I'm gaining weight on a diet?

[Tigerbus]

Despite eating a better diet and moving more than I did 3-5 years ago I'm gaining weight?!

I'm about 5'6 and weighed nearly 9 stone 3 -5 years ago. Rarely did any exercise except for walking to and from the car to work in an office.

Food was cereal for breakfast, snack of cake or biscuit followed by lunch of a sandwich and fruit before having something along the lines of spag bowl for dinner.

I drank at the weekend once or twice a month. Would happily tuck into fast food twice a month, I might go swimming twice in a year, but other than that - very little movement. I would drink fruit juice and coffee throughout the week.

Compare to now, I'm over 10 stone! Ive now changed to eggs in the morning with real butter and tomatoes. Rarely have time for a snack but if so it's kifur yoghurt and organic fruit. I might have a boiled egg, some cheese slices or chicken or beef slice for lunch which is all organic, free range and grass fed. Dinner is usually steak or lamb but always organic and grass-fed with a glass of milk or two throughout the day. I don't eat any pasta, rice etc, have bread on the rare occasion and potatoes even more rarely.

I power walk most days to town and am always on the go around my home and garden. I have an exercise bike which I'll use for about 10 minutes most days.

I have a huge belly on me, no longer fit into my size 12s without looking like I'm 5 months pregnant. My portion sizes are small too. I am always on the move yet here I am, with a fat-soluable vitamin diet, reduced processed food and grossly overweight.

Abi to think, I'm doing the better than 3-5 years go but getting terrible results?

Lots of caloric density there. Try some whole grains, beans, more greens, fruit, and high fiber stuff. Noom?

How old are you?

There is an age effect for many of us on metabolism and also an impact of having kids on my body certainly. But you could also check your thyroid which can lead to weight gain if it is out of whack.

Best of luck xxx

You’re eating too many calories.

Sigh, we were all done a bit of a number a few years ago with the whole clean eating phenomena, yes something may be fresh/tasty and unprocessed and full of macro/micro nutrients but that doesn’t mean it’s not calorie dense and if you eat more calories than you are burning off in a day, you will put on weight.

Have a follow of The Fitness Chef on Instagram. He illustrates your predicament really well.

@Janefx40 sigh again, it’s nothing to do with her thyroid (altho nothing wrong with checking that OP) she’s eating to much rich and calorie dense food and not doing enough exercise to compensate.

@WisteriaHysteria22 no need to sigh at me especially since you have just said it wouldn't hurt to check her thyroid.

I could see someone else had mentioned calories so didn't think there was much point in saying the same thing again.

For me weight gain has been about my age slowing my metabolism and my body change from childbirth.

10 stone at your height is not "grossly overweight". It is well within normal BMI.

But if you want to lose weight you need to be in calorie deficit. An organic grass-fed calorie is still a calorie.

Switch your glasses of milk for water and eat more green leafy veg.

As above - you could eat salad all day, but if you eat 3,000 calories worth of salad, you will still gain weight!

You need to check how many calories are going in. Breakfast for example - if it’s one egg, half a tsp of extra light butter and grilled tomatoes - that could be as little as 120 calories…. But if it’s a 3 egg omelette with full fat butter and fried tomatoes with a slice of buttered toast on the side, it could be up to 700!!

And if you’re eating “one boiled egg” or “some slices of cheese/meat” for lunch, that isn’t nutrient dense, it’s just high calories for little return. Presumably you eat something with it - veggies, bread, salad? All have calories. And if you aren’t, you’ll end up hungry and binge!

Snacks, drinks, milk in tea/coffee etc all add up too.

And sadly, despite all the logic above, when you’re younger you do seem to get away with it more. I gain weight quicker now in my late 30s and it’s harder to maintain. Then there are people like my brother who do no exercise but manage to eat 3 roast dinners in one sitting, or an entire pizza, and not gain a scrap of weight!

I concur, top many calories, not enough exercise

You are probably eating too many calories - it certainly sounds like you are eating a lot more than before.

Get an app like nutracheck stick your food in, see how much you are eating and reduce it till you get to the point you are loosing.

Low carb doesn’t suit most people and you miss out on fibre which fills you up along with protein. You also want need to mix in some lean protein with the higher fat protein you are eating. Knock off the butter while you are trying to loose, and stop drinking milk (it’s very calorie dense and it’s never a good idea to drink calories when you are loosing), The way you are eating isn’t healthy long term.

At the moment you are eating like a person with a major cross fit habit.

Eat three balance meals a day, with whole meal carbs, reduce the fat, and reduce the calories until you are loosing.

I wouldn’t worry about exercise much. It’s not going to influence weight loss much.

And stop being a drama queen. Ten stone is hardly grossly overweight.

Are you actually counting calories, or just eating things you perceive to be 'healthy' in whatever quantity you wish?

Download a free calorie counting app like myfitnesspal and decide on a caloric budget, then input EVERYTHING you eat or drink before eating it (other than water, herbal tea or black coffee/tea). You'll lose weight. You need to be in a caloric deficit. Losing weight isn't always easy but it's extremely simple!

No vegetables or salad, I'm off grains as they seemed to make me unwell.
I do drink water; two litres a day.

I think you're right, thank you; very rich and I need to review the level of rich food I'm eating. Thank you.

Just one egg at breakfast, so yesterday I had scrambled with half a tin of tomatoes. Then at about 11ish I had a piece of cheese and at midday I had two roasted chicken legs from the cooked roast I had made the day before with a glass of milk.

I was on my in door bike, running up and down the house doing the housework, mowing the lawn etc.

Dinner was lamb on its own. No vegetables and I'd run out of potatoes so I just had the other half of the tin of tomatoes.

I then went out for a brisk walk with my partner for a few hours as it was too warm to do that during the day.

Am I still doing not enough exercise? I could do more. I am happy to do more I just naively thought I was doing enough with such a change in diet (no crisps, chocolate, biscuits pasta rice etc)

I will look into my thyroid, thank you. I'm early 30s.

Yeah this isn't thyroid.

What's the reason behind no veg?

Stop sighing, it’s horrendously annoying

You don’t need concern a GP with your thyroid, esp if you have no other health worries (it’s nice to think it’s not me, it’s my metabolism ). What is your TDEE? As PPs have said you’re eating WAY too many calories for your lifestyle and age. Either reduce or up exercise. You need on average to run a 3500 cal deficit over a week to lose a pound.

I wouldn't call 10 stone "grossly overweight"!

I don't think your diet looks too calorie dense, however I'd try weighing your portions for a few days and putting it into MyFitnessPal or a similar app just to see- especially the butter and milk which can add a surprising amount of calories. I'd put more veg in there too to fill you up more!

10 minutes on an exercise bike won't do much - have you looked into weight training? You're already eating the right sort of diet for it and the more lean muscle you have the more calories you'll burn!

Bodies do change as you get older, early 30s was a turning point for me too - it can sometimes take a but of trial and error to find what works for you though.

For me (44 now) it's high protein low-ish carb, weight training and running, and at least 10000 steps per day. And I still use MyFitnessPal but have a general idea of how many calories most things have now.

Eating meals like those all the time would be awful after a few days.

Saying you power walk into town doesn't really give much info into your activity levels. Is that a 10 minute walk or an hour for example?

I am just over 9stone and 5'6 - I walk for about an hour every morning, plus I do two body pump classes and two high intensity classes, a pilates session and an hour's swim every week. I walk the 1.5 miles each way to the gym in the summer and often do a long hike at the weekends. This is the activity level I need to stay at this weight and eat more or less what I want. I'm 45.

Protein will keep you full, but I would switch to leaner protein like fish. Fiber keeps you full and meals centred around vegetables will give you plenty of fiber.

Why are you not eating any veg? And why the glass of milk as an adult? How many calories are you eating a day?

Walking and doing stuff around the house is fine for movement, but it won’t do much to change the number on the scale. Weight training will build more muscle and make you overall more efficient at burning fat.

Just to add those are really fatty meats too, great for giving you energy but very high in calories, I'd look at leaner protein like chicken breast or fish - or do more intensive exercise to use the energy up!

But if you want to lose weight you need to be in calorie deficit. An organic grass-fed calorie is still a calorie.

Just because the quality of the food is good, it doesn't mean it is calorie free. You are probably eating too many calories. I strongly recommend you track everything you eat and record that. I'm pretty sure you'll soon realise you are taking in too many calories.

Our bodirs change as we age so you have to do more and eat less to stay slim

If i were 5ft 6 and ten stone, ild be thrilled

Am I still doing not enough exercise?

Exercise is great, but diet is where the weight is made or lost. This is especially true if you've been doing the same exercise for any length of time, as your body adapts and becomes quite efficient which reduces the amount of energy it expends.

I eat pretty much nothing BUT rich food -- but the quantities are very carefully portioned, I use a food scale, and I have to work very hard to stay under my TDEE.

Ease up on the calorie density, either by cutting back the portion or replacing with less calorie-rich foods.

I don't think doing without vegetables and fruit is a better diet?