Oh Hello Weight Gain

theredletter

Hi all

sorry to be doing this here - I know a lot of people come here in relation to this so I will try and get to the point quickly.

I'm around 5 9-5 10 and currently weigh 13stone (male - 29). A few years ago I weighed more like 15stone and was incredibly unhappy with myself. I decided to go strict on diet and managed to lose around 2 stone or so through a Low GI diet. I stayed away from beer (spirits only) and was incredibly strict with treats/cakes/ice cream etc. This became a bit obsessive and I know that my friends were eye-rolling an awful lot... I also felt like it was becoming a bit of a mental issue.

I then added in running and managed to get down to around 11 stone or so. I worked my way towards a half marathon and completed it in a grand time 2 years ago.

I am now back to 13stone and am scared that I will go back to even 15. I feel like I can see it in my face particularly and clothes that I had from last summer are no longer fitting (most things are fine except from 1-2 pairs of shorts). I was injured from running so I haven't been doing half marathons but this is my general diet and exercise regime:

Diet

Breakfast: small bowl of porridge with low fat milk
Snack: small apple and yoghurt
Lunch: salad with chicken, bit of cheese and bit of dressing
Dinner: something low gi (favorites would be chili with no rice, spag bol with small amount of pasta, chicken stir fries etc).
Night Snack: pistacio nuts (maybe a half cup... I know... being honest) or corn cakes with hummus, corn cakes with some cheese, sometimes I'd go mad at night and have 3/4 corn cakes and a yoghurt and then some nuts.

Weekend diet would be a bit more all over the place. I might eat out a bit more but it'd be low gi (e.g. a burrito bowl or a salad/ wrap). I'm cutting down on pints and trying to drink an odd vod and sparkling water but still prob drinking a lot of pints (something that I was doing at my smallest which was never a prob). My big issue is being in a relationship now which means I am being handed food by OH's mother the odd time or he'd bring over treats and I would go for it. This isn't something that's very frequent but it's definitely a bit more frequent than usual.

Exercise has been tough with the injury but I would at least do 2 x 5ks and a 10k a week on average (or strive to get to that). I sit at a desk all day so I try to keep this up. My injury is alogn my leg due to a weak core apparently. I have been doing lunges, plans, side planks a few times a week to get going.

Looking above it seems that it's clear that my caloric intake has gone up and my exercise has gone down... but it's not drastic and I feel like even a year ago I was pretty much in the same place and it wasn't piling on like it is now. I feel like it's affecting my head a bit and that I am really concerned I'll go back to where I was as I was deeply unhappy with myself.

I am not keen on gyms as I am badly coordinated but if anyone has any advice generally this would be great. Sorry for the length but any advice would be great. Am considering joinging Slimming World..

Thanks
R

SozBbz

Two comments.

You mention a "bit of cheese" and a "bit of dressing", but these are the elements of an otherwise healthy diet that are likely causing your calorie intake to go up if not measured and recorded. Hummus is also quite high in calories (even though its a nutritious food) so as a regular snack it might not be the best option. Also, what sort of yogurt are you eating?

Exercise wise, just because you can't run doesnt mean that there arent other forms of exercise open to you. Not that it would be great for weightloss exactly, but Pilates is great for core strength and could help as you return from injury. I hurt by back last year (also had weak core) and thats how I started to get stronger. I now to go small group training 3x per week where we lift weights etc and I'm in much better shape than I ever was before I injured myself.

I do Slimming world. You might even be able to eat more than your eating as the plan is based on being able to feel full, although things that are off plan need to be weighed and measured, so you'd be limiting your cheese and needing to be careful around your choice of salad dressing, and eating nuts etc. You get a small amount of leeway each day (syns) but its up to you how you allocate them. You're also given a fiber and dairy allowance daily.

Theres a SW thread here somewhere also, might be useful to see how other Boardsies are getting on with it? I know there are posters in this forum who don't rate it but it works for a lot of people.

Rekop dog

The best advice you could get is to completely dismiss the above advice. Anyone championing slimming world should be laughed off.

SozBbz

Rekop dog wrote: »

The best advice you could get is to completely dismiss the above advice. Anyone championing slimming world should be laughed off.

In what way am I championing Slimming World? The OP mentioned it in his post and I explained the plan to a very basic extent.

Your post is nothing but offensive drivel and does nothing to help the OP.

jive

If you kicked the pistachios (extremely calorie dense) and ate what you listed every day you would achieve your goal. You can avoid treats and you can avoid pints or at least limit these, next time you have the option just think what would you rather - be overweight or decline the pints/treats for a couple of months and be happier/healthier.

Your diet is decent, don't sweat the small things that people will inevitably pick apart here. Stay consistent with the food you listed and try to build on what you are doing exercise wise - the key will be limiting your pint intake and treats. Eat your OH's food, it won't be particularly detrimental.

If you decline sweets and someone eye rolls fúck them, I'd rather decline calorie dense shíte and lose weight than eat it when I know I won't even enjoy it because it's stopping me reaching my goal weight. It's of no relevance to anyone else what you put in your mouth.

TL;DR: Kick the pistachios, keep doing what you're doing, be more consistent at weekends.

Keep it civil please. I don't want to see any more of that kind of nastiness

theredletter

jive wrote: »

TL;DR: Kick the pistachios, keep doing what you're doing, be more consistent at weekends.

Right, gonna kick the nuts, the hummus, limit cheese and get back on this! You're right, I shouldn't care.. but god I do love a pint (don't we all!). Hop house 13 has been the death of me to be fair. I wasn't a big beer drinker til that came along...

I will weigh in every Thursday and maybe use this as a bit of an infrequent blog (mods let me know if this isn't cool). Thankfully I can still fit into most 32 trousers so let's hope I can get back a bit and learn to live without HH13!

Another issue is my blood pressure. I'm not looking for medical advice but basically I have low BP (due to activity - resting BPM might be 56) so I started eating pistacios (so hard to spell) purely for the salt. Bad idea but I was bascially faint a good bit.

Thanks for the advice and the derailing of the convo into SW shaming!!

R

dev100

Download myfitness pal you can upload your food intake and it'll give you a rough give to your calorific intake. Don't take it as 100% accurate but it's a good guide. There's nothing wrong with eating 3 or 4 good solid meals every day. It's the snacking on the nuts and the treats and stuff that's killing ya.

Unless your burning the calories push the nuts away or have a very small amount as a treat.


If you are doing the one type of training ie doing the same route at the same speed every week your body gets used to it and adjusts for it. So mix up your training with tempo and distances and what not. It ll help you burn calories

theredletter

dev100 wrote: »

Download myfitness pal you can upload your food intake and it'll give you a rough give to your calorific intake. Don't take it as 100% accurate but it's a good guide. There's nothing wrong with eating 3 or 4 good solid meals every day. It's the snacking on the nuts and the treats and stuff that's killing ya.

Unless your burning the calories push the nuts away or have a very small amount as a treat.


If you are doing the one type of training ie doing the same route at the same speed every week your body gets used to it and adjusts for it. So mix up your training with tempo and distances and what not. It ll help you burn calories

Great idea in terms of myfitness pal but I think it can lead to a bit of obsessiveness... I did it for a few days recently and it was around 1500 or so per day. A friend thinks I'm not eating enough. I also was training for a full marathon recently and felt the weight was starting to pile on though I was running 40k or so a week with intrevals included. I'll figure it out I'm sure but this is all good advice.

cmyk

theredletter wrote: »

Great idea in terms of myfitness pal but I think it can lead to a bit of obsessiveness... I did it for a few days recently and it was around 1500 or so per day. A friend thinks I'm not eating enough. I also was training for a full marathon recently and felt the weight was starting to pile on though I was running 40k or so a week with intrevals included. I'll figure it out I'm sure but this is all good advice.

You could argue that most popular dieting strategies have the potential to become obsessive, especially those that restrict or demonise certain foods or food groups.

I'd certainly have your calories a little higher than 1500 daily, but I'm always skeptical of people who say they are eating that low with any consistency. (for several reasons, not because I think you're lying per se)

You mentioned awareness in change of your energy balance has led to the increase in weight. I believe the best way to control that is to 'learn' where the bulk of your excess calories are coming from and illicit small changes to get you back down, be that with MFP or just a simple food diary.

theredletter

cmyk wrote: »

You could argue that most popular dieting strategies have the potential to become obsessive, especially those that restrict or demonise certain foods or food groups.

I'd certainly have your calories a little higher than 1500 daily, but I'm always skeptical of people who say they are eating that low with any consistency. (for several reasons, not because I think you're lying per se)

You mentioned awareness in change of your energy balance has led to the increase in weight. I believe the best way to control that is to 'learn' where the bulk of your excess calories are coming from and illicit small changes to get you back down, be that with MFP or just a simple food diary.

I think that the main issue is night eating and pints to be honest. I'm grand during the day but it's when 10 or so hits that's when I eat a bit more than I should!

sumsar

theredletter wrote: »

I think that the main issue is night eating and pints to be honest. I'm grand during the day but it's when 10 or so hits that's when I eat a bit more than I should!

I'm pretty much the same as yourself... my heaviest was 17st 11, my lightest 12 st, current weight 14st (+ / - 2 pounds depending on if I drank or not!).

I jog pretty much the same amount as yourself and do other weight training too.

My issue is the exact same too, night eating and pints.. whether the night eating is popcorn during a movie once a week or whether it's nuts or dark chocolate etc..

We both have same description imo so will follow this thread for ideas and what not... good luck.

theredletter

sumsar wrote: »

I'm pretty much the same as yourself... my heaviest was 17st 11, my lightest 12 st, current weight 14st (+ / - 2 pounds depending on if I drank or not!).

I jog pretty much the same amount as yourself and do other weight training too.

My issue is the exact same too, night eating and pints.. whether the night eating is popcorn during a movie once a week or whether it's nuts or dark chocolate etc..

We both have same description imo so will follow this thread for ideas and what not... good luck.

Seems like we're both probably going for the so-called healthy options at night as cheats...

Macy0161

I haven't managed to move away from tracking on myfitnesspal, maybe it is a bit obsessive and not that mentally healthy, but I have stayed at maintenance. I do also use it to track my protein intake as well, but I think that is partly to justify it to other people.

My own approach is to track during the week and then not stress it too much at the weekend. I do try not to go too mad Friday evening to Sunday, but always kept my Friday beers going even during weight loss.

Is 1500 including the hophouse 13/ Pints? I don't drink it, but the beers I drink would all be in and around 200 calories a pint. Also, imo, myfitnesspal only really works if you're making sure you're selecting an option with right details, and weighing. I guestimate more now in maintenance, but I don't believe it's as near as accurate.

theredletter

Macy0161 wrote: »

I haven't managed to move away from tracking on myfitnesspal, maybe it is a bit obsessive and not that mentally healthy, but I have stayed at maintenance. I do also use it to track my protein intake as well, but I think that is partly to justify it to other people.

My own approach is to track during the week and then not stress it too much at the weekend. I do try not to go too mad Friday evening to Sunday, but always kept my Friday beers going even during weight loss.

Is 1500 including the hophouse 13/ Pints? I don't drink it, but the beers I drink would all be in and around 200 calories a pint. Also, imo, myfitnesspal only really works if you're making sure you're selecting an option with right details, and weighing. I guestimate more now in maintenance, but I don't believe it's as near as accurate.

the 1500 would be a good weekday and not a weekend (the weekend I woulnd't have a notion nor would I want to know!!). What beers are 200 kcals a pint?!

Macy0161

theredletter wrote: »

the 1500 would be a good weekday and not a weekend (the weekend I woulnd't have a notion nor would I want to know!!). What beers are 200 kcals a pint?!

Guinness is 210 a pint, the ales I drink would be in around that (some more, some less). A pint of lager maybe a bit less, maybe 30-40 calories a pint, but I would expect a pint of anything alcoholic to be 160 a pint plus.

Macy0161

I'm just going to say, I'm not advocating dropping beers or anything. My approach (after years and years of "diets") was to try and make sustainable changes. Sustainable for me included things I liked, which might be considered "bad", which included beer. So I always kept beers as part of my plan. Just be aware of what they contain.

Beers were, and aren't, my problem. It's the drop in willpower and all the associated crap I get tempted by afterwards. That's still a work in progress - my reading suggests it's the sugar rush, and associated crash, and I haven't worked a strategy out, yet.

dev100

theredletter wrote:

Great idea in terms of myfitness pal but I think it can lead to a bit of obsessiveness... I did it for a few days recently and it was around 1500 or so per day. A friend thinks I'm not eating enough. I also was training for a full marathon recently and felt the weight was starting to pile on though I was running 40k or so a week with intrevals included. I'll figure it out I'm sure but this is all good advice.

It's simple mathematics really f you were in calorie deficit all the time you will loose weight. Basically if you burn more than your taking in thru a combo of exercise and eating food that's lower in cals than your maintain weight state then you will lose weight unless you have health issues

You could find your eating clean all week and then taking in excess calories say if you were out drinking takeaways treats it all adds up etc weight gain can be a slow gradual thing .

Ye your right being Ocd counting cals isn't ideal but every now and then it's worth keeping an eye on esp if your goal is weight loss . we sometimes only check when we are on a clean day best off checking when you are at your worst also and we do underestimate weights of foods etc. All these things add up unfortunately .

cmyk

theredletter wrote: »

the 1500 would be a good weekday and not a weekend (the weekend I woulnd't have a notion nor would I want to know!!). What beers are 200 kcals a pint?!

You might have answered your own question there. Psychologically we all switch off a little at the weekend and it's very very easy for things to unravel.

Hypothetically (and I reckon this is being pretty conservative from what I've seen). Let's estimate a typical night out...

8 Pints of Guinness (I doubt lager changes this figure too much) = 1700kcals
2 Bags of crisps in pub for snack = 380kcals
Burger and chip diversion on route home = 1200kcals

That's a very rough estimate of 3200kcals. That is before taking into account of any other 'soakage' you've consumed that day. Add to that the fact that no-one is waking up with a desire for chicken salads for breakfast and you're drifting into a second day of fighting cravings.

I usually illustrate this with the fact that most people are consuming an 8+ day week if that makes sense?

Caliden

It's the inevitable hangover and ****ty food the following day that's normally the problem.

Breakfast fry, crisps and then more than likely a takeaway of some variation with a fizzy drink.

Macy0161

8 pints? Those were the days...

Calories from the crips/ burgers/ chips probably more important to avoid than the pints from what I've read up on the subject.

theredletter

Thanks for the other comments, all! I actually don't eat too bad when hungover... maybe the odd time but nothing too mad! Worst I get is I might get a wrap from the deli with mayo/chicken/lettuce.. But still probably not good!

Zillah

I've never understood people planning ahead to have two snacks per day between meals. Would you not just restrict eating to your main meals and leave it at that? I can't imagine squeezing another mini-course in between breakfast and lunch, and I rarely have anything between dinner and sleep.

Get more veg into you. Just stuff yourself with high-fibre veg at each meal.

Bunny Colvin

Stats wise, I'd be in a similar enough boat to OP. Also, done a marathon last year and through apathy and injury, I've haven't been active in recent months and have definitely ate and drank beyond my means!

I want to lose just over a stone. I've chucked the booze in the last few weeks and I am now finally getting some discipline.

Currently, I'm using intermittent fasting, nutribullets and eating clean, as well as getting out for a run as often as I can. It's never the method that's the problem, always the mentality.

Pterosaur

Re people rolling their eyes, feic them and you can roll your eyes at them when you reach your goal and your grating cheese on your abs

Rough Sleeper

theredletter wrote: »

the 1500 would be a good weekday and not a weekend (the weekend I woulnd't have a notion nor would I want to know!!). What beers are 200 kcals a pint?!

Pretty much all of them. Look it up, dude.