Why am i putting on a couple of pounds a week?

[AllergicToNutters]

I am not eating more, I am not drinking more, my lifestyle has not changed at all. I am doing more exercise which includes 2 - 3 long fast walks a week (only about 25 mins), an exercise class or two (recently started) and playing badminton once or twice a week. I eat healthily generally speaking and never snack or pick unless it is at a bag of dried fruit or apricots. It is drivimg me crazy. I am now 9stone which I have NEVER been unless I am pg! I am usually 8.7-8.10 stone and that is the weight I feel happiest at. I am 46 years old.

Notyummy- yes that is all true.

it's possible to do those exercises at home too. I have a lunge/squat/ lifting weights regime .

Being smaller is a factor in low bone density BUT it's not as cut and dried as that.

If you have weighed less all your life- and they say that's under 9 stones- then your bones have not had to work so hard to carry your weight.

But being overweight in mid life will not address that balance- you will simply be at more risk from heart disease and diabetes and cancer.

It also depends on what kind of walking you do- I do hill climbing as part of my walk and I have got much bigger thigh muscles than I had before- combined with doing squats.

I didn't mean overweight Amelia - just perhaps someone going from the equivalent of a 19/20 BMI to a 20/21 for example. That may feel significant to them but is unlikely to pose any risk - as long as the waist measurement/body fat % is healthy. Quite agree that being overweight/piling on the pounds is not good - just think it is about accepting your body may change up to a point and not dieting unnecessarily and restricting food so much that you are unhappy if your weight is actually perfectly healthy (but equally not giving in and sitting on the sofa with a pizza whilst you expand!)

this is all very useful info (if a little depressing). I have heard of the Shred thing before I will have to look it up. so basically, my walking and badmintona nd Cardio legs bums and tums classes, though not doing me any harm, are not actuallly making me any less likely to gain weight?! It is all so bloody confusing tbh. Do I have to exercise more and eat less fo the rest of my days?! I will read this all properly while I have my lunch which might as well be a deep pan pizza, cheesy garlic bread and potato salad for what difference it makes!) and then I will make some bullt point notes for myself and work on a plan. You are all so knowledgeable! Thank you. I have to get below 9Stone again as it will jsut keep creeping up and up . The annoying thing is that I really thouggh I was doing something positive about my general health and shape by exercsing more. Feeling very very pissed off atm.

are you getting less sleep (if you are stressed perhaps) there is evidence that less sleep = weight gain. It's known that sleep apnoea sufferers will gain weight due to lack of sleep.

I'm not sure how much sleep you need (from a weight gain perspective) I'll google it for you.

thank you - I do sleep pretty badly though this has improved greatly and I get a good few more good nights than previously. thanks again Kewcumber

"most experts agree that if you are dieting, logging in a few extra hours of sleep a week is not a bad idea, particularly if you get six hours of sleep or less a night"

Aarh- cheer up! Chins up OP!!!

I think you have to accept that your body changes- mainly due to loss of muscle mass and hormones.

Nearly everyone in mid life finds that they will put weight on if they eat the same as they always did. I do! I am not overweight but my waist is almost at the stage where it is a risk factor, and I am currently trying to lose another 3 lbs. I did have a waist of 24 in my 20s. Now it is 29!

I will never have a 24 inch waist again but 26-27 is my goal.

You need to do 2 types of exercise- cardio and resisitance.

Resistance is working your muscles against gravity to build muscle mass.
Muscles burn more energy even when you are standing still - so more muscle means you can eat perhaps what you used to and still stay trim. With muscle wastage, you will have to reduce your calories even more.

Try lifting dumb bells, or using a machine at the gym, and doing squats and lunges to strengthen your legs and back.

Also, high intensity work outs of a few minutes are better than longer periods of more moderate exercise- which is why some people walk then sprint, walk then sprint, for a few hundred metres.

Don't give up- sounds as if you just have to tweak things a bit.

amela - thanks. AM jsut about to have an egg and ham salad for lunch - no bread, no mayo. will book myuself in for a body pump class this week. I do cardio LB &T twice a week (since last week so early days I know). that should help shouldn;t it?

yes that class should help!

so a long fast walk (25 mins) at least twice a week, cardio LBT twice a week, badminton once a week. surely I should not be gaining weight on that sort of level of fitness should I? I am though. That is waht is puzzling. I think I may hve been alllowing myself a snack or two thinking I can get away with it

If you are not that heavy, that exercise may only be burning 1200 or so calories in total a week. (Depending on how many miles you cover in your walk etc) It's easy to see how you can wipe that out with an additional snack a day! If you can raise your Basal Metabolic rate (that is the amount of calories your body burns everyday even before exercise) then you can afford to have a little bit more leeway with food. By losing fat and building a little more muscle you can do this (I am not some sales rep for a muscle supplement pill or anything like that BTW . It is shocking how exercise you need to do to really burn calories. And also, as mentioned below, efforts sessions are much more effective at calorie burning than just maintaining one pace for 25 minutes. An efforts session will mean your body burns more calories for some time after you have finished too. Unfortunately, the most effective exercise for this sort of thing (efforts and strength training) should also feel pretty uncomfortable tbh - really pushing yourself in your cardio and strength sessions. (Unless you have some sort of medical issues.)

i am also going to cut out my nightly glass or two of red wine. That should help too shouldn'tit? What do you mean by efforts sessions? do you mean exercise where you hurt and sweat? Cardio LB&T defo makes me feel the burn and work up a sweat. Does it generally take time for the results of your efforts to kick in? Still puzzled as to why I am gaining weight ech week. Am gonna really be care ful what I eat. YOu lot are helping me understand this so well. Thanks

The wine will have around 200-250 cals a glass. That is the same as 3 eggs, or 2-3 slices of bread, or 4 apples. so 2 glasses could be 500 cals- equivalent to a meal of say a cheese omelette and a salad- just to give you an idea- or even a bar of choc.

Spend some time writing down everything you eat for 3 -5 days. There are things online which show you how many cals are in everything!

Dried apricots can be- I thnik- 50 cals each!

You might also want to look at portion size. Most people eat too many carbs- rice, potatoes, pasta etc- the recommended portion is the size of the palm of your hand- not half the plate.

Just examples.

amelia - blimey! that is 3500 per week! Defo stopping that then. I don't actually know why I drink each evening anyway. Habit i guess. I have half a bottle of wine left. When tha tis finished in a couple of nights I won't buy any more. Maybe just at weekends

50 cals per apricot . Bloody hell! I thought they were a health food! Good for digestion. I don;t think there is basically anything wrong wiht my dinners/lunches. They are always balanced and freshly cooked so not ready meals etc. We have the usual weekly treats, pizza on friday etc but that has not changed for an eternity! And we are not enormous eaters and certainly don't subscribe to lardy, fried meals or pies and chips etc. I think it is probably the 'grazing' and underestimating how mamy calories in snack foods etc. This is enormously eye opening! How do you know so much?!

Sad but true, booze has loads of calories. I also always weigh rice/pasta and take at least 20/30% off what the packet recommends as a portion size. Bulk it out with lean protein and veg/salad. I do, however, have a slice of cake everyday!! (But I run, so that is my treat...)

If you like wine - why not limit yourself to one bottle a week? Thats fine glasses a week instead of 7-14

i still donlt understand why all the things I hve been eating/drinking for ages have suddenly caused me to gain weight. I am not doing anything differently - at least I don't think I am. apart form exercising more

Probably because your metabolism has slowed. Although it is always worth checking with your GP just in case anything lese could be behind it.

LOL- how do I know so much? probably because I am small and only have to look at food to gain weight! I was a chubby teen and never again.

I have noticed that over the last few years it is increasingly hard to shift a few pounds- I could shift 4lbs in a couple of weeks- now it can take double that. I'm also an avid label reader whever I buy any food- just out of curiosity!

notyummy - I think i need to steal your name .

Allergic- don't be so hard on yourself! You are still slim and fit- you may have put on a little, but are at a weight that many people would aspire to be. The name is supposed to be a reaction to the whole 'yummy mummy' stereotype where women are scrutinised and expected to look good all the time- not being down on myself!

notyummy - I have just peeped at your pics - you are very definitely a yummy mummy! I used to be like that . I still look good......for my age.....so I am told. but I feel lardy and bleurgh! I am going to ditch the scales for a week and see how I get on next Monday

Thanks for the compliment. Good idea re the scales- perhaps focus on the healthier eating and exercise and try measuring instead? Some of the ladies on the exercise threads get good morale boosts that way!

8.13lb's today

Thought you were ditching the scales?!