how do you stop yourself making bad food choices?

[Turnippy]

I have been a reasonable weight most of my life until I got Long Covid a few years ago. I used to run and walk the dog and now I cannot do any physical exercise whatsoever. I can walk around 20 mins a day and that's it and because I need to pay the bills, I have to work so all my energy goes on being able to do my job.

I'm now only about 6kg overweight but all that weight has gone directly to my stomach and I've gone from a size 10 to a size 14 (upper size 14, some clothes feel v tight) and I'm noticeably tubby!

Because I'm not moving at all, I have to really reduce my calories and I'm finding this incredibly difficult. I've never been someone who feels full no matter what I eat but I think because I was exercising so much before, and I had a very active lifestyle, it didn't really matter. Also i was out and about a lot. Now I'm either sitting down at home or sitting down at work and it's FAR easier to snack. I've tried intermittent fasting and that works sometimes (I suspect mainly because it's limiting my calories) but I find it hard to keep up long term.

Does anyone have any tips?

I know it sounds trite, but not having snacks in the house helped me - or if I do, they're healthy ones. If biscuits and cakes are available I will eat them.

Can you swim? It really is a good alternative. You sound like you were such a fit physical person before. I find swimming boring but I just do it and surprisingly according to my Apple Watch it burns as much calories as weight training and spin (I do these too but I can’t do these consecutively). When I don’t feel like doing anything I go for a swim and I start off thinking I’ll just do 20 minutes but I often do 1 hour once I get chatting to people and into the swing of it.

Other than that fasting has helped all my slim friends maintain and lose weight. I’ve always been obese so I don’t have the same meagre calorie margins as they do.

I would love to swim but unfortunately I can't do anything physical yet as if I do, it makes me feel worse. It's very frustrating but I've learned to live with it. I was so active before and I can barely believe that my life is what it is now but I try to tell myself there are a lot of people worse off than me and at least I can still work. I'm impressed you swim for so long! Even when I was fit, I found swimming v tiring.

That's a good point about having snacks available. I am also the same - if there is nice food in the house, I will eat it! I never thought I had such a lack of willpower but it's definitely got worse!

I’ve stopped eating added sugar.
I’m a sugar addict and peri menopausal which has increased my appetite 10 fold. None of my clothes fitted me. I was around 3 stone heavier than I wanted to be - I’ve not been this big since being pregnant (I ate like a horse and had a baby in double lbs figures)
I felt huge and frumpy and hated it.
so…… I cut thé sugar out.
I can’t weigh myself atm (scales are in storage - don’t ask) but in only a month my weight has drastically dropped. Clothes fit now and I can even SEE the difference myself.

I don’t eat breakfast
lunch is usually soup and some protien (cold chicken or ham)

snacks are fruit, apples, Banannas, Grapes or raisins

Dinner - is pretty much whatever I want especially if I’ve missed lunch

dessert - frozen berries and yoghurt or cream

drinks are water or water infusions & peppermint tea.

that keeps me around 1600/1800 calories a day.

since cutting the sugar out my skin looks amazing, my bloating has gone, belly massively reduced and the cellulite that had crept on to my thighs is significantly reduced in only a month.

Couple of things working for me right now:

10-15 minute walking workouts on YouTube. I have 2 small children so gym/going out for exercise is restricted.
You could also try chair aerobics.

Sectioned plates to control my portions. 300 calories for breakfast, 500 for lunch/dinner which leaves 200 for snacking. I have 1500 budget each day. I allow myself something carby or treaty each meal but within my budget and balance out with cucumber sticks, boiled frozen mix veg (add chicken stock, salt and pepper....lovely!), boiled egg. Strawberries or other fruit/veg, breadsticks, poppadoms (30 cal ones).

I'm also weighing my food which really works for me mentally for some reason.

Every time I have tried to lose weight some thing has changed since the last time. So it does take time to find the right balance given your limits. Hope something works out for you soon xx

Just to add I have also seen 5 -10 min after meal walking workouts which are very gentle too.

My daily calorie consumption is about 2150. My recommended calorie intake is 1650. I eat 1500 as I find it enough and exercise to lose about 200 calories (5000 steps ish), I'm only taking in a net 1300, so I always stay in deficit. Its nice to know i have a little buffer too.

200 calories is apx 5000 steps I can achieve this easily without adding too much extra exercise to my day (basically walk for the morning school run atm).

You could work out something similar for yourself. I find it quite comforting knowing these numbers but I'm an accountant by nature!

I'll never give up chocolate so now I buy sharing bag of minstrels and i portion them out, say into thirds...and eat them over 3 days. Just popping them in a drawer and having one or two. I still get my chocolate fix but I'm not gorging. Banning foods just makes them call louder to you until u give in.

I have a bowl of fruit on the coffee table. So when I’m bored, watching TV, I dig into oranges, tangerines, grapes.
At work I take apples, I keep a small jar of almond butter in my locker, so if I feel like I need something, I chop an apple and have that with the almond butter.
I don’t eat anything till I finished my water bottle, so if I feel hungry, I’ll eat, but only after I finished my water.
I pre-portion my food. I have those glass containers with lids from IKEA, last night I made a pasta bake. I split the lot into those containers, when I get in, it’s all ready to go in the microwave/oven.
The coffee room at work always tins of roses, etc, so I tend to move my chair away from the table. Sometimes it’s hard though.
I have starters and main when I go out ,and split the desserts.

Have you checked your ferritin levels?

Long term ME sufferer here. I really get the problem of not being able to do ANY exercise. I had a big weight gain when I first got ME and then again after I was advised to reduce my physical activity by a physiotherapist, about 4 years ago. Now I’m on a medication which actively causes weight gain, which doesn’t help things.

My experience of these long term fatigue conditions is that you’re driven to eat in a ( fruitless) attempt to give yourself energy. It’s subconscious. I’ve just come across Paul McKenna’s approach which seems to be around not depriving yourself, but listening out for your signals that you’re full and don’t need to eat more. I’m going to follow this up.

There’s also a program in my area run by 2 nutritionists who are interested in low-carb . But they also offer a free support program for people with ME, Long Covid or Fibromyalgia which might be of interest to you. Feel free to PM me for details.

Thanks @Keepingongoing . I'm sure I have ME as I meet the criteria - I think the doctors just don't want to say it. And yes that's exactly what I'm doing - it's the eating for energy thing. My sympathies to you!

Yes ferritin all fine, thanks for checking. I went out and got some sugar snap peas today and I've left them in a bowl to try and tempt myself to snack on those rather than Yule log :).