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?!

My running coach tells me to eat like my grandmother is feeding me… so essentially a balanced, nutritious diet and not huge portions.

The only thing that will stop you 'picking' is willpower - it's a habit rather than a necessity.
If I were you I would first try to get into a normal eating pattern ie three meals a day, and then once I had dropped the snacking habit, try a 5:2 or 16 fasting.

I would also need a couple of medium intensity exercise sessions - two very high intensity workouts and two low intensity walks are not really a balanced activity plan.

How much daily walking can you fit in?

The thing that made me drop the stubborn stone or more that I had for years since kids was a month of 30 mins jogging every day.

Not a huge amount to be honest as I work from home, at a desk and my break is usually spent collecting the kids to take them to my parents (in the car). I can do two HIITs a week and can't really see where I can do anymore with juggling kids too.... the only other thing I can think is to maybe try and do some sort of YouTube workout after they go to bed

Yes smaller portions, try to have less pasta (weigh it out before putting it on your plate and adhere to the portion size on the packet) with more veggies/salad and protein...it will fill you up better.

For example this evening I had 2 lamb chops, side of veg which I sprinkled some strong cheese over to give myself some extra flavour and protein. I'm not hungry at all as the protein has filled me up. If I had pasta I would eat bowls of it and I would then be looking for pudding! 😅

Good luck tomorrow OP, just be consistent. If you slip, ignore and just get back on track right away. You've got this!

@Valhalla17 ahhh your dinner sounds delicious!

Thank you for being so kind and helpful.

I think I will probably use this thread as a bit of a diary/place to vent

Instead of salad, eat a variety of vegetables -broccoli, courgette, tomatoes, with a bit of the sauce from the pasta bake.

It IS confusing info but some good advice on here. Personally half a pound a week is way more sustainable loss than a pound. If you lose quickly you risk losing muscle mass. And the problem with that is....if you gain it back you don't gain muscle, you just gain fat. And muscle is hard work to build. So 1600 is much more balanced.

Op, I have oats and eggs every day for breakfast, but with the oats I make sure to have some healthy fats like peanut butter/nuts as oats can cause a blood sugar spike which leaves you hungry later, but the fats slow down the blood sugar rise and keep you full for longer. Some protein before 10am is a good ideaa as the body will keep you eating until you have had enough protein for basic functions (about 45g for an adult). Also our blood fat response is generally better in the morning, some people like to fast though (I couldn't).

Zoe nutrition podcasts are good for tips.

For long term health, you need healthy habits, not a crash diet.

• Drink plenty of water.
• Eat vegetables, salad, fruit, herbs and spices. One suggestion is 30 different types a week which is a good goal to work towards. By the time you count things like black pepper it adds up more easily than you think.
• Base meals around vegetables, protein, and complex carbs (in their more natural form). Don't be afraid of fat, it satisfies you for longer. "Low fat" is more processed and tends to have more additives.
• Hunger is a normal, healthy process. We don't have to graze constantly. Eating plans that involve timed or fasting phases of not eating give our bodies a rest from digesting. That doesn't mean starve yourself, or make yourself feel bad, but actually feeling hunger before a meal is normal, then you sate the hunger. *Create a regular pattern of mealtimes that works for you.
• Reduce sugar and sweetners. Your body will metabolise sugar as the first source of energy before breaking down stored fats. Sweetners can mimic the effect of sugar in some people or increase cravings.
• Don't be afraid to cook. Healthy meals can be cooked in the same time as it takes to heat processed food. There's lots of recipes and videos for "15 minute meals"

Change one habit at a time so it's managable and phase changes in so you can see what works for you. It's easier to fit around life, and means you can't "fail" or "cheat" and when life gets in the way, which it will, it's easier to pick back up again.

I've got a standing desk at home, a slot together wooden one that sits on top of the table. Standing is so much better for health & blood pressure & bone strength than sitting.
A you tube session sounds good - how about a regular yoga thing? Doesn't have to be high intensity body pump or Davina type workout which are hard to sustain I find - I enjoyed yoga with Adriene. Strength and posture and relaxation too in 30 mins.

Yes, 30 mins of yoga at home after the kids go to bed definitely sounds more do-able than leaving the house during their wake hours for another 1.5h on another night!

Ok. I've got this. I've woken up hungry this am which I don't normally (though I ate next to nothing yesterday and did a big workout last night).

I'm going to have a coffee and when the kids are up I will make myself something when I do theirs. I may have porridge and blueberries or some scrambled eggs with tomato.... skip lunch and join the family tonight for dinner. I like the veg and pasta sauce idea as this doesn't feel like a completely different meal

You seem have have a chaotic approach. Circuit training and walks don’t need any special food. I’d have as long as possible not eating over night. Focus on cutting out all ultra processed foods, have as much fruit and veg as you can. Don’t worry about calories/sugars.

Have you considered The body coach app? It's simple workouts you can do at home and all day recipes to eat, I cant recommend this highly enough it's my 8th month on the app at the moment with great results, food is amazing, workouts manageable (I have 3 kids) and the main thing is I never felt hungry or starving myself, you need to fuel your body well in order to loose weight and get fit, starving or skipping meals is not sustainable long term and I'm sure not enjoyable either

I'm really not trying to be chaotic. I'm simply asking for help with what sort of foods I should be eating and when. Not specifically for the training itself? But because of the time at night it is v not having a full meal after when I wouldn't have already eaten dinner?

Common sense means sub 1200 is madness. I would start 1600 to see how you get on. I presume you're level of activity is low at those numbers?

@PrincessPeaches123 yes, I went low as I thought medium was generous.

I've been on a billion diets. Diets all do one thing in common. They restrict the calories you put in your body. Either by reducing how much time you spend eating or cutting out food groups or by offering food you're less likely to over indulge in. Some calories will satiate more. Some will be more enjoyable. It's like throwing mud against a wall to see what sticks. But you can't chop and change. Choose a plan and stick to it. If you're starving at breakfast but could skip lunch easily why wouldn't you have a bowl of porridge? But weigh the porridge. Measure the milk and be honest about how much you are eating.

If a small portion of pasta bake works for you great but it wouldn't work for me. I'd rather have a large potion of chicken breast rice and green veg. Ali's a small potion of pasta will have little protein which won't help you to feel full or protect against muscle wastage.

@PrincessPeaches123 thanks for this. I think in all honesty the main things I need to do are move more, stop "picking", and probably have slightly smaller portions. My husband is terrible for getting me Percy pigs on his route home so that also needs to stop!

Oh I don't desperately want to have pasta - I would just prefer to not make different meals to the one I'm making for everyone else if I'm honest

When I'm healthy I drag the whole family with me. By the sounds of it you're eating a lot of hidden calories. I've been middle BMI a year plus and I still weigh everything except vegetables.

The trick is to eat small healthy portions, whole grains rather than white carbs

I think hidden calories is absolutely spot on. I don't purposely eat everything in sight but I also don't "monitor" either. Hopefully some changes are going to shift some weight and make me feel a bit more energetic!

There are literally hundreds of diets, it’s hard to pick one but I have found calorie counting the easiest as it doesn’t cut out any particular foods as long as you stay within your calories. Saying that ultra processed foods are very bad for our health so I try to minimise those.

Follow a straight forward diet of calorie counting with 3 meals a day plus snacks. Don’t skip breakfast or any meal for that matter. You need to fuel your body to get energy to workout and to feel good.

If you go off the principal of ‘balanced meals and snacks’ you will help to keep your blood sugar balanced which MASSIVELY reduces cravings for junk food. A balanced plate is protein, carbs and fat.

Protein examples
Meat, Fish, Beans, Lentils, Yoghurt (eg Fage Greek Yoghurt which has no crap added), Protein powder (eg Nuzest which has no crap added), Milk, Nuts, Seeds, Eggs

Healthy carbs examples
Wholegrain rice, fruit and veg (fresh, frozen and dried with no added sugar or oil), sweet potatoes, potatoes, wholegrain bread (eg Jason’s sourdough which has no crap added)

Healthy fat examples
Olive oil, olives, nuts, seeds, nut butter (eg pip and nut without any added crap), avocado, oily fish

Example balanced meals
Breakfast - Greek yoghurt, mixed nuts, berries, honey
Lunch - Chicken, mixed leaves, tomatoes, red
onion, 1/2 avocado, sourdough croutons, olive oil balsamic dressing
Dinner - Bolognese with beef mince, onion, grated carrot and courgette and tomatoes serve with wholewheat spaghetti drizzled with olive oil
Snack - Apple with peanut butter, 2 squares chocolate - dark is healthier

Breakfast - Egg avocado sourdough toast
Lunch - Leftover Bolognese
Dinner - Salmon fillet, puy lentils, roasted sweet potatoes, green beans
Snack - Banana berry protein powder smoothie with tbsp chia seeds and milk

If you stick to reasonable portion sizes these examples would be around 1350 kcals a day