Weight Gain – Am I eating enough?

This topic contains -5 replies, has 3 voices, and was last updated by timmothysmith01 1 year, 8 months ago.

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LuBLu

10:05 am
30 Oct 20
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Crazy question really?
I have been on 5:2 for 8 years, initially losing a stone – very happy!

I had to continue the 5:2 to maintain the loss although the 500 cals was fairly loose.

I researched more into fasting and nutrition, went to seminars etc and decided to fast more often – usually 12 – 16 hours each day.
I tend to avoid potatoes, bread and pasta most of the time and generally eat fresh fruit, veg, soy yoghurt, nuts and seeds.
I am a grazer from about 11am but do graze on the good stuff.

Recently, I have put on a few pounds and don’t want this 4 lbs to turn into 8 but I’m struggling to see how I can eat less which bodes the question:
Am I eating enough?

Every part of me thinks that the less calories you eat – the more weight you lose. How can anything else be true? But I have started to wonder if I have messed up my metabolism by being quite restrictive.

I exercise daily with yoga or dance, and walking. I have re-introduced some HIT and dance again to shake things up.

I’m 48, peri-menopausal and on HRT to protect my health and bones.
I drink around 2 litres of water a day and 1 black coffee.
I am much less restrictive with my eating at the weekend as I find if I am too strict, I can be inclined to eat until too full.

I am also conscious that my digestion is slower too – even with all the fruit, veg and high vitamin C intake. Is this linked to my metabolism?

I am not overly stressed – although I have had to re-apply for my job recently and am waiting for the outcome.
I sleep pretty well for over 7 hours a night.

Something has changed and I dont know how to get back on track to lose these 4lbs before they double.

Would really appreciate your thoughts.
Thanks so much and apologies for the long post!

Amazon

11:16 am
30 Oct 20
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Hi,

The straightforward answer is if you are gaining weight you are eating more than your body requires however it’s possible hormones are contributing to your gain and there’s not much you can do about that.

The most important thing to do is work out your TDEE if you don’t know it by using the link in the resources tab.
I suggest selecting sedentary for this as how much exercise we do is very subjective and it also contributes far less to weight loss than we like to think.

The next thing to do is count your calories for a couple of weeks, every day and everything you eat or drink. I see you tend to graze on nuts and seeds and I think you might be surprised to see how many calories you consume once you weigh and measure them.
I know this sounds tedious but it might be all you need to solve your problem.

Good luck.

LuBLu

1:12 pm
30 Oct 20
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Thanks so much for your reply.
I had wondered about the nuts and seeds. I do have several everyday as the yare good source of protein and nutrients but perhaps I’m overdoing it!

I have no idea what a TDEE is but I’ll go on a search!

Damn hormones – they do get in the way and enforce yet more changes when things were working perfectly okay before!!!

Amazon

1:21 pm
30 Oct 20
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TDEE is the maximum amount of calories you should consume per day and it can be calculated by clicking on resources and selecting BMI calculator.

At least your hormonal issues are temporary.

timmothysmith01

2:10 pm
29 Mar 23
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Unintentional weight gain can be attributed to a variety of circumstances. A few habits that can raise your risk of weight gain include getting insufficient sleep, engaging in too many sedentary activities, and consuming too many processed or sugary meals.