Please help - nutrition

[stumpy12]

I'm the heaviest I've ever been.

I'm 5'4 and got on the scales this morning to find I am 11st 6. I can't believe I've let this happen. At my lightest I was 8.5st.

I'm hate what I look like an constantly feel like crap.

I've eaten nothing yet today other than one bit of my sons leftover tortellini and a cup of coffee (which clearly is unsustainable and unhealthy).

I start circuit training tonight and hope to do that twice a week, along with two big walks. I need help about what to eat pre / post workout as it's late but I'll be starved after!!!!

What do I eat and when?!

Ideally 3 meals and 2 snacks per day. Try to include a source of protein with every meal. Chicken, fish, eggs, Greek yoghurt, cottage cheese, babybels, protein shakes are all good. Ideally 3 or more exercise classes per week and trying to get your 10,000 steps in also.

Protein shake after exercise would be best, also try to drink between 2 and 3 litres of plain water per day and get a good night's sleep as that's also important for recovery.

I don’t think you really need to be eating anything particular after circuit training or long walks. Maybe just save dinner until after if you’re usually hungry then. I work out and run fasted all the time and don’t eat until a few hours later and it’s absolutely fine (I do IF).

Just stick to a normal balanced meal. You’re not doing anything that requires amazing amounts of protein. Low sugar and low UPF and plenty of nutrients is the way to go.

What should I eat before today as I've not eaten yet today. A banana? Some boiled eggs?

I'll be home around 8pm. What should I eat then?! I've made the family bolognese, would a small portion of that minus the pasta be ok ?

Yes, sorry. Dinner would HAVE to be after but it seems late to eat so not sure what an appropriate dinner would be!

I am a SERIAL picker. I don't ever have breakfast but pick when preparing lunch for the kids and random bits when making up their snacks. I always reliably eat dinner though which is usually pasta or cottage pie, lasagne, casserole type stuff.

Read a book called Ultra Processed People. Its about how ultra processed food is designed not to satisfy us, leave us craving more. It's brilliant advice oh how to eat more healthily but takes away all of the guilt as its the industry's fault, not our as individuals.

Try getting to grips with MyFitnessPal. It's a pain at first but v. Easy once you're into it. You need to be in a calorie deficit of around 500 cals. More than this and you might lose more weight but you might lose muscle aswell as fat. As others have said a good way to do this is high protein and fewer processed foods. Good luck.

You sound a bit panicked, it's good that you have had a big impetus to change but you need to think longer term, aim for sustainable changes and don't try to fix everything in one day.

I'm never ever ever going to get back to my lightest, but even 9.5st would make me happy!

I have MyFitnessPal - it's telling me to go for 1300 Cals a day. It's all of the other stuff like sugars etc where I get LOST

1300 is a bit aggressive. I'd start at 1600 and see how you go. You need to leave yourself room to cut further as you lose weight.

legionathletics.com/tdee-calculator/ you can use a calculator to estimate how many calories you use a day.

Start to look at what is both satiating and nutritionally dense. Protein and green/red/orange vegetables is what I find works for me.

Cut out white carbs: pasta, noodles, bread, potatoes, porridge.

Eggs, chicken breast, tuna and Greek yoghurt are my mainstays with loads of broccoli, tomatoes and peppers. Pulses too.

Fats also, but from things like avocados and oily fish . I love a bit of cheese so I have about 30 grammes on my morning omelette (2 medium eggs, two small tomatoes and about 4 lumps of frozen spinach.

I’ve started to add protein powder - I use a vanilla flavoured one which is obviously artificially sweetened but otherwise I crave sugar and binge on mars bars. I mix a scoop of protein powder with some frozen mango chunks or frozen strawberries or blueberries and then about 200 g of Fage 0% yoghurt. It’s like ice cream but very filling rather than that empty sugar crash felling after ice cream.

oh, and if you train consistently - weighted exercise in a programme of progressive overload not hours of cardio - you won’t lose muscle on a “cut” period of eating.

google “body recomposition”

Don’t eat supper (dinner) try doing all your eating in an 8 hour window. A circuit class fasted will not kill you! And if you’ve worked hard enough you won’t want to eat afterwards. Just drink a litre of water.

I've done my class!

Thank you for all of the advice.

I was STARVED before I went so I had two boiled eggs about 30 mins before I started (though aside from a mouthful of tortellini that's all I've eaten today).

I'm sad about the porridge as I thought I could have a bowl of that for breakfast with fresh fruit to see me through til dinner (and skip lunch)!

Coffee only for breakfast it is.... maybe I'll try a salad for lunch

You seem a bit all over the place.

Remember food isn’t a punishment or a treat. You don’t need to earn it or justify eating. It’s fine to eat if you’re hungry - I think the advice to eat after the class was more based on people’s experiences rather than that you didn’t deserve to eat before it.

Why would you be in a flap about sugar? Just avoid processed sugar as much as you can. I use My Fitness Pal but don’t count sugar - I just use my common sense to think if I’ve had a biscuit or something in the afternoon I won’t have dessert after dinner as a rule. But then again, if it’s been homemade and looks great and I’m hungry, maybe I will, and I don’t need to be guilty about it. But I don’t want to be beating myself up and feeling guilt because I’ve been running on UPF sugary stuff for energy.

I am all over the place as I'm all honesty I don't know what I'm doing. One place says count calories, another says don't. Some places say eat before a workout. Others say definitely don't. Some websites say forget calories and count everything else. I can't keep up and feel clueless. I just know I want to lose as much weight as possible, as quickly as possible.

I know my intake today is ridiculous and any consistent guidance is appreciated

Just keep it simple OP. Have porridge in the morning if that's something you like. Just do the calorie calculator and stick to the calories. Don't worry about when to eat, just stick to the cals and do the exercise. It will come off. If you want to try lower carb then that will likely help move things along more quickly and help with any cravings....and you could do something like 50-75g carbs per day. Plenty of water, movement and sleep. Try it consistently for a month and then re-adjust.

Can you work with a nutritionist to help you navigate all the conflicting information? There's some who do exercise/lifting alongside nutrition to do it in a more sustainable and healthy way.

I like the sound of this plan....

Ok. Plan of action tomorrow - instead of just my usual coffee for breakfast, I will also have some porridge and hopefully that will stop me "picking" all day long!

Hopefully that will see me through til early evening. I'm doing pasta bake for the family but I'll give myself either a really really small portion or try to make a salad or something for me

I would but I highly doubt it would be within my budget unfortunately