Don't Starve! The Eat More to Weigh Less Group

[ShirleyKnot]

Hello!

OK, stemming from this thread I promised to start a thread to explain a little bit more about eating well and still losing weight.

I'll start by telling you about me because I love to talk about me

About 5 years ago (when I was 34) I went back to work full time, this time locally, in a sedentiary desk job. I drive to work everyday and was often far too busy lazy to do any exercise at all. My weight remained fairly static (At about 11 stones, I'm 5ft 7.5 and fairly chunky) for a good couple of years and then it started creeping up.

For the past two years I have skipped on and off WW, SW and I have tried low calorie diets, the lot. My weight has gone up to 12 stone 11 lbs at it's highest and I'm carrying it pretty much all over. My gut though TERRIBLE - It hangs over my knickers and in January my size 16 clothes were starting to strain.

Miserable ain't the word. It has affected my confidence (yes, honestly) and I know that at my age (39) it is only going to get harder to lose.

So, in January I started back on WW. I watched everything I ate, I thought about food compulsively, I went for walks in my lunch hour, and every weekend I fell off the wagon and stuffed my face. WHY? It makes no sense! I gobbled bread and cakes and biscuits and sweets like mad.

In April, after having lost and gained the same 7lbs over and over again I joined BIWI's Low Carb Bootcamp, and started upping my exercise at the gym (Doing classes mainly and swimming and I also started the Couch 2 5K) this is where it got weird...I stuck to the diet, it was pretty easy! I loved the food and didn't feel hungry at all - my endurance during exercise was affected but I thought I'd break through that barrier sooner or later. I watched as people on the thread lost masses of weight and I was completely stalled out. What? WHY IS THIS HAPPENING? I believe that during this time I was eating a good couple of thousand calories per day, plus exercising almost every day.

I left the group as I felt so fed up with not losing and limped back to my fitness pal, but decided to stick with the no crap (no white bread/pasta/rice, easy on the white potatoes, easy on the fruit) WOE. MFP gave me a calorie limit of 1,200 cals per day and I did this for a a few days before starting to feel rotten. I started looking around the MFP community pages and found the Eat More To Weigh Less Group and read every link, and lots of the discussion boards.

It was a lightbulb moment - WHY was I expecting my body to cope on less calories than it needs just to exist? WHYYYYY?

I started EMTWL on 16th May and have lost 1 lb. That doesn't really mean very much though, as the scales are FILTHY liars - but I have eaten very well and am losing inches consistently. Since I started eating more calories (I include BIWI's brilliant Bootcamp in this calculation) I have lost 4.5 inches from my waist and a good couple of inches from my hips, arse and bust. I have dropped a dress size.

OK. I'm going to post this essay and then I'm going to talk a bit about metabolic rate calculations and the sciency bits.

Hopefully, that's interesting as I've had continual infections (8 ) that I've caught from dds since Jan/Feb. I rook some fluoradix (?) in Feb which certainly helped but I've just been continually poorly, combined with rushing around and probably not eating enough.

I think my meals have been healthy, if too small, but I end up knackered and the eat crap buttery/sugary junk.
I haven't craved sugar at all atm.

Going to put my food into my diary on mfp and make some more refrigerator oatmeal for tomorrow & fri.

We used to do C25K but there's often not time. She's with her dad a couple of evenings straight after school and with my grandad another evening and by the time she comes home it's shower/bedtime. Combine that with her being at her dad's all weekend every other weekend, there are weeks when going out 3 times just isn't possible.

She does a lot of Just Dance, and tries to spend at least 20 minutes a day on the trampoline. She walks to school every day (only 15 mins) and walks home twice a week. Sometimes we Shred together, but not often enough.

Evening Thanks to those that have added me already - for those that haven't I am ceebee74 on MFP.

Right, I too need some high-protein snacks etc as I am definitely eating too many carbs. I need to buy some nuts as I love nuts but I am afraid that I will buy a bag of mixed nuts and eat the lot (and even on the number of cals I am allowed, that would still be a massive chunk of them ) Is yoghurt high-protein then? Do Muller corners count?

Thanks, Maryz. I have already stopped buying white bread, much to her fury :o And I think MFP will help her to see how important it is for health, not weight, as I always stress, to ensure that her diet is fewer carbs, more veg and protein.

Luckily she's not a fussy eater, so I know she'll always eat a good diet.

Oh Toby. I honestly meant no criticism in my post to you, sweetheart. I hate that we live in a society that places so much pressure on young girls to conform to an unhealthy and unrealistic ideal. It just so sad.

On a practical level, do you think she might be eating a lot when she is away from you? At her dad's for example?

I'm not sure about measuring BMR of a child to be honest - have you pumped her numbers in just out of interest?

Sorry Toby I was making assumptions. I just hate the thought of young girls fretting about weight and worrying about calorie intake, I guess it's a fine line between having them take responsibility for what they eat, and having them become compulsive about it.

Could she help with the family meal planning if you do it? Would she like trying to come up with a well balanced meal and maybe cook it?

My kids are 5 and 4 so am a bit clueless about older ones, and have to admit I find meal planning tedious as hell so tell me to shut up if it's a silly idea!

Shirley I just ate a bit more to get me nearer my total. Im embracing the eating! I am not eating the healthiest stuff though, we don't go shopping til Friday, should be better once we've restocked the fruit and veg...

Honestly, I took no criticism from anything anyone said, nor have I taken offence at anything :)

I know how it sounds. I'd probably say the same to anyone wondering if they should put their 11 year old on a diet healthy eating regime.

I must admit, I'm not sure how much she eats at her dad's, which is another reason I'm interested to see her food diary. I've just (after 5 years of him having the DC one evening a week) managed to get my grandad to stop giving them too much shite.

I haven't put her figures in, as I don't know how much she weighs. I'm wary about asking her, for the exact reason you're all giving -- because I don't want to make it A Thing. Same reason I haven't taken her to the dr.

Helping with the meal planning is a good idea. I love meal planning and cooking and so does she. But I don't involve her as much as I could. So I shall. Thanks!

In other news, today is not a gym day. I felt so motivated to be active that I went out into the garden and did some hardcore, sweat-inducing clearing and chopping. 150 calories burned :o

YY Maryz. I've already told her about the 40/30/30 carbs/fat/protein goal, and told her that that should be everyone's goal for their health. Salt is a good one to get her to watch.

I shall do that. Thanks.

Good idea Mmary!

I've put some of that refrigerator oatmeal (the chocolate banananananana one) in for tomorrow.

I didn't have any Greek yoghurt so added some extra hazelnut milk.

I AM SO EXCITED!

I've made that one for tomorrow too, Shirley. Did you put the recipe on MFP? It was already there when I went to add it. If so, thank you!

No! That wasn't me - I had to do a bastardisation of it because of the lack of Greek yoghurt.

Did you put chia seeds in?

God, what has happened to me. I used to come on MN all pissed up on red wine and be drunk fun. Now I'm all about flaxseed and chia seed and SUPPLEMENTS and water.

Oohh Shirley great minds I've made some strawberry/almond/vanilla oatmeal for tomorrow and some chocolate prune (don't like banana) for friday. Sampled some for taste purposes only . Looking forward to that one. I think even fussy 2yr old might manage chocolate oatmeal.

I keep getting closer to my target calories which keeps saying in 5 weeks you will weigh... more each time. I am ignoring.

I plan to weigh and measure only once a week to track generally. Other times I have lost weight have been through exercise and usually takes a while and then takes off. Inches more important.

I've used actual cocoa - I'm a committed home baker so always got some cocoa in

gosh i just skimmed in at target or over thanks to a pack of smoked mackeral-have you seen the calories? Phew.

Toby Im always really gratefull for my skinny dd as i can imagine what a challenge it must be to help them without creating a problem.
dd2 though is built more like me {fat arse} and i can imagine it wont be as easy.
Another thought is how about gradually reducing her portion size of all but fruit and veg by a tiny amount each week so she very slowly gets used to eating less. I reckon that would work. In fact i wish someone would do that for me

Ooh I was just looking at those recipes - am making a made-up strawberry and peanut butter one. I reckon chopped roasted hazelnuts would be a good thing to try as well - they'd go all soft overnight

Good call, I'll get off my arse next time!