Why am I putting ON weight?

[Daffodilpup]

Can anyone help? I read all this stuff about what you should eat and do and what you shouldn’t and it all mixes up in my head so I decided to go simple.

I did a calorie counter and worked out to lose a pound a week I needed to eat 1700 calories. (I’m 14 stone and 5ft 3)

I did this the first week and lost a pound. Week 2 ,3 and 4 I have regained that oound and another 3!

I have started doing weights too so have heard the theory that while I might be loosing fat I will be gaining muscle but don’t think that’s the case when I’m bigger that when I started? Would understand if I was the same. Also I’m only lifting 2kg and 4kg weights as I’m a beginner.

just getting fed up that I’m eating healthily and in a deficit and exercising (walking too) and I’m bigger than when I started.

Am going to go against the flow and say I'm surprised you aren't losing weight in the longer term if you were maintaining before.

You may be retaining fluid - it can take weeks before this changes. Plenty of vegetable fibre and some extra water can help. If you use a maintenance calorie calculator that takes your height, sex, age and exercise level into account, then take 600 calories off your maintenance calorie count, you should be losing in the longer term. You're fine to be expecting to lose some weight on 1700 calories if you're counting calories right and if you're generally active and exercising 4 days a week to raise your heart rate as well as doing muscle resistance. I wouldn't reduce those calories by more than 100.

The science of calorie deficit is right, whatever trends emerge. Additional things that can be useful are: combining any carbohydrates with fats and proteins will help prevent blood sugar spikes which make you hungry. Protein will satiate hunger better than anything else. Developing and using your muscles uses calories somewhat faster.

People report they can't lose on normal calorie deficit but under controlled conditions this is almost always down to miscalculation of food intake and over- estimation of activity levels, and / or people aren't in defecit long enough. Almost no-one has a health condition which will actually prevent them losing weight on calorie deficit in the long term.

google the exercise paradox, it’s the hazda people, the ones out all day hunting burned a similar amount to those sat on their bum all day.

exercise is so beneficial , for your muscle tone skin mental well being but don’t think you can out train a bad diet and don’t eat your exercise calories. Being out of breath is so good but also impact exercises so I jump on one leg whilst waiting for say the kettle to boil, we need stuff that kind of shocks our body it seems. Doing squats etc also means we can get off the loo in old age, learning that really resonated with me! No good being a thin person in a nursing home confined to a chair.

What I will say is that everything that worked to lose weight before perimenopause with regards to diet and exercise stops working in peri. A good book to explain why is Next Level by Dr Stacy Sims.

Previously if I needed to lose a bit of weight I’d eat a bit less and exercise a bit more. This would work. It doesn’t now. But drastically cutting calories is not the answer either.

I’m taller than you and my tdee worked out at 1200 for weight loss. I lost weight steadily on that amount of calories. If you’re not losing weight, you’re eating too many calories.

I agree your calories may be too high but you also don’t have much by way of protein. I would try upping that and your veg and switching banana for more fruit such as berries. Melon can also be good calorie wise.

maybe having bran flakes with fat free Greek yogurt and frozen berries for breakfast.

Homemade veg soup with wholemeal bread from a smaller 400g loaf. (Get from a bakers if supermarket bread a bit ick)

Same sort dinners as your eating but load up with veg like green beans, broccoli, spinach as they are lower calorie and more filling. And maybe follow some slimming world recipes to keep them lower calorie versions of things your whole family will eat.

this should all fit within 1400ish calories and maybe with room for some small snacks like Greek yogurt, a small chocolate bar (think freddo size)

I find Instagram a good place for tips. And sorry for the ramble.

P.S keep the exercise just make sure you are challenging yourself, remember a weight that is challenging for me may be too light or too heavy for you. YouTube is good for workouts.

Well I certainly never said that. I said it was ‘useless’ in so far as the added benefits of moderate walking are negligible for weight loss.

The research on this is neither new nor considered controversial. Walking is often prescribed to people who’ll otherwise do nothing at all.

I can't see that you could have gained 4lb in fat in 3 weeks while eating only 1700 calories. You'd have had to have eaten about 700 calories over your requirements every single day to do that. Which if you thought you'd cut down, would be quite some miscalculation. The most likely answer is you are retaining fluid, or you under weighed to start with (different clothes, scales, different time of day, even different floor surface?) Try again next week same time of day, clothes, scales as the first time, and cut down on salt and see what is looks like then.

I must be an anomaly then. I've lost 10lbs since January just by walking 10-15k steps per day. Admittedly I go at a fairly brisk pace, but not to the point of breathlessness. I've not reduced my calories as weight loss wasn't my main aim, I just wanted to move more. I'm 55 so my age is against me for weight loss, but when I walk it falls off. I'll have to start eating more soon.

Thank you. Fingers crossed it’s fluid I’m retaining from the weights. I think I’m going to lower my calories a bit, maybe to 1500 and weigh myself in a couple of weeks and see where I am.

Yes, congratulations, you’re a scientific marvel 😉

@GreyCarpet , I second Jason Fung but would also suggest the Zoe podcasts are also excellent along with The Glucose Goddess and Chris Van Tulleken.

You won't have gained muscle lifting such light weights. You're eating too many calories.

I just weighed myself. I don't own a weighing scales as I don't want to feel defeated every day looking at it.

So I go in and weigh myself at a pharmacy once a month.

I've lost 6 pounds in the month! Im delighted.

That was eating about 1200 calories per day.

I find Zoe ok - I do listen to some of their podcasts but they are quite generic as is Chris Van Tullekan. The message about eating less UPF and more plants etc is sound. However women are not small men. What we need to do is very different due to hormones. Especially so in peri menopause hence why the Next Level book is very good and specific.

You need to be obsessive with calorie counting (and not many people are). Log everything. If you have 4 cups of tea a day that can easily log an extra 100-150 calories depending on milk and sugar types and many people don’t even count cups of tea. Dressings, sauces and cooking oils can easily add 100 calories depending to meals
and you wouldn’t even think to
count them. ANYTHING that passes you lips would need to be counted. Also being really specific with food types - you might add a banana to your calorie count for example but the difference between a large and a medium banana can be 50cal. They’re all small amounts but combined theyll be pushing your calories up. And the only reason you’ll gain wait is calories in vs calories out.

Also remember that gym bodies are built in the kitchen… not the gym.

I know they are light but I’m a beginner and got to start somewhere! Once im
used to the 4kg I will go up to 5 or 6 and keep increasing but everyone has to start somewhere!

Could be loads of reasons for this but its pretty easy to take control of it.

1700 is currently adding 3lbs per week so it is obviously too much. Ignore your exercise, but please dont stop it. Exercise isnt a weight loss tool, its a health benefit regardless of your weight. Enjoy it.

I would go to 1400-1500 which i suspect is closer to your maintenance calories. Carry on with this for 2-3 weeks and see how your body reacts. Try to keep an eye on how much carbs you are eating (You mention a few in your post) because they tend to encourage water retention. If you are exercising its likely you are drinking more too which weighs more. If your weight stays the same then you now know your maintenance calories and can work from there. Dont treat it as a race. Being able to do something long term is much better than someone who fasts for a few months and then puts it all back on.

Once you have got to the bottom of maintenance you can then make a real decision on how to alter your calories to suit.

Treat exercise as something fun. It will not be able to overcome a calorie surplus.

You don't have a TDEE for weight loss. You can have a calorie allowance for weight loss which is a figure below TDEE.

Don't feel defensive - it's not a criticism. It's just that building muscle for women is HARD and requires heavy lifting and just won't happen with light home weights. That's not a bad thing or a criticism, but it also means muscle increase isn't responsible for the scales going up.

Try to be patient. If you've made changes it takes a while for your body to respond. Regardless, increasing your exercise and eating healthy food will improve your health.

Just checking - are you drinking calories? And are you getting enough sleep?

Also - your scales may not be that accurate. Take measurements!

im not defensive. It’s hard to get tone across in messages. They are low weights but they are enough for me at the moment. Although to be fair I am using the 4kg s and don’t feel any aches yet so perhaps need to try 5kg next.

I exercise for health and fitness rather than weight loss but it does make me feel very hungry!

Please, please, please watch a Youtube video by Dr Jason Fung as mentioned by the first commenter - there is so much information out there now that will help you for the rest of your life. You could also watch Glucose Goddess or Cynthia Thurlow and Dr Stacy Sims is also brilliant - she was on Mel Robbins podcast recently and was amazing.

Don’t stop the weights. Your body shape will thank you. Ditch breakfast. Ditch milk in your coffee.

half the size of all your meals. Don’t snack. Drink more water/ squash. Don’t drink fizzy drinks or alcohol.