Moved back to America &gained 15lbs in a month?!
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sytchequeen wrote: »maybe the ingredients have changed even if the meal is the same. What I mean is, maybe there is more fat or sugar in a product there than where you were before. Coupled with less activity and stress of moving that could all go towards a weight gain.
I think the same. The food in the US is made with corn syrup with is banned in other countries. The same product/brand could have additives here that doesn't in other countries.4 -
There are so many food additives in the US that are banned in Europe.. not to say that accounts for 17 lbs but its true and scary as well...
I KNOW!! Honestly I could actually finish my food there while in the US I can never finish my food! And everyone makes fun of me but honestly it’s so much!
When I eat out (in US) and they serve 'dinner' portions, I often box up 2/3... then divide into 2 more containers. Those 3rd's are usually still way more calories than a meal I made at home (they are significantly more liberal in their butter use).3 -
There are so many food additives in the US that are banned in Europe.. not to say that accounts for 17 lbs but its true and scary as well...
I KNOW!! Honestly I could actually finish my food there while in the US I can never finish my food! And everyone makes fun of me but honestly it’s so much!
When I eat out (in US) and they serve 'dinner' portions, I often box up 2/3... then divide into 2 more containers. Those 3rd's are usually still way more calories than a meal I made at home (they are significantly more liberal in their butter use).
I never eat my leftovers lol but yeah I did ask for it to be boxed. I grew up using to eating very little not that it’s healthy but I just didn’t feel very hungry and was a good weight so this weight gain is the biggest shock in my life lol
Though doctor said lack of sleep means my metabolism is slowed down and can’t work as fast even with the same foods
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When i travel to other countries I tend to lose weight easily the one or two weeks I am there. No counting calories, no gym, not even watching what i eat. But I am always walking while in other countries. So no surprise when coming back to the US I have to start counting calories again going to gym and having to take care what I eat to not gain.1
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There's 3500 calories in a pound of fat. Therefore, 15 lbs = 52500 calories / 30 days = 1750 calories per day, as YepitsKriss said. That means 1750 calories above maintenance every day. Does that logically make sense? Your increase is likely water weight, and/or a change in scale as others have suggested.1
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Weight gain is not just about calories in calories out. There's hormones too that might be out of balance.5
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There are so many food additives in the US that are banned in Europe.. not to say that accounts for 17 lbs but its true and scary as well...
I KNOW!! Honestly I could actually finish my food there while in the US I can never finish my food! And everyone makes fun of me but honestly it’s so much!
When I eat out (in US) and they serve 'dinner' portions, I often box up 2/3... then divide into 2 more containers. Those 3rd's are usually still way more calories than a meal I made at home (they are significantly more liberal in their butter use).
Though doctor said lack of sleep means my metabolism is slowed down and can’t work as fast even with the same foods
This statement ranges from a gross over-simplification to misinformation, depending on how they meant it. It doesn't slow RMR, but can lower TDEE if it causes you to become less active (which it often will).
It can also increase the release of grehlin, the appetite stimulating hormone, and interfere with leptin, which signals that your intake need is satisfied.
Furthermore, it can increase cortisol, the stress hormone (already increased by the move, and especially the break up), which can lead to an increased release of insulin, and can result in the deposition of body fat in the midsection.1 -
There are a lot of GMO's and chemicals fed to us here in the US that are either not used or completely illegal in other nations. Also if you're stressed your cortisol is up, and that can be a part of your weight gain.9
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tlanger251 wrote: »sytchequeen wrote: »maybe the ingredients have changed even if the meal is the same. What I mean is, maybe there is more fat or sugar in a product there than where you were before. Coupled with less activity and stress of moving that could all go towards a weight gain.
I think the same. The food in the US is made with corn syrup with is banned in other countries. The same product/brand could have additives here that doesn't in other countries.
There's plenty of food in the US that doesn't use HFCS.1 -
Assuming its not just a difference in the scale you are using the only real way to put on that much weight that quickly realistically is by retaining water, not by adding fat. One sure fire way to retain a ton of water very quickly is to greatly increase your sodium intake.
If you went from a low sodium diet to a high sodium diet you could easily pack on 10% of your body weight as water in a matter of days. There are a lot of American foods that are very high in sodium so that might be something to consider.
That is not "bad" really. I mean if it makes you uncomfortable then should avoid it and if it such a high salt diet that it is raising your blood pressure to dangerous levels then you should dial it back. Other than that, not really something to be all that concerned by.4 -
American processed hidden sugar laden food Welcome to the U.S.A.6
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elisa123gal wrote: »American processed hidden sugar laden food Welcome to the U.S.A.
I've traveled fairly extensively...there's tons of processed food everywhere. Hell, when I was in Colombia, SA and I went grocery shopping, whole foods were very limited...processed foods were abundant.
There is no hidden sugar either...it's right there on the nutritional label.
Having traveled quite a bit, I'd say the availability of fresh, whole foods in the US is more abundant, cheaper, and of greater variety than almost anywhere I've ever been.6 -
You might be pregnant.....
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Don't worry! It's probably just the weight of the "How to be Politically Correct" official rule book we are all required to lug around so we don't offend people.4
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I think the availability and prices of fresh food in the USA vary depending on where you are. (There is an entire thread about living off of $100 per month on here and the range of prices is astounding in the USA). I'd have to live on rice and beans and oatmeal to get by on $100 per month where I live. I spend that much for one person for a week, and I cook almost every meal at home.
Some of my siblings live in Southern California and they have much better produce and it is half the price compared to where I live (Northeast). I was in Europe last month and I found the produce also cheaper and fresher than in the my city. I was like a kid in a candy store (except the smallest selection was of the junk food and candy) amongst all the fresh food. I spent about $20-30 US per week and ate well (cooking in my apartment for 3 meals a day). There is no comparison when it comes to baked goods and bread. If you want decent bread here it costs $3-4 US for a semi-fresh baguette in my city, meanwhile where I was in Europe, it was .30 euro and baked that day (or minutes before)! The meat, fish and poultry also were fresher and about 2/3 of the cost in my US city, since I was in a place that grows food, livestock, and not too far from the coast. (Although I live in a coastal city in the USA, none of our seafood comes from anywhere in the USA except for occasional shrimp from Louisiana).
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cwolfman13 wrote: »elisa123gal wrote: »American processed hidden sugar laden food Welcome to the U.S.A.
I've traveled fairly extensively...there's tons of processed food everywhere. Hell, when I was in Colombia, SA and I went grocery shopping, whole foods were very limited...processed foods were abundant.
There is no hidden sugar either...it's right there on the nutritional label.
Having traveled quite a bit, I'd say the availability of fresh, whole foods in the US is more abundant, cheaper, and of greater variety than almost anywhere I've ever been.
you are being argumentative... and food companies were foreced to put ingredients on lables due to this crisis, and putting an ingredient on a label doesn't make it right..
also..i have traveled quite a bit myself. ..mostly to Europe - where if you keep your eyes open as you pass all the pastry shops - all you see are thin people... a fat person is an oddity. Their food is not as processed, it is regulated on how it is made, not after the fact by putting chemicals and hidden sugars on a label..as if that makes it okay.
on a personal note; my daughter got back from living in Germany for two years last Christmas and has packed on 15 pounds ..doing nothing different than eating here, her work load and routine are the same.4 -
TanyaHooton wrote: »I lived in Europe and Asia for a period about 10 years ago, and when I came back to the Midwest, I gained 15-20 lbs. It was caused by huge portions, such easy access to cheap food all the time, and mostly by much lower activity.
I've lost a bit of that weight, but what I found is there's pressure to eat in the US. They say I'm already skinny, but really my BMI is just over the line into overweight. Seems like the baseline for normal has moved toward overweight.
BMI is not entirely correct because it doesn’t account for bone mass and muscle mass. You could actually be a healthy weight even with your BMI. Body builders have large BMIs even with their low fat masses.1 -
I make a lot of the food I eat from scratch now. I just don't trust the pre-made stuff you can buy in the grocery stores here. And I read labels. the fewer items in something the better. Even "healthy" stuff is full of ingredients I've never hear of - its really scary. I live in San Francisco, and thankfully we have access to fresh, locally grown vegis. I am lucky, and take advantage of it.2
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