly, making it worse.

I'm just really fed up with this now. Am I blatantly doing something wrong?

[LittlePickleHead]

x-post BelleEnd; there does at least seemt o be a consensus!

[dealer]

Thanks you two, it's at least a comfort to know I'm not the only one.

[lookingfoxy]

I put it on round my belly, Im on the go all the time as well with work, im going to start stashing a sandwich in the glovebox to eat on the go as I usually don't eat during the day either.
Aye my weight wouldn't bother me if it was evenly distributed!!

[Morloth]

When I eat lots of carbs I pile on fat around my middle.

When I eat lots of proteina and fat (real fat, butter, meat etc) my waist shrinks dramatically.

I am just getting back on the horse now (and DS2 is a year old!), I have let it slide for far too long and have been eating waaaay too many carbs. Gym tomorrow! I can't wait!

I know it isn't very popular but carbs make me fat.

[LittlePickleHead]

Morloth I'm exactly the same.

I calorie counted for years with the recommended ratio of carb/protein/fats and it didn't work. Cutting out carbs (and I never did it 'officially' a la Atkins, etc, always ate fruit and veg) the weight came off really quickly, and my tummy flattened.

The best thing about cutting out carbs is not having to worry about calories, and being able to eat pork crackling and not worry! But I do eat a lot of veg so I am healthy.

Pizza literally is my nemesis, I am sure it stays in my tummy for about a week.

[FabbyChic]

YOu need to be eating only these foods.

lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/whattoeat/a/highproteinfood.htm

Eat dry roasted peanuts as a snack whilst driving.

[dealer]

Is this fairly easy to do without eating meat? Dh is a veggie and I don't particularly like meat.

[FabbyChic]

Aaaagh bacon, chicken, beefburgers, steak, fish are proteins.

[FabbyChic]

Whilst you are only eating carbs you won't lose weight.

[LittlePickleHead]

Hmmm that does make it trickier. I eat a lot of carb free vegan food (just because I love it) but it means cooking up batches of e.g. veggie curries or bean stews. A bit more time consumung, but delicious and really good for you and filling. I can get some recipes for you if it sounds like you might like it?

Is there any meat you do like? Chicken and fish are particularly good...

If you do want to lose the weight it sounds like you need to find a way of having an evening meal that isn't based around a carb...

[LittlePickleHead]

If you are going to find that hard to do you may have to accept the tummy weight?

[anotheracademic]

If you are insulin resistant (sounds like it) I would recommend the total well being diet

[Morloth]

I don't know dealer I tend to weightlift as my exercise as opposed to cardio and I know I need a lot of protein to repair and build the muscles.

You could probably get enough protein from nuts and cheese and soy but you would have to think really carefully about food.

Could you see a personal trainer or a nutritionist or something?

I crave meat after a workout.

[Morloth]

Omellettes are fantastic as an easy evening meal with no carbs and while I put bacon in mine you could easily skip that. I also tend to use 2 eggwhites to each yolk, loaded with cheese and with a huge green salad they are very filling.

[LittlePickleHead]

Actually Morloth I (and my PT) agree, high impact cardio not so good for weightloss, you need resistance training e.g. fast walking on the steepest incline on the treadmill, followed by weights.

It works!

[sleepingsowell]

'i'd feel bad making him mess about with the evening meal too much' - I would say you are sabotaging yourself there. ask him to cook what you need, simple as that. If he wants to support you this will be very little trouble to him.

Also, what I've found really helps is cooking double quantities and freezing half - also often have a big cook-off on a weekend day and put enough meals in the freezer for the week. It really, really helps as all you have to do is take it out of the freezer in the morning and then when you come in you have dinner in 3 minutes.

Organisation and having the 'right' food available at all times, is absolutely essential, ime.

FWIW I think you need to shift your mindset away from weight and towards health. I work with older people and the amount who have diabetes is SCARY. Our western diet, taken over the whole of one's life, seems to be absolute poison tbh. So cutting out snacks is vital for your LIFE, your health, don't let a few pounds here or there put you off.

I say forget the snacks and focus on what you're eating for your meals; go to the GP, ask for advice from a nutritionist, because if you eat 'right' you WILL lose weight.

[dealer]

He has to cook, because I work such long hours, and he does a great job, but he's no chef.
It seems massively unreasonable to me to get him to buy me meat, that he fundamentally disagrees with eating, that we can't really afford, and that I don't even like. And then having to cook at least 2 meals.
I'm not happy with the kids having no carbs because 2 of them are quite underweight, so there'd have to be a lot of variety for everyone.
Never mind, I probably can't do it then.
It just bugs the hell out of me that I can eat carbs, plus A LOT of chocolate and biscuits and stay a stable weight,
but if I eat carbs, and NO choc or biscuits, I put weight on.

[belgo]

OP I feel for you, I always put on weight every time I try to diet. It's taken me years to work out that it's because every time I diet, I end up thinking about food a lot more then normal, and then end up eating more, without even realising that I'm eating it.

I've given up dieting.

[dealer]

I don't even particularly want to diet as such, I just feel that by being more sensible in my snacking habits, and doing more exercise, that I really ought to benefit somewhere eventually. I wouldn't even care if I stayed the same weight, but just felt like I was being a bit healthier.

Doesn't happen though, just end up feeling awful and fatter. Then when I revert to my old habits I lose the weight, but not off the belly where I've put it on, but my arms and legs get even skinnier.

[penguin73]

You do need to eat during the day - your body is storing fat because it doesn't get enough 'top ups' during the day. Like you I rarely find time for a lunch break - understand the half-eaten fruit issues but how about grapes/apple slices/crudites in a tupperware box that you can dip in and out of when you have chance? Or dried fruit/nuts/rice cakes (the Crimbles apple ones are lovely and come in small packets) Not being able to have a proper lunch is a pain, but 'healthy' grazing would be better than not eating.

[tiredemma]

You can (and should eat carbs) but 'good' carbs - not the stodgy crap full of sugar (the types that I find clings to my arse and thighs)

I have lost half a stone in 4 weeks (not a great amount I admit) by doing the following.

Changed my dinner plate to a smaller one (smaller portions)

Cut out 'white' carbs ie white bread, white rice, white pasta and traded it in for the wholegrain versions.

I eat 5 x a day-
Breakfast - All bran (40g), 125ml semi skimmed milk, banana (about 6/7am)

Snack at approx 10-
pack of snacka jacks OR banana and satsuma

Lunch at approx 1pm-
fish OR chicken, 40g of Cous Cous OR wholegrain Rice OR wholegrain pasta, carrots, sweetcorn, tomatoes (any veg to 'pad out lunch')

snack again at 4pm -
handful nuts/pumpkin seeds

Dinner-
generally a cooked meal on my little dinner plate (again sticking to the principle that am moving away from shite carbs)

I have also limited my chocolate intake

very boring I know but I have also made sure that I drink 2l water per day. I also find that this helps with hunger/cravings.

I try and go to the Gym (at least twice a week ) and do 30 mins cardio and 30 mins weights OR I run around the lanes at the back of my house.

So- in a nutshell (and im only relaying what has worked for me)

NO White Carbs
LIMITED choc
Smaller portions
water, water , water,
exercise at least 3 a week

[foreverondiet]

"I have no bum, no hips, long (for my height) slim legs, literally spindly arms and 34B boobs, just a whacking great belly."

Sounds like you are pre-diabetic. You should go and discuss with GP immediately and make changes to your WOE like the others say, 3 meals, plus snacks and no sugar or refined white carbs.

Read south beach diet book for more info on this.

No need to eat meat, eat other protein, fish, eggs, tofu, soya, low fat dairy. You need protein at each meal.

Also it takes 3 mins to griddle a chicken breast or a piece of fish. Eat the veggies he makes and cook the meat/fish when you come in.

[dealer]

I've been to the gp before with this very concern, re diabetes which my father had.
I don't recall the exact readings etc, but I was told that I'm nowhere near diabetic, I was almost hoping it would kick me into doing something dramatic if I was going in that direction. However the GP told me I'm very healthy, despite my (then) enormous intake of sugar.
I have very low blood pressure and cholesterol as well.

[BimboNo5]

Fabby thats utter nonsense. You dont need to cut carbs to lose weight and imo cutting food groups is asking for failure. Slimmin world is based on carbs and proteins and even vegetarians who do the diet can and do consistently lose weight each week.

[aldiwhore]

I've always lost about a stone just by being 'good' and not specifically dieting, but its always returned when I go back to normal, because my normal was too much.

I would recommend Paul McKenna (or any positive self awareness course) but I didn't lose weight on it, I just stopped slagging myself off all the time.

I'm doing Slimming World, and the results are amazing, yes its a 'diet' but its such an 'eaty' diet for food lovers than I don't feel deprived... the key for me so far is the 'group therapy' - and I've always hated herds of people - but that sets me up for the week, props me up when I've over celebrated and gained a little, and cheers me on when I lose.... once I hit target, I will still go to Fat Club, the maintainence of your ideal weight is just as important as losing.

There's a lass in our class who's been a target member for 8 years. She doesn't have to pay, but it keeps her within the 3lbs of her ideal weight.

I've lost 16lbs in 2 months, and had holidays and celebrations where the only food available is fried shapes! I am in danger of becoming rather evangelical about it so I shall shut up now. I've never felt better.