For the life of me, I can't figure out why my diet is making me fat!

(23 replies)

by amw0301

9 months ago

Viewed 2224 times

I eat healthier than anyone I know. Whole grains, mostly poultry and fish, with red meat once a week, LOTS of veggies. I don't use butter, only olive oil. I only drink water or wine, the latter as a night cap.

I've cut down on carbs, no change. I began measuring portions, and found out I was UNDERMEASURING by sight. I figured my metabolism had slowed, as I was eating way under normal portion sizes. Went up to correct sizes, and gained weight. Indeed, I have gained 20 lb in six months since doing healthy portions.

I eat very little dairy, except cheese. I don't eat out, I don't eat anything particularly high in calories, unless I make a splurge item (I made apple pie the other night for my fiance and I. Neither of us have touched it much for fear of the excess calories) or protein. I eat fast food once a month, and I even cut out most of my nutella consumption! Cutting out that chocolatey goodness was really, really hard. I'm getting a little desperate here, and am thinking I should go on a fast to get my weight in check, but I really *don't want to* as I have had issues with anorexia about 10 years ago.

What the hell am I doing wrong? It's SO FRUSTRATING to be doing things right, and have everything go so wrong!

Btw, I'm 5'3" and 143 lb.

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greenpeace205 replied 9 months ago:

I lost 30 lbs in 5 months by switching to a vegan diet with no processed foods without even stepping foot in a gym. Then after I lost all that weight and was about 15 lbs away from my goal weight I decided to change things up a little bit. I workout everyday. I lift weighst and do cardio. I also do yoga and tennis on my days off. I am still a vegetarian but I allow myself eggwhites and certain milk products(whey protein . A diet high in lean proteins and unlimited veggies(steamed), low in starches and eating dinner earlier made a huge differance. The best lean proteins are tilapia, chicken, turkey, egg whites and super advanced whey protein(which i mix with water after each workout). Alcohol has a lot of calories, especially wine which has alot of sugar and can make you bloated. Jamie eastins(sp?) live fit trainer on bodybuilding.com taught me all of this. I am 5'3 also and a year ago i was 165 and now I am 120. I was about 135 when I started her training program.

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greenpeace205 replied 9 months ago:

I feel you on giving up that nutella lol I cant keep it in the house anymore or I will eat it by the spoonful

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cat50 replied 9 months ago:

Have you tried logging what you eat into diary? I use Caloriecount since it also gives me the nutrition information, not just the calorie count of the food. I've found it a good way to actually see what I'm eat, and what the nutrition of that food is. And if you are already measuring your portions it should be easy to log the food into a program and see what it says. You might want to give that a try. It was a real eye opener for me when I did that. But good luck, you'll get to where you're shooting for.

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thehealthyvixen replied 9 months ago:

This may sound counterintuitive, but have you tried adding more healthy saturated fats, like coconut oil, into your diet? I also happen to be one of those health coaches that believes butter is a very healthy fat, so I would start eating that as well - short and medium chain fatty acids like those found in butter and coconut oil are processed and used very quickly in the body, are not stored as fat, and actually turn on messages off weight loss in the body.

Also, there could be other things going on that are not about food - stress, toxins, and thyroid issues are all examples of things that can lead to weight gain, so those are all things to consider as well. It's hard to give specific advice without knowing more about what your dealing with here, but I hope this helps!

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ccinah94 replied 9 months ago:

well im 5'2 and nothing ever worked for me. Veggies arent my thing and i dont cut any type of food groups from my diet because it says that once you start eating them again you'll gain weight. Also too much of a good thing isnt always good. What i did was count my calories using calorie count and i eat egg w/ bread and coffee for breakfast. I also exercise about at least 30min a day nothing intense and i lift weights because the more muscle you have the more calories you burn. In a month i lost 10lbs and m down to 110lbs now which is where my body is most healthy at. Don't be too hard on yourself, you'll succeed. :)

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KRS1013 replied 9 months ago:

Are you eating the same foods everyday? I made that mistake a couple years ago, definitely keep a diary or a weight loss app; they are very helpful! Change up your workouts as well, do not allow you body to get used to the same exercises everyday. Also, olive oil ( not cooking spray) has a lot of calories per tablespoon; although it is good for you. Take a hard, honest look at what you are eating and if you still are having issues, check with your doctor there may be an underlying medical issue.

Good Luck!

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chicken legs replied 8 months ago:

First thing is you are worring to much , next thing is what we all know is it all comes down

to how many calories you eat and how many you burn.

Ihope this will help you .have a good day.

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cristalreyes replied 8 months ago:

it doesnt really matter if u eat a lot or dont eat at all everyones boady is mad differnt i eat a loooot and i only gain a pound each year and 1 of my friends dosent eat at all and if she does she barly eats and she chuncky and everyone at schools says am really skiiny and they wish they were skinny as me cause my body is perfect am 5''4 and am 13 and i wieght 97 pounds

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amw0301 replied 8 months ago:

Thanks for your suggestions, guys! I figured it out!

Wine.

Ohmydeliciousness, wine was putting me over. It's impossible for me to have just one glass! I've since cut most of my consumption and went from 146 to 138. I've recently also started working out again (too soon for results), and have included mini fasts throughout the day.

I still don't consume too many carbs, maybe once a day, eat a high protein and veggie diet, but I've started incorporating more fruits.

Thank you guys for suggesting the logs. I mentally catalogued what I ate and noticed my wine consumption was killing me.

And Cristalreyes, I was your size when I was 13. My nickname was "flaca linda." In fact, I was a size 0 up through my sophomore year of high school. Don't expect to stay that size without teaching yourself some good habits.

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michwahl62 replied 8 months ago:

Since when is 143 pounds overweight for 5'3" tall? By my calculations, that puts you at a mere 25.2 BMI, which is by no means overweight! 141 pounds would put you at 25 BMI exactly, so stop fretting about it! If you want to lose body fat, you don't mention anything about exercise. While losing weight is about 70% what you put in your mouth, it's also about 30% exercise! If you really want to lose that last 2 pounds, ramp up your exercise routine a notch or two.

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Kln1718 replied 8 months ago:

I had to respond to cristslreyes. Yes, many of us were able to eat everything and gain little weight at 13, but now is the time to learn how to eat healthy and move your body every day. Once you stop growing your diet will catch up with you. I am so grateful that I learned good nutrition and joined a gym at 15 because those healthy habits have stayed with me through 5 pregnancies and numerous surgeries, and even at 41 years old I maintain the same weight as I was when I stopped growing at 20 (late bloomer!!). And my go to advice to all is, "calories in vs calories out, everything in moderation, move your body most days, and keep a food journal if you get off track!". Best of luck:)

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elena123 replied 8 months ago:

shouldn't this artice read: "i'm still fat" not "am still fat?!" spell check does not pick up everything.

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amw0301 replied 8 months ago:

michwahl, thank you for your advice! There was a lot of truth in it. My concern wasn't that I wasn't losing weight, but that I was gaining despite my diet. Normally, when I don't exercise it settles around 135. When I exercise, it drops to 120. At the point in which I asked my question, my days were particularly busy with grad school and work and practicing (I'm a classical musician), and exercise is hard to come by without offsetting something else. Without excercise, you think my weight would remain stable (around 135), but it was quickly ballooning out of control. In anycase, I figured out what the cause was-- my love for wine, and absentmindedly overconsuming -- and I made the dietary change. My weight has since dropped. Yay!

Also, for the record, a BMI of 25 is considered overweight by the CDC: http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assessing/bmi/adult_bmi/english_bmi_calculator/results_overweight.html?pounds=143&inches=63

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michwahl62 replied 8 months ago:

Regardless, in the photo you look gorgeous, so I wouldn't change a THING!

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rachelnolt replied 8 months ago:

I do know that wine can keep fat on:) I used to work out every day on a extream workout dvd. Insanity. For four mounths! But when i stopped my weight didnt change. Im still at the same weight today. But i do go on walks and runs every now and then, just to stay fit. And strong. Working out may help you feel better and keep stress levels down. Its aways a good idea to keep that in mind.

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amw0301 replied 8 months ago:

You guys are awesome. :-)

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pixiequeen replied 7 months ago:

I really suggest seeing your doctor. There very well could be a medical reason for the weight gain. (thyroid-which is treatable, or something like that). If nothing is medically wrong, I'll tell you what worked for me. I don't know is I went up twenty lbs in six months, but it did seem like all of a sudden I just started filling out-and going up jean sizes. I topped out at around 140 myself. I started running. You're going to have to work out, unfortunately, strenuously a few days a week with some low impact (walking, yoga) the other few days to lose that weight. Quit restricting everything you eat, too. You're going to develop an eating disorder. Add in exercise and realize women gain a little weight as we age. I'll be 32 this year and over the past couple of years (through exercise way more than diet) I'm back down to 125. Seriously, though, see a doctor. Your post kind of made me worry for you. Best of luck!

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amw0301 replied 7 months ago:

Pixiequeen, thank you for advice! I know it's come late, but I've figured out my wine consumption caused me to take in excess calories without realizing it.

I've since fixed it and have had no problem! I've even lost weight -- about ten lbs. And I don't restrict what I eat -- I just naturally prefer not to eat processed or fried foods. I'm only restrictive on things I overconsume, which I figured out was wine.

I'm a huge fan of everything in moderation, and I haven't had any serious eating issues since high school. I'm okay! Thank you for your concern, though. :-)

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JenJoanne replied 7 months ago:

Just practice Chant de Linos the whole day! :)

I see you are a flutist, I am one myself :)

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madsgirl replied 6 months ago:

Well good for you! But healthy eating is only one part of the equation- you have to work out too! I used to just workout and was frustrated because I wasn't losing anything! My problem was I wasn't eating very healthy, I fixed it and lost 15 lbs. in a month or two! Hope that helps!

Xoxo M

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madsgirl replied 6 months ago:

Well good for you! But healthy eating is only one part of the equation- you have to work out too! I used to just workout and was frustrated because I wasn't losing anything! My problem was I wasn't eating very healthy, I fixed it and lost 15 lbs. in a month or two! Hope that helps!

Xoxo M

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amw0301 replied 6 months ago:

Absolutely! There was a time when I was really fit, and worked out five days a week. I've recently in the past few months added a less intense exercise routine, one that will work with my schedule.

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