I Need help.

[Laura89]

Hi, im 23 and a size 12. i got on the scales a couple of days ago and nearly had a heart attack! somehow ive crept up to 12 and a half stone. I eat salad, fruit and veg and very rarely eat junk food. Im a full time carer and im constantly on the move. I dont know whats gone wrong and i feel awful. Some help and advice would be much apprecaited x

[dieter01]

Hi Laura, I'm a carer too and am fairly active throughout the day so thought I had a pretty healthy lifestyle. I have found though that since I have started caring for someone who swims really well for an hour each week and walking more I am losing the weight quicker than when I was just relying on being on the move all day. I think it's important to try and exercise for at least 20 mins each time - enough to get your heart rate up so that your metabolism kicks in and starts burning the calories. It sounds like you eat healthily so maybe it's down to portion size? Maybe it would be useful to consult your doctor for advice?

[Laura89 in reply to dieter01]

Hi there, thank you for the advice. i downloaded the my fitness pal app on my phone and changed one of the tablets im on due to that having a side affect of weight gain and i have lost 5lb already. i also got promoted at work so ill be doing alot more running around x

[Laura89 in reply to dieter01]

Hi dieter01, thank you for your reply, i got attacked at work on the 6th january and have been off work since and in the 6 months ive been off i have put on another half a stone, i am totally disgusted with myself. i still eat reasonably healthy but depression set in a while back but thats getting better but its still no excuse for this awful weight gain. What sort of exercise do you reccommend? i cant afford to go to the gym/swimming ect so have to rely on things i can do at home. Many thanks again xxx

[gingernut49]

I lost the three stone I needed to on the 5:2 Diet after watching Michael Mosley's excellent Horizon programme in 2012, "Eat, Fast and Live Longer" (vimeo.com/54089463) and went from a size 16 to a size 10 by eating 500 calories two non-consecutive days a week. I've been maintaining my weight loss since May by just fasting one day a week - in the past I piled the weight back on as soon as I finished 'dieting'.

I'd heartily recommend you read Kate Harrison's book, "The 5:2 Diet" (tinyurl.com/qe6mz4u) - it really does work and it will save you a fortune (towards your smaller clothes!).

I'd also very much recommend a free app for your phone called MyFitnessPal. Counting calories is very important so you can see how much you're eating and therefore eat mindfully rather than mindlessly. There are excellent videos in the Help section on the app that show you how it works - there's even a barcode reader to scan in branded foods.

It's important you don't eat more than your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) on non-fasting days. You can work that out here fitnessfrog.com/calculators....

[Hidden]

Hi Laura,

Sadly - and a bit painfully too - I can guess what's "gone wrong"!

Sorry about this but, almost always the bit that's gone wrong is that you're eating more than you think.

It's very common, when people record what they eat, for them to under-record it, so keeping a food diary and being honest about it is really quite hard.

My advice to you is to keep a ruthlessly - even brutally - honest food diary where you record absoblutely E V E R Y T H I N G you eat/drink.

YES, that DOES include the sauces, gravies, toppings AND the wine, beer, lattes AND the take-aways AND the slyly snacked chocolates / sweets / cakes / biscuits.

What you eat at home, at work, travelling to and from, when socialising in the pub or at parties, etc., etc.

You see the starting point for weight loss is what (really and truthfully) you are eating at the moment. Once you really assess that, then you can start planning how to change your current eating habits - i.e. the ones that have made you overweight - into ones that will mean you lose weight and keep it off.

Yes, it does take a bit of commitment and a bit of effort, but it's well worth the effort.

Good luck with your weight loss efforts.

[Laura89 in reply to Hidden]

Hi there, thanks for your advice but i have to say i am totally 100% honest about what i eat. I HAVE to eat everything fresh as i have a severe nut allergy so cakes biscuits ect are totally off my menu as i cant risk eating anything that have had the slightest contact with nuts. i also dont drink alcohol or fizzy drinks. i only drink tea, water and sometimes flavoured water. i consulted my doctor and one of my medications can cause slight weight gain so i changed them. i also have the my fitness pal app on my phone and with these combined i have already lost 5lb. Thanks again x