i'm putting on weight, help!

ok, this might sound kind of bizarre, but basically i am feeling unhappy because i have put on weight. i'm 5'4'' and when i was younger i used to have a bit of a complex about the way i look so, in order to stop myself from getting too heavy or going down the anorexic route i decided i should always stay 8 stone something (i.e. never 7 stone ..x..pounds, or 9 stone ..x..pounds).

in the past i've had to put on weight when i went below 8 stone but in the last year i've been getting heavier, and today i hit 9 stone. and i really don't like it. i know 9 stone isn't exactly fat (i'm still a size 8/10) but it's more the process of getting heavier that bugs me - i like the prevention rather than cure method, and i just hate to think that i may be on the slow road to obesity - a number of my relatives are quite overweight.

the weirdest thing is i'm not sure why i'm heavier - all my clothes still fit, i haven't had to move up a size and this year i actually consciously cut down on my chocolate intake (i was eating like 600g a day at one point). i really don't know why i'm getting heavier - i actually think that the amount of chocolate i used to eat may have kept my weight down :s:

. but i can't exactly take up the addiction again, as i'm not really a great fan of diabetes.

anyway, the point is, i'm kind of upset about it, and does anyone know any ways of losing a small amount of weight in a way that won't make me start calorie counting or anything? i just know from past experience that thinking about my appearance too much tends to make me obsess about it a bit. i'm quite often told that i have a distorted self-image; and so im always scared that i'll develop an eating disorder or something if i think about it too much. so, please, does anyone know what i can do??

Reply 1

Gem

14

Have you been working out lately? Or doing any more exercise? Cos remember muscle weighs more than fat?

I'm sure you look fantastic as you are though :smile:

But I don't suppose me saying that is going to help to.

Reply 2

Barny

17

That is quite strange, how much weight have you put on exactly? If your clothes still fit the same and stuff its unlikely to be fat or water that you're gaining..

Reply 3

Lush Law

15

If you're only a size 8/10 you're definitely not much overweight. If you want to lose a bit just cut out the fattening/unhealthy things in your diet.

You say a lot of your relatives are overweight - same here. I believe that me being so obsessed with diet and calories has become a manifestation of a psychological need to not be like some members of my family. I've always been absolutely sickened to death by some of them being overweight, that it has led me to not eat much.

Reply 4

Pigmy Goat

age makes you heavier - any smaller and u'll become annerexic! Look up them home doctor books and see if your height and age matches your body weight - bet it does! u ideally want to be average not under or over - neway the thing is exercise and eat healthy to feel healthy

Reply 5

Adhsur

15

You know that's how I feel about my weight (the keeping constant thing). I'm 5'3" and wanna be 8 stone forever. Never more.

Reply 6

Barny

17

Pigmy Goat

age makes you heavier - any smaller and u'll become annerexic! Look up them home doctor books and see if your height and age matches your body weight - bet it does! u ideally want to be average not under or over - neway the thing is exercise and eat healthy to feel healthy

Why does age make you heavier?

Reply 7

buttons7

OP

1

i used to weigh between 8 and 8 and a half stone. i know the weight gain isn't much so i probably seem vain and pathetic but, honestly, i've never been skinny - i'm very small busted, and the weight i've gained certainly hasn't gone to my chest or anything, so if i'm gaining a few pounds then they can't be being evenly distributed (i'm not the boyishly-hipped type, i do have an arse). i'm not looking for a diet or anything, i just want to get my weight back down to the mid 8-stone range, because i know that that's when i look healthiest, and because i know that if i ignore the fact that i've put on weight now, then i'll continue to do so, and i will become fat.

can anyone suggest any form of exercise that would be particularly good in keeping my weight down? i'm going to cut out all junk food for a few weeks and see if that gets me back under 9 stone, but i really need to find something that will help keep me in shape, without causing too much weight loss. (because, i know, being underweight is just as bad).

Reply 8

Mata

16

People do gain weight as they get older. Some gain it when they first hit puberty, and some gain it later on.

If your diet hasn't changed, and neither has the amount of exercise that you do, I would give it a couple of weeks just to see if it levels out. It may do. If it keeps going up (and you're certain there aren't any changes) then you could start doing some jogging every day (aerobic exercise of any kind is good) or go and see your doctor about it.

Personally, I find that my weight naturally fluctuates up and down by about 5 pounds, just depending on my stress levels, the time of year etc. Its nothing to be too worried about.

Reply 9

veryrandom

10

If it's any consolation, before your period you can gain from 3 to 7lbs. I dunno if it will be though.

Reply 10

viviki

14

How tall are you guys though I don't understand why you are worried. I'm between a 8 1/2 and 9 depending on when in the month and I can get into some size 6s. I'm either in a 6/8 or 10 and I certainly wouldn't consider losing more weight it just doesnt look nice.

Reply 11

Jonatan

13

Perhaps a better idea would be to have one lower and one upper limit and adjust your diet and excercise accordingly if you slip outside? That way you can make sure you stay at a somewhat healthy weight without having to bother about every gram you gain or lose. Also, remember that eating disorders is not a matter of how much you weigh, but how you react to it and how you deal with food. You must be able to enjoy a good meal without constantly feeling worried about your weight, but you must also be a bit aware about how you eat so you don't slip towards one extreme. It is normal that your weight changes a little from time to time ( As an example most people gain some weight during the winter ) as long youa re not gaining or losing weight at a very rapid rate. Allow your weight to swing a little, thats normal. Also don't check your weight too often, that will just make you go nuts about it ( Once per week is a bit often, once a day is definately too much).

Reply 12

~~hannah~~

4

I'm exactly the same I freak out if im not 7 stone something, if I hit 8 stone I feel very sick and unattractive. My advice cut the junk out for a week or two, you'll probably lose a pound or two and be under 9 stone again. Try not to worry too much. x x x

Reply 13

john !!

14

or cut out the junk indefinately.. once you dont eat it for a few weeks you won't be interested in it anymore.

Reply 14

Champagne Breakfast

16

buttons7

ok, this might sound kind of bizarre, but basically i am feeling unhappy because i have put on weight.

That's not bizarre. You are right to be worried about being fat - go and exercise and stop eating so much MacDonald's

Reply 15

_EMMA_

16

eat less and exercise more (i wonder how many times i have written that on this forum) if you do it the right way you shouldn't be so obsessed that you start counting calories and develop an eating disorder. eat the same as now, only smaller portions.

as for the chocolate thing, when you ate that much did you eat it instead of food or that + food? that could answer why you didn't gain any weight.

Reply 16

buttons7

OP

1

viviki

How tall are you guys though I don't understand why you are worried. I'm between a 8 1/2 and 9 depending on when in the month and I can get into some size 6s. I'm either in a 6/8 or 10 and I certainly wouldn't consider losing more weight it just doesnt look nice.

i'm about 5'3'' - 5'4''. i can get into some size 6s as well, depending on the shop. if i was taller or had a heavier build then i wouldn't worry about being 9 stone, but i'm a bit of a midget. like i said, i don't look skinny at 8 and half stone, i just look normal. i don't think that i'm fat at the moment, but i'd rather do something about the weight gain now, when it's only a matter of a few pounds, instead of waiting until i am actually overweight.

Jonatan

Perhaps a better idea would be to have one lower and one upper limit and adjust your diet and excercise accordingly if you slip outside?

yeh, that's what i do, my lower limit is 8 stone, my upper limit is 9 stone. i've slipped under the lower limit before, but i've never gone over the upper limit. i'm just not sure how to adjust my diet/exercise to cater for that, without going overboard.

The Ace is Back

That's not bizarre. You are right to be worried about being fat - go and exercise and stop eating so much MacDonald's

um, thanks for that. i do love it when someone makes me sound like i am clinically obese. i haven't eaten a mcdonald's in years because i think they are disgusting and i'm hardly one of those people who just lie on the sofa watching tv and eating crisps all day. :mad:

Reply 17

viviki

14

I'm 5 ft 3 and seriously when I was 8 and a half stone I had people thinking thatI was going anorexic. I can't believe you can possibly look fat or even normal you have to look on the slim side.

Reply 18

Champagne Breakfast

16

buttons7

i do love it when someone makes me sound like i am clinically obese.

That's quite odd - being clinically obese isn't a good thing

Reply 19

buttons7

OP

1

_EMMA_

eat less and exercise more (i wonder how many times i have written that on this forum) if you do it the right way you shouldn't be so obsessed that you start counting calories and develop an eating disorder. eat the same as now, only smaller portions.
as for the chocolate thing, when you ate that much did you eat it instead of food or that + food? that could answer why you didn't gain any weight.

yeh, i ate it instead of food (i really can't do the eating huge amounts thing) and i thought it might have something to do with the fact that i didn't gain weight. i did find that if i was eating really large amounts of it i actually lost weight (i went under the 8 stone limit a couple of times because of that). i suppose i could go on a chocolate binge again and lose a few pounds, but i was kind of trying to give that up, it's a prettty unhealthy thing to do.

i'm not sure about eating smaller portions - ever since i was young i've had comments on the fact that i don't eat much - i always stop eating as soon as i'm not hungry, and if i'm ill or stressed i sometimes don't eat at all (which bothers my mum a bit). i've probably been eating between meals more often recently (since i've not been at school since may) and if i eat smaller portions than i already do at mealtimes i think i'll probably just end up snacking more. i reckon that perhaps it is time for me to wave bye-bye to junk food for a while.

i'm putting on weight, help!

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