Putting on body fat

[Just4me73]

I'm 8 days post W30 but my nutrition is still compliant , and although I lost 4cm from my hips/tummy due to bloating, I have actually put on body fat in that area as well as my thighs.

My foods consists of usually 2 maybe 3 cups of coffee in the morning with coconut milk. Meals 1,2 and 3 are all pretty much the same..... A serving of protein, usually chicken drumstick , sweet potato and either vegetables fried in coconut oil or a very large salad with avocado and balsamic vinegar dressing ! My protein serving is usually 1.5 servings....( 1.5 palm size) but i am genuinely hungry before I eat and that's how much I need to be satisfied. I'm 5"6 and weight 60kg, so if anyone can shed some light on maybe why I'm putting on bf, I would be greatly appreciated thank you ! P.S I'm only having approx 100gm of carbs a day, which is not considered a lot.

[Just4me73]

Let me just add that the reason I do have 3 servings of sweet potato each day is because It helps greatly to increase my dietary fibre , so that my BM remain regular , I have tried reducing my intake but then I become constipated which makes me feel Terrible.

[jmcbn]

Can I ask how you know you've put on body fat specifically?

Also, how active are you? What are your stress levels like? How are you sleeping?

Are you drinking your coffee prior to meal one? And are you having sweet potato at every meal?

[Just4me73]

In can see it in my hips , and my thigh measurement is bigger.

Activity level isn't much really , weight training 2/3 times a week ( to get back into it)

I don't feel that I'm stressed, and my sleep is very poor ! I suffer from insomnia ( staying asleep ) and yes I have my coffee before my first meal

[Just4me73]

And yes to the sweet potato at every meal

[GFChris]

In can see it in my hips , and my thigh measurement is bigger.

Activity level isn't much really , weight training 2/3 times a week ( to get back into it)

I don't feel that I'm stressed, and my sleep is very poor ! I suffer from insomnia ( staying asleep ) and yes I have my coffee before my first meal

 

Ok, but you don't know if what you're seeing in your hips and thighs is fat, muscle, bloating, etc.

Poor sleep will impact your ability to lose weight.

 

Caffeine can act as appetite suppressant, which is why we recommend having your first coffee of the day after meal 1.

You might want to back off the sweet potato at every meal, as they are pretty carb-dense.  Try only having one a day.  You can get fiber from other vegetables. It might be the raw vegetables that cause constipation for you: try backing off on the raw veggies and having only cooked veggies at every meal.

[jmcbn]

Ok, so sweet potato for every meal is probably a bit much - it's very carb dense, & provided you are eating enough veg at every meal you shouldn't really need to rely on it for fibre. Goinf forward I'd suggest you eat a wide variety of leafy greens and cut back the sweet potato to once a day and see how you go.

Coffee is an appetite suppressant, and so we would recommend NOT drinking it until after your meal. You should also be aware that for someone  like yourself who is having problems sleeping, drinking coffee first thing in the morning will be playing havoc with your cortisol levels - and raised cortisol levels can cause weight gain - especially around the abdomen.

Sleep - the fact that you are suffering from insomnia isn't really helping your situation either. This is something you'll need to work on - cut back on screen time before bed, remove all light from your bedroom, ensure your bedroom is a slightly lower temperature than other rooms in your house, spend as much time outdoors as you can (try especially to spend 15mins outside immediately upon wakening, or atleast 15mins outside at around the same time every day). You could also try adding in a magnesium supplement.

The other thing to consider is that the coffee, coconut milk & the sweet potato are causing the bloat (think FODMAPs) - not an increase in body fat - especially since you say that you dropped cms around your waist. The problem could also be a lack of water - how much are you drinking?


ETA: Too busy typing to even notice that Chris had beaten me to it...!!