Advice Re Diet Please

[ruthandsam]

I used to work in an office until last November. I changed my sedentary part time job to working full time as a landscape gardener.

With all the exercise that I do during work, and I really mean it is hard physical work, I expected to lose weight or even inches. My body has actually bulked up and I'm now have a lot more muscle, which isn't a problem. The thing is, is that my waist size has increased a lot. I'm now wearing size 14 clothes to accommodate my change in shape.

What I'm asking is, what foods should I be eating so that I have enough energy to carry me through the day and maybe trim down my waist? I'm at a loss as to what I'm doing wrong.

Many thanks in advance - it's now getting me down.

[Cloverjo]

I can recommend a great diet. Buy a book called
The Fast Metabolism Diet by Haylie Pomroy.
You eat loads, there is no going hungry, and the foods you eat change a bit every couple of days so you won't get bored. I lost a stone easily in the first month including a load of belly fat that had crept on, and steadily lost more after that.
I highly recommend you look at it, at least.

[woofgang]

is your waist increase fat or muscle?

[Peaspeculiars]

ruthandsam, what is a typical days diet for you? Is there anything that you eat more than other things i.e. bread, sugar?
What is your fluid intake like daily?
And how often, what times do you normally eat?
Are you eating more/ differently than you did before? and if you have put weight on before in the past, was your waist size the first thing to increase - i.e are you an 'apple' shape?
(sorry for all the questions ;-)

[ruthandsam]

Thank you for your questions and answers:

I'm a 50 year old female and was wondering if the waist size increase has something to do with that as well.

I suppose I eat a little more bread but that is all that is difference. Typical days diet is, BranFlakes or Porridge with a portion of nuts at 7.15 am, fruit at about 10.30 am, ie: plums, pear or apples or maybe a banana. 12 pm lunchtime is ham, or tuna or cheese sandwiches with lots of salad and maybe a bag of crisps. Sometime in the afternoon i will have some more fruit if I'm hungry. At about 8 pm (can't make it any earlier as hubby is at work) we may have meat and veg or lasagna and garlic bread or roast dinner. It varies but I must admit I'm still really hungry even after having dinner. I don't particularly have a sweet tooth either so I don't snack on chocky. I drink plenty of fluids, ie: water, skimmed milk, decaff tea.

My hubby is normal weight for his height and I can honestly say that I could eat his dinner after mine if he let me.

Fed up with feeling hungry all the time and slogging my guts out at work but piling on the weight. I've put on about 10 pounds since last November so any more advice would be most welcome.

When I've put on weight in the past it went straight to my boobs (as it has this time) but not normally on my waist as I used to have an athletic build. I've now ballooned, even my Father asked me what has happened.

Thanks again.

[Eve]

Is the hunger craving a new thing and have you had your thyroid checked recently?

[Peaspeculiars]

jeepers, that must've taken you a while to type ruthandsam lol ;-)
Right-ho,
You obviously don't need any more weight lifting exercise as you are working in a very active role and are currently gaining muscle - however, as you are also gaining non-muscular weight, it's time to start thinking about some light cardio exercise and changing your diet pattern slightly. Your fluid intake is good (no sugar, no caffeine) your diet is good in the mornings, but starts to waver slightly later on in the evening(?) but having no sweet things is also good.

I used to have the typical apple shape, so was advised to cut down on the amount of white bread, sugar, pasta and cheese I was eating then upped the amount of lean protein, Vegetables, eggs, full fat milk, and high fibre complex carbohydrates such as brown rice and beans and the weight soon dropped off (but I haven't lost my muscles as I'm outdoorsy too)
I would try and graze your food throughout the day (swap the bread and crisps for a chicken salad or tuna with light mayonnaise on a seeded bread such as 'Burgen' and low fat thick yoghurt) as this can stop any hunger, then have your main meal with a fist sized piece of lean protein and more vegetables than you can shake a stick at to fill you up. Have plenty of healthy nibbles ready to grab so you don't spoon out another portion of dinner later on.
After work, before your OH gets home, go for a nice brisk walk (if you have a dog all the better) to get some cardio in for 1/2 an hour each evening (or in the morning if you are an early bird) - or how about checking in at the swimming pool for a few lengths on the way home from work?
Probably try and eat fruits with less fructose if possible (dried fruit in the nuts? pears, apples and grapes, blueberries) and eat more low fructose fruits: Plums (already, good), peach, strawberry's, apricots, melon, banana - as fructose can cause an immediate blood sugar spike which in time can lead to insulin resistance (which in turn will trigger the fat storage metabolism).
As Eve has mentioned - might be worth taking a trip to the doc's just to ensure there are no underlying factors which might be contributing to your weight gain.
Don't be tempted to resent your muscle build up as the more muscle you have, the more energy your body burns even in a relaxed state. And lastly - don't beat yourself up about having gained weight full stop. You are in a fantastic out-door job and are more than likely fitter and healthier than ever before (?) But if it is getting you down, a few small changes like the suggestions above will help over time, you don't need to enrol in a gym or starve yourself to do it - just enjoy life and up yer cardio, protein and veg ;-)
I have no doubt that everyone's diet opinions on here will be different, just choose the options that fit into your day-to-day the best

[LostSoulx]

Google "Paleo Diet" and see what you think, its basically about eating clean no processed foods. Its pretty popular at the moment.

[pastafreak]

+1 for paleo and/or low carb clean eating. Ditch the crisps,bread,lasagne. Stick with meat,fish,eggs....a 1 or 2 'palm sized' portion of protein at each meal...plus loads of veggies. Add in nuts,seeds,avocados for healthy fats and berries or other low sugar fruits,a bit of grain in the form of porridge or quinoa(though not strictly paleo),and healthy starchy carbs like sweet potatoes. You won't be hungry.