Can't lose weight and gain weight WAY too easily

sammycantz2

Hi There,

I am a 5'0 foot female, I'm 23 and I weigh 115 on a good day.

My diet is really great from Monday to Friday I consume 1,200 calories or less and work out for an hour or more everyday. I drink more than the recommended amount of water for my body size and at the gym I do cardio and strength training. On the weekends I consume about 1,200-1,500 calories and by Monday I am up at least 2 pounds.
I have been trying to lose 5 pounds for 2 months now and have gotten absolutely nowhere.

I am a vegetarian but I still try to have protein with every meal, here is my regular day of eating:
breakfast within an hour of waking up (greek yogurt and granola, or a vitatop)
a snack (100 cal pack of almonds and a banana)
a bigger meal 2 hours before the gym (egg and avocado sandwich)
and an apple and 1-2 tbsp peanut butter after the gym

On the weekends I consume alcohol only one night, either Friday or Saturday and try to keep it in moderation. Although even with the extra beer calories I don't believe I am consuming enough calories to keep going up in weight. I do not have a thyroid problem and the only medications I take are birth control and aderol (during the week).

If anyone has any idea on what else I could do to lose weight or can see what I am doing wrong, I'd greatly appreciate the input.

Thanks a lot!
Sam

Francl27

1000-1200 calories if you're working out one hour a day is not enough.

emirror

You'll need to open your food diary so people can see your actual logs.

bob_day

Do this and you *will* lose weight:

1) Eat mostly to get the nutrition your body needs, and less for enjoyment. Establish a healthful diet and learn to enjoy healthful foods.

2) Three meals a day: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. That's it. No snacks, and no "in between" meals.

3) Give up sugar. No sugar in coffee, soda, or on cereal. Give up fruit juice -- it's mainly just another form of sugar. Water is the only liquid you need.

4) In the beginning, establish a very regulated moderate calorie diet. Don't follow any sort of fad. Just pick a selection of foods that add up to a normal balanced diet -- whole grains, veggies, fruit, dairy, a little meat, etc. But start out by having exactly the same three meals each day -- the same foods and the same amounts. Weigh the portions on a scale. Consider frozen dinners. Healthy Choice, Lean Cuisine, Kashi, Smart Ones, and probably other brands have several that are low in calories and saturated fat, 25% daily value or less of sodium, and high in fiber.

5) Weigh yourself every day on a 0.2 lb. accuracy scale. Your weight will fluctuate, but with a constant diet it should trend down over every two or three days. If it doesn't, eliminate items from your diet or reduce the size of portions until your weight does go down. (If you don't have a 0.2 lb. accuracy scale, I'd recommend the EatSmart Precision Plus Digital Scale, which is sold on Amazon.) Don't obsess over the scale — let it be your friend and point the way to a weight losing diet.

6) When you have achieved a weight losing diet, then you can start making adjustments to add variety, but make sure that you keep losing weight.

7) Maintain your exercise program.

Vorenus85

Do this and you *will* lose weight:

1) Eat mostly to get the nutrition your body needs, and less for enjoyment. Establish a healthful diet and learn to enjoy healthful foods.

2) Three meals a day: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. That's it. No snacks, and no "in between" meals.

3) Give up sugar. No sugar in coffee, soda, or on cereal. Give up fruit juice -- it's mainly just another form of sugar. Water is the only liquid you need.

4) In the beginning, establish a very regulated moderate calorie diet. Don't follow any sort of fad. Just pick a selection of foods that add up to a normal balanced diet -- whole grains, veggies, fruit, dairy, a little meat, etc. But start out by having exactly the same three meals each day -- the same foods and the same amounts. Weigh the portions on a scale. Consider frozen dinners. Healthy Choice, Lean Cuisine, Kashi, Smart Ones, and probably other brands have several that are low in calories and saturated fat, 25% daily value or less of sodium, and high in fiber.

5) Weigh yourself every day on a 0.2 lb. accuracy scale. Your weight will fluctuate, but with a constant diet it should trend down over every two or three days. If it doesn't, eliminate items from your diet or reduce the size of portions until your weight does go down. (If you don't have a 0.2 lb. accuracy scale, I'd recommend the EatSmart Precision Plus Digital Scale, which is sold on Amazon.) Don't obsess over the scale — let it be your friend and point the way to a weight losing diet.

6) When you have achieved a weight losing diet, then you can start making adjustments to add variety, but make sure that you keep losing weight.

7) Maintain your exercise program.

Is this a joke? This list is geared more towards a "what not to do" list. The only sound advice you gave was to weigh food.

emirror

You need to eat more. For your activity level, you are not getting enough nutrition.

I have a suspicion that the weight you are gaining is water weight. Try cutting back on sodium just a little, and drinking 64 oz of water a day. I measure out my water to make sure I am drinking enough.

How much weight to you want to lose? Have you measured yourself? You could be losing fat and inches, but gaining muscle. That can make the scale move upwards, or not move at all.

bob_day's advice does have merit. If you are trying to figure out EXACTLY what is causing the scale to not move, you can completely regulate your food intake by choosing frozen meals for a couple weeks. It will measure every nutrient, every calorie, and you won't have to think about it. It takes away user error.

Vorenus85

bob_day's advice does have merit. If you are trying to figure out EXACTLY what is causing the scale to not move, you can completely regulate your food intake by choosing frozen meals for a couple weeks. It will measure every nutrient, every calorie, and you won't have to think about it. It takes away user error.

But we're assuming those frozen meals are nutritionally accurate. Depending on where the OP lives, nutritional information is allowed to be off by 20% in either direction. You're better off sticking to whole foods to regulate your intake.

TigerBite

Get your thyroid checked again ... ALL of these blood tests ... ask for them specifically: Free T3, Free T4, Anti TPO Antibodies ... Most of the time doctors will only run the TSH test, which is not a very accurate way of diagnosing thyroid issues ... Google hypothyroid symptoms, see if you have any besides the weight issues ... I was diagnosed when I was 115lbs and I'm 5'2 ... you don't have to be overweight to have a thyroid problem ... I'm now medicated 102-104lbs and am symptom free ...

sammycantz2

Yeah I do have a few other symptoms of hypothyroid actually. I am going back to the doctor on monday i will ask her to run the other tests you suggested.. thanks a lot !

nomeejerome

Do this and you *will* lose weight:

1) Eat mostly to get the nutrition your body needs, and less for enjoyment. Establish a healthful diet and learn to enjoy healthful foods.

2) Three meals a day: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. That's it. No snacks, and no "in between" meals.

3) Give up sugar. No sugar in coffee, soda, or on cereal. Give up fruit juice -- it's mainly just another form of sugar. Water is the only liquid you need.

4) In the beginning, establish a very regulated moderate calorie diet. Don't follow any sort of fad. Just pick a selection of foods that add up to a normal balanced diet -- whole grains, veggies, fruit, dairy, a little meat, etc. But start out by having exactly the same three meals each day -- the same foods and the same amounts. Weigh the portions on a scale. Consider frozen dinners. Healthy Choice, Lean Cuisine, Kashi, Smart Ones, and probably other brands have several that are low in calories and saturated fat, 25% daily value or less of sodium, and high in fiber.

5) Weigh yourself every day on a 0.2 lb. accuracy scale. Your weight will fluctuate, but with a constant diet it should trend down over every two or three days. If it doesn't, eliminate items from your diet or reduce the size of portions until your weight does go down. (If you don't have a 0.2 lb. accuracy scale, I'd recommend the EatSmart Precision Plus Digital Scale, which is sold on Amazon.) Don't obsess over the scale — let it be your friend and point the way to a weight losing diet.

6) When you have achieved a weight losing diet, then you can start making adjustments to add variety, but make sure that you keep losing weight.

7) Maintain your exercise program.

no

sammycantz2

You need to eat more. For your activity level, you are not getting enough nutrition.

I have a suspicion that the weight you are gaining is water weight. Try cutting back on sodium just a little, and drinking 64 oz of water a day. I measure out my water to make sure I am drinking enough.

How much weight to you want to lose? Have you measured yourself? You could be losing fat and inches, but gaining muscle. That can make the scale move upwards, or not move at all.

bob_day's advice does have merit. If you are trying to figure out EXACTLY what is causing the scale to not move, you can completely regulate your food intake by choosing frozen meals for a couple weeks. It will measure every nutrient, every calorie, and you won't have to think about it. It takes away user error.

Okay I will increase my calories and my water intake. I also think I am going to eat after the gym instead of 2 hours before? I haven't lost any inches from my hips or legs which is where I really need to lose.. I'm thinking my legs just may be gaining more muscle but my hips are just in bad shape lol.. The only body part showing any results are my arms. I want to lose 5-7 pounds but at this point 2 pounds would be an improvement.

I'm going to post a picture of me a month ago and me now on my profile as well. Thank you for the advice I will check out some frozen meals to see if I can find ones with good nutritional value and low sodium.

nomeejerome

You need to eat more. For your activity level, you are not getting enough nutrition.

I have a suspicion that the weight you are gaining is water weight. Try cutting back on sodium just a little, and drinking 64 oz of water a day. I measure out my water to make sure I am drinking enough.

How much weight to you want to lose? Have you measured yourself? You could be losing fat and inches, but gaining muscle. That can make the scale move upwards, or not move at all.

bob_day's advice does have merit. If you are trying to figure out EXACTLY what is causing the scale to not move, you can completely regulate your food intake by choosing frozen meals for a couple weeks. It will measure every nutrient, every calorie, and you won't have to think about it. It takes away user error.

no. bob_day's advice does not have merit. That post gets randomly thrown into threads. It is the exact same post every single time with no consideration of specific circumstances. Yes, a calorie deficit is basic to losing weight, but the information in bob_day's post is crap.

emirror

I was trying to be specific about the part about eating. It seems like a lot of people underestimate their food, and many people seem to stop weighing their food after a few days and start guessing.

In any event, no, I didn't agree with everything in the post, but there are good points sprinkled throughout... Like make sure you eat three times a day. I'm all for snacking, so I don't agree with the rest of the statement. OP was eating very few calories and is skipping meals. She could use the advice to eat more often.

Cutting out sugar? Good thing for a person to start with, although I would go with cutting back on it, and not depriving yourself.

4 - regulate your diet and don't follow a fad and 1 - eat and learn to enjoy healthy food choices. Both good points.

5 - weigh yourself every day? Maybe. If it helps motivate a person to stay on track. But it was qualified with saying it will fluctuate.

6 - adjust once losing weight for variety - good idea.

7 - maintain exercise. Good idea.

All in all, I would say the information isn't all crap. It has good points and bad points. So yes, it does have some merit. As for whether they post the same thing in all posts, I don't know, I haven't seen it before. Then again, I tend to come and go from the forums.

emirror

You need to eat more. For your activity level, you are not getting enough nutrition.

I have a suspicion that the weight you are gaining is water weight. Try cutting back on sodium just a little, and drinking 64 oz of water a day. I measure out my water to make sure I am drinking enough.

How much weight to you want to lose? Have you measured yourself? You could be losing fat and inches, but gaining muscle. That can make the scale move upwards, or not move at all.

bob_day's advice does have merit. If you are trying to figure out EXACTLY what is causing the scale to not move, you can completely regulate your food intake by choosing frozen meals for a couple weeks. It will measure every nutrient, every calorie, and you won't have to think about it. It takes away user error.

Okay I will increase my calories and my water intake. I also think I am going to eat after the gym instead of 2 hours before? I haven't lost any inches from my hips or legs which is where I really need to lose.. I'm thinking my legs just may be gaining more muscle but my hips are just in bad shape lol.. The only body part showing any results are my arms. I want to lose 5-7 pounds but at this point 2 pounds would be an improvement.

I'm going to post a picture of me a month ago and me now on my profile as well. Thank you for the advice I will check out some frozen meals to see if I can find ones with good nutritional value and low sodium.

I looked at your picture, and it looks like you are losing fat and gaining muscle. The pants don't fit the same in both photos (at the waistband, the pattern is stretched differently). I'd keep up with the photos to track how you are doing. You look great!

JennyKCarty

You definitely need to eat more. Calculate your BMR, the minimum amount of calories your body needs to function and eat that number daily after exercise (net calories). Also 1 lb per week may be too aggressive of a deficit. 0.5lb per week is more appropriate for your height, weight and goals. Good luck at your Dr's appointment!

chrisdavey

you are low on protein
log all days (not just the "good" ones)
weigh your food

jonnythan

Looks like you've only been logging for about a week.

Eat more protein, use a food scale, and log everything. You don't "gain weight easily." You just eat too much.

cmeiron

Do this and you *will* lose weight:

1) Eat mostly to get the nutrition your body needs, and less for enjoyment. Establish a healthful diet and learn to enjoy healthful foods.

2) Three meals a day: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. That's it. No snacks, and no "in between" meals.

3) Give up sugar. No sugar in coffee, soda, or on cereal. Give up fruit juice -- it's mainly just another form of sugar. Water is the only liquid you need.

4) In the beginning, establish a very regulated moderate calorie diet. Don't follow any sort of fad. Just pick a selection of foods that add up to a normal balanced diet -- whole grains, veggies, fruit, dairy, a little meat, etc. But start out by having exactly the same three meals each day -- the same foods and the same amounts. Weigh the portions on a scale. Consider frozen dinners. Healthy Choice, Lean Cuisine, Kashi, Smart Ones, and probably other brands have several that are low in calories and saturated fat, 25% daily value or less of sodium, and high in fiber.

5) Weigh yourself every day on a 0.2 lb. accuracy scale. Your weight will fluctuate, but with a constant diet it should trend down over every two or three days. If it doesn't, eliminate items from your diet or reduce the size of portions until your weight does go down. (If you don't have a 0.2 lb. accuracy scale, I'd recommend the EatSmart Precision Plus Digital Scale, which is sold on Amazon.) Don't obsess over the scale — let it be your friend and point the way to a weight losing diet.

6) When you have achieved a weight losing diet, then you can start making adjustments to add variety, but make sure that you keep losing weight.

7) Maintain your exercise program.

Hi Bob!

Seriously though, NO.

And yeah, OP, you need to measure/weigh and log all your food and drinks. Otherwise it's all total guesswork.