Can anyone explain to me where I’m going wrong please?

[StudentHelp]

I piled on the weight due to a medication I was taking for my migraines. I’m talking 3 stone in around 5 months and a combination of not moving as much (due to pain), eating more comfort food and being engrossed in studies ended up with me at 188lbs. I was going to the gym still but usually only 3 times a week and would often struggle with long walks as I’d be knackered by the afternoon due to the meds so I’ve stopped them.

I started taking the gym more seriously in from November through to January and lost around 12lbs going 5-6 times a week, I was sometimes burning 900 calories and sometimes only 200 but I was going and that was the main thing. I was also walking to/from uni (3 miles) when the weather permitted.

Anyway, fast forward to lockdown and 2 weeks ago I weighed in at 180lb which upset me so I upped the workouts and continued counting all calories. MFP recommended 1340 to lose weight and I’ve been eating around 1600-2000 but making sure I burn atleast an extra 4000 calories through workouts each week so I’ve been earning them back, I think? This is not including a daily walk.

I’m getting stronger and more toned, moving up the resistance bands I’m using and doing more sets of exercises but I’ve weighed myself today and I’m 182lb. Is it because I had clothes, Apple Watch etc on and I’ve drank 2 litres of water already? Should I re-weigh myself in the morning before eating? Are the calculations made by my watch wildly out and I’m over eating?

I just feel like no matter what I do I’ll always be heavy. My BMI is almost 27. I’m 5 foot 9 and my clothes are getting loose (I still fit into a size 10-12 jeans but my busy is 32HH so top size varies) but I’m just not shifting the weight, and I should be, because I’m overweight!

I’m not in denial, I am weighing everything, the butter on a bagel, any oats I use, my veggies, any dipping sauces, everything!

What else can I do?

[I0NA]

The internet is full of recipes for vegetable based meals. How long have you been vegetarian ?

How do you get your protein ?

Do you have bladder stones ? They are quite rare in a 21 year old.

Do you have a history of eating disorders ?

[StudentHelp]

@SimonJT

I don't drink coffee or any hot drinks.

Today I've had half a bagel with vitalite spread and a protein shake at around 8am and I haven't had anything since.

I think I have chocolate most days because it's a 'safe food'.When I was much younger, I'd often stop eating due to feeling overloaded when being asked to eat things I felt I couldn't. I aim to try 3 new foods every week but I find it really stressful and the chocolate feels safe, I guess.

[I0NA]

How can you drink protein shakes if you don’t like wet food?

Sorry to ask so many questions but I’m a bit confused .

[SimonJT]

No fruit? Why does she think that, I’m a type one diabetic who loves the gym/exercise, I eat a lot of fruit and I hover around 12% body fat.

I’m also a vegetarian and I don’t consume any dairy, below is todays menu, I’m a six foot man so I won’t post quantities as I will obviously need a bit more than you.

Breakfast
Banana
Porridge (made with water) with mixed chopped nuts.
Protein shake made with water

Lunch
Egg noodles
Green beans
Edamame beans
Onion
Carrots
Cabbage
Bean sprouts
Okra
Peas
Spinach
Peppers
Courgette
Chopped boiled eggs (four)
Nectarine for ‘afters’

Dinner will be
Brown rice
Cauliflower
Chic peas
Spinach
Green lentils
Onion

Pudding
Apple, strawberries, raspberries and blueberries with a sprinkle of oats and dairy free yoghurt.

If I can eat it as a type one diabetic then you can eat three portions of fruit as well.

[StudentHelp]

@I0NA
I've been veggie since I was 6. My parents didn't like it though so I just mostly refused to eat anything that had meat in.
I don't have bladder stones, I was saying I often have veg in for the guinea pigs, and is there any nutritional value from eating spinach and kale together for example (which I wouldn't feed to the pigs).

I struggle to find recipes online as lots are soups/curries etc or work out expensive when making for a single person.

[PARunnerGirl]

Oh OP you sound despondent! Please don’t be! I honestly think you are on the right track and maybe just need a bit more time.

I lost 35lbs and I can tell you what worked for me. Everyone is different but I think the basic premise is the same.

I didn’t really start losing weight at a decent rate until I properly started sweating during my workouts. Like out of breath, couldn’t hold a conversation, feel a bit sick type of interval training. I’m not sure if that’s an option for you due to the migraines? If it is, I’m sure you’d find plenty of high intensity YouTube classes.

I can eat carbs no problem but sugar is an issue for me and so I cut that out. Basic meal plan ideas:

B:

• two eggs/ one slice toast with avocado
  
• 45g no sugar muesli with one piece of fruit, nut milk and 2 tbsp Greek yoghurt
  

-80g lentils or cannelini beans in passata with herbs on one slice toast with some raw spinach

L:

• Wrap with guacamole, salad and chicken, lentils or beans
  
• Quinoa, feta (20g) and chickpea salad
  

-Pasta, grilled tomato, spinach butter bean salad

D:

• Grilled fish or tofu tacos
  

-Spaghetti and prawns
-Tofu stir fry

• mushroom and tomato omelette with sugar snap pea/ red pepper/ spring onion/ spinach salad
  

I also usually snack twice a day. Things like plain yoghurt and fruit, an apple with some peanut butter or ryvitas spread with cottage cheese and vegetables.

At the weekend all bets are off and I pretty much eat what I like. When I was actively losing, I still allowed myself to relax a little at the weekend.

I hope some of this helps, but I honestly think you are doing the right things.

Lastly, as a fellow migraine sufferer I sympathise. Did they put you on the daily tablet? That made my sister gain weight. They gave me Zolmitriptan to take when I get the visual aura and most of the time it stops the headache coming (not always).

[StudentHelp]

@I0NA
Because I always make sure it's smooth. It's any lumps I dislike so I won't eat mashed potato for example as it makes me vomit.

@SimonJT
She's had issues around food in the past.
Thank you, I'd eat most the veg from your list, I just never know what to 'do' with them.

[SimonJT]

PITQ have some good recipes, they can all be easily altered to be veggie and more veg can be added/exchanged for other veg.

drive.google.com/file/d/1WPKxcyJ79CdM-LybXA9akE3opkIin6Ka/view

[StudentHelp]

@PARunnerGirl
Yes, a daily tablet that made me exhausted all the time. I'm trying some other things now like the daith piercing and accupuncture as I'd get a bad headache every day, real migraines at least once a week.

Thank you! That's really helpful to see pasta etc is okay as I buy all this veg and just seem to have no idea what to do with it. So pasta with kale and pine nuts etc is okay? You hear you should have different colours etc but I just don't know which veg has better nutrients etc, maybe it's something I need to look up when I have time.

[SimonJT]

PITQ have also done a free at home workout guide.
I do use PITQ but have zero financial gain etc for passing the recipe book/workout link

aw15e20a.aweberpages.com/p/f16fdac2-0bb2-4a15-afcb-f1300d73eb97

[CharlotteCollinsneeLucas]

You get the best nutrients from eating a range of veg rather than targeting specific ones.

[StudentHelp]

@SimonJT
That's great, thank you! I'll have a look.

I sometimes make courgette fritters with pepper, carrots added into them but I never know if I'm doing things right or if they're unhealthy due to being cooked in oil.

My parents are in their 60s and 70s and don't eat very healthily so I feel like i never learned how to. They let me have mostly I wanted due to my sensory issues and some health issues I had when I was younger.

I feel like food probably is the issue and I just need guidance but I just feel so shitty as I have all these foods I 'can't' eat. I will physically vomit so I feel like I'm not just being stupid but I also know it's not an allergy or intolerance so I should just be able to get over it but I can't.

I'm going to try yoghurt again with some museli.

I should be writing a literature review for uni but instead I'm sat crying about everything.

[PARunnerGirl]

If you are weighing your pasta I think it is absolutely fine I go with 40g dried pasta at lunch and 80g at dinner. I throw in all kids of veggies and fats (nuts, avocado, cheese- again weighed) but will always make sure I get a decent amount of protein (eggs, beans, lentils, tofu, fish or meat- I know some of these you won’t eat) in there too. Without it, I get hungry really quickly and will inevitably end up reaching for more carbs/ sugar.

[StudentHelp]

I will eat veg but tend to lean towards things I can eat by themselves as I used to hate things touching. It was thought I had autism or some sort of sensory processing disorder when I was at school but my parents resisted getting me tested as they thought it would only hold me back.

I will eat carrots, but usually just as carrot sticks, for example. But I've tried to incorporate it into a meal more instead of just eating it by itself.

[CharlotteCollinsneeLucas]

It's more important to eat the veg rather than avoid it because of worries about the "best" way to eat it.

[CharlotteCollinsneeLucas]

Sorry, what I mean is, if eating fritters means you're eating those veg and enjoying them, then go for it!

[I0NA]

You need to pay as much attention to your own nutrition as you do to your guinea pigs’.

If you have been vegetarian for all your adult life then you need to find a good range of healthy meals that you can cook and eat, taking account of your sensory issues.

Lock down is the perfect time to do this. You have plenty time for research and practice and I’m sure your parents will appreciate your making some meals.

You can roast various veg. Kale is delicious and crispy .

If you can eat soups and curries then you can make a big pot and freeze them - do you think that every single person in the Uk eats junk food because it’s too expensive to cook ?

When you are back at university you can buy prepared packs of stir fry veg and add seasoning and tofu . Takes 5 mins.

You can get bags of frozen pre prepared vegetables and just use what you need, so you don’t need to chop half an onion.

[StudentHelp]

@I0NA
I cook every day at university as my boyfriend is there so we do half the chopping each.
My parents refuse to eat meals without meat so that's why I'm cooking only for myself and probably why I'm finding it harder right now as my boyfriend isn't helping with meal planning.

I can't eat soups or curries. Also my student loan is due in just under 2 weeks hence why I'm needing something a bit cheaper right now.

I also wanted to try new things which is why I'm looking for ideas.

[StudentHelp]

I'm going to have a look at the recipes @SimonJT suggested and try to pick a few out I can try.

I brought back as much as I could from uni so have loads of nut butters, pine nuts, actual hazelnuts, cashews, protein powder.

[I0NA]

Stop trying to force yourself to eat food that makes you ill. There’s no need.

If you can eat peppers, carrots, kale and courgettes, then experiment with different ways of cooking each of them that work for you.

Soups, stews, stir fry. Grated into dishes. Raw with dips like hummus.

Can you eat broccoli and cauliflower ?

What about Veg curry with cauliflower rice. Cauliflower rice made into a pizza base with toppings, pasta sauce with courgettes ( ribbons just lightly cooked are still crunchy ).

Salads with loads of lovely toppings, like avocado and walnuts.

If you can eat hallumi ( which is quite rubbery ) , try some other cheeses.

Do you eat pulses ?

[I0NA]

I see your Parents prefer meat. So Make a veg curry / soup / stir fry / pasta dish for you and add meat to theirs.

Surely you can use the food in their fridge if you are living there ?

Do you get your student loan monthly or every term ?

[StudentHelp]

@I0NA
I can eat broccoli and cauliflower although I am not keen on cauliflower but haven't tried it for a few years so will try it again!
I've seen recipes using courgette instead of the pasta which I'd like to try.

I also used to eat pine nut pasta salad quite often with basil, rocket, tomatoes, pine nuts and pasta but it had a dressing with oil and balsamic vinegar in it and I wasn't sure whether that was offsetting any goodness of the veg? As I know some people cover salads in dressing and add hundreds of calories that way.

Some 'wetter' foods I can eat and others I can't so pasta sauce I'm okay with if it's a smooth paste type of consistency or liquidy (oil based) but I can't seem to cope with anything soup-like. I think I cope with pasta sauce as I often don't eat a lot of the sauce, usually just a light coating.

I'd sometimes have a tortilla pizza with homemade sauce with veg blended and mozarella on top. If I swapped the tortilla to wholemeal would that be a healthy meal?


I feel like I'm all or nothing; plain veg and protein sources without anything 'bad' or full carbs with little nutrition. I struggle to get it down the middle as a balance.

In terms of cheese I like halloumi, mozzarella, veggie Parmesan. I've had feta a few times.

[StudentHelp]

I get my student loan every term.
I buy all my food myself when I'm home as they both get their pension now as I think that's only fair, especially with having 5 guinea pigs that not only need feeding, but take up half of my room and the spare room. I usually cook some stuff with my sister who's in her 30s and also veggie but I can't see her now due to lockdown.

[I0NA]

I’d make pizza with a cauliflower base, as I eat low carb high fat, as I’m trying to lose weight.

It sounds like you can eat quite a good range of veg, you just need to try more recipes. There’s so many options out there!

Some people like butternut squash ribbons too, as well as courgette.

What you you think is “ wrong “ with balsamic vinegar and olive oil ??? If you are calories counting then you do need to watch oil but I don’t know of any type of weight loss diet that restricts vinegar ? And LCHF encourages olive oil, I have lots.

Honestly you do need to lean a lot more about nutrition. I say that kindly.

[StudentHelp]

I really appreciate everyone's help and I will look at any links and ideas suggested. I'm off to try and do some work though as I've worked myself up into a state and the stress from that won't be helping either :(

And typically, I'm developing a headache. We knew they were stress related anyway but I've been better recently and feel like everything's just hit me today. I thought I was feeling down about my weight and diet but it's probably everything all rolled into 1.

I'm going to do some work, walk the dog, then look at 5 new meals to try this next week and I'll go shopping tomorrow and tomorrow I'll get up and do a workout.

Sorry, I feel like I'm thinking out loud on the thread but I like to have a routine and set plan for everything as it makes me feel better. I think that's another reason I often eat the same meals, I like the familiarity.

God, I sound so pathetic and fucked up.
Thanks again