lost weight but it's creeping back on - help!!!

[Beth1053]

Hi, I finally managed to lose a couple of stone and felt really great (at 9.5stone), but over the last 6 months it is creeping back on, so far about 9 pounds. I'm not eating any more or exercising less but it is like my body just wants to be back at 11.5 stone but I don't!!! Getting really down about this. Is anyone else stuggling with this or have any advice?

What food do you eat, whats a typical day? How did you lose the weight (ie what diet did you do)

How often do you weigh yourself (ie have you just noticed?)

are you sure you are not eating differently - it's best to write it down - or use something like myfitnesspal on the web or APP - it'll tell you where you may be going wrong.

I have been calorie counting (1000-1200 a day). I'll try writing everything down and see if that helps, thanks!

1000 seems very low! It could be that your body is grabbing every calorie and fat gram it can because its thinks its in a famine!

What are you eating?

1000-1200 calories is low, and if you are gaining on that your body is probably in starvation mode.

Jillian Michaels deals with this in her book: "Mastering Your Metabolism
link

Once you have set out a typical days food (include diet drinks and coffee) I'll comment further.

I'm embarrassed to say what I eat because I know my pattern of eating is not good, I don't eat until about 4pm though have coffee and diet drinks before then (if I eat earlier, I just get hungry all day and i like storing up my calories). Then I have a huge salad with some prawns and for dinner have a bit of healthy family dinner with another huge salad. Then I have huge bowl of low cal jelly later on. Basically I like a big plate full so make it up with salad and more salad (with low-cal dressing)!! I also have treats of a little bit of chocolate and a glass or two of wine.

Cut the coffee.
Cut the diet drinks.
Cut down on the alcohol (maybe ok a couple of times a week).
Cut the processed food.
Cut the artificial sweetners (jelly)
Eat 3 meals and a snack, spread throughout the day, never go more than 4 hours without eating something nutritious.
Have protein at each meal/snack.
if you eat like that you can eat 1800 calories without gaining. More calories if you exercise.

You are gaining weight as your metabolism is out of whack due to the coffee / diet drinks, artificial sweetners, and eating only after 4pm.

Storing calories doesn't work, body is starving all morning so then when you do eat it gets stored as fat.

You must eat when hungry, and not suppress your hunger with diet drinks and coffee - I really recommend Jillian Michaels book.

If you cut the calories further to lose the weight you've gained, it will only be a matter of time before you'll be gaining on 800-1000 calories.

Better days eating:
Breakfast: 2 egg omelette with veggies or yoghurt, fruit & muesli - 250 cals.
Lunch: Prawn salad - 250 cals.
Snack: carrots and houmous. Or nuts. Or fruit and yoghurt - 150 cals. Or salad, as long as decent protein in other three meals.

Still leaves 450 for evening meal and 100 for snack. Once you are back at target should be able to increase up gradually to 1400/1600/1800 without gaining.

Another question when / how do you exercise and how does it fit in with the eating?

Many thanks for your very helpful suggestions, I've had a look at some of the preview pages on Amazon of the Jillian Michaels book, it all makes good sense so will try and give it a go (so different to my current eating so to be honest I don't know if I can do it) . About exericise, I tend to go for a fast walk with the dog late afternoon (5ish after my 4pm lunch). Any further advice much appreciated!

Totally agree with forever. Ditch the coffee/diet drinks/not eating til 4pm!!!! Your body has no clear idea of when it will eat and when you do feed it, it is getting lots of stimulants and chemicals. Sorry if that sounds harsh, I do not mean to be but you are setting yourself up for a big fall/fail here.

Jillian Michaels certainly knows her stuff but another one you can have a look at is Tosca Reno. She writes a series of books called 'The Eat Clean Diet' - there are a number of them in the series: the diet, two cookbooks, a workout manual and a workout journal etc etc. Really the only one you need to start is 'The Eat Clean Diet, Recharged'. It is about healthy eating and exercising - oats, egg whites and some whole eggs, chicken (or any lean protein), tons of veggies and some frui plus water, water,water!!!. Read it - it will show you how being healthy is about balance. She recommends not leaving more than 3-4 hours between eating so, inan average day, you have 5-6 small meals ... breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, snack (if necessary). When I say snack it is not a bag of crisps ... it is an apple with a tbsp of nut butter or some carrot sticks. It is healthy and filling.

You need to address your attitude to eating really. You are not eating enough of the right foods and not enough in total. You need to hydrate with water not diet drinks, cut the empty calories (alcohol etc) and get enough sleep - there are numerous studies that show sleep deprivation is a killer with regards to weightloss ... the stress hormone cortisol increases that this impairs weightloss.

Ideally, you also need to be a little more active. How long do you walk the dog for? That in itself is good exercise and you can easily turn it into a 40 minute power walk (over time ). Can you incorporate some weights as well? Maybe twice a week?

Agree with Roguepixie

The other thought I had was that the exercise you do (brisk walking) is not weight bearing, and so when you lost weight, you probably also lost muscle mass - its hard not to - can only really be avoided (minimised) with protein at every meal AND resistance training whilst dieting. This makes it easier to gain the weight afterwards as your body has less muscle than it had at the start.

Also do you get out of breath whilst walking? Could you incorporate some running?

Also if you have stuck to 1000-1200 really you should have lost more weight, because its well below maintenance level... also 1000-1200 is a very small amount of calories and to be well nourished on that you have to use calories very very wisely. There just isn't any space for alcohol or chocolate.

FWIW my original goal was 9.5 stone (I am 5 4), got down to 8.5 stone on the JM way of eating (also tried dukan), now have increased 1400 (and cheat at weekends) haven't gained weight. Plan to gradually increase to 1600-1700 ish. I did drink around 1-2 cans of diet drinks earlier in diet but have now ditched them.

The diet doesn't have to be so different to your current way of eating, prawn salad good lunch. Just need to add breakfast and cut diet drinks.

Thanks again for your suggestions. It has really helped to see your comments to make me realise how rubbish my eating patterns have become, I knew my eating was a bit strange but managed to convince myself it was OK. Even though I initially asked for help because I was gaining weight I think it is probably more important to get a healthy eating pattern back. I have ordered both books and hope to start little and regular meals soon though have to admit have failed miserably today.

Beth Well done on ordering the books. It takes time to change your way of eating, and I suggest weaning off diet coke and coffee slowly. My confession is that I was using diet coke / diet sprite as a crutch too until last month. Not every day, and generally only one can a day, but I recognised that I'd reached my target weight and I didn't want to be dependent long term.

I also increased my calorie allowance by 200 cals so allowing myself an extra couple of snacks each day. I'm not losing but so far not gaining either.

Start by having 3 meals with protein at each meal. Eat breakfast (eggs good) EVEN if you are NOT hungry. Same with lunch. You will eventually feel hungry at mealtimes.

This is another good book:
www.amazon.co.uk/Body-Fat-Solution-principles-Maintaining/dp/1583333738/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313599619&sr=8-1