So discouraged

echelonokie

I've been using my fitbit flex since May and I can tell it's making me move more, so HOW did I gain weight?

I hadn't lost much - 15 lbs - hut I just weighed and I've gained 6 of that back! I'm not going over my calories and I don't eat a lot of junk food or crap food, so how am I gaining weight instead of losing? I walk, tho it's for short spurts and I do Shaun T workouts (or at least what I can of them).

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

kissylee2001

Are you being totally honest and vigilant about with your food diary? You said you don't eat a lot of junk food and crap - how much is not a lot? Cut it all out. Junk and processed food has a ton of sodium and other additive that will stall weight loss or even make you gain weight. Make sure during your walks and workouts you get your heart rate up and sustain that pace or try High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) Good luck!

sophiepotvin

Weigth yourself once a week. In 48 hours I fluctuated 3 pounds. Not counting calories mean you don't know if you are having a calorie deficit or not during the day so even if you are working out it is still possible that you are eating too much even if its healtty food. portion control and lots of raw veg and fruits. I know counting calories is boring and time consuming. invest in a food scale in you can to give a better idea of portions. Hang in there and keep at it. Cheers

echelonokie

My diary is spot on. Every bit of food that enters my mouth gets logged. I don't drink soda and if I have tea, it's unsweetened. I don't eat candy and because I have braces, don't even chew gum. I don't do things like Hamburger Helper or stuff cause the sodium gets me. And at my weight, trust me when I say I'm working up a sweat. Where I walk has hills. It's hard to get out in the heat tho.

echelonokie

@sophie I am watching my calories, or did you not look at my diary. I don't get to sync my fitbit but I log all my food as I eat it. MFP shows that I never go over my calorie goal.

amwoidyla

Creeped your diary. The food you're eating is mostly good, but you're not eating enough of it. Try being closer to your goal calories, give it 6 weeks and see what happens.

daniellegwilliam

IMO, You are definetley not eating enough. try eating more fruits and vegetables too, and more protein
try adding a healthy snack of almonds and cottage cheese, some berries etc...

go here and use the calculator, trust me, you will be happy you did.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/912920-in-place-of-a-road-map-3-2013

echelonokie

@daniellegwill the cottage cheese I can do only in very limited amounts due to a milk allergy. I eat until I get full though. In the evenings, I'm not a snacker, so supper is usually it for my calorie intake.

tatasmagik

Forget the scale. Forget the tape measure. These do not define you or your health. Keep eating mindfully, keep moving your body and focus on how far you've come.

echelonokie

@amwoidyla. I'll give it a shot but lunch is usually eaten at my desk and breakfast is done while getting my son and me and the dog around in the mornings. I try to throw in some healthy snacks but I'm just really not hungry. I will give it a shot though. I can't wrap my brain around the 'eat more to lose' thing.

CrazyAnimalLady

I agree that you're not eating enough. Different things work for different people but I think you'll find if you start preparing more home made meals and eating out less that it will help. Also, eating whole foods like grilled chicken, lean beef, fresh veggies (never canned and frozen only when fresh not an option) and whole grains like brown rice and sweet potatoes will help. I know it all sounds boring, but the ultimate goal is to make yourself healthier and that's something that takes a lot of effort.

mahanaibu

I'm not one of the "you're not eating enough" crowd. I've been averaging 1,200 calories a day and have lost 42 pounds so far. You could try adding the food, it seems to work for some people, but it didn't work for me at all.

I see a lot of what I wouldn't call the healthiest foods. Dinner rolls, fried chicken. I would guess you'd have more luck if you ate more vegetables and less packaged food. But I also wonder if you are getting all your calorie counts right. For example, I noticed a four-ounce hamburger with cheese that was logged at 74 calories. Well, you know that can't be right...in fact, the fat was logged at 17 grams, which by itself is twice the number of calories you listed for the whole burger. That's probably more like 74 calories an ounce. there are a lot of inaccurate calorie counts in MFP, input by members who might have made errors or were thinking on the hopeful rather than realistic side.

Another problem with packaged foods is that they commonly have more calories than the package indicates. One study found that on average, packaged foods contain 8% more calories than the label states. They're allowed some leeway under the law, but our hips don't allow the leeway. So when I'm eating packaged foods, I quick-add some calories as a fudge factor.

sophiepotvin

sorry I did not know I could see your diary and I misunderstood you about the calories. I went and checked your diary and I have to agree with the previous reply. Package food are not that reliable. Also I have noticed that you tend to concentrate calories in one big meal then trying to cut down on the next. Example: one cup of mango for dinner. my advice is try to spread out the calories through out the day and eat more often. fresh fruits and veg helped me. more fibers too. I started getting real results when I started cooking every meal. keep exercising regularly. Give it more time also. keep strong, patience and good luck.

echelonokie

@mahanaibu the burger you mentioned was a 'best guess' as I don't normally eat burgers. We were at the zoo and that's what I had, except I only ate a portion of it and my kiddo ate the rest. Hehe the patty was, at best, 1/4 inch thick. I don't eat a lot of packaged food really. Nor unless I'm running late getting supper on. Tho I do live old El Paso refried beans. I try to use the scan option when putting in foods, but that's not always doable.

echelonokie

@sophie I know that having one big meal is a bad one for me. It's hard not to do that tho. Breakfast is usually very rushed to be at work by 7am, lunch is something small that can be eaten at my desk while answering phones, same with any snacks. So it's supper that usually ends up being huge. Lol yeah, the mango for dinner was the result of a late lunch and still not being hungry.

My1985Freckles

I just peeked at yesterday's. Restaurant food is VERY HIGH in sodium. You are most likely just retaining some water from a high sodium day. Watch your sodium intake and up your water intake and it will flush itself out in a few days.

TS65

My diary is spot on. Every bit of food that enters my mouth gets logged. I don't drink soda and if I have tea, it's unsweetened. I don't I don't do things like Hamburger Helper or stuff cause the sodium gets me.

TRACK your sodium. I only went back a couple of days and my first thought was "holy sodium." It's not just in hamburger helper that has sodium. Eating out has tons of it! And that alone could cause you to go up quite a bit. (I just got back from 9 days on vacation - 4 lbs up even though I know I wasn't over on calories. After a couple of days of eating right, it was gone. Sodium and carb bloat were the culprits in my case.)

KimberleyToms

I understand how you feel tooo, it is very frustrating when you work sooooo hard and then gain back. I have found that if I stay away from the white carbs in general I hold weight off better. I try to limit to one serving a day. The ones I have problems with is like crackers, bread, noodles, rice and potatoes. I seem to keep more off and lose more when I stay away from these. I think sometime I may have a gluten intolerance. I am not telling you to do the same, but might want to test to see if they affect you the same. But do not give up, you will pick up again and succeed:happy:

gnagaseshu

Please check your thyroid levels

themedalist

I just peeked at yesterday's. Restaurant food is VERY HIGH in sodium. You are most likely just retaining some water from a high sodium day. Watch your sodium intake and up your water intake and it will flush itself out in a few days.

This! I went back a few days and believe me you are getting a lot of sodium in your diet. I would suggest making sodium one of the nutrients you track. Tortillas, cheese, and even Miracle Whip have a lot of sodium. My husband picked up some flour tortillas the other day and each one had 500 mg of sodium! That's a third of what I consume the whole day.

teenhamodic

i wouldn't take mega's advice just yet. you've only joined since nov 12 but i would wait a little while longer to check - but if you really wanted to, i guess being curious you could.

anyone telling you what to eat, how much to eat and saying that they lost weight due to their methods are true to the maxim: all diets work - it's just whether you're on a good diet or a bad one.

sorry to the poster above but just disregarding food scales is silly. you may end up eating more or less than what you should be eating.

i never trust fit bit or any other MFP calculator to tell me how many calories i've burned. i think they're all off. case in point, if i walk fast for an hour vs. you walking slow for an hour - MFP will tell us that we lost the same calories.

if you figure out your TDEE, and instead of estimating what you're eating, because fast food/takeout/restaurant foods i feel all contain generally off numbers (if i am going to go by those numbers, i'll add 10%), cook your own food - you'll be thankful for it. so for me, since i never trusted MFP for anything, i figured out my TDEE and plugged in those numbers and just use MFP as a tracking device.

lastly, it's all about calories in and calories out - if you want to lose more weight, then you may need to consider doing some resistance training and cardio - or at least get off the couch lol

luckydays27

I agree with the sodium counts. Your initial loss was probably water weight and your gain is probably water weight.

Stay hydrated and watch your sodium intake.

If I go over 3000 mg, I am sure to gain a pound or five.

jollyjoe321

I would personally experiment a bit, try only eating back only half your exercise calories for a bit maybe?

SusanaLdn

@sophie I am watching my calories, or did you not look at my diary. I don't get to sync my fitbit but I log all my food as I eat it. MFP shows that I never go over my calorie goal.

And that is the problem! I checked your diary and most days you don't eat enough. Below goal? That's a MFP myth, that you'll be doing better if you eat under. Just because they mention it on your news feed, it doesn't mean it's good. You're starving your body and it's coming back to hit you straight in the face Eat what you are supposed to eat. You're already at a deficit, respect your body. Also, try maybe less processed things. Most of your meals seem to be ready made. Cook a bit? Make it fun Best of luck!

homegirl614

At my heaviest, I weighed 351 lbs.. When I first started trying to lose weight, I would weigh myself everyday and would get frustrated because I wasn't losing anything and I knew I was working really hard. I thought about giving up more than once. It's very easy to get discouraged but you have to remember that this is a long journey. There will be some bumps in the road along the way but the key thing is to not give up. I stopped weighing myself daily, because just like you, it would show weight gain and I would want to quit. But I kept working hard and eating right and the way I noticed that I was losing weight is because my clothes started to get baggy. I lost about 50 pounds in the past 8 months and the only reason I know that is because I had a doctor's appt recently and had to check my weight. I know I have a loooong way to go but I know that since I've already lost 50, i can lose 50 more. My advice is to stop weighing yourself so often and just keep working hard. You'll start to see a change, it just takes time. Best of luck to you

maybeazure

I don't think that you need to eat more. Even if there were such a thing as "starvation mode," you look like you are always above 1200. It's hard to lose weight eating at restaurants a lot. Once in awhile is fine, but nearly every day makes it hard, unless you do subway or a salad bar and are careful of the dressing.

I only looked at a few days of your diary, but I didn't see many fresh fruits or vegetables. I try to eat some of them every day, even though they aren't my favorite, just because they help fill me up, and also they don't have sodium....which will make you gain water weight.

anniegail1961

Hi There: I read your post and everyone's comments but no one has suggested to you that since breakfast is rushed
Why not have a protein shake? Approx. 25 grams of protein per shake.
Do not try Slimfast. There isn't enough protein in them.
Fitness shops sell some great one's.
Ask them to dirrect you to what would work for your body type. This way you are getting your protein, nutrients and calories-and you can drink it in the car.
I hope this helps.
Good Luck!

ReadyToBeMeAt160

I'd say the most important piece of advice i have is ALWAYS EAT BACK YOUR EXERCISE CALORIES. I know this sounds silly, and it took me a long long time to listen to folks but you need to have a NET OF AT LEAST 1200 CALORIES or your metabolism drops like crazy.

That means that if you eat 1,440 calories but burned an extra 300, you were below 1200 NET (1440 - 300 = 1140)

It seems you're usually right over the 1200 mark but maybe you're over counting your calories?

I just know there have been times when I was super close to my 1200 every day and didn't loose anything - i added another 100-200 calories a day and I was golden.

Also, I swear by water.

but don't get discouraged! i'm sure you'll get there!

GenF32

I totally agree with the poster who suggested the calorie counts might not be right. I see things all the time in diaries where you just 'know' intuitively that it's a vast under-estimation, and although I'm sure it's not deliberate you still end up only cheating yourself! Definitely cut out the processed food, and eat more veggies (I'm not sold on the fruit because of the high sugar count, but fruit does obviously have other benefits).

Also, and PLEASE don't take this as an attack, reading through the first page of this thread, your responses to the suggestions were all along the lines of "yes, but". None of us are experts, and making excuses for why things have been difficult has brought us here in the first place. So be open to the advice and keep up the good work

faithdanyell

Don’t be discouraged changing unhealthy eating habits can be difficult and is a work in progress. I encourage you to try new exercises; aquatic aerobics burns lots of calories, a fitness class and bike riding. If you use work out DVD’s mix them up if you have difficult workouts also have easier ones. I use walk away the pounds 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 miles walk it’s my go to video. If I am tired I can push through and does a 3-4 mile walk.
If you have any stresses find a positive outlet for them; if you can build a support system to help you in this journey. Love yourself today in the body you’re in today stay in the fight. Remember you’re a worthwhile person whether you a size 6 or size 36 don’t let your size define you. Weight loss should be about getting healthy and feeling better. Good Luck……

SageGoddess320

You need to make better food choices. Period. Eating fried chicken 3-4 times per week might have something to do with it. Incorporate more fresh fruits and veggies into your diet. Also, are you measuring/weighing your food at Golden Corral? How do you know exactly how much you are eating at a buffet?