HELP :( healthy+runner = fat!?

fittams
fittams Posts: 16
in Introduce Yourself
Hey all...

Decided to post as I'm at a loss as to why I'm not losing weight... I think I eat quite healthily. I have porridge for breakfast, home made salads for lunch (consists mostly of greens and some sort of fish (grilled or out the can)). I snack on mostly fruit (fresh and dried). Dinner might be my downfall as I live with my parents and eat whatever they cook. Although I usually have it so that I have a big plate of steamed veg plus a little portion of whatever they've cooked (mostly curry as they're of asian descent).

For the past two months I've been going to the gym about 5 days a week and doing 40 mins (non stop) on the treadmill. About 2 of those 5 days I also do at least 15 mins of weight training after the treadmill. I also have a 10 minute walk to and from the gym (read warm up/cool down) ...Before joining the gym I ran for 20mins in the weekends...

My job is v v sedentary as it's sitting all day at a computer in an office.

I'm 162cm (5ft.2in) and weigh 66.6kg (10st 7lb) - size 12 :'( I've gained this all in the last couple of years - I used to be 8st 9lb and am desperately trying to get back to that. I want to lose about 10kg (26lb) .

I'm sorry for such an enormous post. But I would love for someone to tell me where I'm going wrong and what I should do to lose it. Also how long will it take to reach my goal weight? I was hoping for June?

Many many thanks
Tams
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Replies

  • Sirinya55
    Sirinya55 Posts: 79 Member
    Control your portions..especially asian food dinners. I eat a lot of thai food all the time and I didn't start to lose until I cut down my food size. eat less rice. Snack before dinner so you are not that hungry.
  • fittams
    fittams Posts: 16
    Control your portions..especially asian food dinners. I eat a lot of thai food all the time and I didn't start to lose until I cut down my food size. eat less rice. Snack before dinner so you are not that hungry.

    Hey!

    Thanks for your reply :) the indian food bit of my portions are honestly very small. And usually the only carbs in my diet are from the porridge I have for breakfast.

    I'm really at a loss at where I'm going wrong.

    Sometimes after the gym (I gym after work in the evenings) I don't even have a proper dinner - maybe a banana or snack on some salad leaves while I prep lunch for the next day.

    It's starting to really depress me because I feel like I'm being disciplined and not snacking or eating fast food, yet I'm seeing little/no change in the two months I've been doing it.
  • rieann84
    rieann84 Posts: 511 Member
    Do you log your food? I'd suggest opening up your food diary so we can all have a look.
  • MapleFlavouredMaiden
    MapleFlavouredMaiden Posts: 595 Member
    A lot of the time people think they are doing "all the right things" and are not. Sustained cardio can be detrimental for some people. It can cause your metabolism to slow and cause hunger. Also, if you are running and not eating many carbs, that could be your problem. You need carbs. Just try moving more through the day if you can. This will really help. Try weight lifting instead of doing a bunch of sustained cardio.
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
    do you know how many calories you're consuming?
  • asciident
    asciident Posts: 166 Member
    Fruit are carbs, fwiw.

    Open your diary if you want actual help. Your post didn't list any calories or quantities at all.
  • Amy1N
    Amy1N Posts: 10
    Well you're on MFP so that means your logging your calories so that's your first step. When you exercise, are you eating back the calories that you burn? I find that when I don't do that, my weight loss seems to plateau. Also, your body might just be in a rut. Try mixing things up with your food and exercise. Your body might be tired of porridge and salad every day. Perhaps you should do some classes at the gym to switch things up. I'm not logging super heavy right now because I'm about to go on vacation and have just been lazy, but you're welcome to follow me for food ideas.
  • JAllen32
    JAllen32 Posts: 991 Member
    Measure and log. That is really what needs to be done. I was "doing all the right things too", and didn't lose and oz. Then I started measuring and lost 26lbs the first month before I got into serious exercise.
  • fittams
    fittams Posts: 16
    Do you log your food? I'd suggest opening up your food diary so we can all have a look.

    I did some a couple of months ago when I wasn't trying to diet.

    I've logged today which is pretty much representative of how I've been eating since the beginning of Feb maybe.

    PS. Sorry, I forgot it was on Private, I've changed the settings so hopefully you guys should be able to see now... let me know if not, and I'll try again :)
  • melissaklotz
    melissaklotz Posts: 4
    I second what MapleFlavouredMaiden said. Do some research on HIIT cardio and give that a try. Weight lifting should be more of your focus, you will burn fat, build muscle, and start seeing the results you want.

    BodyBuilding.com is an incredible resource. I just read this article today, very helpful.
    http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/10-rules-to-live-eat-and-lift-by.html?mcid=deals_full_03272014&rmid=deals_full_03272014_1&rrid=19446746

    If you have instagram, you can follow me on there for tips and advice: http://www.instagram.com/melissaklotz

    DO NOT GO SOLELY BY THE NUMBER ON THE SCALE!! You're going to lose pounds of fat but they'll be replaced by pounds of muscle. Go by what you see in the mirror and how you feel. Look at the picture I posted yesterday on instagram, I've only lost 3 or 4 lbs over 5 months, but when you look at me, the difference seems much bigger:
    https://instagram.com/p/mBePNBr_PY/embed/
  • sarahb2023
    sarahb2023 Posts: 17
    dried fruit can have a TON of sugar in it but besides that it seems you eat well. When it comes to the treadmill I have had the same problem in the past and I have come to find your body gets used to running around the same pace therefor your heart rate (at first) rises then levels out. You should try intervals of power walking for 1 minute the 30 seconds of all out sprinting, I do this and it is a great way to blast fat. You burn more calories when you go from walking to sprinting in intervals than you do with running a steady pace. I also will add an incline from time to time and you will really feel the burn in your legs. I also agree with the posts about weight lifting!
  • Magserdo
    Magserdo Posts: 11 Member
    try to drink 3L of water a day. Also, do more weigh training than cardio. Once you stop running, you stop burning calories. With weight training, you could stop working out and still keep burning calories due to the energy and effort your muscles require to recover. When you do weight training, little tares appear in your muscles. After, they need to recover and build back up. This will burn calories. The added muscle will be much leaner than fat. It will also help you burn fat. I was doing the same thing as you until I got a personal trainer. The difference is astounding . Its much slower in regards to the effort you are putting out at the gym and not boring. Hope that helps :)
  • fittams
    fittams Posts: 16
    A lot of the time people think they are doing "all the right things" and are not. Sustained cardio can be detrimental for some people. It can cause your metabolism to slow and cause hunger. Also, if you are running and not eating many carbs, that could be your problem. You need carbs. Just try moving more through the day if you can. This will really help. Try weight lifting instead of doing a bunch of sustained cardio.

    I've been doing dumbbells of 6kg each. I tried to increase the weight but I think because I've never trained my arms, they're really weak and so I find it really difficult doing anything more. My aim is to start lifting to aid weight loss but a) I don't know where to start and b) am scared of not having correct posture/causing injury etc
  • freewilly75
    freewilly75 Posts: 4
    You may want to check out the magazine Psychology Today (free online) they have sections on health and diet. Sometimes the key to achieving our goals transcends simple mechanics (in this case food intake and energy output). Good luck!
  • fittams
    fittams Posts: 16
    Thanks so much everyone for your advice. I've tried to un-private my diary - is it visible right now?

    Will definitely start incorporating more weight training and switching up exercise routines/foods.

    What makes me upset is that I know I'm not unfit - last weekend I did a good 40 minute run out on the roads (coming from someone who couldn't manage a whole one minute I feel like I've built myself up in running quite well) and I eat generally healthy yet I still look chubby ...so I'm thinking can an office job make me fat? Will the lack of normal daily movement cause weight to just stay put?
  • jin009
    jin009 Posts: 1
    Honestly weight training would probably be your best bet since running now isn't doing enough. Personally, just start with what you are doing right now. Eventually you will get stronger to do the heavier weights but for the first month or so take the time to learn the form. When I first started weight lifting form was important to me so I used this site:
    http://www.muscleandstrength.com/videos

    those have most workouts and explain the movements and also shows how to do the workout. Hope this helps and keep up the work!
  • fittams
    fittams Posts: 16
    Fruit are carbs, fwiw.

    Open your diary if you want actual help. Your post didn't list any calories or quantities at all.

    :-o I didn't know that!

    I made it unprivate - I think it should be visible...

    PS. I've only got today's things on there
  • fittams
    fittams Posts: 16
    Do you guys know if June is a realistic time to have lost 10kg? Or two dress sizes (8 from a 12)

    Bearing in mind I've already been doing this for 2 months (holding onto tiny shreds of hope that some sort of really slow fat burning thing might be in the works)

    Also, I want this to be permanent and not gain it all back so I've made everything I've done so far an actually lifestyle change.
  • fittams
    fittams Posts: 16
    I think it's around the 1500-1600 mark everyday max.
  • meganjcallaghan
    meganjcallaghan Posts: 949 Member
    if you're not logging the dinner food it might seem like a small portion but still be VERY calorie dense. My friend made a dinner of curry coconut chicken and ended up not liking it so she brought it to me. I found out from her what all went into it and plugged it into the recipe thing here. cutting the small amount she brought me (in a partially filled medium sized tupperware container) into thirds still left me with each portion being approximately 450 calories and an enormous amount of fat. It was about 5 bites. It was delicious....but really not worth it.
  • FoxyLifter
    FoxyLifter Posts: 965 Member
    Read this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
  • fittams
    fittams Posts: 16
    if you're not logging the dinner food it might seem like a small portion but still be VERY calorie dense. My friend made a dinner of curry coconut chicken and ended up not liking it so she brought it to me. I found out from her what all went into it and plugged it into the recipe thing here. cutting the small amount she brought me (in a partially filled medium sized tupperware container) into thirds still left me with each portion being approximately 450 calories and an enormous amount of fat. It was about 5 bites. It was delicious....but really not worth it.

    Eek!!! I get your drift. Gonna start prepping my own meals from now on I think...

    Weight training + my own (not-parents-curry) cooking should hopefully do the trick.
  • lucyannp
    lucyannp Posts: 15
    Hey there, thought I'd reply as I'm also 5'2 and used to weigh 10 and a half stone. It took me 2 years to get the weight off but don't lose hope, it's so much easier to get rid of if you've only just put it on! If you are anything like me you MUST do weight training. Keep your cardio to 20 mins only, it's not effective for fat burning after that. It's your muscles that use the most energy, the more you have the higher the base number of calories your body needs just to survive. Try 30 day shred, I'm doing it right now and it's fab. Take up something like a kettle bells class and you'll see some significant improvements. Remember a calorie is still a calorie even if it's green (!) so weight out your food for a week and record accurately, that way you can adjust your portion sizes and carry on. Be honest and record every morsel that goes into your mouth because it's only you you're cheating if you don't. If you're still struggling combine mfp with a food combining programme like slimming world. Weight loss does not cone from hours of cardio I promise! Good luck! P.s. I'm now 8 stone 9
  • Maleficent0241
    Maleficent0241 Posts: 386 Member
    Weight loss is primarily about diet. Exercise helps, yes, but it's remarkably easy to eat back everything you've burned off running, especially if you are sedentary the rest of the day. It doesn't matter how healthy your calories are. If there is too much for you, you'll gain. I would start by buying a food scale and tracking carefully, as it sounds like you really aren't sure exactly how much you are eating. It may even be a good idea to not try and control portions for the first week - just weigh everything you normally eat as you fix it so you have an idea of where your true starting point is. Once you have an idea of what you have been eating and what it has been doing to your weight, you'll get a better idea of what changes to make.

    For weights, if you're worried about form, is it possible for you to hire a trainer for a few sessions? They can teach you the basics so you don't hurt yourself and then you can continue on your own.
  • fittams
    fittams Posts: 16
    Hey there, thought I'd reply as I'm also 5'2 and used to weigh 10 and a half stone. It took me 2 years to get the weight off but don't lose hope, it's so much easier to get rid of if you've only just put it on! If you are anything like me you MUST do weight training. Keep your cardio to 20 mins only, it's not effective for fat burning after that. It's your muscles that use the most energy, the more you have the higher the base number of calories your body needs just to survive. Try 30 day shred, I'm doing it right now and it's fab. Take up something like a kettle bells class and you'll see some significant improvements. Remember a calorie is still a calorie even if it's green (!) so weight out your food for a week and record accurately, that way you can adjust your portion sizes and carry on. Be honest and record every morsel that goes into your mouth because it's only you you're cheating if you don't. If you're still struggling combine mfp with a food combining programme like slimming world. Weight loss does not cone from hours of cardio I promise! Good luck! P.s. I'm now 8 stone 9

    Firstly, that's really awesome - well done on 8st 9 :D thanks for all your info too

    Not gonna lie - I was sad about the two years bit - is that with your doing a rigid and strict diet/workout too?

    I think the take home message from everyone is really "DO WEIGHTS!!!"
  • WDA4655
    WDA4655 Posts: 91 Member
    HASfit.com has a great 15 minute beginners weight training online. It's free! I use it 2 to 3 days a week and have found a great difference in "inches" lost. I walk, bike ride and swim too on the days I don't weight train. HASfit.com does have a lot of other type training sessions too. I use 8 lb. dump bells. I've lost 77lbs. so far and have about a 100+ to still go! I'm not giving up and don't you! That is key, not giving up! You'll find what works best for you!
  • fittams
    fittams Posts: 16
    Weight loss is primarily about diet. Exercise helps, yes, but it's remarkably easy to eat back everything you've burned off running, especially if you are sedentary the rest of the day. It doesn't matter how healthy your calories are. If there is too much for you, you'll gain. I would start by buying a food scale and tracking carefully, as it sounds like you really aren't sure exactly how much you are eating. It may even be a good idea to not try and control portions for the first week - just weigh everything you normally eat as you fix it so you have an idea of where your true starting point is. Once you have an idea of what you have been eating and what it has been doing to your weight, you'll get a better idea of what changes to make.

    For weights, if you're worried about form, is it possible for you to hire a trainer for a few sessions? They can teach you the basics so you don't hurt yourself and then you can continue on your own.

    I am looking into that - I might make my boyfriend show me how as he does a lot of weights (and unlike me with my running, his hard work shows pretty well so I know he's doing it right). Failing that I'll definitely get a PT.

    I do wonder though how it's so technical to lose weight, whereas, some people are just skinny minnies doing occasional running and really not even eating healthily :( *green eyed monster*
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
    Read this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
    ^This.

    You're seriously underestimating your food. Start logging everything you eat & drink accurately & honestly. Weigh your food. Use the recipe builder.

    Logging works.
  • fittams
    fittams Posts: 16
    Thanks again all! Going to start using the recipe builder (didn't know it existed so I've been searching and adding) and logging everything.
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    If you use the machines at the gym, instead of free weights, it's pretty easy to keep in form. I've started lifting a few weeks ago and I was really nervous about it, too, but so far it's going really well.

    As others have basically said, you can't outrun overeating. Portion control and being really honest with your logging is key. It sounds like you have a better handle on it. There's nothing wrong with running more than 20 minutes at a time, if you enjoy it. I'd suggest running every other day and adding the strength training on the days between runs. Good luck!

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