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.

im on 1800 cals a day and that’s with heavy exercise-When I put moderate exercise it gave me 1600. O think your cals are too high but I think you’re not eating that much given your meal plan?

Your diet is quite carb heavy. Eat one portion of carbs per day and up your protein/fat intake, they will fill you up.

Of course. Breakfast will include protein powder, a snack usually involves a high protein yoghurt, lunch might be chicken or a pulse pasta, dinner beef mince or steak or salmon. That usually gets it done!

I must stress I eat carbs with all my meals too, even when on a diet. Please don’t ever think carbs are the enemy!

Yeah it's too many calories. Weight loss in your 40s is a whole new depressing ball game (well it was for me) you need to consume fewer calories and even then it's really slow progress. It can be done though. Intermittent fasting also helps me.

You have a really healthy attitude to food which is refreshing to see on these threads.

OP - don’t restrict calories too much. You will slow your metabolism and it affects hormone function.

For what it’s worth I don’t count calories at all - it’s no way to live. I eat healthily and exercise - mainly now with heavy weights and I’ve cut my cardio down quite a bit (I used to run a lot)

Whatever you do needs to be sustainable and healthy long term and surviving on a tiny amount of calories and counting every calorie that passes your lips is not sustainable.

I am a healthy weight. It takes more work these days in terms of not eating any crap and lifting heavy weights. I can’t get away with what I used to.

I don’t have a flat stomach and I’d love to weigh what I did in my 20s but I’d probably have to starve myself to get there and I’d be very unhealthy with it.

I followed the whole if i bulk out with muscle I will have higher calorific needs and will therefore lose fat, but i just got muscular and fat!

I have recently worked out that we are primed to overeat socially. We need far fewer calories than we think as we age. I used to keep weight off pretty easily and it's a struggle at 43. I use nutracheck for calorie counting and weigh carbs and protein when I am able. Eating more simply helps with this.

Are you counting drinks? Some are pretty sugary and calorific.

Exercise makes me hungry, but I do it for fitness and strength rather than weight loss. Changing the eating is what works. Disclaimer: I only managed to do this with Mounjaro though and realised how massive my portions were. This helped me get a picture of what constituted a reasonable portion and calories. It is hard though. I am hungry a lot.

As a general rule, I try to have as much salad and veg as possible as it is means of filling up for fewer calories and is nutrient dense.

You need to spend the day feeling hungry and whenever you eat, you stop eating when you no longer feel hungry and NOT when you're full.

I'm the same height as you and have been overweight for several years now. I was 75kg a couple of weeks ago and am now at 70kg. Admittedly it's getting a bit tough as I've dropped the ball this week, but I've lost most of the weight simply by not eating as much, going to the gym (I'm doing the Couch to 5k app) and it's going in the right direction.

It's an oversimplification, but as someone else said it's calories in V calories out. More exercise and less food.

If you're not already, eat cleaner. A lot of 'low fat' labelled food is not truly low fat.

Oh well, just another 10kgs to lose for me...

That’s part of your problem. Weight yourself everyday for a week at the same time, average it. Then do the same a month or two later.

Ok so I’ve lowered my calories to 1500 and will see how Im going in two weeks. I’m going to try and have less carbs and more fruit a veg and change my bran flakes to porridge. Will carry on with my weights and increase them a bit. Keep doing 10k steps. Will weigh in two weeks and see if there’s a change. Thanks all.

I’m hoping that by counting calories I will become used to working out what and how much I can eat a day and will get to a point where it’s habit and ingrained and I won’t need to count every calorie I eat any more!

Good plan!

It can be truly depressing to find out how little you must eat in order to lose weight as you age. Upping exercise has the great effect of increasing (marginally) the amount you can eat, making you fitter and look better even if you don't lose any weight and also - you can't eat while you're exercising!

Honestly there is so much better information out there about losing/maintaining weight than restricting calories and doing more exercise. It's more about balancing your hormones, mainly your insulin levels. Please do some reading and/or listening of podcasts/YouTube videos - restricting your calories to crazy levels and weighing yourself every day sounds hideous.

@Daffodilpup the calculation I always used is times your weight in pounds x 10 to get maintenance calories. So yours are 1960 and to lose a lb a week (which is 3500 calories) calculates your daily intake to be 1460.

i would add more protein and lose potatoes and pasta (works for me but not everyone) and use a homemade yoghurt lemon dressing rather than mayo which is loaded with calories!

Porridge is a carb with a high glycaemic impact, and oats are on the 'no' list if you use the blood sugar diet.

If you want porridge you can make it from rye, barley and buckwheat flakes. Not oats.

It is very frustrating when you’re being good and not seeing the results but I’ve always found it takes about 6 weeks to really consistently see weight loss results from your actions so you’re dieting now for the future you. Stop weighing yourself every week initially it’s just demotivating - you’re gaining weight from either past eating habits a few weeks ago or water retention but either way if you stay committed doing exactly what you’re doing it will shift - 1600 calories should be enough initially and you can drop as you plateau later.

I visualise it as if you’re in a car on the road to weight gain and the diet is you hitting the breaks to turn around towards weightloss. If you’re a man the breaks are instantaneous you just have to look at a rice cake and you’ll start loss mode, teenage girl or young 20’s woman - pretty rapid action. Unfortunately the breaks just get worn down as you get older and you have really slam on to get it turned as you pass mid 30s!

Completely normal. Very frustrating tho, happened to me when I started walking and exercise/diet. Almost made me give up.

Muscle is heavier, and as you work them they rip and lots of water is accumulated for the inflammation. You actually gain weight on the scale.

Keep going. It will whoosh off in a couple months and your clothes will be hanging off, fr

Don’t give up. I got up to a size 18, I’m an 8 now from consistent walking

Thank you! Choosing to work with a nutritionist was a game changer. I wish more people knew it didn’t have to be such a battle (and you don’t have to starve yourself!).

You are so right! It’s all about finding what you enjoy and you’ll stick at it. Sounds like you’re in a great place too! 🤍

Best thing is I can eat whatever I like now, no need to diet. I still lose weight and maintain because the muscle is burning calories at rest.

Keep at it, and well done! It’s not easy

Agree with this. Be very careful with how much you are restricting calories. Especially if you want to grow muscle (which as another poster has said, burns more calories at rest).

While all posters here will be well-meaning and will want to help you achieve your weight-loss goals, I do think that unexplained weight-gain or the inability to lose weight requires the input of professionals.

Have you talked to your doctor yet? That would be my first stop. I expect you'll get a referral to a dietician, or perhaps your hormone levels need to be tested. It could be a lot of things. It is possible you eat more calories than you think you are, or there might be something else entirely going on.

The thing is that there are too many variables at the moment. You need to eliminate possible causes of a lack of weight-loss without doing harm to your health.

Very true. Eating enough calories is very important, especially protein.

As mentioned previously too, getting insulin controlled is vital. With weight gain comes insulin resistance, so keep foods balanced and on the lower GI until insulin is stable. You’ll be able to treat yourself again, but in the beginning, get that insulin fixed (which will stabilise female hormones too)

You eat too much

My strong advice - forget calorie counting and try intermittent fasting with an eating window of six hours or less. Your walking sounds great, do as much as you can, it will make a difference, whatever people say.